Poor Poles, They Find in America the Free Home Denied by Europe
Chicago Times, Oct. 14, 1878
The Polish Residents In This Country Are About To Hold Their First Regular Convention......Natives Of Poland In This Country, Nearly All Of Whom Are Exiles.....
A curious people, springing from one of the savage tribes that occupied central Europe at the time of the downfall of Rome, they advanced rapidly in arts of peace and war until they became one of the greatest powers of Christendom.
The Poles are of Slavic origin. In consulting the ancient maps, it will be found that a tribe called the Polani dwelt in a small space between the Oder and the Vistula rivers.
2In Chicago there are over 7,000 families of Poles and five societies. There are three Polish churches in Chicago.
In the matter of education, the Poles of Chicago are not behind other nationalities. There is a school connected with St. Stanislaus Church, taught by nuns, or "Sisters" as they are uniformly called. Here, besides the usual branches that are taught in public schools instruction is given in the Polish language and literature. There is a Polish newspaper published in Chicago called the Gazetta Polska.
Among the projects to be laid before the convention will be the establishment of a half-orphan asylum and a college for instruction in the Polish language.
