Page:Brandes - Poland, a Study of the Land, People, and Literature.djvu/117

Rh to place spiritual advantages above material. The sacrifices which are made to this ideal do not prove its value. But it is in and of itself valuable, in so far as it creates character, and develops talents, and it is incontrovertible that it has called forth elevated thoughts, heroic actions, and a literature both rich and important. As a motive power it is a civilising power; for it produces proud, liberal-minded men.

We are unaccustomed to see a whole people absorbed in an endeavour, which is resisted and fought against on all sides, and which seems to be at variance even with the historic law of decadence, an endeavour, which exists not only by force of the instinct of self-preservation, but more or less consciously by force of the fundamental idea that the life of the world becomes poorer and more uniform for each national individuality which disappears—an endeavour which might nevertheless be futile. Yet Poland's disappearance would not be like that of Assyria or Egypt in remote antiquity; for Poland in the presence of Russia and Prussia, politically speaking, signifies independence, freedom, justice, reason—that is to say, the question whether these forces shall conquer or succumb. Poland is the question whether it is military force or the will of the people that is to have the last word in the history of the world of the present day. Should Poland be definitely lost, it would indicate nothing less in principle than that the culture of liberty and liberality in Europe were lost. One independent country after another would fall after Poland.

On the other hand, if the culture of freedom gains ground, the oppression, which rests so heavily on Poland, will be lightened, and Polish nationality will find a form, under which it can live its own life. For a hundred years it has now been under the yoke of three great powers, it has served as their anvil, and has borne the blows of the enormous hammers without being crushed. Either before very long the hammers will be stopped, or this culture, which was once the pride of western Europe, will be annihilated.

We cannot see thoroughly into anything. Our life is a