The Washington herald., 1915-03-14
~HE tragic history that has been
the fate OF Poland has reached
its climax. Her fate is so ter
,;l,lo 20 hoooor dissertation

rible as to beggar description.
This densely populated agricultural
country, cut off from the worlds lines
of communications. ravaged now by Rus
sian and now by German troops, is also
at the mercy of bands of outlaws. They
are made up of Russian soldiers left be-
hind by their regiments to recover from
their wounds With its towns and coun-
tryside ruined Poland is facing extinc-
ton.
American people do not dream of what
is happening in Poland say those who
have recently come from that unfortu-
nate land. Writers and photographers
have shown the destruction wrought in
Belgium by the graphing armies. But
Poland is still land unknown. 1t is
cut off from the worlds lines of COM
munications; it has none of Belgiums
political significance and is literally
land without a helping hand in the world.
To understand the situation there 1t
must be borne in mind that Poland is
still united in national feeling although
divided into the threeOparts, of German
Poland, Austrian Poland and Russian
Poland. In these combined states there
is a total Polish population Of 2O,0O0,OOO.
Next to Belgium it is the most densely
populated land in Europe. Contrast Po-
lands 100000 with Belgium's 7,OOO,-
600 and you get some idea of the greater
amount of suffering.
The Poles of course had no direct in
terest in the great conflict now raging.
Primarily they are an agricultural peo-
pie and lack the accumulated reserves
that are at least partially sustaining the
Belgians in their present distress.
Suddenly the war broke out. To the
Dol ;t IL of ljphtninV from
a clear sky The three powers summoned
to their respective colors the Poles within
their territories. That meant brother
was to fight against brother. They were
compelled to go almost to the last able
bodied man. since all three powers had
raised the age limit to thirty-eight years
Galicia or Austrian Poland was invaded
by Russian troops in the first weeks OF
the war. 1t is an invasion that will never
be forgotten. Galicia is the granary OF
Poland and the crops were only partially
harvested. In twinkling the sustenance
of the Poles for the fall and winter was
destroyed. Numerous towns were sacked.
The Russian troops marched rapidly and
Lemberg one morning was astonished to
find them at her gates.
Lemberg is a city of 100000 people.
but in the panic which followed 1t melted
away to a population Of 10000. These
refugees had no time to pack up supplies
and clothing. Families were broken up
and separated in the haste to get away,
and for weeks after the papers of Aus
tria were filled with advertisements of
mothers and fathers and others seeking
to locate missing children and other loved
ones.
When the German army invaded Bel
GUM there was no military need for
wholesale destruction. In fact, after
Germany had once fixed her lines
it was to her military advantage to re-
store the country to Is nearly normal
condition. as possible. But the armies
that invaded Poland had no such mill
tary necessity. It has worked rather to
their advantage to convert Poland into
a desert waste, since this increased the
difficulties of the other side shouldSthe
tide of battle turn.
Ancient towns have been completely