Los Angeles herald., 1905-02-13


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along nstantly for over a hundred
years by every means that cruel and
relentless autocracy could devise. There
is at present and has been for the
past century a larger standing army
In Poland than Russia has now fight
| ing for her i'm Manchuria.
Though denied the right to publish
papers in their national tongue, to
have it taught their children in schools.
TO use 1t in their churches, in the
! courts, anywhere that edicts and i'm
perial power could forbid it, they have
clung to their language as tenaciously
as they have clung to their ideals. To
former national anthem of the Poles
would be to invite a sentence in Rus
sian jail, yet the words and music of
the hymn are better known to the
people of the oppressed land than is
"The Star Spangled Banner" in the
United States
The spirit of the people has been sub
dued in SO far as any open manifesto :
tion of 1t is concerned, but under the
surface Poland is a seething pool of
rebellion. The people bow to the car s
edicts, for they know, they have been
taught by experience, how futile is re-
sistance; how little is accomplished
save to SOW the soil with the blood of
martyrs, so long as the autocrats are
undisturbed at home and able to con-
centrate their strength on the attempt
ed classification of conquered provinces.
Banished by Russia
The early life of Col. John Sobieski
was dramatic and inspiring in the ex-
treme. His father and his uncles were
executed by the Russian government
when he was but seven years old and
his mother and he were banished from
the country. At the time of his faith
er's execution his mother was given the
choice of retaining the Sobieski estates
in Poland or of Punishment, but if she
accepted the former she must consent
to have her boy taken from her on
that day and conveyed to an institu-
tion Of the Greek church where they
might rear him under guard to become
an adherent of the Russian govern
the oath of fidelity to the czar. She
replied as follows, as taken from the
story of his life written by Col. So
bieski:
"Sre, you can tell the emperor for
me, that he can take from us our eS-
tate, he can take from us all that we
possess in the world Danish me and my
child from our native land, home and
kindred, to dwell in foreign lands
among strangers. I may be compelled
to beg for myself and my boy, but L
will go and l will teach my boy that
he is Pole, and to love liberty and to
despise tyranny, and to revere and
cherish the cause which his father
cherished and died for, and to hate with
undying hatred that nation and sover-
eign who murdered his father and kin
and despoiled his country, and sent us
into exile"
Col Sobieski's mother died a few
years later in England of a broken
heart. There is probably no more
ardent Polish enthusiast in the world
at the present time than is Col. So
bieski, although the latter is an Amer
lean citizen. When the war between
Russia and Japan broke out Col. So
bieski predicted the uprising which is
now occurring in Poland, and said then
that he would return to lead his people
against their oppressors.
But he sees now that his advanced
age does not permit this and he can
only extend his sympathy to them in
their fight. He has no personal feel
ings in the uprising for it is his hope
that Poland will. if it ever be restored
to its freedom, be made a republic in
its form of government with the best
man for president
Col, Sobieski is living here with his
wife and daughter. The latter, al
though she may be soon princess i'm
her own right, Is perhaps more happy
now with only one subject at her COM
mand. She was married three years
ago to L. $. Gilhousen.