The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-01
RUSSIA PRIZES CHOLM.
A~ncient city the Centre for Prop
uganda ANON Poles.

WASHINGTON, July 31.-"kholm. or
Cholm. as the Poles spell 1t, has been
one OF the most interesting Of Polish
towns under Russian administration. for
from this quiet corner of subject Poland
the Government programme for the
classification of the Poles has been
dfrected." says a descriptive statement
issued by the National Geographic So
Getty.
Just over the Russian border, sur
rounded py endless acres Of forest and
agricultural land. the whole region In
which 1t lies, possessed of but Indifferent
means for communication and so
screened from the feverish. suspicious
politics of Warsaw and other Polish
centres, Kholm In peace times was a
strategic point OF rare advantages for
the propagation OF Russian influences
1.-THE Russian ideals. the Russian
tengue. Russinn methods and the Rus
sian religion entered Poland by way of
kholm and from here painstaklng efforts
were made to spread them among all the
peasantry. Tn Russian point OF view
fLs sought to penetrate by way OF the
Observation-Disclosures railway line
and from there. too, IL has made its way
EeGbbs SNNi oAl lit ~ vloCl
70 the great Polish city of LenDere.
Thus kholni. which the Russian soldiers
dsfended so splendldly. was a Russian
stronghold in more senses than one. II
cas- the sentimental and intellectual
hart Of the Russian programme u
Poland.
"Cholm is the seat Of q Russian
Bishop, The national Greek Church..
though it claims but few followers over
sha Ip,lfgt la,..AAW,v - h.r. af 49, A a.
Htrenched. The city supports u num-
Der vi Greek churches and an scclesias-
tical seminary long founded here offers
to the Poles and to Russian missiona-
ries 10 the Poles the learning Of the
Greek Church. The Russian church has
based mighty efforts from Cholm for the
conversion OF the Poles TO the Church OF
most of the Slavs.' Its success. how
ever, is still hanging in the balance.
The city is very ancient. II was
founded by Daniel, Trlnce OF Galicz. as
business headquarters for rich family es-
tatss. 1t Is to-day a living specimen Of
archaeology with the railway running
through 1t as one Of the few reminders
Of the modern age. The shell Are of
to-day. shaking this out OF date, time
sleepy city, must cause an uncanny reali-
xation among It's citizens OF the strides
that the ages have made since Cholm
last came Into immediate contact with
the outside world. The city. most OF
which was built without a plan. pro-
vtdss u home for 10000 people and be.
fore the outbreak OF the war provided
an arsenal, a quiet but powerful source
OF classification plans and sinews.
"Lublin. the important manufacturing
town OF this part OF Russian Poland.
lies forty-five miles west-northwest Of
Cholm by the Warsaw Railway.
Cholm forms the south termination OF
the strategic railroad that runs behind
the last line of Russian defence In Po-
land, that north and south line OF the
Bug reinforced and continued north
from the Bug by the Cholm-Brest-L-
fovsk- Bielostock- Ossowiec railway, Its
possession. therefore, is OF great military
Importance. The country around Cholm
grows an abundance Of grains and il
also very rich in its production OF other
agricultural products