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UKRAINIAN WOMAN OUR ENGLISH COLUMN Imperialism 1959 The much-publicized Red plan of settling the “virgin lands” in Kazakhstan, Siberia, and the Far East coastal area has been in ef fect ever since the spring of 1954. This supposedly voluntary, Krem lin-inspired “resettlement policy” is one more monument to Com munist Red coercion. The plan is aimed at the younig men and women of non-Russian nationali ties which are not only anti-Com- munist but also anti-Russian. Thus while young Ukrainians and White Russians are sent to Cent ral Asia and Siberia, the natives of Central Asia arc resettled in other republics. Such deportation of youth is especially acutely felt in the Ukraine where it is in the interest of Soviet Russia to weak en the national element. It is calculated that this fan tastic settlement policy will de mand a working force of some 1,- 500,000 “volunteers.” We do not know to what degree the Russian government has succeeded in fill ing this quota during the past five years, however, very recently we have been shocked by the news that now some 300,000 young girls are to be recruited as part of the force sent to cultivate the “virgin lands.” Judging from the stress placed on the number of working men deported from the Ukraine in the past years, we can safely surmise that a great number of the draftees will come from Uk raine, and particularly from its western part where organized re- sistence is markedly active. We are all aware of the fact that the subjugation of the “vir gin lands” is a long and exacting process. Of course, the sometimes gullible western tourist is provid ed only with model farm and housing projects and their “hap py” inhabitants. Reality, however, is rather different. The settlers are forced to live in these barren, cold steppes — in mere tents and dug-outs, without adequate water supply, warm clothing, medical care, and other living necessities. To be sure, the building material is non-existent; we have a report about some Ukrainian girls who upon their arrival in Kazakhstan had to build a factory for manu facturing bricks which would sup ply construction material to the settlers! These are the “happy" living conditions that are offered to thousands of inexperienced young girls! There are special commis sions assigned to the job of se lecting a certain quota of girls from a given territory. It is no concern of theirs whether these girls will be able to survive 'the severe living conditions or wheth er they are leaving behind them old parents or younger brothers and sisters which are in need of their support. The girls are fated to hard work and a prospect of marrying a “chance” husband. The Ukrainian women living this side of the Iron Curtain can not fail to draw the attention of organized womenhood to this new violation of human rights. Each nation has the right to live and prosper within its own bounda ries. In our modern age, when col onization is almost extinct, a thing of the past, Soviet Russia shouldn’t be allowed to start a new form of colonization masked by the pretense of cultivating the “virgin lands.” Our Ukrainian girls separated from their families and their country, are both ex hausted physically and slighted morally. It is needless to add that the formation and cultivation of family life under such conditions is of a gravely problematic char acter. THE HETMAN’S MOTHER This year marks the 250th an niversary of ’the life and death of Ukraine’s great hetman, Ivan. Ma- zeppa. As we are remembering this illustrious son, we cannot fail to take note of his mother, one of the most prominent women of her time. Maria Magdalena Mazeppa came originally from Volhynia. We can find her name on the membership list of a religious organization for girls in her home town of Luck. Piety, the keynote and the pre-eminent characteristic of her life, was already in evidence at an early age. We know little about her marriage to Stepan Mazeppa, a nobleman and land holder, except that out of this union were born a son, Ivan, and a daughter, Ulan a. After her husband’s death Ma ria Magdalena entered the mon astery of the Ascension in Kiev since the children were already grown-up and the world with all its material goods held no further interest for her. The monastery was blessed by her generosity; this convent’s beautiful church wras built by her financial sup port. She became the monastery’s prioress sometime after 1687, her famous son was already a hetman. Maria Magdalena Mazeppa died in November of 1707 and Hetman Mazeppa was by her side during these last quiet moments. Indeed the Divine Providence was kind to her; it allowed her to share her son’s triumphs, yet it denied her to view the tragedy of his defeat. The brave hetman died in 1709. How could she suspect that the labor of her hands would be de stroyed by Moscow’s wrath? In 1712 the monastery was disband ed only because it was linked though indirectly with the mem ory of hetman Mazeppa.
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