Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-09-13
Chapter overwhelmingly

it," Dan admitted, and got out his
pipe; but he had himself been
scarcely conscious of the thought,
and it amazed him that she
should have detected it. There
was the flare Of a match, and he
sat back again, exhaling a long
puff. Now" he said, "you are
going to begin my education. |
an ready for the first lesson"
"How shall begin?"
81 think al excellent way would
be to tell me something about
yourself he suggested.
She considered him gravely.
Are you really in earnest7"
she asked.
Indeed | am" he answered
quickly, coloring a little under her
searching eyes. "Forgive me if l
seemed not to be. And please be-
gin in any way you think best"
81 will tell you something about
Poland" she said, land then you
will understand a little what I and
all like me feel for America. You
know, l suppose, that there is no
longer any such land as Polandi"
Il know that Russia and one or
two other powers divided it, about
100 years ago.
Eyes: but you cannot know
what that division meant! The
Poles were a brave and patriotic
people; they loved their country
as few peoples do; and all at once,
great armies were flung upon
them; they were overwhelmed,
and their country a taken away.
They lost more than their country:
they lost their language. their his
tory, their national life. But in
spite of it all, they remained Poles.
II was born in Russian Poland,
not far from Warsaw. From the
very first, Twas taught that | was
q Pole, not a Russian. But only at
home, under my own roof, could l
be a Pole. The teaching of Polish
was forbidden in any school--cy-
cry word spoken must be Russian.
1T children were overheard talk
ing IN Polish, they were arrested
by the police and their parents
summoned and fined. On every
public building there was Il
painted notice 1T is forbidden to
speak Polish All trials were con-
Quoted in Russian, although none
OF the peasants understood Rus
sian, and SO had no idea of what
was being said. No official was
permitted to answer a question iii
POLISH have known a tramcar
conductor to be heavily fined for
doing so.
I'VE were taught history in
which the name Of our fatherland
was never mentioned, but where
Russia was treated astlle wiscst,
best, and most powerful Of IN
tons, with the car. second only 10
God himself. We could not leave
our native village without permits.
sion from the police. No Pole
could fill any public office. No
Pole was permitted to publish a
hook or q newspaper or even a
handful, until d Russian censor
had passed upon it. IL you ever
visit Poland, you will notice, here
and there groups Of tall wooden
crosses They mark graves. But
II one Of those crosses decays or
falls down, it may not be replaced
without permission from the gov
ernment: One night, the cross
over the grave of my fathers
mother was strnck by lightning
and for two years it lay there, un.
~ permission to replace it had
come from Petersburg. It was
among such surroundings that my
childhood was passed.
kasia' did not seem to realize
lflfBg inatead oftellihg about Pc
land, she vas telling about herself /:
'1ndDan was deeply moved. He
hadAlistenedin his day, to many
s6t0f3iss, but iiever to one like this.
sEGema61 theidead wrap-
6ns hi1t9fy were stripped
%aS andsi9s MISUNDERSTANDING.
lsis Asart lid bsls.