Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-15
Author of "Quo Vadis
And His Open Hand.
Special Correspondence of The Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Star
WARSAW, October l. 1906
DROUD as the Poles are of the author
i OF Quo Vadis." Slenkiewicz the man
is not well beloved In his native
land. He has the reputation of being close
listed, and his compatriots like an open
hand. The following incident greatly
amused his friends at the time 1t occurred.
Sienkiewicz has a very pretty daughter
by his first wife, fair-haired girl with a
bright complexion. Her life is rather dull.
and one winter she determined to enliven
Its monotony by giving an evening party
on her names day-that Is. the day dedi-
Gated to the saint after whom she WAS
christened. These names days" are kept
as birthdays in Poland. when girls get
presents Of flowers. sweets. etc. from their
friends and relatives.
At first Sienkiewicz declared that he
would not give any party at all, as the
strikes had begun and several people who
had attempted to entertain received threat
ening letters from the socialists. But the
daughter prevailed and Invitations were
sent out for "a small and early Those
who were lucky enough to be Invited looked
forward to the party with expectation, for
they knew but little OF the Sienkiewicz In
terror. and who is not interested in the
furniture and table appointments OF a
famous mani But alaai A day or two
before the great event Miss Sienklewica
wrote to her friends canceling the invi-
had received a letter saying that IL he
gave the party his windows would be
broken as we'll as those of the carriages
which conveyed the guests to his doors.
The letter was supposed to be signed
by prominent socialistic society, and Is
said to have ended with an admonition to
the author of Quo Vadis" to set better
example to the Polish people than to give
dances when hundreds of men were on
strike and had not much as a crust OF
bread to give their starving families. The
tone OF the whole thing was very much
exaggerated. as. though the situation was
grave, the strikers had full pay for the
time they were locked out, and the only
people who suffered at this stage of the
desired effect was produced. Everybody
laughed. and those who had not been in
vited laughed loudest of all.
IS
The poor daughter was very much dis
appointed. and she and her brother after
ward limited that they suspected disap-
point acquaintance had played them this
trick. But, knowing the great mans aver
sion to spending money upon frivolities,
many people were malicious enough to sug-
gest that Sienkiewicz had written the letter
to himself and shown it to his daughter In
order to save the expense of having people
in his house. 1t Is significant fact that
the latter explanation of the affair soon
gained credence in the Polish capital
During the general strike which took
place in the autumn of 1905 the working
classes in warsaw suffered considerably, as
many factories were closed for good and
the owners of those which were still open
refused to pay for the whole of the time
spent in strikes. The price of bread
owing to the bakers strikes-had risen
by leaps and bounds, and hundreds of
families were starving. Relief committees
were formed and Sienkiewicz was asked
to lend his name as president Of one, the
guardians assuring him that he would not
have to be prominently active or attend
meetings.
Nearly everybody who could possibly do
so sent subscriptions. People went without
little daily luxuries in order to be able to
help their poorer brethren. Peasants who
had no money to give contributed in kind.
Every village for miles around sent Gao
bages. barley and potatoes. till the square
by the general post office was crowded with
their long, narrow carts. And still 1t was
not enough. The cold weather had begun
and the people had not the wherewithal
pawned their boots and sheepskins 1t was
necessary to find some quick way OF raising
money before the hard frost set In and to
institute a poor fund which would last
-
Henry Sienkiewicz In a moving speech
delivered before q large audience. Dreaded
the cause OF the workingman and. after
dwelling upon the duties OF rich citizens.
suggested that everybody In Warsaw who
rented a fiat should pay a uniform tax OF
one rouble for each window which looked
out upon the street This seemed fair
enough as only the well-to-do rent fats
looking on the street: the poorer ones
have to be content with q view Of the
court yard.
People with a dozen windows or more
coming under Sienkiewicz's category looked
q little aghast. az they had already given
freely to the poor. But az the great man
was to set the example the others said
they would willingly follow It. But the
worst of 1t was that the great man himself
declined to practice what he had preached
The day after making his moving speech
he left Warsaw. and those who had begun
the work Of levying the tax. which was
called by his name. learned that ne nad
gone abroad for an indefinite period.
Neither did he send the committee the tax
for his windows.
People with sufficient sense OF hunnor
laughed and paid their share. But the
others, a much larger proportion. said they
would walt until SIenkiewicz made move.