The tendency toward the establishment of a universal organization embracing all Polish youth in America was first observed about the year 1890. A small group of young people gathered in the Patriotic-Scientific Association in Chicago was trying at that time to make closer contacts with divers Polish-American youth organizations.

In 1892-93 it was carrying on a correspondence with the St. Aloisius young peoples' society in New York City trying to come to an understanding about the laying of foundations for one universal association of youth in America. The purpose aimed at was not accomplished because the Polish youth in New York City neglected, and finally completely discontinued, further discussions.

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Later the Patriotic-Scientific Association sent a petition to the congress of the Polish-Roman Catholic Union asking for the protection of the Polish-American youth threatened with denationalization.

The congress accepted the petition with acclaim and elected a special committee for the youth. But the newly elected committee had not even taken a single step toward fulfilling the commission of the congress.

At last the congress of youth was opened in Chicago with the avowed intention of organizing a union of Polish Roman-Catholic youth in America. Six societies joined the union on the first day. But in spite of all the efforts and hard work the new organization expired after a few months. Blame for this must be ascribed to the indifference of the societies from the parish of St. Stanislas Kostka where four societies joined the union.

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All hope of building one great organization of youth was lost.

After such disappointments the Patriotic-Scientific Association ceased to count on the purely oral and inactive help from the "oldsters" and on the silly childish and already semi-Americanized youth.

Always there was the necessity of saving this youth, but in order to achieve this purpose, a proper organization must be founded.

In 1894 a group of seven young men in Chicago organized an Alliance of Polish youth in America whose main purpose was to work for the good of the national cause and the readiness to follow the footsteps of their fathers in the struggle for freedom of Poland. The accepted procedure of other organizations incorporating whole groups was not followed. It was decided to recruit the members singularly and form groups in such a way.

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The recruiting of members was slow, for at the beginning the quality and not the quantity of members was important. The Alliance was going to be a school for patriotic service, and so only the young people who could understand the whole idealogy and the spirit of the organization were eligible. The great increase in membership was not in the immediate, but in the future plans of the organization.

The main objective of the Alliance were to work for the good of the Polish cause in order to free the motherland from the yoke of bondage, spreading of enlightenment and education, and the unification of the Polish youth in the whole world. The means leading to securing those ends were specified. It was resolved to awaken the patriotic spirit and Polish consciousness in our Americanized youth, to establish reading rooms, libraries, evening schools, to publish Polish newspapers, magazines, and books, to celebrate Polish national holidays, to give stage plays,to cultivate Polish song, to 5cherich the Polish language, to defend the Polish name, etc. The character of the organization was military. The members were taught the use of arms, military drills and tactics. The sick and death benefits were excluded forever as not having any connections with the principles and aims of the organization.

There were no initiation fees and the monthly dues were from ten cents up. Whoever wished could pay more than ten cents.

In order to have the power concentrated in one body, a General Executive Board was created which had absolute law giving and executive powers; and the members of the Board were permitted to hold office until they decided or were compelled to resign. These high officers were nominated by the higher authority in Europe because it was agreed, when the Alliance was being organized, to keep in close contact with the similar organization 6in Europe and recognize its authority. The Alliance in America retained absolute freedom and a complete autonomy.

The first members of the Alliance were the former executive officers of the Patriotic-Scientific Association and two other members regarded as more able and trustworthy than the average. Altogether there were nine members.

The Executive Committee began to work. It edited the Information for the new groups that were being organized and issued the "Act of Unification" by which the organization joined the Polish youth in Europe in brotherly bonds having in common an identical program of patriotic endeavors.

The appeal to the Polish youth was sent out. To the end of 1894 the work consisted mostly of quiet organizational work. By means of private correspondence the Polish youth in smaller settlements in America were contacted with the suggestion of establishing separate groups of the 7Alliance in their localities. Not until 1895 did the General Executive Board come out in the open as a public representation of the whole organization, American and European as well.

In January 1895 the first group was ratified by the Executive Board, formed in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It was the beginning of a great number of groups organized in the state of Pennsylvania.

In order to supply the need of an official organ the Alliance bought in December 1895 a print shop and a weekly, The Banner (Sztander) from Mr. I. J. Migdalski, and the first number of the weekly, as an official organ of the Alliance of youth, came out in January 1896. In March 1895, efforts were made to form closer ties with the Polish youth in Brazil but without success.

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It voted to hold a 150th Koszciuszko anniversary celebration in February 1896, and hold a public competitive drill examination for Polish cadets, who use the English command in their drills. It was stipulated that only those cadet organizations were eligible to take part in this competition who were using Polish command. The results of this competitive examination were completely satisfactory. The cadet organizations began to use Polish command almost exclusively.

For the office of the treasurer, in place of the first treasurer, Mr. J. Belinski, who resigned, was called Mr. A. Dambrowski from Miners Mill, Pa., and to the newly created office of the assistant secretary was called Mr. J. Sienkiemicz from Plymouth, Pa. Both of them quit their jobs in Pennsylvania and came to Chicago to enter into the office that paid no salary.

The formation of new groups were multiplying constantly. The propaganda of the first secretary, Mr. Francis Wladowski, was bearing fruit. Also 9Rev. Fr. Hodur, who was then still a Roman-Catholic priest, contributed greatly toward the organization of new groups of the Alliance. While the banner of the youth Alliance was being unfurled in so many new settlements the Socialist agitators were also trying to become members but, wherever detected, were refused memberships.

The first misunderstandings within the executive body occurred in June 1897. There were demands for proof of solidarity with the Polish youth in Europe, for the elective procedure in choosing the executive officers, etc. The cry was for the change of by-laws and of executive officers. It was necessary to call the first convention which was held in Buffalo in 1897. New laws were passed and a new Executive Board was elected; it was voted to call periodical conventions; an educational, a military, and an administrative commission were organized.

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in 1898, some of the Polish priests had taken a strongly antagonistic attitude toward the youth Alliance. As a result of it the groups in Baltimore, Chicopee, Milwaukee, Plymouth, Pa., Buffalo, and other places were wiped out. On the other hand, up to the present time, priest groups in some cities were very helpful, assisting the Alliance by permitting them to use the school assembly rooms for their meetings, choral practices and their socials. In the localities where the priests were helpful, the members of the youth Alliance were true members of the church and esteemed their priest, but wherever the priests showed themselves to be hostile to the organization, the anti-church element increased very noticeably.

When in the spring of 1898 the Spanish-American was broke out, a great number of young boys from the Alliance volunteered. The vice-president of the organization, Mr. Sass, enlisted in the Milwaukee Kosciuszko Guards. It was decided to form a distinctly Polish military unit, but Uncle Sam had 11enough soldiers; and shortly after the was was over.

In spite of obstacles, the Alliance was going forward in the spirit of its principles and purposes. The press offices were opened, which were furnishing the American press with articles about Poles. The pamphlets were being issued and distributed free to several traveling libraries, to the Polish settlements, etc.

The second convention was held in July 1900, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. It sanctioned the project of unification and merging of the Alliances of youth, Falcons and Singers into one federation: Young Poland.

After the second convention, the groups took more life. They were arranging literary soirees, initiating the celebrations of national holidays, giving theatrical productions and setting up evening schools. They were continuously enlarging and improving their libraries with new Polish books. Some of the groups were given military drills regularly and instructions in marksmanship 12in their own shooting houses.

Although the Alliance of youth has not grown to the proportions expected by its founders, what it did accomplish and ehat it is doing every day is shown to good advantage in the life of Polish immigration in America.