The Babylon Travelers' Club held the second meeting of its 103rd year on Oct. 20 with Jocelyn Pisani as hostess.

To continue the group's Polish study, Jocelyn Pisani presented a paper, History up to 1930. Early tribes that later formed the "Polish" nation were bound together by ties of blood. The lands belong to a group or family were held in common and everyone worked together. Each community worked in one area including boat building, farming, fishing etc. and these occupations went from father to son.

Poland was repeatedly invaded and at times all but disappeared from the map. Due to three partitions, Poland was divided between Russia, Prussia and Austria. Conscripted into the armies of Russia and the Central Powers. Poles fought against Poles in World War I. With the collapse of the Central Powers in the fall of 1918, the Poles moved toward statehood. In November 1918, Poland was proclaimed an independent republic.

A second paper, presented by Charlotte Olsen, discussed education in Poland. Education of the Polish society was a goal of rulers as early as the twelfth Century. Krakow University, now known as the Jagiellonian University, was one of Europe's great early institutions of learning. Invasions of Poland caused it to be controlled by various countries from the late eighteenth century until the 1980s. In addition to the Partition, Poland was occupied by the Nazis as well as the Communists. Occupations inhibited the development of Polish education. When the present education system was introduced, it included six-year of primary, three years of gymnasium or lower secondary, followed by upper secondary where choices are college preparation, technical or vocational preparation.

The third meeting of the 103rd year of the Travelers' Club was held at the home of Kate Curtin on Nov. 3.

Betsy Davison's paper and accompanying food basket gave club members a taste of life in Poland, including customs, celebrations, holidays and food. Prompted by notations on all Polish calendars, the observance of one's name-day, the feast day of the saint after whom a person is named, is celebrated with cards, flowers, cake and special greetings. In addition to the many Polish celebrations well-known to Americans, there exists a burst of frivolity following the solemn Easter season called the "dyngus-smigus" custom. Central to this custom are water dousing and shouts of either "dyngus" or "smigus" between young boys and girls.

Polish cooking following the maxim that one reaches the heart through the stomach. Because of its geographical position as a crossroads country, the Polish kitchen has been inspired by a host of culinary sources, including Czech, French, Hungarian, German, Italian and even Far Eastern influences. One favorite, considered Poland's national dish is bigos, a sauerkraut and cabbage-based stew. Zupa, soup, is the beginning and glory of any good Polish meal. Because the woods surrounding Poland's many lakes are perfect for mushroom hunters, mushroom picking is a popular pastime with mushrooms incorporated into many recipes. A specialty of the Tatra Mountains of Poland is oscypek,. A ewe's milk cheese that is aged in wooden spindle-shaped molds that have been imprinted with attractive designs unique to the cheesemaker. As the Polish would say, "East, drink and loosen your belt."