New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-07


the rise Of an efficient ruler. Even IL great
man reached the throne, no must have surpassed
in executive force all the rulers OF his time by
Just SO much as the disinfcgrating tendencies OF
the turbulent nobility with whom he had to
deal amounted TO. power from which so much
WIS subtractcd can not he compared on equal
terms with the game power governing a nation
nrocticallv united The rebellions Of the mobiles
often paralyzed the military expeditions of the
Kings Even the splendid career of Sobicski
,ybich moro than all else fixed the sympathy oG
the Christian world upon Poland, did not suffice
10 draw his mobiles out Of their selfish life. They
were utterly wanting In patriotic feeling. "They
seemed SAYS Mr.. Morrill,, to have no sense of
nnion: no realization of anything beyond family
interest
Such facts az these make II impossible to think
NJ Poland as unity, in the European sense Of
tho form Freedom shriel,ed' tiny polite
shrel, in the poets closet, :" when Kosciusko fell
Eut she had been mourning among tho miserable
pcasantry on that bleak plain for ages. and she
must have been pretty well used to chains and
ACKNOWLEDGMENT. As for the aristocracy, the
nozzle who arroeatcd TO themselves alone the
name Of tile people OF Poland, there was nothing
in the book Of fate for such privileged tyrants
but ruin, and however much we may lament the
fatc of Poland nation it is impossible to feel
great regret for the calamites which Overcame
her nobility.
Just as the wars OF Poland contributed by the
the increase of slaves 70 the degradation OF the
peasantry, so, in turn the necessity Of making war
induced the carly dukes and kings to grant the
privileges which proved fatal TO the nation. Inc
same rcign-that of Casimir V.--which saw
fugitive slave law passed. witnessed also the mar
rowing of the Diet by means of proxies. This
was step which might have lcd toward really
representative form OF government: as matter
of fact, it seems orly 70 have consolidated the
power of the nobility. At every turn, when the
necessity Of King or people gave occasion, the
mobiles were ready with some new legislation in
their own behalf and at last came TO the surface
in national politics a device as familiar to the
Sayonic tribe u 10 some Indian political systems
in America by which single member OF dc-
Lucrative bod, could defeat all legislation. In
1861 the first instance occurred Of dissolution
of the Diet ~ the liberum veto. the / forbid
of one discoltcnted member. Subsequently, the
use of this privilege became frequent Ii Is easy
to SCI how It was used by the rulers Of neighbor-
ing ami rial powers to paralyzc action on the
part Of Pdand. Corruption was rendered cheaper
and easir than it has ever keen in any other
country known 10 history. The purchase OF one
vote VIZ sufficient 10 release officials who deserved
impeachment and trial for treason, to obstruct
the lc'ying OF taxes and even - prevent measures
Of ma ional defence
NJ. Morrill, has suggestive and interesting
CHAPTER on the literature OF Poland. notaple
fac, is the long persistence of Latin not only
as literary language but in conversational use.
Wien the Polish mobiles went to Paris to invite
VAL tl,,,t hoy
ihed the Parisans not more by the magnilcencc
Of their dress than by their readiness In various
languages and particularly in Latin and it was
Polish ambassador whose facility in Latin dis
course provoked speech from Elizabeth of Eng
land that proved how lively a de,d language could
become on the lips of an angry queen. The works
and strange career Of Adam Mickewicz are treated
at considerable length. and he is described as
the representative poet" Of his country, and with
tie single exception of Pushkin the greatest Of
the Slavonic race. But Tie poets mystical notions
produced in him an absurd affection for French
imperialism. The most genuine utteranccs Of
freedom in all Polish literature seem ~ be the
speeches and pamphlets OF Hugh Kollontaj in the
latter half of tine eighteenth century for he boldly
rvged the ahrogatOn Of the aristocratic privileges,
though lie favored hereditary monarchy. II is
worthy Of mention IS showing how incapable q
Polish nObleman was Of understanding liberty,
that kollontajs most vigorous opponent, Scveryn
Rzewuski, coupled the names Of franklin and
Washington with an argument that any reform
might "evcn make it possible for Il peasant to
bring nobleman BEFORE a court Of Justice.
The book Is we'll illustrated with maps, views,
copies of royal seals and the like, and AS it is
drawn from original and native materials is of
special value in the very excellent series to
which it belongs