e streets, Poland as she is plus Poland as she believes she will
be, show a country considerably larger than Germany.
It used to seem rather amusing in the drinking scene in "The Brothers
Karamazof," when the Pole Vrublevsky, in proposing the health of
Russia, inserted the proviso: "To Russia, with the boundaries she had
before 1772." But it is serious matter to-day. For Poland has not
only reached most of the boundaries of 1772 but some of them she has
even transgressed, and still she asks more.
Poland is at enmity with all her neighbours, and by some of them is
hated, loathed, and despised. And as an offset to the surrounding
nations she has one open and rather noisy friendship, and that is with
France. England she considered to be her enemy even before the British
Government stated its view on the question of Silesia. She had decided
to help France, and France had promised to help Poland, and England
stood in the way of all manner of injustice and aggression. It is
pathetic to think now of the work done for Poland by England during the
war: the meetings that were held, the encouragement given to
Padarewski, Dmowski and others, the immense sums subscribed to the
Great Britain to Poland fund, and to the Polish Relief fund. These
latter "charities" printed the woes of Poland in the advertisement
columns of the British press for years, and collected the shillings and
pounds of the benevolent everywhere. But you did not see such work
being done for Poland in France. The Frenchman is more careful of his
franc than the Englishman of his pound. But perhaps it is not easy to
find now the Poles who benefited by British "charity." How much Great
Britain subscribed and how the money was distributed is not generally
known to the Pole. And, in any case, who cares?
The Germans disdain the Poles wordlessly. It is not easy to get a
German to discuss the Polish people. The Russians do not like the
Poles, but they are indulgent towards them and wait the day when Russia
will wipe out insults. "Russia has plenty of time," is the formula.
It must be a little galling to the Russian refugees, of whom General
Wrangel estimates there are 100,000 in Poland, to see every public
notice in the Russian language blued out as if there were no
Russian-speaking people, to see Russian monuments cast down, and
churches despoiled of their golden domes. But they bear it with
equanimity, biding their time. Some, on the other hand, for
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