On the third of August, we received the sad news that over there, in the ancient land of Piast [Translator's note: Piast was the first Polish dynasty], the barbarous Prussian has captured Kalisz, the oldest Polish city, and Czestochowa, throne of the Queen of the Polish Crown [Translator's note: The Virgin Mary has been called the Queen of Poland for centuries. Czestochowa is where the monastery is located, which contains the miraculous picture of the Virgin], and is torturing the defenseless nation, robbing and destroying everything he meets by the way with fire and sword and leaving behind only the rubble and ashes of what were towns and villages!

The enlightened people, members of the Alliance, know well that today there are no, Czarneckis or Kordeckis who would stand guard over our cherished memorials, who would take up arms against the invaders, but we are certain 2that there is over there a composite body whose name is the Polish People!

We firmlu believe, dear brothers and sisters, that this mistreated, trampled, and calumniated Polish People has written at the very botton of its soul the century-old injustice against its country and will soon utter its loud, sacramental words, "I am, I live".

We must believe in our cultured nation of twenty-five million people, we must believe that strong political minds will be found there who will unite in brotherly love to serve the country and to lead the entire Polish nation. Whichever road the homeland takes, on that road our Polish National Alliance will follow it, because this is the wish of the entire hundred-thousand-strong confederation of our brothers and sisters.

Be assured, dear brothers and sisters, that those to whom we will entrust the rudder of our organization will not disappoint you and will not lead you astray! 3be assured that we are on guard; be assured that we shall not stop working toward a complete understanding among all our countrymen, in the matter of general Polish work, leaving all the various political factions a free hand in the collecting of funds for the purpose of the homeland's independence.

Let every Pole, man and woman, add penny to penny as he knows how and is able to do; let even a spirit of competition develop in this respect! So long as it will further our aims, since in places where the Alliance or the Falcons are unable to collect donations, perhaps a Socialist or a Roman Catholic Union member will succeed. And when the road by which aid will be sent to the home land is established, surely all of us will follow it as Poles, as the children of one God and one mother country. Then the misguded individuals who today sow discord will have to become converted or forever hold their peace.

The Department of Independence of the Polish National Alliance was established 4on the third of August, and, although the necessary printed matter has not yet reached all of the groups and branches of the P. N. A., nevertheless we are closing our list of entries for today with a total of $1,965,87.

The souls of our brothers and sisters have begun to fill with the idea of lifting our homeland out of the shackles of imprisonment; their hearts and generous hands have opened in order to bring aid to this Alma Mater of Slavism, the Alma Mater of freedom, for which the barbarians have tortured her. May your offerings, dear brothers and sisters, flow in the widest stream for this need of aiding our homeland; and be assured that they will not be squandered but will go to the place which you have destined for them.

Together with the money, beautiful thoughts of the contributors come to us. It is impossible to publish all of these, but we shall print at least short excerpts of as many of these letters as we are able......

[Translator's note: Several of these excerpts and a list of the contributions for that day are given.]