The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-10-02
! COMMENT ON WORLD .
EVENTS

Reliable news from occupied 70
land is usually long in reaching this
country, for it's route is devious and
difficult. However, some information
is available on the commemoration Of
the second anniversary of the war in
Poland, and it's suppression by the
German authorities.
From neutral countries it has been
learned that the German secret police
had prepared for mass arrests and
house-searches on September 1, 1941,
which were carried out on an extern
sive scale in Warsaw, Lodz, and
Kielce. The German and the German
controlled Polish language papers in
Poland reported that German authori-
ties had at first prohibited all re-
ligious services for the soldiers
killed in action during the Polish
campaign of September, 1889. Later
such services were allowed on receipt
of special permits.
Subsequent news from neutral
countries shows the German fears to
have been we'll grounded. The ami
versary was turned into an anti-Ger-
man protest: young people held mass
demonstrations in many Polish cities,
many houses displayed Polish flags,
and walls were covered with such in
scriptions as "Long live Poland" :"
"Long live Liberty" and "Down with
Nazism."
The streets of Polish cities were
heavily patrolled by German police,
S. S. Elite Guards, military police,
and Gestapo agents. Poles not par
ticipating in demonstrations remained
at home, as they had done the
previous year. No Pole bought any
German or German-controlled paper.
The only people in the streets, be-
side the demonstrants and the police,
were the manly veiled women in
mourning-the wives, mothers, and
sisters of Polish soldiers killed in
action two years ago. They had gone
to lay wreaths on the graves Of their
loved ones.
These are but fragmentary reports
on what happened that day. Detailed
information will take some time to
reach this country through a reliable
channel-letters from Poland.
From such letters, and from what
is the most reliable source-the re-
ports of the Polish underground press
the American Friends of Polish De-
mocracy received information on the
observance of September l in 1910.
1t was day of mourning and boy
colt. The Poles demonstratively re-
fused to leave their homes. On this
day no Poles travelled on trans or
trains. The cafes and cinemas were
empty. No newspapers or cigarettes
were bought.
September /, 1910 was celebrated
by the Nazis in Warsaw with a mill
tary parade. The streets were deco
rated with Nazi flags. In the evening,
when the parade was over, the loud
speakers at the street corners were
silent and the rostrums were desert
ed, great crowds Of Poles went into
the streets and congregated round
the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior
and such national monuments as the
Nazis had left standing, where they
heaped red and white flowers. The
Gestapo was soon at work and there
were many arrests. Subsequently, by
an order dated January 16, 194l, the
remaining monuments have been re-
moved.
The boycott of the German-con-
trolled Polish language papers caused
a 90 per cent drop in the circulation.
The papers remained unsold on the
stands that day-an effective re-
minder to the oppressor that the
spirit of Polish resistance is alive and