Žiburys Society

Last updated March 01, 2019

The Žiburys Society (žiburys means light, beacon; Lithuanian : Lietuvių krikščionių draugija „Žiburys“) was a society established in 1906 that organized and maintained Lithuanian schools in the Suwałki Governorate of the Congress Poland, Russian Empire (later, Suvalkija region of independent Lithuania). Organized and run by priests, the society supported and promoted Roman Catholic ideas and worldview. The society organized primary schools and later gymnasiums. In 1907, it established pro-gymnasium for girls in Marijampolė. In 1918, it established several gymnasiums. Žiburys, along with other Lithuanian organizations, was closed by the new Soviet regime following the occupation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union in June 1940.

Lithuanian is a Baltic language spoken in the Baltic region. It is the language of Lithuanians and the official language of Lithuania as well as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.9 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 200,000 abroad.

Suwałki Governorate was an administrative unit (guberniya) of the Kingdom of Poland with seat in Suwałki. It covered a territory of about 12,300 km².

The Kingdom of Poland, informally known as Congress Poland or Russian Poland, was created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a sovereign state of the Russian partition of Poland. Connected until 1832 by personal union with the Russian Empire under the Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland, it was gradually thereafter integrated politically into Russia over the course of the 19th century, made an official part of the Russian Empire in 1867, and finally replaced during World War I by the Central Powers in 1915 with the nominal Regency Kingdom of Poland.

Establishment

After the failed Uprising of 1863, the Tsarist regime enacted strict Russification policies: the Lithuanian press was prohibited, all non-government schools were closed, and government schools prohibited the use of the Lithuanian language.^[1] Lithuanians resisted such policies and organized illegal schools taught by daraktorius. The restrictions were lifted in 1904 and Lithuanians organized societies Saulė (Sun) in the Kovno Governorate and Žiburys in the Suwałki Governorate to fund and operate Lithuanian schools. The Lithuanian Education Society Rytas in the Vilna Governorate was established only in 1913.^[1]

The Russian Empire, also known as Imperial Russia or simply Russia, was an empire that existed across Eurasia and North America from 1721, following the end of the Great Northern War, until the Republic was proclaimed by the Provisional Government that took power after the February Revolution of 1917.

Russification or Russianization is a form of cultural assimilation process during which non-Russian communities, voluntarily or not, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian one.

The Lithuanian press ban was a ban on all Lithuanian language publications printed in the Latin alphabet in force from 1865 to 1904 within the Russian Empire, which controlled Lithuania at the time. Lithuanian-language publications that used Cyrillic were allowed and even encouraged.

Leftist Lithuanians established Šviesa (light), led by future president Kazys Grinius, in December 1905. However, seven of its members left it in protest when the new society voted that the religious class should be taught by a regular teacher and not a priest.^[2] (The Tsarist regime closed Šviesa in 1908).^[3] Priest Justinas Staugaitis then took on to organize Žiburys and the founding meeting took place on 6 January 1906 in Marijampolė.^[4] Staugaitis was elected as chairman, but he was soon reassigned to Lekėčiai and priest Motiejus Gustaitis became the long-term chairman of Žiburys.^[5] The society was officially approved and registered on 15 May 1906.^[2]

Kazys Grinius was the third President of Lithuania, and held that office from 7 June 1926 to 17 December 1926.

Justinas Staugaitis was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic bishop, politician, educator, and author. He one of the twenty signatories to the Act of Independence of Lithuania.

Marijampolė City in Suvalkija, Lithuania

Marijampolė is an industrial city and the capital of the Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, bordering Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, and Lake Vištytis. The population of Marijampolė is 48,700 (2003). It is the Lithuanian center of the Suvalkija region.

Before World War I

In the Suwałki Governorate, most teachers were Lithuanian and taught in the Lithuanian language. Thus, the establishment of Lithuanian-language schools was less urgent than elsewhere.^[3] Initially, Žiburys established unofficial schools building on the traditions of daraktorius. In 1910, it officially registered nine primary schools with 465 students. In total, before World War I, the society had about 20 primary schools.^[3] On 22 September 1907, Žiburys opened a girls' pro-gymnasium with a dormitory in Marijampolė.^[3] It had 52 students in 1909 and 91 students in 1914.^[6] In 1908, the society invited Marija Pečkauskaitė (Šatrijos Ragana), who had studied pedagogy in Switzerland, to direct the pro-gymnasium.^[5] Twice the society petitioned the government of the Congress Poland for a permission to elevate the school to gymnasium status but was refused.^[5] Its petitions for a boys' pro-gymnasium in Sejny were similarly rejected.^[3] In 1907, the society established an evening school for adults in Vilkaviškis (50 students).^[6] The society also established local chapters that had small libraries and reading rooms. In 1909, there were 54 chapters with 3,556 members.^[6] In total, it had 58 libraries and 38 reading rooms.^[7] In 1911–1914, the society published five issues of the Žiburys magazine which reported on the activities of the society and discussed issues of Lithuanian education.^[8]

Sejny is a town in north-eastern Poland and the capital of Sejny County, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, close to the northern border with Lithuania and Belarus. It is located in the eastern part of the Suwałki Lake Area, on the Marycha river, being a tributary of the Czarna Hańcza. As of 1999 it had almost 6,500 permanent inhabitants, with a strong seasonal increase during the tourist season.

Vilkaviškis City in Suvalkija, Lithuania

Vilkaviškis (pronunciation , is a city in southwestern Lithuania. It is located 25 km northwest from Marijampolė, on a bank of Šeimena River. The city got its name from the Vilkauja River, a tributary to Šeimena. Initially named Vilkaujiškis the name was later changed to an easier to pronounce form Vilkaviškis.

Until 1918, the society did not receive any government funding and had to rely on school tuition, membership fees, and donations. To raise funds, Žiburys organized various public lectures (speakers included Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas, Petras Leonas, Marija Pečkauskaitė), music performances, amateur theater plays.^[3] The plays included drama Ponas ir mužikai by Aleksandras Fromas-Gužutis, comedy by Jean-François Bayard, adaptation of Genovefa by Christoph von Schmid, opera Birutė by Mikas Petrauskas, Velnias spąstuose by Žemaitė and Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė, The Bear by Anton Chekhov, Nepadėjus nėr ko kasti by Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas.^[5] In 1914, society's chairman Motiejus Gustaitis traveled to United States to collect donations from Lithuanian Americans for the construction of a dedicated school building in Marijampolė, but the plans were interrupted by the outbreak of World War I.^[5]

Juozas Tumas also known by the pen name Vaižgantas was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and an activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. He was a prolific writer, editor of nine periodicals, university professor, and member of numerous societies and organizations. His most notable works of fiction include the novel Pragiedruliai and the narrative Dėdės ir dėdienės about the ordinary village folk.

Petras Leonas (1864–1938) was a Lithuanian attorney and politician, the first Minister of Justice of the newly independent Lithuania in 1918.

Jean-François Alfred Bayard was a French playwright. He was the nephew of fellow playwright Eugène Scribe.

Interwar period

During World War I, the girls' pro-gymnasium evacuated to Tambov where it had about 180 students.^[3] In 1918, the society and its schools returned to newly independent Lithuania. Gymnasiums were established in Šakiai, Prienai, Vilkaviškis, Sejny (moved to Lazdijai in 1921 due to the Polish–Lithuanian War), Kražiai even before the Lithuanian Ministry of Education was organized.^[3]^[6] In 1930s, these gymnasiums, except for the ones in Šakiai and Prienai, were taken over by the Lithuanian government.^[6] It was an intentional effort by the authoritarian regime of President Antanas Smetona to reduce the influence of the Catholic Church and by extension its main political opponent the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party.^[3]

Tambov is a city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tsna and Studenets Rivers, about 480 kilometers (300 mi) south-southeast of Moscow. Population: 280,161 ; 293,658 ; 304,600 (1989 Census).

Šakiai is a city in the Marijampolė County, Lithuania. It is located 65 km (40 mi) west of Kaunas. It is presumed that Šakiai first expanded from Šakaičai village. By 1719 a church in Šakiai was built. By the 19th century Šakiai already had city rights; it also had a school, Catholic and Lutheran churches, a synagogue, and a post office. During World War II the city was destroyed by the German army.

Prienai is a city in Lithuania situated on the Nemunas River, 29 km (18 mi) south of Kaunas. In 2011 the city had 9,867 inhabitants. The name of the city is a derivative from a surname Prienas. Pociūnai Airport is associated with the city.

The society also established specialized schools, including an agricultural school for girls in Karkliniai in 1924 and a higher school of commerce in Kybartai in 1925. To raise teachers' qualifications, Žiburys established two-year courses for teachers in Pilviškiai and Kudirkos Naumiestis.^[3] The society also established a kindergarten, several shelters for children and the elderly.^[6]

Related Research Articles

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Marijampolė Rygiškių Jonas Gymnasium is a secondary school in Marijampolė, Lithuania. It is named after Rygiškių Jonas, one of the pen names of linguist Jonas Jablonskis who was one of the gymnasium's alumni. Established in 1867, the gymnasium was a significant cultural center of Suvalkija and educated many prominent figures of the Lithuanian National Revival. Since 2010, it is a four-year school.

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References

1 2 Virvičienė, Aušra (30 March 2013). "Naujas Lietuvių švietimo draugijos „Rytas" šimtmetis". Voruta (in Lithuanian). 7 (771): 7, 9. ISSN 2029-3534.
1 2 Katilius, Algimantas (2017). "Kunigas Justinas Staugaitis – visuomeninių organizacijų kūrėjas XX a. pradžioje". Soter (in Lithuanian). 61 (89): 44–46. doi:10.7220/2335-8785.61(89).3. ISSN 1392-7450.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pukienė, Vida (2007). "„Žiburio" draugija – tautinio švietimo ir krikščioniškojo ugdymo puoselėtoja Užnemunėje". Soter (in Lithuanian). 24 (52): 49–52. ISSN 1392-7450.
↑ Katilius, Algimantas (2008). "Kunigo Justino Staugaičio visuomeninė veikla 1905−1915 metais" (PDF). Lietuvių katalikų mokslo akademijos metraštis (in Lithuanian). 31: 17. ISSN 1392-0502.
1 2 3 4 5 Tijūnėlienė, Ona (2002). "Motiejus Gustaitis – kunigas, švietėjas, pedagogas". Soter (in Lithuanian). 8 (36). ISSN 1392-7450.
1 2 3 4 5 6 "„Žiburys"". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras. 2014-06-26. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
↑ Malinauskienė, Marytė (2013-04-12). "Seinų ir Punsko krašto bibliotekos XX amžiaus pradžioje" (in Lithuanian). Punskas.pl. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
↑ Tapinas, Laimonas; et al., eds. (1997). "Žiburys" (PDF). Žurnalistikos enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Pradai. p. 582. ISBN 9986-776-62-7.

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[virvi-1] 1 2 Virvičienė, Aušra (30 March 2013). "Naujas Lietuvių švietimo draugijos „Rytas" šimtmetis". Voruta (in Lithuanian). 7 (771): 7, 9. ISSN 2029-3534.

[katil17-2] 1 2 Katilius, Algimantas (2017). "Kunigas Justinas Staugaitis – visuomeninių organizacijų kūrėjas XX a. pradžioje". Soter (in Lithuanian). 61 (89): 44–46. doi:10.7220/2335-8785.61(89).3. ISSN 1392-7450.

[pukie-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pukienė, Vida (2007). "„Žiburio" draugija – tautinio švietimo ir krikščioniškojo ugdymo puoselėtoja Užnemunėje". Soter (in Lithuanian). 24 (52): 49–52. ISSN 1392-7450.

[katil-4] Katilius, Algimantas (2008). "Kunigo Justino Staugaičio visuomeninė veikla 1905−1915 metais" (PDF). Lietuvių katalikų mokslo akademijos metraštis (in Lithuanian). 31: 17. ISSN 1392-0502.

[tijun-5] 1 2 3 4 5 Tijūnėlienė, Ona (2002). "Motiejus Gustaitis – kunigas, švietėjas, pedagogas". Soter (in Lithuanian). 8 (36). ISSN 1392-7450.

[vle-6] 1 2 3 4 5 6 "„Žiburys"". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras. 2014-06-26. Retrieved 5 December 2017.

[malin-7] Malinauskienė, Marytė (2013-04-12). "Seinų ir Punsko krašto bibliotekos XX amžiaus pradžioje" (in Lithuanian). Punskas.pl. Retrieved 5 December 2017.

[tapin-8] Tapinas, Laimonas; et al., eds. (1997). "Žiburys" (PDF). Žurnalistikos enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Pradai. p. 582. ISBN 9986-776-62-7.