A modernised reading of the text

Poles abroad. From the life of the Polish colony in Montevideo.

The Polish community in Montevideo is both long-established and fairly large. The first Poles were emigrants from the 1863 uprising, led by the father of the former Polish consul, Mr Łukasiewicz. Amongst all these pioneers, who represented the Polish name with dignity on this soil, mention must be made of Borgya Skotnicki, technical inspector at the Ministry of Education, Powala Czystkowski, a renowned chemist; and finally Dr Jurkowski, a distinguished physician and organiser known even in Brazil and Argentina.

At present, the Polish community in Uruguay could be estimated at over 20,000. However, if this figure is broken down into various national minorities, over 15,000 are Jews, several thousand to Rusyns and Ukrainians; and finally, there are 3,000 Polish citizens throughout Uruguay who, in heart and soul, feel themselves to be Poles, two-thirds of whom live in Montevideo alone. The majority are single men who have come here in search of a livelihood. There are relatively few families. The current crisis and the lack of suitable Polish women are, for the time being, not conducive to the establishment of new households.

Working conditions are rather difficult; firstly, there is a general stagnation in employment, and secondly, managerial positions are for the most part held by German engineers – Protestants – who are the age-old enemies of the Slavic name, and of the Polish name in particular. Despite material difficulties, the Polish colony is developing more and more successfully and holds out good hopes for the future. There is already a fairly large group of people who, through the efforts of their labour, have managed to secure a roof over their heads. Alongside securing their material livelihood, our emigrants did not forget about their cultural heritage.

From the very beginning, efforts were made to organise a Polish society; over the years, there were several such organisations: ‘Jedność’, ‘The Kościuszko Society’ and ‘The Polish Circle’. However, they all gradually petered out, not so much due to a lack of goodwill on the part of the members as to a lack of suitable leadership. The legacy of these earlier societies has now been taken up by the oldest society in Montevideo: the J. Piłsudski Society. Alongside it stands the Ign. Paderewski Society, which, although younger, has a larger membership. The year 1932–33 was a watershed year for the Polish community. There were many reasons for this.

The most important of these, however, was the arrival of Polish priests, sent by Cardinal Primate Hlond, the chief patron of the Polish diaspora. From that moment on, life in the colony began to take a different course. The Polish Church became a focal point from which new life radiated, and from which new ideas and plans emerged. People began to think about reorganisation and a revival of spirit. The first visible sign of this revival was the joint organisation of the November celebrations, under the patronage of Consul Łukasiewicz. The whole event was impressive.

The day’s celebrations began with the ‘Polish Hour’ on state radio. For the first time in Uruguay, Polish music, Polish songs and the Polish language flowed over the airwaves. It was a real pleasure to hear the Consul speak of the extraordinary development of our homeland from the very moment of its founding, and of its significance as a bulwark of Christianity and culture. The speech was all the more significant for being delivered in Spanish and thus understandable to the locals. For us, our compatriots, it was a real source of satisfaction to hear the lecture by Rev. Prof. Chudziński, who masterfully and with his characteristic vigour depicted the founding and current state of our homeland, and concluded with a heartfelt greeting from the Motherland to all those scattered far and wide in a foreign land, longing for home.

The highlight of the day was the first Polish service at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, which from then on became the church for Polish services. Lech Szuman, editor of *Echo Ameryki* and also secretary to the Consulate, writes of this service as follows: “Since the arrival of Father Posadzy, we have once again been fortunate enough to hear the Polish language and Polish hymns in the House of God. From now on, foreigners are to look upon us in a different light. Until now, one might say, we Poles were quietly regarded as some sort of Turks, or at the very least as heretics who do not even have their own priests. From now on, the whole town is to know that we are the descendants of a famous nation, who have their own faith, and whose heroism has earned them the title of knights of the bulwark of Christendom.

Father Zaraza delivered a solemn sermon, referring to the words of the bard: ‘To be a Pole is to live divinely’; encouraging a spiritual rebirth and resurrection, so that our resurrection might be complete—both political and moral. ‘Mighty God, Who Protects Poland’ brought the service to a close. With their hearts full and with immense power, they no longer sang, but shouted outright, groaned so loudly that the lights trembled from this heartfelt storm of voices, imploring the Lord of Lords for help and protection. The event was rounded off by a solemn academic ceremony, at which Father Chudziński spoke once more on the subject: ‘Poland: its development and future’.

Recitations and a concert filled the rest of the programme on such a solemn day, one that will never fade from the participants’ memories. In recognition of his work in organising the event, Father Chudziński was appointed an honorary member of the Society.” So much for the newspaper’s account of that day. Unfortunately, this work, which had got off to such a splendid start, was a thorn in the side of some. As is usually the case, there were people who began to stir up trouble. The lion’s share of the blame for all the misunderstandings that arose within the Polish colony in Montevideo lies with the head of the patronage, Mechlowicz, who is, incidentally, well known for such matters. But he did not stay here for long. Upon Minister Mazurkiewicz’s first visit, he had to pack his bags and leave.

Meanwhile, matters began to proceed normally. The Ignacy Paderewski Society of Friends of Song and Music has set itself the aim, alongside fostering song and music, of promoting the Polish spirit, particularly through patriotic performances. Today, after a year’s work, they can boast a rather fine body of work. Not only do they contribute with their voices to the beauty of Polish church services every Sunday, but thanks to their efforts, every anniversary is given the attention it deserves. The Society currently has over 80 members. But the other Society has not been idle either.

Thanks to its energetic chairman, it can now boast 40 members and, more importantly, has got the construction of its own building off the ground. On the anniversary of its work, the foundations were consecrated and one part of the building was opened. Thus, the Polish community now has a roof over its head. There is just one matter that still concerns us: what will become of the younger generation. There are more and more school-age children. Unfortunately, scattered across the far corners of this vast city, they are difficult to gather together. Most parents cannot afford to pay for tram fares every day.

The lack of a Polish school pains us all the more because almost all other nations have beautiful school buildings; even the Lithuanians, such an inconspicuous little country, have a lovely two-class school, not to mention the Germans, who boast a magnificent secondary school with 400 pupils, half of whom are Uruguayans, who from an early age are instilled with hostility towards Poland and its allies. This shortcoming could be remedied, at least in part, by sending a travelling teacher, as is the practice among other minorities living in a similar state of dispersion to ours.