This is the day of the dead, All Souls' Day, celebrated by the prayers of the living in their churches--a day reminding us of how insignificant this world is; how short, how insecure, how full of suffering and disappointments the span of human life is. A quiet day for those who have left us for another world, a day bringing sad reminiscences to us, the living. For they who have lain in their cold graves for ages also had the same wishes and desires, the same sad and happy moments that we have; they, too, had properties, honors, beauty; they were full of the strength of life; they, too, attained the heights or spent their lives in the grey humdrum of the poor and forgotten, sighing often for death to deliver them from this vale of tears, sadness, and pain.

"Life is a dream; death, the awakening," said one of the philosophers. Perhaps he is right, since life is but a painful chimera, full of illusions which either worry or excite us. Death, on the other hand, eases our pains, 2equalizes castes and is just as kind to the very little as to the very great......

The Catholic Church celebrates All Souls' Day, not as a legal holiday, but rather as the painful recollection of the faithful dead, to show by this means the equality of all His children. Odilion Abbot Kluzyacki decreed in the year 988 A. D. that this day be celebrated in all the monasteries of his Order, which decree was later accepted by the entire Catholic world. This day is celebrated with high Requiem Masses for the peace of the souls of the dead, with processions around the churches or in the cemeteries and with hymns and prayers. In several districts of Poland, our people celebrate this day outside the rites of the Church in their own fashion, visiting the cemeteries, bringing food and placing it on the graves to feed the supposedly hungry souls of the dead. These are remnants of old superstitious customs practiced in Poland and Lithuania in pagan times. This custom has survived to this day, and in all probability will continue to be practiced for a long time to come. The All Souls' Day, as it is 3celebrated in Lithuania, where it is called Forefather's Eve, has been beautifully described by Adam Miczkiewicz in his poem, "Forefather's Eve". Today this holiday is celebrated in a different manner there; nevertheless, some customs from times immemorial still persist.

Non-Catholic people also honor the memory of their dead in different ways. [Translator's note: Here follows a description of Memorial Day exercises in the United States]....and they [the Americans] consecrate a few moments for thinking about those who have departed. "Memento Mori" (remember death), we, too, today, thinking of the grim reaper, consecrate a few moments to think about the insignificance of this world--we dedicate them to the memory of those dear to us.

We brothers and sisters in the Polish National Alliance remember on this day that there were before us zealous workers, true champions, who created the Alliance, upheld it during difficult times; gave of their money, strength, and health to support and develop it. Today many of these 4national workers lie under the sod, and only their spirits rise above us, looking down from the heights upon our work and struggles for the good of the national organization and country. They have departed, but they left behind the imprint of good work; they pointed the way by which, through perseverance, we can reach our ardently desired goal--the freedom and good of our fatherland.

Thousands of these workers are under the sod, and each month unrelentless death takes several more from our ranks, but the places thus left vacant are soon filled by new champions, who follow their beaten path.

Therefore, let us honor the memory of our deceased brothers and sisters with the thought that we, too, someday will join them and new champions will fill our places and will continue to develop our beloved Polish National Alliance.