Excerpts from the Polish chronicles in the magazine 'News from Poland'. A memorial to Poles killed in the US Army is mentioned in this issue. The sculpture was erected in Grand Rapids. In addition, there is also information on a Polish school in New York, a project to name one of Chicago's parks after K. Pulaski, and pictures of Polish life in Germany, among other places (Source : "Wieści z Polski", Warsaw 1930, R: 3, no. 4, pp. 120-124, after: Jagiellonian Digital Library).

A modernised reading of the text

Polonia abroad.

Monument to Poles killed in the US Army.

In the city of Grand Rapids, St. United States, a beautiful monument was recently erected with contributions from Polish societies to honour American soldiers of Polish descent who died in the World War and are buried in the local cemetery.
An inscription in Polish and English was placed on the base of the monument: "To the Polish heroes of the World War - Grand Rapids, Michigan".

Pulaski Forest.

It is reported from Chicago that the chairman of the county council, Cernak has put forward a project to commemorate Casimir Pulaski by naming one of the city parks in Chicago after him. A special citizens' committee appointed to the matter took up the issue earnestly and out of 2 projects decided on the project to rename the so-called Palos Park on the south side of the city.

Polish school in New York.

The New York City Board of Education, in its recently published report, states that its Polish school has 7 classes with 200 pupils. This means that there are, on average, 30 students per class, which makes it possible for the lecturers to take more care of each student.

From the life of the Polish colony in Berlin.

The "Kurier Warszawski" gives the following news about Berlin: The current winter season has brought about a considerable revival among the Polish colony in Berlin, thanks mainly to the indefatigable activity of the "Opieka" Society, which, in addition to purely humanitarian tasks, such as the care of Polish seasonal workers and, above all, of Polish children (infants), has taken on the role of a link and intermediary in the cultural and social life of the Polish emigration dispersed over a city of millions.

Founded by a group of well-intentioned people three years ago, the "Opieka" Society, after a great deal of energy and work, has managed to become very popular among the Polish community in Berlin, and enjoys the greatest possible confidence among its members, as all the events and all the activities of the "Opieka" to date have shown excellent initiative.

The émigrés in Berlin, longing for Polish words, songs and music, have welcomed with genuine joy and gratitude performances by our artists in Berlin, either as transient visitors or invited by the Opieka Society to introduce the Polish community to currents of new music or Polish literature, or to remind them of things they once knew and read. In the current season, we have had a whole series of lectures on cultural and scientific matters, a whole series of concerts of modern and early Polish music, and a whole series of social gatherings, usually well attended.

The winter season was inaugurated with a lecture by Dr Alicja Simon on "Influences of Polish music on foreign music", with excellent musical illustrations by violin and piano. Afterwards, the whole Polish favourite, the excellent Polish singer Ms Szymanowska, whose artistic and vocal qualities need no further mention, as they are known throughout Poland and the whole world, and are valued not only by the Polish colony in Berlin, but also by the entire Berlin press, which spoke with great appreciation of her musical and vocal culture and her excellent interpretative skills, was welcomed on stage to a rousing ovation.

Alongside Mrs Szymanowska we had the opportunity to hear at concerts of Polish music in Berlin the excellent tenor of the Warsaw opera, Mr Bregy, whose extraordinary vocal qualities were also recognised by the German critics. At another soirée, we heard a pianist of the same calibre as Róża Etkin, who has already established her reputation even among the Berlin press - and then the excellent opera soprano, Mrs Maria Janowska, who is permanently engaged by the Leipzig opera and who also enjoys great success on the stage of the Berlin opera.

With what enthusiasm were applauded our homely songs on folk themes by Niewiadomski, Moniuszko and the exquisite, melancholy strophes by Karłowicz, or Eastern fairy tales by Szymanowski performed by Ms Szymanowska! With what a fervour of unflagging applause Ms Janowska was invoked countless times for her incomparable aria from "Halka", Mr Bregy for the aria of Jontek. With what gratitude were received the immortal mazurkas and preludes by Chopin, played by Mrs Etkinówna with such finesse and feeling, the 'Variations' by Brzeziński, played with bravura, and compositions by Michałowski.

All these evenings were extremely successful in artistic terms, providing an excellent overview of old and new Polish music - so that today concerts of Polish music in Berlin are slowly gaining in popularity, not only among the broad Polish community in Berlin, but also among the German public and critics, who are showing a growing interest in 'Polish music and Polish artists - performers who are on a fully European level. Thus more and more international audiences and German critics are meeting at these concerts, initiated by the "Opieka" Society. It is only a pity that Mrs Bandrowska's curiosity about Berlin was disappointed, as she refused to perform at the last minute, several hours before the concert. But surely, what goes around comes around.

One of the most successful events of the season for the "Opieka" Society - not so much an artistic event as a social one - was undoubtedly the Polish Ball, the first representative Polish ball of its kind in Berlin, which attracted large crowds of international guests, diplomats and the foreign press, as well as personalities from the German parliamentary, literary and journalistic world.

Excellent artistic productions: a recital by the pianist Mr Osiński and dances in folk costumes by the Warsaw ballet troupe contributed immensely to raising the ball's mood and adding variety; moreover, a sensation was caused by a tombola made up of extremely interesting to foreigners: products of Polish folk industry: colourful kilims, Łowicz scarves, Zakopane wood products, Kolomyia ceramics, and so on. This year, the Polish Ball became the clutch of Berlin's ball season, as mazurkas, krakowiak and obereks were danced eagerly and relentlessly until dawn - a fact unheard of in Berlin's ball chronicles!

Also of great interest among the Polish intelligentsia were the popular lectures held in the "Polish House", which were organised on a weekly basis on the initiative of the "Opieka". - readings of a general educational character, on cultural and scientific subjects, taking into account in the first instance the latest manifestations of cultural life in Poland in the fields of Polish literature and art, with illustrations of light pictures. These lectures attract such large audiences that it is now planned to rent a special hall for this purpose.

In addition to this, the "Opieka" Society carries out purely humanitarian work: it maintains a shelter for babies, the children of Polish seasonal workers who, as they mostly work for the Prussian Junkers, live in deplorable housing conditions, to the extent that they are often unable to look after their own children, who, left to the mercy of the Junkers, are consequently condemned to moral and national ruin. In such cases, the "Opieka" Society fulfils an extremely important task: it saves Polish babies from starvation and moral death.

In addition, "Opieka" takes a very intensive interest in Polish migrant workers, re-emigrants from France or other countries, and seasonal workers returning from Germany to Poland, who are found, especially at the end of the working season, wandering in large numbers around Berlin railway stations. In order to protect our peasants, who usually do not speak German, from being exploited by foreigners or often from dying of starvation on the streets of Berlin, the above-mentioned Society takes great care of such workers, providing them with accommodation in a hostel specially maintained for this purpose and granting them assistance for a certain period of time, until such workers are either allowed to return to their homeland or to earn a living in Germany.

The existence of the "Opieka" Society is thus, as we can see, becoming a salvation abroad. The Polish community in Berlin has finally understood this need, as it is joining the "Opieka" membership list in ever greater numbers, contributing generously to the Society's extremely modest funds.

From the life of Poles in Switzerland.

We learn that on 10 January, an annual ball was held in Davos to benefit indigent and sick Poles undergoing treatment in Switzerland. The ball was organised by the following ladies: Doctor Vogel-Rysern, wife of a well-known doctor in the Davos area, and Consul Ż. Czapska from Zurich.

The ball was a great success, both in organisational and financial terms, as the worthy cause in the first place, as well as the various attractions, attracted a large audience by Davos standards, and the party continued into the morning in the beautiful rooms of the Kurhaus Hotel.

Two weeks later, on 25 January, the Polish Society in Zurich celebrated its 65th anniversary. Founded by the insurgents of '63, who were forced to flee the country, the Society included in its ranks a number of eminent personalities, to mention only Colonel Z. Miłkowski, Agaton Giller and the Lutosławski brothers. The Society never missed an opportunity to speak out on Polish matters, or to rally the Swiss to their cause.

The organisation of the celebrations was handled by the Society's board, with Mrs Czapska, the consul, graciously assuming patronage of the festivities. The introductory word was delivered by the President of the Society, Mr Leonard Życki, who emphasised in his speech the service to the homeland and the ideals of freedom, which has been and still is the aim of the organisation. This was followed by a reading of the history of the Society by Mr Korach, who has been a member for 38 years. This was followed by Ms Tamara Bay artistically playing works by Chopin, Liszt and others on the piano.

On 16 February, a general meeting of the Polish Society was held to elect a new board of directors. The President of the Society for the current year was elected Mr Kaczorowski of Winterthur, who has lived in Switzerland for 20 years, where he took refuge from the Russian terror as a member of a militant organisation. Mr Kaczorowski has struck out on his own merits for a serious position.