Norwich bulletin., 1919-07-05
DANfELSON AND PUTNAM NEWS
PUTNAM

event of Polands re- establishment as a free nation. guiding its own af- fairs, Independent and untrammeied. The days programme as arranged by l the society included ceremonies in Union hall in the morning, followed by patriotic parade, with large mum Der in line, there being representa- l tives of @ number of towns and cities and, in the afternoon. social pro- gram in Union hall. The morning ceremonies in the hall included the
 Stars and Stripes, emblem of the adopted land of those who celebrated, l and the white eagled standard of the
 new Polish republic-and the presen- | tations of these stands of colors in l beautiful silk to the Benefit society. | The flags were proudly carried in the i parade by stalwart men who were proud of the honor conferred upon 1 them.
 | The priests who assisted at the un- yelling and blessing of the flags were
 Rev. Father Cyran of St. Joseph's par. l ish, Webster. and Father Hannece of Southbridge and Father Routhier of l St. Mary's parish, Putnam.
 1 In responding after this part of the l ceremonies, William Woznicki of this city, secretary of the benefit society,
 Reverend Fathers, Members of St. Mary's Parish and Friends:
 | I feel greatly honored by being
 chosen to accept on behalf of my fel- low members the flags which you have blessed for us today. This Fourth of July is the greatest and happiest I the people of Polish blood all over the | world in the history of these nations. As loyal citizens of America we re- joice today that our flag. the Stars
 world, under whose protecting folds we and our children enjoy to the ut
 most the blessings of liberty and freedom and equal opportunities for | 91 h0c nT n | a glorious victory at the head of the | best army the world has ever seen. As sons and daughters of Poland, our hearts are overffowing with joy and gratitude to Almighty God that the sun on the morning of this glorious day has risen on the Poland of which we have dreamed and for which we and our fathers and grandfat thers have worked and fought and hoped, | during the dark and dreary years of
 the pasta free Poland, a nation once l more standing out proudly, with her | own president chosen by her own free 1 people, in the bright sunlight of lib- 1 erty among the other great nations of 1 the world: and our hearts are filled with satisfaction as we know and re- | aIize that when that same sun has set at the end of this momentous day it's last rays will be cast over our kins- , mon in Poland those of our own race and blood at last able to sleep in 1 peace and contentment knowing that the dark and dreary days of oppres- sion and hardship are over. the long night of their subiection to the Ger man, Russian and Austrian tyrants is at an end and our beloved Poland whose flag we honor and reverence to- day, the Poland of the old days of glory and honor when all Europe rang with praise of her bravery and her splendor, is coming into. her own and is ready now to go on in the splendid course of her progress and develop
 ment which the greed and treachery princes basely interrupted.
 The world has lost much during
 these years while Poland was in sub jection and as this beloved land of
 peaceable, free and contented. to de- velop itself and it's people. not only
 Europe, but America and all the
 world will daily more and more come to appreciate the true worth and
 strength and power and beauty of the
 Polish character, and realize how
 much the selfshness and greed and
 brutality of Germany and Russia and
 Austria have caused them to be de- prived Of
 We are proud of the part the young
 men of our blood have played in this
 great conflict; how proud and grate-
 have been to see the long list of Pol
 ish names in the army of America, to feel and know that their boys, here in America, were true to the fighting
  gerly risked and sacrificed all that they had and all that was dear to them, to take a hand in crushing once and for all the monstrous beast of German autocracy which had so long ravaged the homes of their fathers and had for many years torn apart the families of Poland and sucked the very life blood of the country! We who have passed most of our lives l here in the land of the free can never i be able to imagine, even. what our forefathers have suffered at the hands ] of the Huns and every blow our Pol 1 ish boys struck at the Germans in this 1 war was a blow of just revenge and l righteous punishment for the brutes, l who have done all that the human mind could conceive in the way of cruelty, to hold Poland under their | control.
 On behalf of my fellow members, therefore, I thank you for the gift of these two flags and for your blessing upon them; they are to us the dearest emblems in the world; the flag of our country America, to be citizen of which is the highest honor the world can give; and the flag of the land from which we sprung-Poland, rich with the glorious traditions of our race, both flags blessed by Almighty God through the priest of our Divine Mother Church. the guardian and protector and benefactor of us all
 whose wisdom and influence and
 teachings make us every day more worthy sons of Poland, and more loyal citizens of America: which teaches us to live every day so that we shall be worthy of the blessings Of God, and tells us to be ready and prepared to
 fight, to bleed and to die. if neces- sary, for our country. America, for the land of our fathers and for the truths and principles of our faith and in the service of Almighty God, who rules all nations and from Whom we have all that we are and hope to be.
 As I said in the beginning, this Fourth of July is a great event, and in years to come we shall relate to our
 children the pride we felt in seeing the Stars and Stripes of our own America enfolded with the flag of Poland on this day of Poland's free dom, when she now at last stands with America, free nation, and hears the words of a priest of our race and our Catholic faith. invoking the bless ing of Almighty God upon these flags,