THE POLISH WORKMAN AND GERTMANY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 85, 4 January 1919, Page 7

THE POLISH WORKMAN AND GERTMANY

.-.,;■. ■ ;.;•; ; ' •-.;'■■■:- BITTER-ANTI-GEBMAIf. FEELING.; : > •■;' (By. \R.[ Reynolds in 'the^'Daily/'-News. , ') ■■"..■.■ There was .a -.portrait :of',.Bjsniarck ■ ■:-■ .hanging on the wall of ; a Polish','work- '" .man's.kitchen,: :: : '" : . ■'"■ V "I did" not kriow.you were an admirer : of Bismarck,": said a .visitor, fjot with-; out a. touch .of sarcasm in hie voice..■: •■':. , ! . I-am," answered -the.workman.'"He •.-■■ ' taught me- that I'.was' a Pole." ' ' ... ■ .-. Bismarck; held 'that Polish i nationalisnr was/'successfully undermining 'the foundations of theJPnissian State. He . ..;- therefore,fpughtiihe,.nationalist move-; ■ •, merit among.the.Pples of Prussian Poland ; : and thereby it. : Tu 1887 .'..-the teaching-.'of. Polish:; in. tSe schools ;; iva3 forbidden'.; ; :The. successors.'of Bismarck; continued :his policy.- 'In 1902 there .was.a-livelydebate.in. the .'Prussian ■■ .::■/ Diet _ when -it- .was learnt \ that" child-' ■:."': ren' in Polish' schools Uiad. been flogged ' . .; for, refusing 'to say ;the:Lord's -Prayer in .-■ ■ . v Gei-man.: ■. .• In ■ 1906',: ;when -German - was ■ .again introduced as. the'medium'of Teli-' ■kious jn.' all the. schools of Poland, there was a. strike of eonie 100,000 ; ■.; Polish- scliool-qhildreniV-' 'The'good Ger-- ,-'.-■ nians stated roundly that ■ the children :must-be flogged;iintil;they".'consented to- ■ , JeaVn the , Cattchisiii and:-say their ;■ prayers ih : • German: L . But the Polish children held;out fov months; , The lan- :: • ■■-.- guage they had learnt at-their mothers'. ~ ■ knees was for theiii-.the language of'-the '.■;■: "■:,:■ .- --.;;p •^■■-.■■._•.-.?..:. ~ ~^ _■ I have no space' to'describe the policy, initiated by 'Bisinarok in 188G, of dump-' liig-German'colohists-in tha'-heart of tlie ■■ .lands ■ that' Prussia ; .'wrested : .from -•-Poland. '■'■ "It,has tbst.Priissia vast-sums .and..been vei-y'-unsuccessfnl. ' : ; " v - ■ There,was a time-when-,the gentry and . clergy were the backbone of the national -■.•• ■: movement.-r ; The .wicked-: policy initiated .by • BismntoK-strengthened- immeasurably . ••-. the national . spirit of the working classes. ..Let me givean -instance of the .-. , way in which Polish workmen resist ,the ■.;,;.; attempt;to Germanise-them. A Scottish, V .acquaintance, of :mine,,.who' had hoisiness .relations with : Germanjj ■:, had occasion ■;:'■- to stay. with, a'Prussian, manufacturer, ' whose factory ,waei in a'Polish town some '.-'. ™ree hoitrs'. train from Ber- '■;•':■ lin.. .Going through the factory one day ;- my adquaintance noticed that the Prus- ■ :;■ sian owner invariably spoke' to the work-': men in .'.' " '.- : . , '' ~ ' "How is : it 'you 'speak in Polish- when , the law requires you 'to talk German?" he asked. ... .: •.; ■'' : ■ ' '••'."P o "'* give me away," snid'the;Prus- .;-. ■ sian, but the fhet is that if I speak tierman to them they .will pay me. out by s "n- ?C machinery out of .gear." ;■ ; .Eβ .-had; it seemed, - already been'given ..-.* sharp.lesson by the workmen. He had . . procured an immense steel belt for' driv- : ing •■ the, machinery, ".'Printed: directions ■•;.' ?'?T e Bijen. the workmen to guide them -.■-:- in; the use of the new. belting.' and in-- ; eluded a caiitiom tdbecnreful to use plenty: of. oil: The "directions, however; were printed, in' German, ' which the workmen, who , had;.all been at German . Hchooß did iiot ".choose to understand' 1 They did use oil. They used sand . In consequence the belt -biirst, and in 1 doing so did great damaete. The factory. , ; •;moreover, was at n; standstill for days: , . Bismarck' hnd -tniight- these work'ineri that. they. were. .Poles; , ..