The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-04-29
POLAND WAS NEXT IN SIZE.
Celebrated for Grain Production.
Has No Political Entity.

The Poland OF lll1 was larsei
than any other European country
with the exception OF Russia. TO-DAY
il has no political entity, says the
National Geographic society, IN d
statement. Two centuries ago It's
domain reached from the Baltic TO
the Carpathians, and stretched from
east to west for distance OF APP
proximately six hundred miles.
The first partition OF Polaho
came in l772, when Prussia ana
Austria, alarmed by the progress Oh
Russia in Poland. suggested, as d
means OF maintaining the equilibrium
of Europe. that all three powers re-
adjust their territories at the en-
pense OF Poland" reads the society $
hplletin. Poland lay utterly help
less. She lost about one-hfth OF
her population and one-iourth OF her
territory.
THE second partition, in 1893, re-
duced Poland to one-third OF her
original dimensions, with a popula-
ton OF about 3,500,00G. A third
treaty of partition was signed IN
1895.
The congress OF Vienna, in 1872
divided Poland between Prussia
Austria and Russia, with the eXcep-
ton of Cracow, which was erected
into a republic embedded in Gallcla.
Posen and Gnesen, with a popula-
ton of $4,000, were left to Prussia.
Austria remained in possession OF
Galicis, with it's 100000 lnhaDl-
tants. Lithuania and the Ruthenian
palatinates continued to be lncor-
porated with Russia. The remnant
was constituted as the so-called con-
gress kingdom, under the emperor
of Russia as the king of Poland.
In the same year Car Alexander
! granted the new kingdom a con-
stitution which declared it TO be
united to Russia, in the person OF
the car, as a separate political en-
tity. Poland retained its flag and a
national army In 1880, following
the outbreak OF the French revoiu-
ton, a military revolt took place in
Warsaw. This lasted for ten months
and at the conclusion the congress
kingdom was reduced to the position
of a Russian province. The last re-
naming remnant of Polands sepa-
rate political existence was Cracow,
and it was finally occupied by Aus
tria in 1916. The last attempt OF
the Poles to achieve independence
was in 1863. 1t vas marked by no
real battle and the uprising was soon
repressed. The national history Of
Poland closes with this attempt at
freedom. In 1868, by an ukase of the
emperor of Russia, the government
was absolutely incorporated with that
of Russia and the use of the Polish
Language in public places and for
public purposes was prohibited.
Russian Poland contains the first
line of defence of the Russian En-
pire on its western frontier. The
marshy lowlands, covered with for
ests on the western bank OF the Wis
tula, offer natural defence against
an army advancing from the west,
and they are strengthened by num-
Der of fortresses on that river. The
centre Of these latter is Warsaw.
The Poles are rather of medium
stature and we'll built. Those in the
south are dark and in the north are
inclined to be fair. For several years
past the German element has been
annually increasing, both in number
and in influence. in Russian Poland.
From remote antiquity Poland has
been celebrated for the production
and export of grain. Since 1873
there has been a remarkable develop
ment of manufacturing enterprise.
The railroads of Russian Poland
have an aggregate length of 1900
miles.
The entire administration of the
province is under the governor-gen-
eral residing at Warsaw. After the
insurrection of 1863 all towns with
less than 1000 inhabitants were de-
prived OF their municipal right. The
elective municipal councils were prac-
tically abolished and Russian Off
GERS nominated in their places. The
prevalent religion is Roman Catho-
lie.