Situation of the Lithuanian educational societies after the cancellation of the ban on press

After cancelling a ban on the Lithuanian press, when the „Temporary Rules Concerning Societies and Unions“ had been declared, the Lithuanian education societies were founded, which strove for the turning of the cultural life of the Lithuanian nation away from the lagging behind, which was determined by the Czar’s despotic policy. The first Lithuanian educational societies „Saulė“ and „Žiburys“ were established by priesthood. The „Šviesa“ and the „Vilniaus Aušra“ under the guidance of secular intelligentsia were founded too, but the societies existed only one year. At the height of the revolutionary events, the societies partly easily succeeded in receiving the permissions for libraries, evening courses and schools foundations. The society „Saulė“ had established a little more schools, because in these schools the main subjects were taught in Russian. The pedagogical courses which used to qualify the Lithuanian teachers were especially important. The Lithuanian language dominated in the schools of the society „Žiburys“, the Lithuanian language used for teaching was the main reason why the Girl’s pro-gymnasium of Marijampolė. could not develop into Gymnasium. In the beginning of the 20th century, the contradictions which arose among various political trends, were noticeable in the activity of the societies, too. The most vivid contradictions were between the „Šviesa“, the secular society which had functioned in the Suvalkai Province, and the Catholic „Žiburys“. But the idea of the national revival and the striving for dessemination of the native language had united all the societies. Therefore, in the activity of cultural organizations representatives of various Lithuanian political parties collaborated. Declared rules and laws concerning activities in field of culture and education had been couched in such a way that the Czar’s government had a possibility to administer and persecute the Lithuanian cultural and educational institutions. Representatives of Czar’s Administrations used to consider the Lithuanian educational societies a stimulator of the national movement, therefore, in various ways, they tried to interfere with the work of the societies. On certain pretexts, in September 1908, the Lithuanian secular educational societies „Šviesa“ and „Viniaus Aušra“ were closed down. The Catholic societies, however managed to obtain an assistance of some officers of local authority and to found a way out of these difficult situations. The societies were supplied with the assistance of the leaders of the Church hierarchy

Writing and publication of Lithuanian textbooks in 1905-1918

After the Lithuanian press ban had been lifted and the Lithuanian language became the language of instruction in schools, it became very important to publish new textbooks that conformed with national interests and the latest achievements in sciences and pedagogy. Textbooks published at the end of the 19,h century and the beginning of the 20’h century have been used in Lithuanian schools since 1905: "Naujas elementorius" by A. Krikščiūnas, "Elementorius" by P. Vileišis, "Žiupsnelis" by L. Ladislavas (V. Laumianskis), "Vaikų skaitymėliai" by J. Juškytė, "Aritmetikos uždavinių ir pavyzdžių rinkinys" by P. Bendoriusand P. Daugirdas. Until 1915 the publication of textbooks was limited because there was no money and little demand. Lithuanian as the language of instruction was used only in primary schools. However, the situation changed when Germany occupied Lithuania in the summer of 1915. Lithuanian gymnasiums were founded in Vilnius, Kaunas, Panevėžys, and they needed new textbooks. Lithuanian Society of Sciences contributed much to the writing and publication of these textbooks. About 56 textbooks were prepared for publication in 1915- 1918. This work was, in the first place, financed by a publications fund, established in 1908. Some money was borrowed from the National Housing Fund and from the society to aid war victims. Teachers and specialists from different fields of sciences participated in this activity: A. Smetona, P. Klimas, J. Šaulys, M. Biržiška, A. Janulaitis and others. As a result, almost all primary and secondary schools were provided with printed textbooks; publication of textbooks for special schools was initiated. A majority of the textbooks became popular and were repeatedly published after some additions and alterations. For example, there were seven editions of "Skaitymų knyga" by P. Klimas, and eight editions of "Lietuvių kalbos sintaksė". After the restoration of independence some of these textbooks were published by the Ministry of Education. The work accomplished by Lithuanian intelligentsia in writing and publishing textbooks laid foundations for the national pedagogical system and for the strengthening of statehood in education

Catholic social activities in Kaunas at the beginning of the 20th c the 100 anniversary for catholic societies

Straipsnyje analizuojamos katalikų socialinio veikimo Kaune pradininko prelato Konstantino Olšausko iniciatyvos steigiant katalikiškas darbininkų ir švietimo draugijas. Pagrindinis dėmesys skinamas Šv. Juozapo darbininkų ir "Saulės" švietimo draugijoms, 2006 m. švenčiančioms 100 metų jubiliejų. Katalikų dvasininkija, bendradarbiaudama su pasaulietine inteligentija, steigė mokyklas lietuvių ir lenkų darbininkų vaikams, teikė materialinę paramą, organizavo kultūrinius renginius. Taip buvo siekiama atitraukti darbininkus nuo sklindančių revoliucinių idėjų. Aptariamos kliūtys, kurios iškilo įgyvendinant pagrindinę popiežiaus Leono XIII enciklikos "Rerum novarum" idėją dėl bendro Bažnyčios, valstybės ir pačių darbininkų veikimo. Aktyvėjančią socialinę katalikų dvasininkijos veiklą nepalankiai sutiko caro valdžia ir ideologiniai priešai, t.y. socialistai. Pastarieji, katalikų dvasininkiją laikydami konkurente dėl įtakos darbininkams, nevengė piktų žodžių ir nepagrįstų kaltinimų. K. Olšausko pragmatizmą vertino kaip susitaikėlišką elgesį su caro valdžios valdininkais ir vadino jį tiesiog caro valdžios tarnu. Reikšminiai žodžiai: Katalikų socialinis veikimas; Katalikiškos draugijos; Kauno gubernija; K. Olšauskis; Catholic social activity; Catholic societies; Kaunas district; K. OlšauskisThe article analyzes the initiatives of prelate Konstantinas Olšauskas, the founder of Catholic social activities in Kaunas, in establishing Catholic societies for workers and education. Its primary attention is directed at the St. Joseph Society for Workers and the "Saulės" (Sun) Education Society, which celebrated their 100"' anniversaries in 2006. The Catholic clergy in cooperation with lay intellectuals established schools for the children of Lithuanian and Polish workers, provided them with material support, and organized cultural activities. They also sought to separate the workers from the prevailing revolutionary ideas The article discusses the barriers that arose in implementing the main idea of Pope Leo XIII's encyclical "Rerum novarum" (Of Modern Things) calling for joint activities by the Church, the state, and the workers themselves. Both the tsarist authorities and ideological opponents - the socialists - greeted the more active social work of the Catholic clergy in a negative manner. Viewing the Catholic clergy as rivals for influence among the workers, the latter did not avoid angry words and ungrounded accusations. They evaluated the pragmatism of Olšauskas as collaboration with the officials of the tsarist authorities and even called him their servant

Catholic Lithuanian educational societes in the formation of trains of national school at the beginning of the 20th century

Tyrinėdami XX a. pradžios politinį ir kultūrinį Lietuvos gyvenimą, neišvengiamai susiduriame su katalikiškų lietuvių švietimo draugijų veikla, kuri buvo viena iš priešinimosi carizmo tautinei priespaudai formų. Katalikiškos lietuvių švietimo draugijos XX a. pradžioje įsteigė pirmąsias lietuvių pradines mokyklas Kauno, Vilniaus ir Suvalkų gubernijose. Kadangi carinė švietimo vadovybė nebuvo suinteresuota tokių mokyklų steigimu ir dažnai neduodavo leidimų joms atidaryti, lietuvių švietimo draugijos, siekdamos žadinti nacionalinius jausmus ir tenkinti gyventojų poreikius, tęsė nelegalaus švietimo tradicijas. „Žiburio" draugija 1907 m. įsteigė pirmąją lietuvių mergaičių vidurinę mokyklą — Marijampolės mergaičių progimnaziją. XX a. pradžioje, kai Lietuvos vidurinėse ir aukštesnėse mokyklose mokėsi daugiausia tik berniukai, šis žingsnis buvo labai reikšmingas. Didžiulį darbą ruošiant mokytojų kadrus tautinei mokyklai atliko "Saulės“ draugija, įsteigusi 1907 m. pedagoginius kursus Kaune. Katalikiškų lietuvių švietimo draugijų mokyklose išryškėjo pirmieji tautinės mokyklos bruožai: dėstymas gimtąja kalba, supažindinimas su savo krašto istorija ir geografija ir kt. Visose draugijų mokyklose dirbo mokytojai lietuviai, tarp jų žymūs pedagogai — T. F. Žilinskas, M. Pečkauskaitė (Šatrijos Ragana), St. Matjošaitis, J. Vokietaitis, S. Kymantaitė-Čiurlionienė.The article deals with the activities of Catholic Lithuanian educational societies in the provinces of Kaunas, Vilnius and Suvalkai at the beginning of the 20th century. An attempt is made to show the traditions of illegal education. The society "Žiburys“ (“ light“) established the first Lithuanian girl’s school in Marijampolė, the society “Saulė" (“Sun“) established pedagogical courses in Kaunas, etc. Such famous teachers as T. F. Žilinskas, M. Pečkauskaitė, St. Matjošaitis, J. Vokietaitis, S. Čiurlionienė-Kymantaitė and others worked there. The author of the article also states that these societies were a constituent of resistence against the national oppression of czarizm

Vilniaus vyskupo klausimas 1917-1978 metais

1917 m. svarstant Lietuvos ateities klausimą, Vokietija siekė neprarasti Lietuvos ir pradėjo derybas su Šveicarijos lietuvių atstovais. Šie, pasinaudodami vokiečių siekiais išlaikyti Lietuvą, ėmė aktyviai rūpintis, kad į Vilniaus vyskupiją būtų paskirtas lietuvis vyskupas. Šveicarijos lietuvių siūlomą kandidatą kanauninką K. Olšauską rėmė ir Vokietijos Reichstago Katalikų centro atstovas M. Ercbergeris, tikėdamasis lojalumo savo planams. Paskelbus Lenkijos nepriklausomybę, Vilniuje ir apylinkėse prasidėjo lenkų propaganda už Abiejų Tautų Respublikos atkūrimą. Idėją parėmė ir Vilniaus vyskupijos administratorius prelatas K. Michalkevičius, tuo sukeldamas didžiulį lietuvių nepasitenkinimą. Jo elgesį svarstė ir reikalavo pašalinti iš pareigų užsienyje vykusios lietuvių konferencijos. 1918 m. birželį vokiečiai pašalino K. Michalkevičių iš Vilniaus vyskupijos administratoriaus pareigų ir ištrėmė į Vokietiją. Taip vokiečiai siekė gauti Šv. Sosto pritarimą jų siūlomam kandidatui K. Olšauskui. Tačiau jiems nepasisekė, nes. K. Olšausko lietuviškas nacionalizmas buvo nepriimtinas Romoje įtakingiems lenkams. Vokietijai pralaimėjus karą kanauninkas neteko politinio užnugario ir paskyrimo negavo. Vilniuje ir Vilniaus krašte dauguma gyventojų kalbėjo lenkiškai, todėl lituanizuojant Bažnyčią negalima buvo taikyti prievartos. Pokyčiams reikėjo laiko, kantrybės ir diplomatijos. 1918 m. spalio pabaigoje, kai Vokietijos kancleris leido Lietuvai sudaryti vyriausybę, Vilniaus vyskupu buvo paskirtas J. Matulevičius-Matulaitis, kompromisinė figūra, tenkinanti tiek lietuvių, tiek lenkų interesus Reikšminiai žodžiai: Bažnyčios lituanizacija; Vilniaus vyskupija; Katalikų bažnyčios istorija; Church Lithuanianization; Vilnius diocese; History of the Catholic ChurchIn 1917, discussing Lithuania’s future, Germany pursued not to lose Lithuania, and initiated negotiations with Swiss Lithuanians. Taking advantage of the German strivings, Swiss Lithuanians started promoting the appointment of a Lithuanian bishop to Vilnius. Canon K. Olšauskas, the candidate offered by Swiss Lithuanians, was also supported by the representative of the German Reichstag Catholic Centre M. Ercberger. After the announcement of Poland’s independence, Polish propaganda for the restoration of the Republic of the Two Nations started in Vilnius and its environs. This idea was also supported by the administrator prelate K. Michalkevičius of Vilnius bishopric, thus arousing huge dissatisfaction among Lithuanians. His behaviour was discussed in Lithuanian conferences abroad. In June 1918, Germans unseated Michalkevičius from his post and exiled him to Germany. The Germans sought the agreement of the Holy See for their candidate Olšauskas. However, they did not succeed as Olšauskas’ Lithuanian nationalism seemed unacceptable for influential Poles in Rome. When Germany lost the war, the canon lost political backing and did not receive the post. The majority of Vilnius inhabitants spoke in Polish, thus the church could not be lithuanized. Changes needed patience and diplomacy. In 1918, when the German chancellor gave permission to Lithuania to form the government, J. Matulevičius-Matulaitis was appointed bishop of Vilnius. He was a compromise figure satisfying the interests both of Lithuanians and Poles

Attempts to compromise prelate Konstantinas Olšauskas in 1929-1930

The authoritarian regime of A. Smetona became firmly established in Lithuania after the coup d'ėtat on December 17, 1926. A. Smetona tried to weaken economic, political, and cultural position of his ex-allies, the Christian Democrats. In 1928, nationalization of schools started. Prelate K. Olšauskas, Chairman of the Catholic association Saulė, which possessed most of schools, opposed such Governmental policies, especially the methods of schools' nationalization. The teacher Stanislava Danilovičiūtė- Ustijanauskienė, who maintained good relationship with prelate K. Olšauskas, was murdered on September 16, 1928. The prelate became the main suspect. Although there was no concrete evidence, this accident provided good opportunities to lessen the authority of the Catholic Church, the Christian Democrats and the clergy itself in the eyes of society. Free left-wing press aroused psychosis which was useful for A. Smetona's authoritarian regime. [...

Society “Žiburys”– upholder of national and christian education in Užnemunė

In 2006, Catholic education society “Žiburys” celebrated its 100th anniversary. Its Statute was registered on 15 May, 1906. On 7 December, 2006, scientific conference took place at Marijampolė College. During the conference the work of the society in the fields of education, charity, Christian development and theatre was summarised and evaluated. The purpose of the article is to overview the work of catholic education society “Žiburys” in 1906-1940 in the various links of educational system and to reveal the role of its schools in the formation of national education system and Christian development of the younger generation. “Žiburys” was the first Lithuanian education society established by the confessional intelligentsia with the purpose to promote education among Lithuanian Catholics. In the rustic country that was suffering from forced Russification policy for decades, primary national education was particularly relevant. The daily ‘Vilniaus žinios’ published since 1904 wrote that, first of all, care of the education of peasant children must be taken, since primary schools were the beginning and the end of studies for many of them. Moreover, in the catholic region of Uznemune, parents were concerned about continuity of religious traditions. Before the WWI, the society was establishing primary and literacy schools for the children of the peasants of Užnemunė, usually at the locations where no state schools were available. Before the World War I, the society maintained 20 primary schools and adult courses. They were teaching Lithuanian, employing Lithuanian teachers, and familiarizing pupils with history and geography of their land, also paying much attention to moral education. Priest M. Gustaitis, the Chairman of the society, in his appeal to the society noted that honour, development of which shall be provided by belief, must keep in step with education. [...]Vytauto Didžiojo universitetasŠvietimo akademij

Catholic Clergy in the twists and turns of diplomacy at the dawn of the statehood of Lithuania

Straipsnyje analizuojamas katalikų dvasininkų diplomatinis darbas, siekiant Lietuvos nepriklausomybės Pirmojo pasaulinio karo metais. Akcentuojamos Šveicarijos lietuvių tautos tarybos, kurioje daugumą sudarė katalikų dvasininkai, derybos su Vokietija dėl nepriklausomos Lietuvos valstybės atkūrimo 1918 m. Detaliau aptariamos kunigų Konstantino Olšausko, Juozo Purickio diplomatinės misijos Europoje, atskleidžiami šių žmonių diplomatiniai gebėjimai. Straipsnyje diplomatijos požiūriu vertinamas kan. Kazimiero Prapuolenio darbas Romoje siekiant Lietuvos nepriklausomybės.The article analyses the diplomatic work done by Lithuanian clergy in pursuit of Lithuania’s independence in the years of World War I. It focuses on the negotiations between the Lithuanian National Council in Switzerland with the majority of Catholic clergy in it and Germany over the restoration of the independent state of Lithuania in 1918. The article provides a more in-depth discussion on the diplomatic missions of priests Konstantinas Olšauskas and Juozas Purickis in Europe. The diplomatic skills of these personalities are revealed. The article evaluates the work of canon Kazimieras Parapuolenis in Rome in the attempt to restore Lithuania’s independence from the perspective of diplomacy