PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3398, 30 April 1919, Page 57

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

lI.—POLAND. Last week I said I should give a second Chat upon this interesting kingdom that was, and is/ perhaps, to he again. But it would take half a score of Chats to give anything like a clear outline. How-, ever, I'll try, for we cannot spare time for more than this one, because so many events and incidents claim our attention. Perhaps*' a good time to start will be about 1000 a.d., for then we have definite historv of the Kings Otto I, 11, and 111, who reigned in Italy, the Papacy, and Germany. About this time there grew up " two powerful States which were destined to come into frequent conflict with Germany. On the River Oder and to the east of that river there rose the Kingdom of Poland, organised as an independent State partly through the help of the Papacy; and further south the Magyars (Hungarians) made an advance towards settlement by the acceptance of the Christian faith. Thus Germany was no longer in' touch, with a vague body of barbarian peoples, but with two definite States which were destined to grow into great strength and importance." We are concerned just now only with Poland. THE ZENITH OF POLAND'S POWER. Time went on, and by the time of our Queen Elizabeth we get the Poland on the map reproduced last week, with the additions left in white within the thick black line to the east and the north. Figure this out on a modern map, and you'll get an idea of what the Kingdom of Poland used to be. And insignificant Prussia occupied the little space between Danzic and Memel! About this time, too, the Royal House of Poland aimed at reigning in Sweden, and the Kings of Sweden treated the Polish Kings seriously as Pretenders. Sweden was now the first of the Baltic Powers, and had not reached her zenith. THE DECADENCE OF POLAND. About this time Poland, in pursuit of

what she called liberty, allowed disorder of every kind to prevail, until her anarchy made her a helpless prey to her neighbours.

In 1572 the Jagellon dynasty which had done so much to make Poland great died out. The crown became elective, and the nobles and the gentry became the electors. Rival candidates bought support whera they could, and while furthering their own petty ambitions gave the chance for foreigners to interfere. At this time, too, Poland's institutions, in the mad craze for liberty, became as weak and unstable as the Kings were. There was a Diet (Parliament), "reduced to complete impotence by the ' liberum veto'—the right, that is, of each membe* to veto and prevent any proposition by hia single vote, and even at last to dissolve or 'explode' the Diet when he chose. Fifteen Diets in succession at one period of Poland's history met without performing any business. through the application of the 'liberum veto.' For, while Feudalism in all other countries was giving way to a centralised and national State, in Poland the anarchical tendency, which was. always present in Feudalism, grew constantly stronger. ' The country squires (their number is estimated at 80,000) were like kings on their own estates, to the ruin of the State and the bitter oppression of the unfortunate peasantry." Internal disorder encouraged the enemy without, and they were only too ready to take' advantage of Poland'i self-made difficulties. -i PRUSSIA GROWING. '',': ,

When Cromwell and Blake were establishing England as a European Power and" a sea Power, Poland ■ not only abandoned h,er overlordship over \ Prussia, but actually acknowledged the Suzerainty of the Prussian King!.

But the end was not yet. In the kaleidoscopic changes in the history of nations and the redrawing of the ■maps to register these changes, we have to take into account the advent of the Turks. .In 1453 (reign of our Henry VI when pretty well all our possessions in France, were lost) Byzantium fell to the Turks, and was henceforth, known as Constantinople—the City of Constantine, — and the westward advance of the Turks »

, filled Europe with apprehension. About '1683 (the end of James IPs reign) the Mohammedans, against whom the Hapsburgs (Austrian line) had been waging waj for nearly two centuries, "collected a i large force and besieged Vienna, which might well have fallen into their hands had it not been for the timely assistance which the city received from the King of ; ' Poland." . From .this time onward the l Turks' power waned. • The King referred to is John Sobieski (1674-1696), and the following,, from Grant's "Histotfy'" of Europe,." gives a "graphic description of him:—"He is remembered best by his march to Vienna when the Turks were besieging it. He jwas the chief author o£ the epoch-making defeat of the Turks which-followed. 'There was a man sent from God whose name was John' was applied to him in- the Cathedral at Vienna in the thanksgiving service." There are many other feats of arms to his credit, but Poland was not strengthened by them. He himself said to the Diet: 'Posterity will be amazed to that the only result of so many victories and triumphs, shedding an eternal glory on the Polish name throughout the world, was irreparable ruin and damnation.' "Yet forty days and: Nineveh: shall be destroyed." ' The words 'characterise most of Polish history. The forty days required for the 'destruction of Poland turned out to be a little less than j 100 years; but destruction crept nearer • with every decade." Just a word, here .about Poland, Sweden, Denmark," and Russia. Russia had hardly emerged upon the Baltic, while | Sweden commanded, with Poland.' to a less degree, its shores. In . 1697: Charles XJI, lonly 19, ascended the Swedish throne.- "The position of the Swedish territories provoked the jealousy or the greed of Denmark, Poland, and Russia; and the youth of the King and the poverty and scant population of Sweden made the conquest and partition of the Swedish lands seem an easy task. So the three powers united for an attack upon i Sweden in 1699.'" Charles XII swiftly took the offensive against them*fiws£ routing Denmark, and before walls ofCopenhagen forcing her to abandon her allies and pay an indemnity. Then-he turned on Russia, and with an army of 8000 [fancy an army of 8000 now crushing an empire !] destroyed a' Russian force of 40,000 or more" Then he fell upon Poland, whose King had been the first to suggest the partition of Swedish territory. "A campaign of fabulous victory followed. The Poles were courageous, but most undisciplined. Nor were the people eager to fight for their King. So the Swedish force struck with irresistible might." The uoshot was the King of Poland signed a peace and consented to abdicate (1704). To cut a. long story short, Charles XII undertook, too much. In the end the Russian forces annihilated the Swedsih forces and annexed Finland. Eventually Pomerania | went to Prussia, which now became the ' most powerful Baltic State. ! After all, I ftave not touched upon the. ! Three Partitions, so must let that phase of Poland's effacement' stand over. ! You will see that we know nothing of history, and that is probably why so many talk about a. League of Nations bringing a perpetual peace. Bosh! Europe has already the nucleus of another j war looming up unless the Allies keep a I vigorous control of things. Combinations ! of nations are already in the making, and j Norway, Sweden, and Denmark are alI ready "three monarchies with a defensive alliance. Are these going to join the' Allies? A part of Austria proposes merging itself with Germany, and so on. Perpetual peace! A League of . Nations! , We have had snch things In past history.