among the clergy, but they are not excommunicated for their political views ; nor are the socialists. The clerical Fascists play a role hardly more important than the role of Father Coughlin in America; nor are the fellow-travellers among the priests much more influential here than their opposite numbers in the U.S.A., Father Orlemanski, for instance. I am a skeptic who has always opposed the Church on such issues as birth control, divorce, state subsidies for parochial schools, but these are abnormal times when such issues would be subordinated to the big issue-totalitarianism versus democracy. And I am sure that the Church in Poland will not follow the example of the Church in Austria or Spain in supporting a Schuschnigg or a Franco. At least not unless that is the only alternative to Communism. For here as elsewhere, one extreme breeds the other. From these and other widely varying sources, including foreign correspondents, I have gleamed the information and the opinions expressed in this series of articles. Nothing I write is to be attributed to any individual except as I give a direct quotation ; this is a composite picture of Poland to which even Socialists in the Government have contributed, and many interpretations are my own. If Mikolajczyk, Zulawski and the Catholic hierarchy are "disloyal," so are many members of the PPS ( the official Socialist Party) who occupy high governmental positions, and who share the universal Polish opposition to Communist domination. With most Poles, patriotism comes first, political convictions second. Poles are strange people-they seem to think that despite the geographical location of their unfortunate country, they still have a right to independence. They have fought through centuries for freedom, and I predict that they will not surrender now. RETREAT TO LUBLIN. The story of the Polish election on Jan. 19 has been fully told by two-score of top-flight correspondents from countries where a free Press still exists. These reporters unanimously 9 BibliotecaGino Bianco
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