New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-22
THE POLISH QUESTION.
EFFECT OF THE POSEN FETES-ECO-
NoMTC AND RACIAL ASPECT S OF
THE GERMANIZING PROCESS
THE CATECHISM NOT IN
THE MOTHER TONGUE.
Posen. September 4.

The German Emperor is a man Of action VINO
xoss not allow either his authority or his sagac-
..r m be challenged by his subjects. When
we were signs of discomfort among the Poles
. Eastern Prussia over his own attitude toward
.se,- grievances and the Indifference displayed
=, anne of his ministers TO the agitation con-
s,,+A5 bv a political faction on racial lines ne
ornounced his intention Of entering Posen IN
- and holding court there. His answer 20 the
-o,,e. challenge has sienced all opposition
c.. NJ the Polish indictments may have closed
- bo,ses and retired IN sulIen disdain 10
.,- estates in the country: but the popUlace
- baen entertained with military pageants and
. series Of brilliant town shows and has been
-sr,fnded that the hoary traditions OF a dead
monarchy are Of little account in comparison
nth the power and glory Of a living empire. The
c.s--,an Emperor in the course Of four days has
Unmarried an irresistible impulse 10 the national
-,ovs-7ent IN the ancient city OF the Polish kings
zza has not wounded the suscepubiEtles OF
sensitive people. which has 60 per cent Of the
,o-,1s+,on Of the city and perhaps 75 per cent in
+be provinces: but he has demonstrated the su-
s-.o-,+v Of the conditions Of progress and of the
realities Of imperial power when weighed in the
balance against the prejudices Of divided race
-,osa 4,7+1,-e Is bound up with the destinies Of
Shree military empires.
r,ose,'s antiquity is not disclosed in the mas
ars5e ~ an imperial fete- It is one OF the old
est towns in Prussia having been the seat OF a
risbop from the end Of the tenth century and
-be residence Of Polish kings as late as the be
ginning Of the fourteenth century. II was one
If the Gordon OF Hansea1ic cities IN the MidCIe
Ares and since I772 il has been Prussian town
under the treaty for the partition OF Poland
There are tanges Of narrow streets in the Oldest
Quarters. hut there are few buildings dating
r.. oath taT- in -ha
old market place. has Bar6que tower OF the
sixteenth century, and loggia with faded signs
Of the zodiac: there is a Jesuit church OF the
seventeenth century near by. and Gothic
church OF the fifteenth century stands close 70
the cathedral which was rebuilt soon after the
division OF Poland; and there are a few houses
IN the poorest quarter which antedate the Prus-
sian occupation. The town itself has been Ger
rnanized In the course OF a century; and so rapid
has been its industrial progress during the last
twenty years that the inner and outer circles OF
Notifications have been enconpassed with fac
tories and villages, where skilled workren are
employed in many industries. The quaint cos
tunes OF the Bambergers and Polish peasants
have disappeared. and the business section. with
It's central shaded promenade, its broad thor
oughfares, its military structures and its the
aires and beer gardens. is essentially German
Two languages are spoken IN the streets, but
the superior energy Of the dominant race has
carried the ancient stronghold Of the Poles out
Of the realm Of medieval decadence and stagna-
ton and established il on the heights Of iulpe-
rial progress. There will be no backward move
rnent in consequence OF this weeks display Of
imperial spIendor. The Polish mobiles and the
faction leaders may have suIlenIv retired from
their homes; but the masses have remained to
witness the TRANSPORTATION OF prosaic streets
and ina
lions watch the glints Of color in the military
uniforms 10 hear the stirring strains Of martial
music from morning until midnight, and to re-
sIize that It IS a great privilege TO be numbered
among the subjects OF a powerful empire. whose
enterprise and progress make up much OF the
history OF the time.
The Polish question cannot be uninportant.
since the keen eyed Emperor has singled 1t out
cloud IN the German sky. not larger than a
mans hand. yet having the possibilities Of q
centre Of future disturbance
A German minister has also referred TO IL as
one Of the most serious issues TO be decided in
the Fatherland, and apparently the present cam
paign in Posen has been deliberately planned for
the purpose Of counteracting the dangerous ten
denotes Of Polish disafection. a giant in spiked
helmet, sleeping with his arnor on, may dream
Of red specks floating in the air when he is
merely suffering from sense Of Rightly and
compression Official prenlonitions Of a menace
10 the empire from Polish clannishness may be
explained by the strain Of system that is never
relaxed The national passion for uniformity,
. regularity and thoroughness units Germany for
being efficient colonizing power; and lack Of
fexiblity may also be displayed in dealing with
g subject race within its own borders. The
Polish question seems q serious when one
discusses it in Berlin with experts who plume
-rAir becomes
q harmless vagary when visit is made to
Posen, where all classes and both races enjoy
their holidays and unite in enthusiastic demon
STATIONS when the Emperor rides by in his white
Uniform. well horsed and with brtstling. warltke
rnustache. The Polish outbreaks in 1876 and
1s46 were easily suppressed; and when forty
thousand trained German soldiers can be con-
centrated AZ q moments notice for provincial
parade IL idle TO consider the possibilities
OF armed revolt The young Poles. moreover,
are in the ranks OF the German army serving
their time under universal CONSUMPTION; and the
reservists and veterans OF that race will never
fire upon the German nag after learning 10 re-
spect it There is a theory that the Poles IN Rus
sia- Austria-Hungary and Germany may act
together in the emergency OF war; but how in
credible the assumption seems. when one esti-
mates the military forces Of the three empires
which could be concentrated against a common
foe
The Polish population is increasing more rap
idly than the Germans IN Eastern Prussia and
81 is proiting by the growth of industrial inter-
ests This is one Of the causes Of official appre-
hension in Berlin The increase comes after
long period during which the Polish population
was slowly declining II relative Importance and
IL is restricted TO the rural districts of Posen
and Suesia, where farming operations are unre-
-or1ne-atfZe Old Polish families are lsr roe rroo