Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-03-16
THE GLORY THAT WAS PoLAND's
A Great and Splendid Empire That
Was Cast Into Lots.

American sympathy can be giver
without reserve to "partitioned Pc.
land" the magnificent, much-promis-
ing empire Of yesterday, the keen suf-
fering battlefield Of today, Whose
farms and industry, villages and cities
are being made val offerings ant
people are fighting one another under
three different flags; for Poland Is the
least concerned sacrifice in the Euro.
pean struggle. Polish lands comprise
almost the entire eastern war theatre
This people, their chequered, turbulent
history, their proud boasts and dearest
hopes, and their peculiar characteris'
tics are carefully explained to Ameri.
cans in q historic geographical study
made for the National Geographic 80.
ciety by william Joseph Showalter.
Mr.. Showalter says Of the brilliant
middle European kingdom Of yester.
day:
I'm size she outranked nearly every
nation on the continent. Even nov
Russia alone Of the European nations
Is larger than Poland was at hel
greatest. In population she stood al
the forefront Of Europe; only Russia
and Germany today have greater pop.
ulations than are to be found in the
lands hat one were Poland; for un.
partitioned Poland had an area Of
2S2,0 900 square miles, and the lands
that once lay within her boundaries
now support a population Of so million
In area she was as large as the Ger
man empire, Switzerland, Belgium
Holland and Denmark together; ant
within what were her borders, there
dwells a present population larger thar
those Of France, Belgium and Holland
combined"
Though III years have gone BY
since the final partition Of POLAND
among Russia, Austria and Germany
and though the ~conquerors have made
the most vigorous efforts TO assimilatt
the Polish people, the Pole today, II
anyway changed, Is more intensely ma.
tional, Mr.. Showalter points out, more
p~assionately devoted to an ideal Of
re-established Poland than eve before
The Pole has a fervent love for al
things Polish, this writer continues:
He will tell you hat their cook.
ing Is better than that Of Paris; thai
their scenery Is more beautiful thar
that Of any other country; that thefl
language is the most melodious thai
falls from human lips; that there IL
no dance in the world to be compared
with the mazurka, that the most beau.
tlIul WOMEN OH the lace VI LILO COL ~
and the bravest men who ever Hvec
are to be found among them; that the
Poles are a cheerful, h~ospitable % sfy
pleased, and an imaginative race; ant
that yet, in spite of and n~otwithstand.
ing all this, they r the most unhappy
people and theirs the most hapless ma.
ton in history"
Poland was three times partitioned
The final apportionment was made a.
the congress of Vienna in 1915, which
left to Russia 100000, Prussia 26,00(
and Austria $4,000 square miles. Aftel
this distribution the c~onquerors sough
to blot out all memories Of the king
dom, Poland, and MI. Showalter enum'
crates among the repressive measure!
employed to this end, those forbiddint
the use Of the Polish language, the u.s.
Of the national dress-even at carni'
vals-the singing Of national songs
and the displaying Of national coats
of-arms.
The Poles lost their place among thu
family Of nations because they were
the victims Of an unrestrained individ.
ualism. Yet, where the Poles are will.
ing to surrender some part Of theil
individualism in the service Of an ides
as in the case Of the United States
they make the best Of citizens. Ameri'
ca Is a decided gamer by the host o.
Poles who have sought her shores, /!
the conclusion Of the writer.