Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-29
WARSAW is LIKEA
CAPTIVE VIRGIN
She Waits IndifFerently for the Ar
rival of the Germans, Knowing
There Would Be Only a Change of
Masters-Ancient City's Story.
Rn GEoRGE w. nouGLAs


VKJARsAw. with the Germans laundering
Vat her gates and the Russians striving
to repulse them, is like beautiful virgin, for
the possession of whom two savage chiefs
are cohtending. Whoever wins she will be a
captive, forced to submit to the offensive
Establishments OF her captor
Reports from the city Indicate that the
people are taking little interest in what is
! going on. Their ancient freedom is not Of
! fered them, and long as they are denied
| that nothing matters. They may not speak
their native language in the schools or in
the public offices. 1t Is only in their thea
tres that Polish is permitted. Whether the
official language of Russia should be dis
placed by the official language of Germany
is a question that does not interest them
Yet they are now striving to be gay, as
they have strlven for more than a hundred
years But beneath the mask Of mirth there
is the grim face of tragedy and the unspoken
expectation that the tragic conditions will
continue.
Warsaw has been called the Paris of
eastern Europe, and In its external aspects
1t reminds the traveller of the French cap
itaL 1t has broad boulevards, pleasant
parks, many statues in the streets and some
ancient palaces But the whole city is in
uSCay' Inc street paNeInCntS are worn IN
=, ruts, over which cab drivers race their horses
In indifference to the comfort of their pas
sengers to the safety of the springs The
public buildings are in bad repair and no
new ones have been built for several gem
erations, unless the Greek Cathedral of st.
Alexander Nevsld can be called a public
building. 1t was started in 1894 and COM
pleted in 1912, yet with all it's newness 1t
Ian Tf Ia
Asiatic in architecture in a city of Gothic and
Renaissance structures and with its buffs
and blues and many domes is out of keep
ing with It's surroundings.
Founded in the Ninth Century
The city today has a population of 775,OOO
the business of which is chiefly in the hands
of alien races. The Jews and the Germans |
dominate and every educated person speaks
French or German with ease, while when he |
remembers the history of his country his
heart burns with Indignation at the neces-
sity of using a strange tongue He knows
that there has been a Polish stronghold on
the Vistula at this point ever since the ninth
century and that the records of 1924 Indicate
that there was city at that date. In the
Intervening centuries 1t grew great The
Poles know that they established in Cracow
IheI ancient Cdpltali the urSt university IN
northern Europe and that for centuries they
an Independent national life with
a high degree of civilization while Russia
and Germany were in state of semibarbar-
ism They lost their independence in the
eighteenth century but have been dreaming
of regainng it ever since. In 1881 they re-
belled, but the Car succeeded in subdung
them, and to let them know what they might
expect If they became restless again he built
a great citadel with barracks for $4,000 men,
with an arsenal a hospital and a political
prison. When this completed, in 1885,
Car Nicholas visited the city to inspect it
and said:
II have caused this castle to be built, and
I declare to you that at the least attempt at
nsurrection it will blow the city to pieces.
will then have 1t razed to the ground and,
depend upon it, it will not be rebuilt during
my reign, that of my successor, or Of his
successor"
But the warning did not suppress the ma
tional spirit. A generation later the Varso-
Vans revolted again. The city was not razed