Evening star., 1945-06-10

W IOiiSll -AuleTlCdIl women loyal 10
the land of their fathers, but who
raised in the United States, speak
Polish slightly. Nine. Mitkiewicz
speaks English fluently, having ma
jored in the language at Cambridge
University, England, while her, hus-
band was Polish military attache in
London from 1910 to 1943, when Col
Mitkiewicz was transferred here.
The Mitkiewiczs were spared wit
Messing the Nazi occupation of their
country due to the colonels assign
ment as military attache in Lithu-
ania at the time the Germans in
vaded Poland. Nine Mitkiewicz
was in London during the entire
period of bombing. serving there as
chairman of the Committee for the
Care of the Polish Soldiers as well
as working in the Russian hospital
in the British capital She speaks
French, German and Russian flu
emily in addition to English.
Another outstanding personality.
who, in spite of untold grief and
losses during her later years, works
diligently for the service of Poland,
is Nine. Henryk Arctowski, whose
husband. now with the Smithsonian
Institution, was, former head of the
department of geophysics at the
University of LWow
Nine. Arctowski, a native Ameri-
can, married the distinguished pro-
fessor nearly so years ago, making
her home with him at the Polish
University city until she accom-
panied him here in 1899 to attend
the international Union of Goedesy
and Geophysics meeting in Wash
lngton the summer of that year so
fatal to Poland. The Arctowskis
never returned home and everything
they owned was lost in the war
Prof. Arctowski's priceless library of
over 10000 volumes was among the
treasures he lost.
With sad gesture in a recent
interview, Nine Arctowski said,
Nov we will never 60 back. Every
thing we owned has been confis-
Gated"
Nine. Arctowski knit over 1000
pairs OF socks for Polish soldiers in
termed in German prison camps be-
fore the recent capituation. Little
were sent to her country
men, she relates, by writing on small
slips of visiting card tissue papers.
These papers could be rolled into
such small balls that, thrust deep
into the toe of the sock, they were
imperceptible to the Nazi guards.
Il received dozens of letters from
these men in reply to my messages
which contained my address here
she smiled.
Delegates to the conference today
will be shown several boxes of gar
ments for men, women and children.
which are already cut-out but un-
completed due to lack of seam
stresses. The local group hopes that
many more workers will volunteer
their services as a result of the visit
TO the Polish Relief Center today.
Deep gratitude has been expressed
by Nine. Ciechanowska, the Polish
Ambassadors wife, and Nine.
for the assistance given
their countrywomen by Commits
sioner John Russell Young, who
made the old building on S street
available for their headquarters.
Prior to use Of the building, the
Polish Relief Society carried on its
work in the basement of the Polish
Embassy. During the past nine
months, 10000 pounds of clothing
has been collected for use of the
Polish Relief Society and over 1900
names of donors are on the records
of the society.
Following their visit to the Polish
Relief Center, the visitors will be
entertained at the Polish Embassy
by the Ambassador and Nine. Gle
chanowska. The Ambassador wife
is also an enthusiastic worker at
the Polish Relief Center.
The days program will conclude
with a reception and tea at the E
street YWCA. after which the visi-
tors will return to their homes.