Some thoughtless so-called "critics" charge that the Polish National Alliance is an insurance society and, for that reason, it has lost its patriotic character. These individuals base their arguments on the contention that the Alliance occupies itself with business only and that such activity hinders the work in the field of ideals. People of that type are not members of any Polish organizations, insurance or noninsurance. That is the idiotic talk of people who lack the slightest notion of our needs in this country and who purposely do not wish to see the good work done by the Polish National Alliance, in addition to its insurance business. Although the Alliance includes insurance in its field of activity and, with the money paid by its members, consoles destitute widows and orphans, nevertheless the organization does not center all its activities in the field of insurance. It dedicates an enormous amount of 2energy to idealistic causes. There has been no activity of our people which the Polish National Alliance has failed to participate in or has not supported financially.

Members of the Polish National Alliance, besides paying their regular insurance premiums, contribute some pennies for general purposes--for national causes. Let those who would criticize the Alliance point to one organization, be that an insurance company or a purely idealistic organization which pays no death benefits--we repeat, let them show one organization that contributes as much financially for national causes as does the Alliance. Such organizations as the Polish Falcons Alliance, the Polish Youth Alliance, and other similar organizations, not only have failed to increase their membership, but also have been unable to accomplish anything concrete for our people, despite the good intentions of their founders and leaders.

If the Polish National Alliance were to dedicate all its efforts to the ideal principles only, it could not have such great masses of workers as it now has.

True, perhaps several thousand ardent workers might have enrolled in the organization, but what could they accomplish without the support of the masses of our immigrants. The insurance money that the Alliance pays to the beneficiaries of its deceased members, the financial aid that it offers to its sick or destitute members--these are the things that act as a magnet to attract the masses to it. A member who enrolls to get the insurance benefits becomes more and more interested in the national cause. With time he becomes a most ardent worker for an ideal. We know of members who at one time had no idea about the way a person should work in behalf of our people. They did not know what Poland was, and they did not have any conception of high national ideals. They were in complete ignorance of the duties and obligations of every Pole By coming in contact with the Polish National Alliance, these people, although at first primarily interested in insurance, with time became the most zealous propagators of the higher national ideals. Today, they are the best members of our great Polish family. The numerous group discussions, contacts with people who had already become adept in their work for our national cause, participation in the national festivities and in various Polish meetings--all these factors contributed greatly to the development of a patriotic spirit in these persons. This 4patriotism manifests itself at every opportunity, and for that reason, having such members, the Polish National Alliance is in a position to accomplish things which it could not accomplish under other circumstances. This mass of eighty thousand members, gathered under one banner, conscious of their nationality, and warmed by good example, simply performs miracles; it is sufficient to take the place of millions who remain unenlightened.

The person who attacks the Polish National Alliance and contends that it does not contribute sufficiently to the Polish cause in America is either a blind man or basically an avowed enemy of national ideals. Intentions are measured according to strength, and if, instead of the present number of 80,000 members, the Alliance had 800,000, then our national work would progress more smoothly and with greater case. It was this organization that awakened the national spirit of our Polish people in America by conducting exercises commemorating events in the history of our motherland. It was this organization that protested successfully against the anti-immigration bills. Among the other numerous 5accomplishments of the Polish National Alliance we may include the following as being most outstanding: namely, the creation of an educational department through which it established more than 150 libraries and supplied them with books at no cost to the readers. Moreover, this same department gave financial assistance to fifty Polish students attending institutions of higher education, and thus made it possible for them to complete their studies and attain social prominence. Through its efforts, a monument in behalf of Thaddeus Kosciusko--that great Polish patriot and American hero of the Revolutionary War--was erected in Washington, D. C. It called the first Polish National Congress in the history of post-partition Poland. The organization built the Polish Immigration House in New York and has an established fund to be used for immigration purposes in other port cities. It is now erecting a high school. Moreover, thousands of dollars have been sent to the Posen area in Poland, for the needy, for the starving people of Koenigsberg, for the national school at Galicia, and for other general national causes. The Polish National Alliance also made a considerable financial contribution to the national treasury at Rappersville and to the National Museum in its own home. It also financed the 6publication of innumerable voluminous books and periodicals. From all this it can be seen that the Polish National Alliance has been profoundly interested in all Polish national affairs. It was first to make financial contributions, while other organizations were backward and hesitant.

But then, insurance itself is of priceless value for our people. The Alliance not only groups the Poles of America under one banner and develops them and makes them conscious of their goal; but also it prevents thousands of our brothers and sisters from going to strangers for their insurance. By insuring themselves with the Alliance, they avoided being drowned in the German-Irish orders and groups, where their national feeling would have been lost forever. The hard-earned money of our people would have gone into the pockets of strangers. It would have fattened the German, Jewish, or Irish officials, and, in exchange for this, our people would have been abused there, quite often robbed, and, in addition, they would have lost every feeling of national solidarity that remained in their soul.

Instead of members of the Polish National Alliance, the Poles would have had 7organizations like The Elks, the Knights of Columbus, the Foresters, the Knights of Pythias, and various other "Knights." None of these would have striven to enlighten our people or would have worked in behalf of everything Polish. Great credit must therefore be given to the insurance phase of the Alliance, because it attracts those to us who, under other circumstances, would never have become its members and would have been lost to the Polish cause forever.

A shortsighted, or a very limited man, is he who would contend that the insurance phase in the Polish National Alliance has deprived this institution of its national character and that it hinders the institution in its social work. This insurance, after all, neither stops one from being a Pole nor prohibits one from working in behalf of our national ideals: A citizen does not cease to be a citizen because he pays general taxes in his country. On the contrary, he is more interested in its general affairs because common interests link him with them. This feeling is created by the payment of taxes. In truth, a member of the Polish National Alliance who pays his monthly assessments to the organization is neither a worse Pole nor a less arduous worker in behalf of our 8national ideals than those individuals who do not pay such assessments. He is even more concerned with the welfare of his organization and willingly pays his dues for idealistic purposes. This can be verified for everyone.

Moreover, whoever has no desire to become insured in the Polish National Alliance can enroll in it as an uninsured member and dedicate himself to the national ideal exclusively. This system is practiced in our organization and offers an enormous field of activity to every Pole.