George Matulaitis Journal

Truly, all this politicking is a terrible thing. How often the morality of the savage is applied here: if you steal my cow, that is bad, but if I steal yours, that is fine. Our beloved Church is often accused of intolerance and many complaints have been made. And yet, it seems to me that no one is more tolerant than a Catholic who truly loves God and his fellow man. Such a Catholic is most likely to be compassionate toward the offenses of others and to have pity on the offender. Father Kiersnowski, the religion teacher at the First Polish Secondary School, came to see me. He said that the Polish teachers attended a meeting at Mr. W"c=awsk i’s, Chairman of the Polish Education Association. The teachers with socialist and progressive views did not come. At the meeting it was decided not to collaborate with the Bolsheviks, not to accept their subsidies, nor allow religious education to be taken out of the curriculum. They are determined that if all else fails, the schools should be closed. The following reasons were given: the Bolsheviks will not be in power for long, since the arrival of the Polish army is expected. When that happens, how will those who have collaborated with the Bolsheviks appear in the eyes of Polish society? Consequently, it was decided to boycott those schools which have submitted to the demands of the Bolsheviks and abolished religious instruction. Father Kiersnowski himself asked to be allowed to leave the school where he taught if it agrees to do away with religious education, even if he is permitted to teach religion in secret in some out of the way corner. I agreed. Thus the Bolsheviks and their supporters failed to win the teachers and parents over to their side. Only a few of the parents went over to them. However, having failed to achieve anything significant in the public meetings, the Bolsheviks continue to pursue their own ends. They are trying to convince the more prominent parents not to harm Polish education and Polish schools, but to accept the conditions they have laid down. Some of the parents are beginning to be swayed by their arguments. 184