An Episode from the “Administration” of the District Starosta in Sokółka

In the first decade of the rule of the resurrected "democratic" Poland over our western borderlands, in the Sokółka district of the Hrodna region, there was (or is, I do not know) a god-and-tsar in the district starosta's post, Mr. Eismont. Mr. Eismont, a native son of the Sokółka district, as I happened to hear, once laid claim to the name of Belarusian and on that account (I am not sure) was a member of the pre-war Belarusian revival committee. That all this is fable is as clear as day, for the Polish press, recalling "czynu syna Ojczyzny" [the deed of a son of the Fatherland] and praising Mr. Eismont's "arcydzieło" [masterpiece] as the initiator of the destruction of the Orthodox church in Novy Dvor, added the epithet "polak". But it is not of this that I want to speak now. I want to write of another "prawdziwie obywatelskim czynie" [truly civic deed] of Mr. Eismont in the Sokółka district.

In the west of the Sokółka district lies the town of Sukhavolia. This is that famous town over which two pillars of scholarship quarreled: Prof. Karski proved that Sukhavolia is Belarusian, while Prof. J. Baudouin de Courtenay pulled the famous town over to the side of Poland. To satisfy the curiosity of the esteemed readers, I shall step aside a little from my theme and announce that the dispute was won by our Professor Karski: having traveled in person to the disputed town in the first years of the 20th century, he proved to the world the age-old and present Belarusian character of Sukhavolia.

A resident of this famous town of Sukhavolia, N., wished to build, on the broad market square of the town next to the church, a building in which he would set up a bookshop. (Now, as is heard, the bookshop is a great help to the surrounding peasants, who, instead of dragging fifty versts to Hrodna for books for their children, have a bookshop at hand without any trouble, and also order newspapers through it.) To obtain from the district starosta permission to build a structure of 10m², the "uchwały" [resolution] of the town council is obligatory. Here lies the whole difficulty. The council of the Sukhavolia magistrat (I think it is the same everywhere) consists of 12 persons, of whom 6 are Christians and 6 Jews. The Jews, however, cannot vote for permission to set up a trading place in the hands of a Christian, for that is contra se, and besides, the tsadik would drive them out of the synagogue. (In Sukhavolia the Jews are very devout.) The Christian councillors, however, despite the threats and curses of the priest, agreed to the building of the bookshop. (The Sukhavolia priest trades in various sacred things: crosses, rosaries, scapulars of every sort and color, prayer books and other items, so he feared that this resident would take away his earnings, and for that reason he shouted against the building of the bookshop.) At last a councillor was found among the Jews whom the tsadik did not frighten, and he quietly cast his vote in favor, so that it came out 7 votes for, 5 against. The bookshop is being built. Mr. Eismont could in no way fit the councillor's act into his head. The poor man could not work out how it was that a Jew had voted for a Christian. He summoned the Jewish councillor to Sokółka and wanted to send him from there alive to heaven.

"Panie, pan dokonał prawdziwie obywatelskiego czynu, pan godzien chwały. Pan jesteś prawdsiwym polakiem" [Sir, you have performed a truly civic deed, you are worthy of glory. You are a true Pole], Mr. Eismont, trembling, questioned the Jewish councillor.

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Since its appearance on the face of the earth, Sukhavolia had never had such a capable and tolerant true gentleman as burgomaster as Mr. Kh. was (perhaps still is). On the doors of the magistrat the office hours were written in two languages: Polish and Jewish. I hope that Mr. Kh. was the first in all of Poland to dare such a very fine act, for the Sukhavolia Jews (I mean the old Jews) do not know a word of Polish, as the saying goes. The Jewish script, however, was a great relief to them in understanding the order of the magistrat. Unfortunately, this did not last long. The time came for Mr. Eismont's inspection of the Sukhavolia magistrat. When the starosta's foot stepped over the threshold of the magistrat and his eyes fell on the door, his lips suddenly thundered: "Co to jest? do cholery ciężkiej!" [What is this? Damn it to hell!], and the starosta's hands tore into pieces the sheet of paper with the "wrogim państwu nadpisem" [inscription hostile to the state].

"To był, prawdziwie obywatelski czyn p. starosty. Pan jesteś prawdziwym polakiem!" [That was a truly civic deed of the starosta. You are a true Pole!]

What thanks the burgomaster received is not for us to know.