Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 12.djvu/248

 POLES

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POLES

Within the past two decades a great change has come over the character of PoUsh immigration. The pioneers who came from Silesia, the Grand Duchy of Posen, and West Prussia came with their families, were mostly men of early middle age, and came with no thought of ever returning. The Prussian Poles took readily to farming. They were resourceful, dis- inclined to hazard health and life, and not intent upon making money in a very short time. The Prussian Poles and their children constitute much the greater part of the rural Polish population in the Sliddle West and Xorth-west. Polish immigration from Rus- sian Poland and Galicia has been so great that many of the older parishes founded by Prussian Poles in the industrial regions are made up almost wholly of their numbers. The Russian Poles constituted about 53 per cent, those from Galicia about 43 per cent, and the Prussian Poles about 4 per cent of the total Polish immigration from 1S95 to 1911. The recent Polish immigrants are mostly young men. The vast majorit}- are unskilled labourers from the \-il- lages; the few skilled labourers and mechanics are for the most part from Russian Poland, and these latter are employed in the textile industries and sugar refineries, with which work they are familiar. Those from Galicia come in many instances to earn enough money to clear their small plot of land of debt. They come to mill and mine, and seem utterly indifferent to hardship and danger. The percentage of illit- erates among the immigrants from Prussian Poland, never very high, is now insignificant, while their knowledge of German is a \'aluable asset. The per- centage of illiterates from Poland for the fiscal year, 1910. was 30' 1 per cent. The small number of Poles becoming public charges would be much smaller but for the laws making little or no provision for the workmen and compelling them toundertake expensive litigation in caseof accident. Therecordsof our penal and eleemos^Tiary inst it ut ions fail t o show that the Poles constitute a lawless element. The very low death- rate among the Poles, in spite of abnormal conditions of li\-ing (high infant mortality, and the hea\->- death- rate in the mines and mills), is striking proof of their morality. It is not unusual to see Pohsh churches in the United States filled with congregations in which the men far outnumber the women. This is largely explained by the character of recent immi- gration, but it may nevertheless be asserted that no other chiss of American Catholics can boast of a greater percentage of church-going men.

Historically the Poles have been so circumstanced that their racial and religious sympathies completely coincide. So fused and intensified are these senti- ments that it has been well said that the soul of Po- land is naturaliter Christiatta. Conditions leading to ruptures with ecclesiastical authorities have been many and it would be exceedingly unjust to place all blame upon the masses of the PoUsh people. The Poles are easily led by a fiery eloquence, and "in- dependence" among them was the result of deliberate deception on the part of rebellious priests who to carry on their deception more successfully had some of their number consecrated bishops by the Old Catholic bishops in Europe. The "Independents" are possessed of no unity, and represent no heretical or schismatic movement in the real sense. The move- ment was strongest from 1895 to 1900. and spread with astonishing rapidity, becoming most destructive in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and throughout Pennsylvania, in which state it still continues a demoralizing factor. It is impossible to estimate with any degree of accuracy the numerical strength of the movement at its height, but to-day the total number cannot exceed 30,000. Protestants, notably Baptists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians, have fraternized with the "Independents" and given them a respectabiUty. In recent years many of the immi-

grants have been drawn into the movement in good ' faith. The fact that the Poles from an aggregation of units, frequently lacking efficient spiritual leader- ship, torn by dissensions, led astray by a Liberal press, have slowly and painfully arisen to a position commanding respect is the most splendid tribute that can be paid them. The failure of certain classes of immigrants to come to the material support of the Church is most frequently ex-plained by adducing the fact of a state-supported Church in the mother country. Since in most parts of Poland the Church is supported by indirect taxation, the generosity of the Anierican Poles is brought out into stronger relief, and their willingness to build and maintain their magnificent churches and institutes is deserving of the unbounded praise accorded them. Coupled with their deep faith, their intense nationalism acts as an incentive to their generosity.

Unfortunately the immigrant tide pours into our great cities in spite of the fact that our Polish immi- grants are almost solidly from the agricultural ^•illages. What has been said concerning the neces- sity of.intelligent colonization in the article on Itahans in the United States holds with equal force when speaking of the Polish immigration. The settle- ment of the Poles in lower Xew England is e\-idence of the need of inteUigent colonization. The move- ment to the farms, at first confined to the Prussian Poles, is now spreading and extending to the other classes, who are even entering Canada. The settle- ment of the Poles in the Connecticut \"alley, whither more than 5000 went in 1910, dates from about 1895. The Poles saved their money and succeeded. In time they bought the land of their employers. Hundreds of abandoned farms in Xew England have passed into their hands, and they are now invading Long Island. Their industry and thrift are shown by their success on these abandoned farms, on which women and children share the toil of the father.

Customs. — The Poles in America cling tenaciously to their quaint customs, which are in nearly everj' instance quite as much religious as national in charac- ter. Poland was but little aiiected by the rehgious rebellion of the sixteenth century and hence the Catholic medieval spirit is still that of the Poles. The Christmas and Easter carols heard in the Polish churches are exact counterparts of those sung by the peasants of pre-Reformation England, and are the expression of the childlike faith of the people. The most beautiful custom and the one that bids to out- live all others among the American Poles is that of the oplalki (wafers). Shortly before Christmas the parish organist distributes wafers resembhng those used for Holy Mass, and at this distribution each parishioner makes a slight offering to the organist or altar-boys who bring the wafers. These are sent to friends and relatives in Europe, and the latter do not forget those in America. On Christmas Eve the family gathers to partake first of all of the wafer in token of continued love, mended friendship, and good- will to all men. During the Octave of the Epiphany the priests bless the homes of the people, and the doors are marked with the initials of the names of the Wise Men, with chalk blessed on the feast of the Epiphany. On Holy Saturday the priest blesses the baskets of food prepared for the morrow. Very early on Easter morning Holy Mass is celebrated and after the Mass the priest and the laity go in solemn procession thrice around the church, inside or outside, according to circumstances. This is called the Resurekcya.

During the Easter season the priests issue con- fession cards, on which are printed the words: Signunt Comniunionis Pasc)ialis. Each card is numbered, and a record is kept of the numbers and names of those to whom cards are issued. These