Zwilazkowiec Alliancer, May 04, 1981

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_ _ -"Ł- j-#rtflrni'-i-ł ! -- v™ rt r-i-- f iTł--r ~ tv i?" ' '?' Tj - — ' -- -i iW Y1'! 'L ' 'i - v f ' i _ 'VI MininlliniiOimnńH nil thn nrillt 111 PKlstpnpn unrlnp 'nnrli IV!_ą Be A W VI
i nr i nt
( r
X£jr The
by
views
(' 5S£SS5S5£SS£££5a£5S
Bv Apolonia Koider
e say about
tonguc) but that they
spiril for whom the ashes of forefathers mean
nothing Scptember" 1934)
Throughoul its history Ihe
iJousn Alliance ot (Janaaa
Polaków w well 111 11)19 a lan-dzie)
has great guage school came into exis-concer- n
ovcr retention of the — the first non-par- o-
Polish language and heritage
rlt noted with alarm children
denying —
"Polishness"
Conseciuently the Alliance
and its precursors involvcd
themselves in education
through the establishment of
schools for
children As well the Al-liance
and its predecessors
with adult education
To fully undersland the
Alliance's involvemenl in and
commitment to education its
predecessors must be exam-ine- d Prior to the
of lhe Polisli Alliance of
Canada in 1921 there
£ evisted several smali and re-lative- ly
secular organi-zations
in Toronto Theso
groups soon came lo realize
that only through unification
would they achieve slrength
and effectiveness on a
broader scalę
In 1921 the Associalion of
Sons of Poland (Towarzystwo
"Synowie Polski") joined
with the Associalion of St
Slanislaus (Towarzystwo
Stanisława) to the Pol--
Alliance of Canada In
1923 the Polish National
Society (Spój- -
nia Narodowa "Postępowa"
poisica) joinea me larger do--
4 C1- - ' These smali organizalionS'
brought with already
established pro- -
grams In these groups lay
the seeds for the Alliance's
role in education
The most significant of
these early Polish organiza- -
linn wi: 'iIip AĘ:npiTiinn nf
the Sons ofłoPno?la' nd It was -r--
nri-nori in mni-inc- r u
one of tlie oldest' Polish erga--
nizations in Toronto Al- -
thoush its primary aim was mutual a id it also car--
ried out broad'
cational actiyities In 1921 it
established the iirsl p"ol'ish
lihrary in Toronto And
1920 ii formed its own Polish
langtiae school at lhe "Junc- -
lhe asśocia- - iununii nlunc+i l tiiiii„c n„t„a„icwi xouunoołiii
groups would eventually join
to form the Polish Alliance
r"''"L 'T"rC "~1JTDL—
?j"~"ćM®m®maMn
In 1911 lhe Toronto
branch of the Alliance of Pol--
ish Socialists "The Power"
(Związek Socjalistów Polskich
— Oddział "Potęga" w To- -
ronto) was formed A J Sta- -
niewski lhe crealor and
leaaer oi mis ratucai movu- -
mfint in 191R _ _ nolicp
Ł npVlbiwnn InwrpWpWrMl this urnnn tn vw cj-- f- w disband it soon
as the Polish National "Pro- -
gressiyc" Society in 1918
inn iow riTifiriv i! iii-i':iiii-m v v„ — j j -- v
cjuile mvolved in educational
matlers Th year it
formed its Education Com- -
mission (Komisja Edukacyj- -
na) already funclionm
In 1919 tlie self-improv- e-ment
school with Staniewski
as its director had an eve- -
4% 4% I U ft ruiUNiAN ruKUM
Mdhthl Englisin Supplemont)
MAY 4 J981 V0L IV No 4
Editoria! Board: Leszek Wawrow Richard Tyndorf
Krzysztof Gebliard
Editorial accepts no responsibility for opinions expressed
individual cohtribulors Articles do not necessarily reflect the
of any organization
'
The Polish Alliance of Canada:
Its role iii education
mother are manokinsyilhout
thelr
(Alliancer
(Związek Kana-- 1'olisn
expressed
lence
their roots their
("polskość")
Pblish-languag- e
dealt
formation
"had
weak
św
form
ish
"Progressiye"
them
educalional
cultural-edu- -
lion" Such was
was
Whpn
re-emerg- ed
was
was
Board
jĄmwMMU ': P? :"1
important
tencled During laenuues
their War many
them (thbse Joresakhuftheu
ning coursc illilerales and
a puDiic ciass
chial Polish' school Toronto
duidren That same ' year
'M0&9W '!raWB
ltfąf-f- f Imfffi"
0iyei organization Sons
oi p0]ancj an Educa- -
lion rjommittce (Komitet
Edukacyjny) to help
1ional "'progressive" Society
in management of
school 1920 there existed
a debating school and
vear an
guage cour: se
T n™e imiiuai mpiovcmeni
Cll'fle °f Filarets (Kolo
rnareci
established in 1913 It
formed a group
y°unS Polisli who
cogriized a
knowledge of English
SuaSe m their pursuit of a
bel-e-r
life Canada Thus
Eng"sU language studies
("sl-udia"-
) were conducted
once a alon? wh read--
'nS'3 f'"0111 the Polish writer
Adam Mickiewicz In 1914
tms relatively smali group
Associalion of
--
i°med
°
TIipsp narlv nrennizn- - -- - w- - tions focused attention on
education young adult
Mutual lmprovement Circle
males inilially This sim--
ply because the Polish com- -
munity in Toronto at this
consisted mainly
gle young who
had been comnelleo to leave
their wives and families
m um oiu wiiiuy
o- f these had little if
anvj usovhnwn u0 _nvv as
morę families madę their way
lo Toronto focus gradually
shifted to education ciul- -
111-i'- n
'Zr]Tl'riTtT!tlCI[IIDI'LirJITlJ'iWtf1'"ir 1
-- _nc3
The Polish of Can- -
ada maintained
courses of the smaller
earUer organizations and
established ones as the
need arose Wilh
0f tlie Polisli in
Toronto and Ontario groups
I 4% Ml
I
u-nr- n Pi-nln- rl iv5lliin hn Al- -
i ri r- - "™:„ lT™uZZh C' ™ '? u f" c "Tetl '" 193° uu _ma o i(urupa
S iorllv thnrna nr 10
vanous groups began to 'lakę
ovcr controi schools
cniirsps in Ihpir
Vho were the educators
working in the smali early
organizations and Alli--
ance'' Within self-priuca- l-ing
societics they were oiten
_H : ' lis
Polish
men wilh a litlle morę school- -
ing than the others who
were ol illiterate Not
prisingly in early period
teachers or directors
were men Some of these
is ouite evident Howeer no
doubt lh were cxceptions
in lerms of early leaciing
staff '
A 1 al
point director of self-im- -
provement schol (szkoła sa- -
mokształcenia) of the Polish
National "Progressiye"
cięty went on to become
oditor of the Alliancer (Zwiaz- -
an organ of Pol- -
Alliance from 1934 to
time of deatli in 1941 His
ideas and ou''ook shaped
idcology of the Polish Alli- -
aricc which the 1930's had
become largest Polish
organizations in Canada
—k
J Mazurkiewicz another
also figured
of — established in 1913
minently in the futurę of
Polish Alliance Mazurkie- -
wicz had been a teacher at
the school of tlie Polish
tional "Progressiye" Society
in period 1919-2- 1
yiously mentioned this
uie ruiiMii jaiiguagu
school children in Toron- -
eon- -
łnnvrt the the
for
for
set up
the Na- -
lhe its
the fol- -
lan- -
Sa- -
was
was by
men
the
the lan- -
wce
the
ons
vpw
The
was
sin--
men men
be- -
miiu
men
nnP nter
the
new
the
™
aiiu muu
1-s'- za
own iro-i- s
the
the
ten sur- -
the
the
one
the
So- -
the
ish the
his
the
by
the
pro- -
the
Na- -
the As pre- -
was
iirsi
for
hv a av orPanizatinn —j It Ihal the
two teachers al this
school also males In
Myi ui k uif
prcsidenl o lhe then newly
created Polish Alliance of
Canada a position that
was hołd m 1929
193° 1932 1933' 1934 and
1937 as well as holding other
positions within that organi- -
? "O 'nnUnnnl inli sil'' 4 lin Altifinin ItfillPfl Pnl'in1 llninnirAf' H
f W VUl'łlllClI J1JI1- - Wl HI!-- - illliWVV w'- - — ' WIM1III llUttl
Growing of' Polish
children rccjtiircd an cxpan- -
siim nt ilm Pnllsli inmmnGe
schoohi and women came to
fili positions as teachers iii
thbse schools The Alliance
had the fortunę to acciuirc
the serviccs of seyeral teach- -
ers trainod profcssionally in
In 1930 Stefania Ro- -
mankiewicz a qualiiicd
er from Poland ca mc to work
'for the Alliance Michalina
Wolnik and Barbara Głogow-ska
also traincd in Poland
came to teach for the Alli
ance after the Second World
War Ali women show- -
ed exceptional commilment
lo tlie CCiUCalion Ol" Polisll
iniilli P-innrl- n throutrh
heir HMone seiwice in Pol- -
isl1 schools in Toroill°- - Again- nv - -- orn im rińuhi ho o
t-- " '": i""""- -"" 'iV „ -- w"" -- "'j "j
as most teachers did not ha ve
lualilicalions ' of these
women niosi simpiy naci a
better comand of Polish
hinguage than others and
wcrc willillS lo work wilh
children The Ladics Cirdes
(Kola Polek) were also very
iSfe ' vj WMmM$-- ' ' h
: lMmM$ ? -- %
a
'"" l" "'" nalmst
a- - aro factor
j i ni tuiiiiurtb tuitul_
- l „L"
as
In
of
0
of
c-uuiu-ry
__
of
Filareta
- as'Łv -- r m sja k'"'m vr ass
in
schools
tn— ~ 0
is
olher
1 vii ni-1!-- !
ho
agam
zalion
i
teach- -
three
in
'
f '''
Wf
'JW "fa an
ii-iyii-- y
-- nc
school of PAC
of Polish language
'f lolisli Alliance ol un- -
ada evel0Pecl an cclucalional
-- "'- r r
" -- ""
wu Luuuim1 auu euuwuoiiai
matlers In 1932 a co-ord- i- ""s uuuy me iuw
multi-branche- d
was formed By 1933 all the
Alliance groups had their
own Educalional Councils In
1937 the Board of Education
(Rada Edukacyjna) was estab- -
lislied (ie the reorganied
1932 which lasled
tintil 1969 with a furlher re- -
organization in 1949 In 1969
the Reymont Foundation
established by the Alliance
dcal with of an edu- -
cational and cułtunl naturę
lhe nowly func- -
lioning Educalional Commit--
(Komitet Oświatowy) As
well 1945 a Teachers'
i r-'- w
_- --'
i&mi
?
Center (Ognisko
skie) was formed
What was lhe
of the Polish
concerned with? At--
teirnls were madę lo stan- -
dardize schools Also teach- -
ers' conferences were organ- -
ATnhi1r lihrarips wpip
nmiovrw v t ipw Swpwrn~nur~
World War when materiał
from was
school texts were
vi i t _r „ :- -
lum for lhe Polish schools
was a major concern o£ lhe
bodies ot lhe
Polish Alliance Inilially pro- -
grams were devcloped mo- -
delled on those in effecl in
the Auslrian portion of Po- -
land just prior to lhe First
uevuiu unmiii a curiiuu- -
soon bccamo apparciu ihal
ihis was no( a suilablc curri:
ciiltim for Cnnadlnn children
and sleps wore takcn to
change it lIowcvcr this was
a particularly easy łask
It also mcant adjuslment
lo circumslances in
on the part ot the non-pro- -
fcssional and professional
from Polarni
'
'_":" „ i
:i " auucnance oi 'Polishness''
"polskość") IIowever condi- - "SnrWSiJinSp
retention oC f ''" tage cither In the ea
riod of growlh of tlie pni ich
communlly In Toronto there
'Tpartilioned Poland and the
malnlenance of the Polish
- cllltui'e by forefathers
dcspile greal oclds
Great laith was placed in
inc 1 0IIS scnoois in oanaaa
for rctenlion of the Polish
language and heritage Cer- -
tainly there were many fac- -
tors working against preser- -
ation of a Polish past To
begin with Poles had been
rcgaded jn me "non-prefer- -
re( calegory of imniigrants
lo Canada There werc tlie
-„„„-„„u„u„„„Uo„„„„ „i!n„c
Under such conditions did
Uie first schools ol lhe Polisli
oescBiiuenis eui- - i"'i "'u"'a mc the "mosaic" wu 01 to "" lhemselves et
speaKing
(]ie
English
moKsziaiceniowe
of
growlh
0f
Staniewski
of
educator
mimbers
'Poland
the
schools
Cnuncil)
matlers
tee
in
educational
structure
ht
inaccessible
printed
not
the
Canada
teachers
the
the
By Roman Szporluk
Pacific News Service
"Polonism Is revolution"
said lhe 19th-centur- y Ans--
trian Chancellor Prince Cle- -
mens Lotliar Wenzel von Met--
ternicłi warning Russia's
Tsar Alexander acainst poli--
tical COnccssions to the Poles
in 1815
mm„ 4 łiiu isar „1 nlii„c „uruiwvinten
and granteda liberał consti-- lution nart Potand
wi:n„i an eiccieci p„a_nii!ainwi„ił
mciepenneni ec
speech and a free press —
al ol he denied to his
n„wn non„n—lp R_ut_t_lip ennees- -
sions not only failed locurb
Polish nalionalisl aspirations
the Polish example
łlin fircl Pnccinn
revolutionary movement the
Decernbiisls
Leonid Brczlmey must also
be haunłcd bv spectre ol
"Polonism-IIeisawareth- al
while Polancfs tradilion ot
pluralism and political
is uniąue in Eastein
Europę its exanple may
spread as dangerously today
ii did in Alcxander's time
Certainly Poland's tradi--
tion of independence and
parlicipation is not alone res- -
ponsible for the facl that
only Poland has Iranslated
its and social griev- -
ances into a political
tion The morę common ex--
planalions are impor--
wni: ioianas reiauye open- -
ness to Western innuences
m iuie - me vaiufuii
w ł vv iji mt- - mum
are not suf
ficient lo cxplain lhe political
of tlie Polish
crisis this must look
to Poland's centuries-ol- d poli- -
tical cullure — a culture
which has survivcd pe- -
riods of
niinM„
mg
What is the poinl of bcing
an "otbnic"? The qilcstion is
i'olcvant botli to those who
liavc no choicc in thcmattcr
an(1 lo thoso who bcinS in- -
disUnguishablo from mcm- -
bers of the majority culture
can decide to stay away from
their ethnic heritage
Henry Radecki a professor
nf sociolotry at Laurentian
Universitv in Sudburv him- - sdf a greai bellevcr in ethni-- "1S" csi" 1K ' ° a" °
OrganlzaUonal Dynamics The
Polish group in Canada Wil- -
frid Laurier Unlversily Press
Watcrloo 1979) Rade- -
cki points out mat a person
° '?e'°! "n organhation
aćouires a special status and
an additional framework of
orientation and with them
a right to have enjoy cer--
tain services and inleractions
not availablc to others" Any
nem1)ei gains something
Worthwhile: protection duty
honour affection identitv
acceptance and sttpport"
Elhnicity can make one's life
richer morę meaningful less
lonely
drf
The author seems lo be- - War II and the post-wa- r
lieve that an elhnic culture waves of political exiles and
cannot survive in the English- - refugees the recent ar--
Canadian sea uńloss it is rivals from communist Po- -
nurtured by a network oC land
volunarv organizations and His next łask is to_pśtahlisli
is Miis belief one suspects "the roles and functions" of
that had promted him de- - plhnic What
vote years of scholarly work do they do for the
to the topie As a result Ra- - w bal do they accomplish in
decki has become one of the society?
few experts on ethnic At the top'of the list is
oi-1'anbatio-ns
in North Ame- - issue of power tlie oraniza- - rica There is an tions have crealed for
personal involvement in the etiinic IfroUpt Tiey werc abic
issue the book is dedicaed lo "reCeie recocnition irom
"to the memory of my Pa- - lhe political instilutions and
rents once active parlicipanls from political leadera of the
in the Polish organizations in nosl socieYi Leaders of eth- - Toronto ' uc organizations have been
The is a recognhed as having in-effo- rt
As Radecki's reyiew ot fluence both wilhin their
the sociological literaturę on own group and with the Ca-ethn- ic
Yoluntary organiza- - nadian governments a posi-tions
shows' "lhe subject has tion which allowed them to
not yet received adequatc express their group's concern
educators achjąyed consider- - 7'" """" sentimęnts to ne anu wnue and culture as
lowing
rc- -
time
9f]&&
attention from the scholars
and students of societal or- -
ganialions" even though "in
the North American societies
with the exception of native
Indians Inuit mem- -
oers are linmigranis or meir
u J "L6iail-- U LUin(--
The Rrs[ parl of Uie
consists of seVeral historical
chapters rcminding us
among other Ihings of the
able prominenco in the Alli-- utilclmnn (TriiiM with First an impor-- to of 1 ance and commitment "_ :' World Poles in pan uil canadian society" informing
community (
organizauons lne Canadian
in
importaiico of
in
Poland'
or
and
population
and
noteworthy
to
supportive
vu''
1
organization
lo
FI
Nauczyciel- -
Alli- -
ance
inrinrr
educational
Why revolution
way life for the Polish
juuuiuu
couns
also
incłlirnrl
lho
cipalion
as
economic
also
But even
dimensions
For one
repression
Ont
and
and
lo organizations
vorv the
underlying
pioneering
and all
in-cultu- re
jn contrasl with Russian ex--
perience "No taxation with- -
0ul became
nie iaw of Poland in 1374 no
segment of tlie Russian peo- -
nip onim-pr-l n pnmnnrnhli
rjeht until 1905
t„ -- „ ni „„ "V lie xvul c"Ll"- - tu „„u:łi nn tnr r n SSy S"l nuoom mCvt iu nu icga
rGSłrailts tne PolfiS Wpr„
transforming king into
an clccllve Pesiden loi lite
and cioseiy scrulinizing his ___ __" poncies ai nauonai anu re
lonal representalive assem
ij
Admitledly only the nobil- -
4'T ntirl IoyiaIiI sirnnlttr "rJt"łt"n"li1l
one-tent- h ol he nation) en- -
"g L'" °
b„m P w Ł Z™
„7
nai 5fed Polisetainn"een?s
Vd
t J--
d 'T r "h As d?veloped social
?r lass consciousness
ized demanded better
wages and land reforms Uie
workers and peasants of Po- -
land came to share with the
rest of the nation lhe prin--
cipie "Nic Nas Bez —
nothing that us is
to be dccided without us
„_„„ = l
- ' „'„_like so m„aniv umei European nations
evcniuaiiv len nio u e nanus
ski
Though burdened wltn so
ciał economic and ethnic pro- -
and certainly not a
democracy PiłsudsWs Po- -
land remained a pliiraliUc
slate Opposition parties eon--
to function as did an
independent (albeit censored)
eth
pfojudice and clłscrlminallon
immigrants liad stiffcred In
Norlli America In 1928 a Ca- -
nadian popular wriler had
thls to say about Połes and
Slavs in generał:
and immobile Inek- -
jng initiative rather carelcss
0f personal appearance
but limited mechanical
ability not quarrclsome ex- -
cept when liąuor is about
easily browbęalen for the
f t f dcspotIsm has cowed
„„: sł nlnrlflms ln
the day's work - withal thal
pliant that provides the
numan lor a camp
boss to drive" Sotinds like a
long time ago but it wasn't
The rirst Polish organiza-lio- n
in Canada was created in
1862 in Berlin now Kitchcn
er Ontario when about a
dozen families arrived from
Prussian They "took
whatever work wis available
in town" and "in the same
year the use of 111
old school building whenc
they buill a chapel "
Radecki takes us llirough
subseement neriods of the
history of the Polish group in
Canada with World
wilh prejudice and discrimi- -
nation immigra- -
tion politics presemition of
the group's culture "
0ne of the other functions
nas been the preSentation of
a clislinct ethnic community
pr esence and role 111 Canada
Thls 1(jd [o an exlremcl
important outeome: "as a rc- -
suit Canadians tend to be
less xenophobic are less
Democratic and other unions
There was also a strong
peasant movemcnl
sometimes erupted in strikes
Even unclei Hitler when
n° leal avenues of
SIon were auoweu me Poles
orMnized not onlv a resls- -
- tance force but created an
elaboralc underground poli- -
The peculiar instinct of the
Polos for P°lltical freedom
h also characterizect lhe
last 0„ years ot Polish his
tory under Communism
between 1945-4- 7 a
n'„nrfu'"rtninir'tirl llin onntiiił nf
Even lhe Socialist
whjch coopera1ed lhye
Communists tried to develop
a Polish roatl to socialism
Ihal would allow some mea--
sure of political Pluralism- -
ThoUgh aU Was
soon suppressed the Poles
did not give up after Stalin's
death thelr dogged ot--
independence asserted itself
in ncw waySj with worker up
i-isi-ng
at Poznań in 1956
There is a continuity be- -
tween the eyents of the past
mne months and those of 24
years ago the con- -
tinuity — the lolish obses- -
sion with indmdual political
rights — reaches back to the
pm0edijuieayial upceuriiaoudju'a ui mc mie Like Tsar Alexander
— - I -- — 1 :„ --"„„'! "pu"i'—" " ' r„i i
leLn S mav
Ip
le°ua„u0n"d elsewhere in Easlem
'
(Roman Szporluk is a profes-- -
sor of history at the Univer- -
sity of Michigan)
Polish affairs -- " si"" canada found sT[y ot nnic public of their
Alliance
language
kowiec)
sponsored
'£
Poland
peasant
es a of
which
parli- -
revolu- -
lhese
many
groun
their
study
boQk
Political parlicipation as a press Pro-governme- nt labor
distinclivc fealure of Polish existed alongside
is esnecially eyident denendent socialist ChrisHan- -
representalion"
after
'TŁZl
their
KSriP
they
organ- -
unions
O Nas"
concerns
Poland
blems
tinued
"Slow
with
type
materiał
Poland
accjuired
endinu
restrictive
which
expres- -
słrlIpi1Iro
''„„„
01?0si"ou
spirit
Indeed
nrovwSe
unions
enuren ano tne impaci oi uie riirhłnr Tn 1qor mrli-i- - t°KL}i1„™„ "1U0„1 „uuw UaULK:j'C Polish Popc and tlie nision- - "::""":""" wemer 10 once agam
cai cllsllKe even contempi ot „m ': pi a"4"- - l" vv roio- -
run
were
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likcly to be prejudieed or to !
stercotypc ethnic groups rc- -
siding in Canada" Undoubl- - '
cdly an outeome thal is good
for all Canadians not only
for the ethnics
The organizations hayo
generated social cohesion by
proiding "a setting where
strangeis met oflen cstab-lishin- g
close contacts and tics
with others" they have con-tribute- d
to personal Identifi-cation
by solidifying pcople's
perception of their identily
as Poles or as Canadians of
Polish descent" they have
promoted socioeconomic ad-vanceme- nt
offering by such
means as credit unions "fi-nanci- al hencfils for mem-ber- s
such as funds for a
house or a car at lower rat es
than those charged al the
banks"
The finał chapters consisl
in a delailed rc)orl of lhe
author's own study of Polish
organizations in Toronto
Most of the dala were col-lecte- d
by means of a mailed
ciueslionnairc This section of
the book reads like another
"boolc of lists" but is a gold-min- ę
of information Resi-denii- al and age distribution
of lhe Polish group in Toron-to
periods ol arriyal in Cana-da
number of organizations
and year of establishment
size and leadership per cent
of members born in Poland
au'e structure and place ot
bii th ot membership type of
leadership organialional ac-tiyities
organizational goals
the press schools parishes
and congregations organia-tiona- l
officers relisious and
traditional celebrations his-torical
and patriotic annier-sarie- s
Polish language main-tenanc- e
folk dances and
songs financial issues ser-vic- e
lo new Polish imnii-grants
and much morę!
There is a melancholy notę
in Radecki's conclusion Hc
anticipates the demise of Pol-ish
organizations in Canada
althotigh he is not absolutely
cerfain With the retirement
of the maiorily of present
members who are now over
50 "lhe organizational struc-ture
will cease to exist as a
distincl structure without
the sponsoring organization
the Polish language press
and youth organizations are
not' likeły to continue In
generał the Polish people in
Canada will losc their means
of representation with other
groups and with tlie Cana-dian
government structures"
"It can be enyisaged that
thc organizational buildings
will in time become mauso-leum- s
to the efforls and
achievements of the imnii-grants
in the past"
IIowever the author secs
two factors that may offset
this fading away Firstly
there is "the growing len-denc- y
global in scope of
people to think in terms of
their ethnic groups Elhnicity
and etlinic identily are gen-erall- y
bccomins? morę respec-tablc- "
Secondly "lhe in-creasin-gly
larger numbers of
people both the imniigrants
and their descendents trav-e- l
to Poland demonstrating
continual interest in this na-tion
its cullure and its tra-ditio- ns
if tiie imniigrants'
elhnic identily is reinforced
through such yisils the ex-posu- rc
to lho fuli milieti of
their cultur! heritage mav
well rekindle lasling interest'
in the land of their forefa-thers
among those born or
raised in Canada"
I am not sure if Radecki is
not overly pessimistic Re-cent- ly
there has been a
trickle of new blood flowing
spontaneously into our orga-nization
the Polish Alliance
of Canada The Th under Bay
group is the besl example so
far And among these young
people there are mem-bers
and olficers of tlie orga-nization
who are Canadian-bor- n
Recent history seems lo
have correcled Radecki's as-serti- on that "Less if any at-tention
will be given to
emigre politics wh'oh are not
understood by tlie Canadian-bor- n
and are a divisive fac-tor
for tlie imniigrants" A
good part of "emigr politics"
has always been a concern
about totalitarian communist
domination of Poland With
the cmergencc of "Solidarity"
in the summer of 1980 with
the bloodless revolution or
"odnowa" (rencwal) in Po-land
the issue is likeły to
absorb not only our ethnic
group but tlie whole world
for a vcry long time
Jacek Adolf