THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



499 



THE POLES* 



Next to the Russians, of whom they were 

 long the rivals and foes, the Poles are numer- 

 ically the most important of the Slavs. They 

 first appeared in Great, or North, and Little, or 

 South, Poland in the tenth century, where they 

 found other Slavic tribes in possession. The 

 wise policy of their kings early induced the 

 whole nation to profess Christianity. 



Of medium size, with round heads and 

 healthful faces, the blond more common than 

 the brunet, their physical appearance has ap- 

 parently changed little. The working classes, 

 who constitute nine-tenths of the nation, have 

 always been laborious, frugal, enduring, tem- 

 perate rather than abstemious, and intensely 

 patriotic. Those qualities distinguish the thou- 

 sands of Poles in the United States. Their 

 szlacta, or nobles, have shown themselves im- 

 petuous, brave to rashness, chivalrous, insub- 

 ordinate, emotional, artistic. 



During the formative period Poland was con- 

 solidated by the dynasty of the great Lithua- 

 nian, Jagellon, the Polish Wadislaus II — a suc- 

 cession of princes unsurpassed in constructive 

 ability. Union with the Lithuanians doubled 

 the population and the natural resources. To- 

 gether they crushed the Teutonic Knights at 

 Tannenberg in 1410 and half a century later 

 at the peace of Thorn pushed them east of the 

 Vistula. The Polish lands on the Baltic, to- 

 gether with Danzig and Marienberg, were 

 recovered. The Duchy of Mazovia, of which 

 Warsaw was the center, five centuries inde- 

 pendent, voluntarily joined the kingdom which 

 a few years later spanned Europe from the 

 Baltic to the Black Sea. The Reformation, 

 regarded with suspicion as having a German 

 origin, only for a time disturbed the country. 



The advantageous situation of the kingdom, 

 the admirable qualities of its common people, 

 and the development already attained, seemed 

 to assure the greatness and permanence of the 

 Polish State. 



Yet disappointment meets us on ever}'- page. 

 The brilliant passages are episodes without 

 connection or result. Nowhere else is so much 

 valor wasted. The chasm was always widen- 

 ing between the nobles and the common people. 

 The people paid all the taxes. The nobles, all 

 equal, possessed all the wealth and power, but 

 had no sense of obligation or responsibility. 

 Intrepid in battle, they were ready to fight for 

 the country only when so inclined. 



The system of government was oligarchic in 

 the extreme. Succession to the powerless 

 throne was elective, native or foreigner alike 

 eligible. Each election was an orgy of turbu- 

 lence and bribery. Twice the throne was put 

 up at auction. The liberum veto, established 

 in 1652, whereby the negative vote of a single 

 member of the Diet nullified any act or all the 



* See also, in National Geographic Maga- 

 zine, "Partitioned Poland," by William J. Sho- 

 walter (January, 1915), and "Devastated Po- 

 land," by Frederick Walcott (May, 1917). 



acts of all the rest, culminated the anarchy and 

 eventually brought about the destruction of 

 Poland. 



Yet the criminal follies of a privileged class 

 in no way excuse or palliate the iniquity of the 

 three partitions of Poland in 1773, 1793, and 

 1795 by Prussia, Russia, and Austria. It must 

 be noted that the first partition was confirmed 

 by the Polish Diet, in which nearly all the 

 members accepted foreign bribes. 



The belated heroic resistance of Kosciuszko, 

 of a handful of nobles and of the infuriated 

 common people glorifies the fall of the State 

 which some historians, confused by the farce 

 of election, still call the "Republic" of Poland. 



By these partitions Russia acquired 181,000 

 square miles of territory, with 6,000,000 inhab- 

 itants ; Austria, 45,000 square miles, with 2,500,- 

 000 inhabitants ; Prt ssia, 57,000 square miles, 

 with 2,500,000 inhabitants. 



The Poles under the Austrians were in the 

 main kindly treated. Also, being Roman Cath- 

 olics, there was no religious antipathy. Under 

 the Russians every harsh measure was em- 

 ployed to accomplish their russification. Those 

 under the Prussians were the most pitiably 

 situated of all. In the effort to make them 

 Germans there was no limit to the systematic, 

 persistent cruelty directed against all classes 

 and ages. 



Poland has enriched the world in music, art, 

 and literature. The national dances, the polo- 

 naise and the mazurka, were always accom- 

 panied by singing. Copernicus is Poland's 

 greatest name. Sienkiewicz, victim of the 

 world war, by many considered the most bril- 

 liant writer of the day, was a Pole, as is Pad- 

 erewski. 



Situated between the upper millstone of Prus- 

 sia and the nether millstone of Russia, and at 

 the same time subjected to lateral pressure 

 from Austro-Hungarian armies, the land of the 

 Poles during the world war suffered devasta- 

 tion which exceeds the imagination of those 

 who have not actually witnessed the scenes of 

 rapine, pillage, conflagration, and wanton de- 

 struction. 



The restitution of a reunited Poland to its 

 loyal common people will be among the wor- 

 thiest achievements of the Allies. 



One of the most difficult problems which the 

 restored nation's leaders will encounter is the 

 Jewish situation. There are millions of Jews in 

 Polish territory. It is admitted by all thought- 

 ful statesmen that great effort and sacrifice on 

 the part of both the Poles and the Jews will 

 be necessary before a satisfactory solution can 

 be reached. 



THE JEWS* 



On the Arch of Titus in Rome are carved in 

 bold relief laurel-crowned soldiers, bearing a 

 massive seven-branched candlestick. This rep- 



* See also, in National Geographic Maga- 

 zine, "An Old Jewel in the Proper Setting," 

 by Charles W. Whitehair (October, 1918). 



