1918 In Search Of A New Path
Děti Svobody ("Children of Freedom")
Picture from p. 52 1. Pražští Vlci ("Wolves of Prague") in the Šárka Natural Park, 4.5.1919. ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 52 2. Header of the magazine Děti Svobody with the organization's emblem, 4/1919. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 52 3. An article about the activities of Děti Svobody, Národní politika 9.5.1919, p. 4. ~z~ AA
Picture from p. 53 4. The cover of the magazine Děti Svobody for the issues 3.–5./1919. ~a~ JT, ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 53 5. Děti Živěny ("Children of Živěna") camping under the castle Týřov, LT 1919. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 53 6. An ID card of a scout from Jindřichův Hradec, 1919. ~z~ SI
After Austria-Hungary fell apart, the patriotic ethos of a large part of Psohlavci ("Dogheads") chiefs was shown by the founding of a new official organization – Českoslovenští junáci-skauti "Děti Svobody" ("Czechoslovak Scouts 'Children of Freedom'"). Děti Svobody were motivated by Slavic mythology embedded into Seton's woodcraft, following the example of Děti Živěny set in 1913 by Maixner and Seifert. Obec Psohlavců ("Community of Dogheads") and Skauti besídek ("Scouts of Get-togethers") joined Děti Svobody on 11 May 1919 and reorganized their tribes. At the Founding Council of Svaz Junáků skautů Republiky Československé ("The Scouting Association of the Czechoslovak Republic") in Prague's Umělecká beseda ("Artists' Forum") on 7 June 1919, Děti Svobody joined the umbrella organization for a trial period of three months together with other scouting organizations. Only the representatives of Junák met at the Council in September, which did not prevent them from using the agreement from June to its full potential in order to secure a spot in a newly-established international organization. President Masaryk also became the new protector of Svaz Junáků ("Scouts' Association"). He was certainly pleased to hear about the unification of scouting, unaware that officially it only lasted three months and, even during that time, was rather illusory. Děti Svobody used their new name officially only until the end of 1919. After that, one could only come accross the old-new name Československá Obec Psohlavců ("Czechoslovak Community of Dogheads").
Československá Obec Psohlavců a Horních chlapců ("Czechoslovak Community of Dogheads and Upper Boys")
Picture from p. 54 1. An Obec Psohlavců ID card from Pilsen, Czechia, cca 1920. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 54 2. An ID card of "Chodky" ("Chodovians"), 1920. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 54 3. The stamp of Obec Psohlavců, 1921. ~z~ AA
Picture from p. 54 4. The cover of the first translation of Book of Woodcraft into Czech, 1920. ~z~ AA
Picture from p. 54 5. Družina Vlků ("Wolves" section) from Pražská jednota Psohlavců ("Prague Dogheads Community") in the valley Bojovské údolí, 13.5.1921. ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 55 6. Prague-based Psohlavci with Marie Hořejší, 1922. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 55 7. A cover of the Psohlavec magazine 1/1920. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 55 8. The Rules of Procedure of Obec Psohlavců, 1921. ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 55 9. An ID card of Obec Psohlavců, 1920. ~z~ LA
Picture from p. 55 10. The ID card of the Psohlavci chief in Svaz skautů, 1922. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 55 11. An invitation to the Council, 1920. ~z~ LA
Obec Psohlavců was renewed in the beginning of 1920 or, more precisely, Děti Svobody went back to using the original name of the organization. Having returned from Slovakia, Miloš Seifert took the lead and sparked anew the dying fire in his brothers' hearts. In these times, Psohlavci adapted the ideas of Seton's scouts, and many troops clung to woodcraft for good. However, the former chief Jan Hořejší, a supporter of traditional scouting like the town's mayor Norbert Pokorný, came back from Slovakia too. The logical consequence of the discord about the future path of Psohlavci was the migration of about three hundred members to Svaz Junáků. The remaining members, led by Miloš Seifert, founded a new woodcraft organization in 1922 – Zálesácká liga Československá ("Czechoslovak Backwoodsmen's League").
Ferdinand Krch - Fedor, Bořivoj Müller
Picture from p. 56 F. Krch, asi 1920. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 57 B. Müller, asi 1920. ~z~ NA
Picture from p. 57 Prague-based Psohlavci at the Founding Council of the Community in Zbiroh, 1915. ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 58 A drawing from the publication Kroj junáků lesní moudrosti ("Folk Costume of Woodcraft Scouts"), 1924. ~a~ PK, ~z~ JB
- Ferdinand Krch - Fedor
- (* 7. května 1881, Praha – † 13. dubna 1973).
A Czech educator and author. His work was intended for children and youth. He was also a collector of rhymes.
He graduated from a high school in Smíchov, Prague, and in 1905 from the Faculty of Law at Charles University. After a thorough consideration, however, he decided to dedicate himself to educating children. Until 1919 he taught at elementary schools, at the boarding school of Jednota pro blaho propuštěných káranců ("Released Convicts' Welfare Association"), and in 1913 he opened a free-of-charge music institution for children with Josef Křička. At the beginning of the 1930s he joined Přemysl Pitter and his colleagues who decided to set up Milíčův dům ("Milíč Home"), a daycare center for neglected children from the suburb Žižkov. He dedicated all his free time to them until 1951, without getting paid for it. At the time of the opening ceremony of Milíčův dům in 1933, Krch already had four years of experience with, among others, managing Dům dětství ("Childhood Home") at a chateau in Krnsko – a boarding school for 60 orphans of legionaries. Krnsko was visited by many organizations both from Czechoslovakia and abroad.
Krch's educational activities were related to his publishing activities. He cooperated with a number of magazines. From 1919 he managed the youth magazine Zlatá brána ("Golden Gate") and later he was the editor of the children's magazines Lípa ("Linden Tree") and Radost ("Joy") on which he cooperated with Josef Lada. Krch is the first author or co-author of many children's books, plays and songbooks.
From the perspective of the woodcraft organization LLM, Krch cooperated with Seifert in formulating the rules for the association of Czech woodcraft tribes, taking into account national specifics from 1919.
He lead a woodcraft tribe in Dům dětí ("Children's Home") in Krnsko and, later on with the help of Miloslav Vavrda, in Milíčův dům as well.
He was elected the Executive of the united Liga československých woodcrafterů ("Czechoslovak Woodcrafters League") in 1928.
He enabled Miloš Seifert to publish books (Přírodou a životem k čistému lidství, Vidoucí oči, E. W. Thoreau) as well as articles in magazines led by him (Lípa, Radost, Zlatá brána, etc.).
He and Přemysl Pitter kept close contact with Seifert until his death, and were the executors of his will.
On the occasion of his 90th birthday (1971) he was named the Honorary Chief of Czechoslovak woodcrafters (the decree was signed by dozens of the most prominent personalities of the movement).
- Bořivoj Müller
- (*25. dubna 1871, Praha – † 1. dubna 1957, Praha).
A high-school teacher of geography, drawing and German. The pioneer of scouting in Czechoslovakia, the author of the handbook Skaut Československý ("The Scout of Czechoslovakia") (1920).
He taught at the high school in Rokycany, Czechia, where Jan Hořejší was his student and later a colleague. Influenced by A. B. Svojsík, they founded a scout troop in Prague in 1913. After a disagreement with the management of Junák, they quit it in 1913 and founded their own organization Psohlavci ("Dogheads") under protection of the association Záchrana ("Rescue"). František A. Elstner – Frank, among others, was a member of Müller's troop. In 1919 he switched to Junák.
Müller was responsible for the emergence of Obec Psohlavců ("The Dogheads Community") in 1915. At that time he passed the troop on to Miloslav Roubal from the younger generation.
In 1919 he participated in publishing the magazine Děti svobody (of the organization Děti svobody), and later in the publishing of the magazine Psohlavec (of the organization Obec Psohlavců). In 1920 he quit and joined an organization of Baden-Powell's scouts.
