Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1915-05-26
i j. j X !. i j. !. i. !. j. !
j. SOME EUROPEAN HISTORY. !.
i Sss ]. !. !. !. j. !. !. \. !. \.
Poland
Poland.

| o
Poland.
The Poland of 1915 was larger
than any other European country
with the exception Of Russia. To-
day it has no political entity, says
the National Geographic Society, in
a statement. Two centuries ago it's
domain reached from the Baltic to
the Carpathians, and stretched from
east to west for a distance Of approx
imately 600 miles.
''The first partition Of Poland
came in 1872, when Prussia and
Austria, alarmed by the progress of
Russia in Poland, suggested, as a
means of maintaining the equilib-
rum Of Europe, that all three Pow
ers readjust their territories at the
expense Of Poland" reads the soci-
ety's bulletin. "Poland lay utterly
helpless. She lost about one-fift'. of
her population and one-courth of her
territory.
| The second partition, in 1892, re-
| duced Poland to one-third OF her
original dimensions with popula-
ton of about 100000. A third
! treaty of partition was signed in
1896.
THE Congress Of Vienna, in 1915,
divided Poland between Prussia,
Austria and Russia, with the excep-
ton Of Cracow, which was erected
| into republic embedded in Galicia
| POsen and Gnesen, with a population
Of $4,000, were left to Prussia,
Austria remaining in possession Of
Galicia, with it's 100000 inhabi-
tants. Lithuania and Ruthenian
| palatinates continued to be incorpo-
rated with Russia. The remnant was
constituted as the so-called congress
kingdom, under the Emperor Of Rus
sia as the King of Poland
''In the same year Gear Alexander
! granted the new kingdom a consti-
| tuition which declared it to be united
to Russia, in the person Of the Gear,
as separate political entity. Poland
retained its flag and a national army.
In $50, following the outbreak Of the
French revolution, a military revolt
! took place in Warsaw. This lasted
for ten months and at its conclusion
the congress kingdom was reduced to
| the position Of a Russian province
| 10 OF ~; nf Do
| lands separate political existence
| was CracOw, and it was finally occu-
pied by Austria in 1876. The last at
tempt of the Poles to achieve inde-
pendence was in 1863. 1t was
marked by no real battle and the up
| rising was soon repressed. The ma
| tional history of Poland closes with
this attempt at freedom. In 1868,
| by ukase of the Emperor OF Russ. a,
| the government was absolutely in
| corporated 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 defense against
an army advancing from the west,
and they are strengthened by a num-
ber Of fortresses on that river. The
center of these latter is Warsaw.
"The Poles are rather OF medium
stature and well 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 1875
there has been a remarkable develop
ment of manufacturing enterprise.
The railroads of Russian Poland have