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Show I Poland elcomes H Americas Syi lpathy H Richard Ordynski, Noted Stage Director Who Fought Reds as a Private, Tells of His Country's Aspirations I .ZlBBfifvis knew how sympothetl- 0y evorythlng from this treat country is tpproclated In Poland they might feel proud with reason All orts t propaganda, the aim of which was to mako ihe Poles believe that America was the dollar nation and without high ideals, have been defeated there by this Innate syuapalhv which renders an understanding between two distant nations possible. We have felt the cieat heart and charity of your countrj but while we treasure It most hlghlv we feel ven stronger that America, with nothing to gain that Is. with no mercenary motive to exploit looks upon our efforts for an honorable peace with a deep sympathy " Thl- wa? said by Richard Ordv'nskt. a well known theatrical producer, who ended with !at seaSQS a period of w ork in his profession here, and went back to Poland to do what he could for his own cduntry In her hour of need. Poland' Ainu and Ideals. "The fact of my having been In America SO long that I ought to have learned the ways of the people, really to know them made me almost an Important person in the minds of my fellow Poles," he continued 'They are anxious to have America understand under-stand them and to realize that the Polish people and the Polish Government have n. desire to wage a war of aggrandizement. The land yearns for peace. Wc know that we serve as a bulwark between civilization ind Bolshevism Throw It down and the l hevlkl will overrun Germany and lta'y We fighl for the prevention of that disaster simultaneously as we battle for our nation safety. "This has been said before, but I do no' eli everybody In Ameilea has heard It Poland is so far away, and what" do you know about the Poles? The majority have If nd the names of PadereWSki and Mar. ell iiembrlcb; they have read a translation or i a "1 the work ol our novelists but this is about a" Now, we have a great dramatic and poetic literature! but it is a closed book ,n Ainerir i. And the ideals of our peopr-never peopr-never reach you. "Poland sighs for peace. Grateful as she i- foi all America has done in charity for our peopl. It i. m.t , haiity we ajTk now. but understanding The Bolshevik element would prevent our ever arriving at Ir. and I am here to do what I can to offset their oangerous and vicious propaganda I arrived ar-rived on the 12th. have spent a week In Washington and return after a week In X' w i oi k I hav e spent mv lime telling those who are interested What 'he present condition of Poland Is." When Ordynski returned last spring In Poland it was with the Intention of founding found-ing a great international theatre of drama, opera and the dance which should function between .the two countries Poland and America. A project of building an immense theatre where these entertainments were to In shown hese was one of the plans of some influential theatrical investors Bn' he had onlv to reach Warsaw to realize real-ize hat all such plans were premature and that he, hke all the rest of Poland's able patriots bad a first tiling to do. That was i fighl Everything must wait until the murderous ho-de of savages from Russia, burning harvests, extirpating villages killing kill-ing women and hildron. ffr -'riven back into their fastnesses. Ordynski at the Front. i joined the army at once and. of cours as a private I was at the front during our worst days the beginning of the retreat anrl of the loss of morale by our weary, dls-heartei dls-heartei 1 soldiers There is a great ma,n in Poland Pilstidskl. He knew that the retreat must be protracted but some steps must be taken to rekindle life in the army "Then it was that I was sent for bv the ii i iithe and I old of plans to hearten the rimy I related what t knew of the wav American artists had done this for her sol- 0 er In France, and the response was irr.-MMl&tC irr.-MMl&tC Every actor, singer, dancer, --.tage if.rpenter, scene painter all the able bodied ri e 6f the theatres of Warsaw moblllcd at once Their first wish was to f.gh the ri'iny and their second to bring cheer to th overburdened anny The two ould ver-will ver-will be harmonized, and at once troupe- of a tors were sent to the front, to camps, ti iii sp.tals. prepared to entertain. The womea o the companies went to work in canteens and In the hospitals. There was a full an.1 enthusiastic indorsement by the theatrics piofessions of the War Offices ideas. An 1 tiiey wore carried out. "What was true of Warsaw was equally ,.ae of the theatres of the other rities. 1 racoW, Lemberg. Posen and Lodz. Sol-d Sol-d r were made of the younger actors even boys going eagerly to the front and their . era dividing themselves between the wprx cf the soldier and lhat of the actor Actors Decline Pay "The Imperial Theatre in Moscow w.m fatten over by the War Office and renamed ill Municipal Theatre a name that It Will continue to hear. Opera and dra.na ars uiv. 'i there the former under the direction of Emil Mlynarsjci and the plays being directed di-rected bj Jan Lorentoler The War OfhVe i ii' n d to subsidize the house, but the acloi-s 'i lined to receive, salary and ga ve their ser- .. freely II was then decided to reserve St each performance 600 places for soldier who were given free admission, and the it'c-i expenses of the house were made up t v the sale of tickets. The house was packed for every performance. "Tho actors of the Polish Theatre In Wares War-es were no behind. They also gave ihelr services In this house I produced Boota Tarkington'a play Clarence.' which the author au-thor gavt us free of royalty, and I am taking over Avery Hopwoods Fair ard Warmer' to p it it on nt oner "You see, we needed amusing plays for the soldiers. They dollghtod in "Clarence, nnd felt that they were setting from it a I ffl 63 i. i- senulna knowledge of thr big heart of I,1 America I ne rarely scan a play received j o enthusiastically On odd nlghte whea j other play were given tho ar.tom carrlel Clarence.' tcencry and coatumea and all. up to the lines to entertain the eoldlers. The actora never complained of any hardship, 1 however great and no fatigue stood in the 1 way of their glv Ing the Pollah troops of their best. ! Thle work will be continued even aftor I the conditions of an armistice are arrived at If the musical comedy performers among the agents of I.enlne ever reach any. for it will I he a Ions time before Poland will get back t to a normal atate of living. j it Is impossible for me to tell -ou so that vou mav understand the difficulties in our j way You do not appreciate, not having seen the, effects of war. what happened to Poland When Ihe armies of Germany and Russia If were campaigning there. Immediately after T "i" armistice ol lsis our people went to work A great harvest was expected even that first year It arrived this year, but do not forget that the vast eastern territory I where grains grew and were approaching J )iarve.st!ng waa utterly ruined -by the Bol- I shevlki. Wherever they went they destroyed f everything Jei m Warsaw!1 was the cry "f their leaders to the tired and stupid Rus- l slan soldiers 'then the war will end and !l will have everything vou need to mak JH ybu rich and happy." t "Thank God, they never reached Warsaw. The recognition and aid of the French na- lion prevented that But meanwhile all r eastern Poland had been turned Into a desert. - "Agriculturo has been carried on wherever L possible, but our industries have perforee 1 lagged, partly owing to the way the Ger- man armies left our Industrial cities. Lodz. fnn inahm-a io -, t C. ....... .u ..l i uvs, .o o "'ti; wiicoi m ould turn was blown up, every' transmission t belt or other device was carried away, and r these conditions have been for a time dlf- I flcult to surmount. Lodz is but now bolng 1 provided with tools to work with. . Poland'i Housing Problem. if The provision of Baldwin locomotives i obtaincd for Poland on satisfactory credits y through the Instrumentality of Mr Vau- 'aH lainc was a tremendous lift and Edward E Bouton of Baltimore, who has been living j in Poland for the last eleven months, has JH come (o our aid with a housing scheme for jj emplove.--s which will considerably assist In i one of our greatest difficulties. "Ton may have your housing problem H here, bS 1 read .vou have, but It cannn; com- pare with ours The ciMes of Poland are 1 vercrowded bv the refugees thronging them until It Is almost Impossible to tak.- even HJ Inadeq ite '-are of them. The expense of J renting an apartment in Warsaw to-day BBHJ would make n American gasp Americans h;ive aided 'is in finding means to house the people. ..nd this is one of their most ap- HHHJ parent aids Through It the admiration of your countrymen has been enormous'y en- HH hanced stranger only needs to proclaim thai he la from America to find friends ia j "One of our best friend has proved to be ij the "kmerican Minister Hugh Gibson The stn-ngth of the gratitude of we Poles to thh BHBv fine Attn ,an not be overestimated. He i has ieen "u frier H in our d-epest trial. and we should regret exceedingly to sre him HHHJ h ive us. He understands the Pole's char- H acter and brings out in his official relations ISHHh We nee,j friends because we need In our flHI work of rebuilding a nation the confidence "HLVJ .f other nations- nd until the widespread BHHi piopagar.da which falselj says Poland is V trying to Increase hot territories by any HH means, tair or foul, is contradicted by I speech of nn authoritative kind, as well as HHH 1 v our actions, we must expect some per- HHJ eons to lew Incorrectl) our situation, in a I word it is this: We want a breathing spell Jm to find ourselves, to raise up our down- HHH trodden industries, to bring all the fruits HHJ of the eyirth out of our fields. HHHJ America as Their Guide "America is this unhappy nations guide HHJ in big well as in small ways. In the J liberty loan that we floated we imitated as HHV well as wo vould what your country did to JH make your loans so successful. All any one HHJ with a plan for helping our loin along had H to do was to point out that the method he HJ suggested had leen in its turn acceptable HHJ to the Americans, then It was adopted HHJ without further discussion." H Ordynski frankly said that one part of HBV his work while in this country was to sav HH ihes. things They were true and he felt H that Americans would be glad to know that H the new republic had taken their institu- HBV Hons for models. In reference to the the- HHJ at ileal situation he said: H "It is planned to do some big things in 'I l.oth drama and music this season, and HH ihee will be under way before I have r- i turned home. For instance Mlynarski Is preparing to present In November Szy- HH rnanowski's 'Hagith.' and later Ruzycki'f H 'Beatrice Cen. i also the lattcr's ballet- HHhI pantomime entitled 'Pan Twardowski.' " 'Pan Twardowski' is a legendary char- HHH actei around whom myths have gathered in HHJ Poland as around the character of Faust In HHH Germany. For tin- production Zailich is di- H rectlng the dances nnd Drabik is designing HHHJ tin costumes and constructing the scenery. HHH These two men are very famous and will HHJ make ihe pi induction world famous in turn. HHJ It will be taken after the run In Moscow to HHH all our principal cities to be performed bv HH the slock companies of each one. As you HHJ know nil our houses are repertory theatres. HJ "In my own theatrl.- il work besides the HH production Of American plays, which are BH 'sure fire" at t lie moment in Poland. 1 will put on the Oedipus Rex' and Polish national plays at the Teatre Wielkl and the old Im- perla! Theatre, now the Municipal. ' j Ordynski was nfertained before he do- if parted by a number of his former associates j Of the Metropolitan Opera, with which he was connected for a number of years as atage director, end paid a second visit to Washington He found existing here h-v ui!d widespread interest In the iffnir Of Pe- Innd ond a more than academic belief in her B ,! ahll'ty to emerge triumphantly from ber 1 I troublea of war onj ilnance. I m I hhhI |