Prussian Poland.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 268, 21 November 1901, Page 3

Prussian Poland.

BECOMING THE IRELAND OF GERMANY. Thoru, East Prussia, Sept. 24. The trial here of sixty young Poles for belonging to a secret society revealed a state of affairs anything but pleasant for the German authorities in charge of this portion of the empire. The Polish-speak-ing parts of Germany are honeycombed with secret societies, which, under the guise of pursuing literary and scientific objects, are actually centres of disaffection and disloyalty. Prussian Poland is becoming more and more the Ireland of Germany, and there cannot be any doubt that the Poles of Germany wiil use Germany’s future necessites for their national purposes.

A large Polish landowner said that every Polo ho knew would willingly bear arms against Germany and that Germany is hated by them with a fiercer hatred than Russia. The secret societies of young Poles, of which there are believed to bo over two hundred in Germany, usually meet in the open air. It is their custom; to post sentries, who watch for the police. Occasionally, however, they meet in private rooms, but then only in smaller numbers. They are divided into groups of four persons, and each person has a society name in addition to his real name. Each member is sworn not to divulge the proceedings of the circle to which he belongs. The oath is taken before a crucifix, but instead of using the Divine name in t*'' 1 " oaths they swear by the of so ' m ' G it-? 1 —"Inames of their by-gone neroes.