The Two Hundredth Anniversary of the Death of John Iii (Sobieski (We have received the following correspondence with a request that it be published in the Dziennik Chicagoski.)
Dziennik Chicagoski, Apr. 20, 1896
Countrymen! June 17, 1896, is the two hundredth anniversary of the death of the conqueror of the Turks at Vienna, the defender of Christianity and of Europe against the hordes of barbarians threatening to engulf them the immortal hero King John III (Sobieski) of Poland.
The name of John III was inscribed in letters of gold not only in the history of Poland but in the history of all Europe. Europe owes its great Commercial growth and enlightenment to the victory of King Sobieski over the barbarians, who, after destroying the churches and endeavoring to exterminate the believers of the Christian religion, left chaos in the wake of their triumphs. The name of our heroic king is repeated all over the 2world, even after two hundred years, with a feeling of respect and honor.
The day King John Sobieski passed away reminds us of one of the most sorrowful events, Poland ever encountered in the deaths of her heroes.
King Sobieski spread the might of the Polish arms; he defeated the Turks at a time when other nations did not dare fight them. He freed Vienna, and therefore Austria and Europe, which, a century later, looked on with indifference while the Polish nation, which had freed them from the yoke of the Mussulmans, was being dismembered.
We Poles deplore such ingratitude; we cherish pleasant memories about King Sobieski, and we realize what we owe him.
Just as we celebrate the memories of other great Polish men, we should also remember him to whose bravery we owe the fact that we live with the Cross of Christ on our churches, instead of being subjugated under the 3Mussulmans' yoke.
The delegates of Polish societies in charge of arranging national celebrations in the St. Adalbert community assembled on April 18, and decided to arrange a grand celebration in honor of King Sobieski. It was further decided to invite representatives of all Polish societies in this community to a meeting to be held on April 25, in Pulaski Hall, for the purpose of arranging details of this grand celebration.
We are confident that the officers of the various societies will honor us by their presence at this meeting, thereby giving concrete evidence of their remembrance of the savior of Christianity, and their respect for him.
Committee.
