The Daily News. THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 1914. POLAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 77, 20 August 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 1914. POLAND.

The issue of a manifesto by the Czar offering the Poles political freedom and I the right of self-government they have ! so long desired, is one of the most mo- I mentous episodes in this great international struggle. To understand its full significance we must remember (says ma Auckland Star) that Poland has been three times dismembered by the adjoin- , ing Powers, Russia, Prussia and Austria, and for more than a hundred years the Poles have been resisting the efforts of their foreign masters to merge them into the mass of the conquering nations. The Poles are Slavs like the Russians, but Slavs of the highest type. They have always been an imaginative and romantic people, heroically brave and patriotic and capable of attaining a 'high degree of intellectual and literary culture. In the Middle Ages Poland was one of the 'greatest military nations of Europe, and more than once its armies beat back the invasions of the Turks and saved the Western lands from Mohammedan tyranny. But constant strife between its great feudal nobles, . the -weakness of its kings, and the lack of a substantial middle class, gradually disintegrated the country, and the absence of strong natural defences finally left it an easy prey to the marauding Powers that surround it on all sides In 1T72 Frederick the Great of Pruscia suggested to the Czar that they might demand the session of a certain amount of Polish territory; aril Austria required some similar compensation, first partition of Poland reduced the area of the kingdom by about 80,000 square miles. The operation was pcatcd by Russia and Prussia in 1793, when an additional area of 120,000 square miles was absorbed. But Austria was still dissatisfied, and in the general confusion produced by the Napoleonic wars, a third partition was arranged. This covered practically the whole of the country, and so, since 1705, the ancient kingdom of Poland has been divided into three distinct portions, governed respectively by Prussia, Austria and Russia. Naturally, a high-spirited and patriotic nation like the Poles would not submit tamely to the outrageous aggression. In Prussian Poland and in Galicia or Austrian _ Poland their resistance had chiefly taken the form ot a refusal to mix with the foreigners, and a firm resolve to maintain their own social and commercial and national identity. The Germans in particular, in spite of the most strenuous- efforts to assimilate the Poles, have found themselves helpless against the sentiment of national unity by which the subject race is inspired. In Russian Poland, however, where there arc at least 20,000,000 Poles, a still sterner resistance has been made. In 1830 and 1&J8, the great revolutionary epochs of the nineteenth century, the Poles rebelled, and their risings were crushed with pitiless feroc- , ity .by the Russians. It was not till 1804 that, after many years of plotting and conspiracy, and many intermittent revolts, the Poles were finally subdued. Russia has not only deprived Poland of its independence, but it has striven to break down the solidarity of the nation, and to destroy its sense of racial identity by prohibiting the use of the Polish language, and by putting down rigorously all attempts on the part of the Poles to manifest thei,r unconquerable national spirit. Still the Poles boast that they are unsubdued; and for years past the enthusiasts among them have talked of a ne\f and resurrected Poland stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea, and containing at least eighty milion inhabitants. But even a month ago such dreams seemed fit only to fity the idle moments of fantastic visionaries (continues our contemporary). \ OW; of a sudden, they are brought within range of practical possibilities, for, even if Russia still maintains the right to govern Poland through a viceroy, the power of self-government and'the use of their own language is all that the Poles require to lay anew the foundations of the State. As to the political consequences of the' Czar's step, it seems to n-j a remarkable instance of statesmanlike sagacity. For, if the Poles respond, as they seem likely to do, nqt only will the Russians be relieved of a dangerous source of disaffection and rebellion, but i they will detach a brave and energetic population of many millions from Am, tria and Germany, thus weakening the resources and diminishing the fighting strength of their enemies. And when j the Poles are rewarded for their, fidelity to Russia, the new Poland will bo built up out of territory now owned and con trolled by the Germans and Austrian* and will be erected into a buffer state to defend Russia on the west henceforward against any attempt at a "revanche" on tlie part of the members of tlie Triple Alliance. Assuming that the fortune of war goes against Germany and her ally, and seeing that England and France are practically guarantees for the fulfilment of tlie Czar'* promise, the Czar's scheme for the restoration of Poland must be regarded as a genuine stroke, of statesmanship that well deserves the support and sympathy of the ' whole civilised world.

BRITISH ARMY IN. FRANCE. The first army of the British Expeditionary Force has been safely landed in France. The cables tell us that the embarkation, transportation and 'debarkation of the men and stores were carried out "with the greatest precision, and without a single casualty." The numbers are not stated, but the strength of the Expeditionary Force has always been estimated at about lfio,oOo men, equal in numbers to four German army corps. There has naturally been a good deal of secrecy shown over the despatch of the force. We have from time to time published cables from Brussels and Paris that the British were in the field and linked up with the Allies, but how much reliance can be placed upon them is now shown. It is not surprising that the British met with a cordial reception from the French people. To them the help of the British at this critical period means everything, lfr means that the Germans will not be able to bring France to her knees as they did in 1870. On the contrary, it means that the Germans will have all their work cut out to prevent their own territory from being dismembered. It means that France's chance of regaining her lost provinces is immeasurably increased. Britain's army is small, but it is good. As the cable picturesquely describes them, they are the flower of the British nation, and they will not be living up to their traditions if they do not make up in achievement what theiy lack in numbers. But the French know that this is but the advance guard of the British hosts. They know that other, armies are being equipped and despatched not only from'the British Isles, but from all parts of her great transmarine dominions, comprising men trained and ready, with resource and initiative, confidence and enthusiasm. A million to a million and a-lialf men they know are available if need b« for them, and a million men, of such material, will assuredly turn the scale in favor of the Allies as against the dual alliance. But the arrival of the British on French soil means more. It is an outward and visible sign of the strength of Britain on the sea. Had she not command of the sea that advance force could not have beep landed "without a single casualty." The German warships are hemmed in, unable or reluctant to give battle. Without the assistance of Britain's potent naval arm, the whole of the French coasts and possessions would be at the mercy of the more powerful German navy. Her shipping would be destroyed, her seaboard towns bombarded, troops landed on her coasts, and, generally, France would be experiencing a most anxious and harassing time. The landing of the French African corps would certainly jiavc been an impossibility. Yes; the enthusiasm of the 'French populace can be readily understood and appreciated. Tho British enter into the struggle with a clear conscience and in the knowledgo that they are fighting for a just cause. They can hope for, and look to, no material gain; on the contrary, the nation, as Sir Edward Grey declared in his inspired ar.d j noble speech at the opening of hostilities, must lose terribly, both in men and money; but ghastly as war is, worse may befall a nation, namely, dishonor and ignominy, and it is to the credit of Old England that sho has not shrunk ifrom taking the extreme step and making the supreme sacrifice. Whatever I may bo the outcome of the terrific ] struggle that is taking place, posterity will, we are sure, judge Britain to have done her duty in ranging her forces against an arrogant, tyrannous nation—or rather of its omnipotent war circle—- ) and in taking the side of the weak and j the oppressed, and fighting for their deliverance from despotic bondage.