Greetings to all who persevere in a holy cause, for you are the evidence and the expression of a living fatherland, in word and in action.

"I see how over Poland,

The spirit of the Constitution shines,

Causing fear in the hearts of tyrants,

In the victims, hope."

Let us respect the past if we desire to be respected in the future. There are moments in the lives of nations, the memory of which is preserved from age to age, from life to life, from generation to generation. Today's celebration represents such a moment in the life of the Polish nation. It 2reminds us of our century of bondage, during which there was not a moment when we were free from persecution, not a moment during which we could breath freely, gather our thoughts, cool our indignation; yet it also unites us with the happy past. No power can silence the pulsation of the Polish heart. Suffering is a creative power, a life-giving element, and the memories of the splendid past and our historical fame are the seeds of a new life.

By today's gathering, we will convince our enemies and friends that no nation in the entire Christian world could observe so many beautiful national celebrations as ours. The Polish nation guarded Christianity for many centuries, and shed rivers of blood in its defense, and during that time it experienced many times both glory and suffering, which assured not only our immortal name, but also earned for the nation the right to be free and independent. By today's gathering, we will prove that this noble heart of the nation, which 3pulsated for every honest cause, has not been silenced, has not been deadened, even now when it is almost crushed. We will prove that nations with a great past do not perish, that, on the contrary, their future is assured. We will prove that we have a great and glorious past, unblemished by aggressions or betrayals. We have always carried high before us a standard with a white eagle and a torch of light.

The Third of May, 1791, forever a memorable day in our history, was one of those tremendous moments when God, the Creator of all, stirred the dormant vitality of the Polish nation so that it might not perish forever.

We behold the Polish nation, intoxicated, helpless, lulled asleep by the reign of kings belonging to the Sas family, arising and undertaking the work of regeneration. By a strange phenomenon, not recorded in the history of any other nation, the pleasure-loving nobles found in themselves enough energy to take vigorous action in defense of faith and the freedom of the 4country, enough conscience to limit their privileges in favor of other classes, and enough vitality to hand down these feelings to their children by a testament--that is, by proclaiming the Constitution.

That solemn moment, which made us all equal, abolished the loathsome liberum veto, ended religious wars, strengthened the king's throne, and reconciled the peasant with the noble and the townsman, all being given an equal chance to aspire for high offices, both civil and ecclesiastical. It strengthened national defenses, and the Polish people acquired rights, not by bloodshed, as in France or Germany, but by a voluntary reform, an act of the diet, the senate, and the king.

All true Poles, regardless of age, class, or religion, were filled with ineffable happiness. The aged thanked God for the privilege of seeing the end of disorders, and the young were grateful that their fatherland would be 5independent, orderly, and safe from now on, that it would occupy again the prominent place among European nations that it had in times past. All felt that they were children of one mother.

All who were able followed the king to St. John's Church, and here took oath that they would defend the constitution to their last drop of blood. The oath was sincere, as was proven when Kosciusko's army, which was formed of peasants armed with scythes, stood side by side with knights and nobles at Raclawice.

The Polish Constitution of the Third of May was praised by brilliant and grave minds, not only at home, but also abroad. It was a great work, created by sincere desire, not blemished by personal interests, but a work of nobility and solemn import, for its aim was justice and the general welfare. It was also laying the groundwork for the general prosperity and betterment of future generations, without oppressing the present one.

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Thanksgiving services were held everywhere, and more than a hundred thousand oppressed people came to Poland from other countries, and found refuge there. Pope Pius VI was very happy that the Poles were entering a better way of life by proclaiming a Constitution, and ordered a three-day service at St. Stanislaus Polish National Church in Rome. France, England, and Holland, greeted our Constitution gladly and with great admiration. The French called the Poles "a model nation," and the pride of the eighteenth century, Mr. Burke, the famous English orator, expressed the highest praise for the Polish Constitution, in these words: "Humanity, as a whole, should be proud and glad because of this great achievement, which is one of the noblest and finest benefits ever granted to humanity."

Finally, this great work had the distinguished honor of being accomplished without bloodshed, without arrests or incarcerations. No one was exiled, no one suffered any loss, no one was disgraced. On the contrary, all were elevated. A group of the finest noblemen in the world stood at the head of the 7free Polish citizenry. Hollanders received the news of our Constitution with great enthusiasm, and, to prove their admiration, fashioned a gold medal and sent it to Warsaw.

But, in the meantime, Russia stood against the declared Constitution, and found help in three Polish magnates. Their names were Szczesny Potocki, Xavier Branicki, and Severus Rzewuski. They founded a federation at the city of Targowica, in the Ukraine, for the purpose of abolishing the beneficial Constitution and creating, with the help of Russia, disorders throughout the country. Immediately, Catharine, the Czarina of Russia, invaded Poland with a hundred thousand well-trained men, commanded by Kachowski and Kreczetnikov. The Poles sent only a poorly-equipped army of thirty thousand, commanded by Prince Joseph Poniatowski, beside whom stood Thaddeus Kosciusko. In spite of Prince Poniatowski's victory at Zielence, and the famous retreat of Thaddeus Kosciusko at Dubienko, the King of Poland, Stanislaus August, as commander-in-chief of the Polish forces, made a secret agreement with Catharine, and 8ordered his army to retreat. Now the Russians advanced on Warsaw without interruption, and, when the Prussian forces joined them, the King of Poland, Stanislaus August, delivered Poland as a prey to her enemies. He disavowed and abandoned the Constitution of the Third of May, which had been established with his co-operation, and which he had so solemnly promised to uphold. He joined the confederates of Targowica, and at the diet held at Grodno, in 1793, he signed the Second Partition of Poland thereby abolishing the Constitution of the Third of May.

After the Second Partition, the Poles, realizing the danger of a complete downfall of our fatherland, formed a secret confederacy for the purpose of expelling the enemies and restoring the Constitution. The eyes of the entire nation were centered upon Kosciusko, who had gained fame in the American Revolutionary War, and in the battle at Dubienko, where he had displayed the abilities of a great commander. He was a noble man. Moved by the great 9injustices which our fatherland was suffering, he unsheathed his sword, and cried out: "God, let me fight for my country once more."

The Poles would have prepared themselves for a rebellion had it not been for the order for the reducing and eventual disbanding of the Polish army. The first command for starting a rebellion was given by General Madalinski, who received orders for disbanding his division of uhlans, numbering seven hundred. The intrepid general attacked the Prussians and defeated them.

Now the action could not be postponed any longer. Kosciusko was proclaimed chief commander of all military forces, and on April 1, 1794, left Cracow, and met six thousand Russians at the village of Raclawice. Four thousand Polish insurrectionists, the majority of whom were peasants armed with scythes, lances, and axes, routed the invaders of our fatherland, the foes of the Constitution.

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After this victory, the insurrection spread throughout all of Poland. Warsaw was incited and freed by Kilinski, the shoemaker; Lithuania was freed by General Jasinski; Greater Poland (the western part) by Dabrowski, Zmudz, and Kurlandja. A bright gleam of hope dawned over Poland. It seemed that with a few more bloody battles the sun of freedom would shine on the silvery waves of the Vistula, the Niemen, and the Dnieper.

But God foreordained a different destiny for Poland. Just at the time when the Russians were beginning to lose hope, Prussia and Austria came to them as helpers. Kosciusko, attacked unexpectedly at Maciejowice, in spite of his stubborn resistance, bravery, and manliness, received a sword thrust in the head and fell senseless, covered with blood. The Polish army suffered irretrievable defeat.

Warsaw was plunged into dismal despair after the defeat at Maciejowice. The 11hearts of all Poles were filled with sadness. It seemed that the capital city was dead. No, only hope, shaken by a crushing defeat, was dying.

But this was not the end of misfortune. On November 4, 1794, the Russian general Suvarov captured Praga, a suburb of Warsaw, plundered it of everything, and murdered twenty thousand people. In his cruelty, he did not spare women, children, the aged, or cripples. The suburb of Warsaw was bathed in blood, and the waters of the silver Vistula were colored with blood of our fatherland's children, defenders of freedom and of the Constitution.

Then the Third Partition took place, and Poland, the bulwark of Christendom, through her own fault, and because of the superior forces of her enemies, Russia, Prussia, and Austria, was deprived of her political independence.

But the Polish spirit was indestructible. It was not crushed, and it may 12be said that its consciousness and its life have just begun. We were divided, but not destroyed, thanks to the Constitution of the Third of May. We appear to our enemies as an apparition of a nation which was buried a hundred years ago. The principle of the Constitution entered into the blood and life of our nation. The spirit of the Constitution rooted itself so deeply in our hearts that it is a thousand times stronger after its abolition. It became our patron, our guiding genius, our protector, a leading star shining brightly over Polish glory, and holding up before us the same banner under which we will cut down the ranks of the enemy.

We are indebted to the Constitution for the right to regard ourselves as one nation, though we are ruled by three alien powers. We are indebted to the Constitution for our ability to command the sympathy and support of more and more followers from all classes. The Constitution has passed into our times, and has been handed to us without losing anything of its value. It lives in our thoughts and endeavors, and it has become a part of our souls. We should 13be grateful to the Constitution for not being dwarfed to nothingness. To the Constitution we are indebted for all the virtues which protect us from a complete downfall. All of us were nourished with its idealism. The fundamental principle of the Constitution will remain unaltered, regardless of the change in the conditions of our lives, because it is not the property of one class, but of the entire nation. Through it, our fathers transmit to us unshakeable faith in divine justice; it speaks to us of the immortal hope which we can not renounce; it speaks to us of love for the country which should rule our hearts. Four generations were brought up with this leading thought; they lived with it, fought and died for it, handing it down to us with sacrifice of blood. In it our fathers adjure us not to yield to temptations or doubt, not to deviate from the hard road of duty. The Constitution united us into one bond of brotherly love and unity, a bond which enables us to look confidently into the future. Although our enemies succeeded in partitioning our country, and tried to devour us, yet, thanks to the Constitution, we will not let them digest us.

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We come to earth by the will of the Almighty--no other will can destroy us. God was with our fathers for eternities when they were with Him, and He will be with us if we will be with Him. Affairs of nations are God's eternal laws, His natural laws. We may transgress against nations, struggle with them, enclose them in boundary lines, force them into silence, and even shackle them, but they cannot be destroyed. The creative power which calls nations to life is stronger than all destructive agents. Only ignorance, blinded by power, will set before itself a task which it cannot accomplish. Let us gather our material and moral forces, let us not lose the smallest opportunity in the struggle for progress and the rights to which we are entitled as members of the family of nations--and the victory will be assured. Great thoughts and sacrifices were never crushed by bayonets. Great work may be accomplished only by a great sacrifice. Victory is assured to us as long as the spirit of the Constitution lives within us, and as long as the vacancies in the ranks of martyrs are filled by the new ones.

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Nations live with the love of the country, and fall and perish when that source of life dries up. The Constitution supplied the Polish nation with that life-giving principle, and showed the way for its mission. Poland's mission once was to defend faith, but today her calling is to defend Christianity against false progress.

The partitions of Poland occurred when we were not in harmony with God, but as soon as we began to arise from our fall, the Constitution of the Third of May dawned upon us, kindled the light of faith, and renewed the covenant with God. Poland rests with God, and shall find herself in God. Besides this, the Constitution represents a great thought, a thought that the kingdom of this world is a part of God's plan; that we should devote ourselves to it not because it is necessary and beneficial, but because it is commanded by God. Not only in Heaven, but here also, God manifests His power, and as He has followers in the church, so has He workers in every country, through whom He performs wonders.

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The love of this truth, this thought, these aims glimmering in the nation, this mission,is a kind of affection called patriotism. This love, as any other love, manifests itself in deeds. For this reason, our nobility has sacrificed its privileges on the alter of patriotism, and has given us the Constitution of the Third of May, which would unite separated members, draw them together like a center of gravity, so that they might become one nation, one indivisible body. Our nobility has proven that its patriotism is what it should be, active and sacrificial. Such patriotism is demanded from us by the Constitution.

It is necessary for everyone to elevate himself to this holy feeling, and, for the good of the country and humanity, not only admire the Constitution, but take an oath of allegiance to it. He must defeat the enemy by the power and the glory of his sacrifices. God and the fatherland--devotion to these must dwell always in our minds and in our hearts. Let us go forth in this devotion hand 17in hand, and we shall not feel unhappy, for there is no higher happiness, and no higher love, than this. Let us begin our work, let us not desert the banner carried by our noble, brave, and pious ancestors. Above all, let us not interrupt that which they have started. To retard the march of progress is a disgrace.

We share with God the mastery of life and death over our fatherland. If the fatherland should actually perish, it will not be because we are oppressed by tyrannical governments, but because we, as Poles, allowed it to pass into oblivion. If this happens, we are not worthy of having a fatherland. Is there any one among you who is willing to be a murderer of his fatherland? I will say no, a thousand times no. You Polish mothers, especially, are guardians of national virtues in foreign lands. Please do not forget to plant into the soul of your son or daughter these few words:

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"For the sake of your fathers and forefathers, whose blood you bear, of whom you are a descendant and heir; for the sake of God, Whose glory you should defend, and by Whom you shall be judged; I command you to cherish your native tongue and to keep the faith of your fathers."

If you will do this, Polish mothers, no one can deprive our fatherland of its life, even if all the powers of the world try to help Russia and Prussia. Our prophetic poet is right when he says:

"Our Fatherland shall not perish,

As long as its women have feeling,

For from their breasts flows the venom

Which poisons our enemies."

Misfortunes and persecutions should not discourage us. Let us not despair. God is powerful, and He may say: "Arise, Poland, the time has come to fight 19for faith and freedom. You are cleansed with tears, hard labor, and hardships. Arise, Bulwark of Christendom, at the crisis, and lead the peoples to reason. Show them the true road, the road of love and brotherhood."

Let us bear our hardships patiently, and change them into penance, and our regeneration will soon be effected. If our final destruction should come, if misfortunes should crush us, let us not be the cause ourselves. We should not pave the way for the murderers who are trying to send us to our graves. We must wait patiently for God's mercy. It will come if we desire it, and if we are worthy of it.

We should not concern ourselves about the extent of our suffering; let us consider rather how we suffer, how we are benefited by suffering, what lesson we derive from it for the future, how we are ennobling ourselves through it, and how we are paying the debts of the past. We should learn that creative work, which builds up wealth and increases our stores of knowledge, is the 20only means of earning us the right to be a nation.

I am positive that all of you will work in this direction. Let every one do whatever he can according to his ability. The strength of a nation can be compared to the strength of a chain--it depends on the individuals as the chain depends on the single links. Poland has no boundary lines of her own; she has only three enemies, and one aim--independence. In order to attain this goal, we must unite. Let us sow good seed so that we can have a good harvest.

We did not come to America for the purpose of quarreling among ourselves or splitting into factions. Let us leave this function for our enemies. Above all, we should build Poland within us, with the conviction that whatever is desired by the people will be accomplished in the end.

It is time to forget the sad memories of the past. Poles! From now on, 21let there be no differences among us, let us be brothers, sons of one fatherland. The past should inspire us with faith, hope, and love. Let the spirit of the Constitution of the Third of May spread throughout the United States, and unite all our hearts, casting out from them all indifference and selfishness. Let the spirit of enlightenment and freedom which inspired the makers of the Constitution lead us on, so that we may hand down to our successors perseverance in the face of difficulties. Our patriotism must be great if it is to be effective. Otherwise, it cannot be a life-giving principle.

We should stand firmly by the faith and tongue of our ancestors. By the banner [of the white eagle] we should swear to serve and defend them. This is a duty, an honor, a future salvation, an anchor, a life principle of the Polish nation, woven a century ago by the Constitution into one indivisible unit. Let us preserve these pure, unblemished national relics. No one, under any pretext, should be permitted to wrest them from us, for without them we will perish.

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Poles, this burden is your duty today, like a dear heritage left by your fathers. Grasp in your tired, worn, but honest hands the bloodstained national banner, and raise it high, hoping that you will win victory. To action! We should not forsake the banner carried by our noble, brave, and pious ancestors, but we should have faith in our rights and in the ultimate triumph of justice and truth. True Polish nationality should awaken in every one of you. Only those who are willing to die should fight. Let us die, if necessary, for truth, for freedom, for progress. We shall not die in vain, but in fulfilling the mission allotted to us by God. Let us stand by the testament of our fathers--the Constitution of the Third of May.

Our poet, Sigmund Krasicki, in his prophetic poem, "Before the Dawn," said:

"In one union, in one spirit,

Like the links in the chain,

The Lord tied fathers with their sons.

Before this chain breaks,

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All will be well with them.

From our blood and by our fault,

Before this century has passed,

One of the best nations will arise.

You should bless the fault of our fathers."