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BartłomiejBeniowski,1800-1867
40
thedomesticatmosphereeasedthefirststagesoftransitionfromchildhoodtoan
independentadultlife.
BeniowskigivesusonedetailedglimpseofhisfirstyearattheUniversity,
showingretrospectiveself-awarenessthathehadbeenaprecociouschild,the
appleofhisfather)seye.Likemanyschoolboyswhohadalwaysbeentopofthe
class(firelyinguponmyextraordinarymemory,asitwascalled”)hefoundnew
challengesinhisnewenvironment.Headmitsthatwhenheenteredtheuniversity
hewasdeterminedtoshine,andstudiedsointensivelythathewasfitiredout.”
Heficouldnotpossiblyafford”excessiveexpenditureoftimeinpursuitofone
singlesubject,becausehewantedtodowellinmany.Moreover,hewas
exceedinglyproudofhismasteryofthemnemonictechniqueswhichhehadbeen
taughtbyhisfather,andficouldnotbeartheideaofstudyingsimplyasothersdid.”
Inmathsandphysicscourses,thesefimnemoniccontrivances”hadgivenhim
advantages,andhefisucceededperfectlyeverywhere.”Andsowhenforthefirst
timehefailedeasilytomasteranewacademicsubject,hefiwaspeculiarlyvexed
andbroken-hearted.”Thisperiodofdisillusioncamewhenhebeganamonghis
preparatorycoursestostudyBotanyandhadtolearntoidentifyplantsbyname:
Here,farfromoutstrippingmyfellow-students,Iactuallyremainedbehindeventhose
whomIwasaccustomedtolookuponaspoor,flatmediocrities.Thematterstoodthus:-
BesidesattendingthelecturesonBotany,thestudentsareadmittedtwiceaweektothe
Botanicgarden:theretheyfindametalliclabelwithanumberuponit;thatnumberrefers
themtoacataloguewheretheyfindtherespectivenames.
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Botanywastaughtintheficrowdedanddirtyhallofthebotanicalgardens”by
fiold,uprightandgood-natured”StanisławBonifacyJundziłł(1761-1847),
aPiaristpriestwhowasrumouredtohaveatleastoneillegitimateson.He
broughtwithhimspecimensfromthehothousesandtossedthemintothestudent
audienceforidentification,causingascrambleamongthemorezealousstudents
forpossession.StanisławMorawski,in1818akeenandspruced-upsixteen-year
oldfromtheupperechelonsofsociety,wassubjectedattheseclassestobullying
horseplay,anditisnotimpossiblethatBeniowskihadsufferedthesame
attentionsofthefastset:hehimselfsuggeststhatitwashisoriginsthatgaverise
tobullying,writingthatmostofthestudentswereinclinedfitokickme
about.”
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Whateverthecase,hecouldnotmasterthenamesoftheplants,and
Isuspectthathewasalwayskeenerontheoreticalproblemsthanonthe
empiricalexaminationofliving(ordead)things.Hisfellowstudentsfiwent
everymorningatfiveintothefields,gatheredplants,determinedtheirnames,put
thembetweenblottingpaper,”buthedidnothavethefitimetowaste.”
129
127
ibid.,pp.30-34.
128
StanisławMorawski,Kilkalat,op.cit.,p.205;LondonDemocratno.2,20.IV.1839,
p.10,fiThePolishRevolutionbyMajorBeniowski,no.II.”
129
BartłomiejBeniowski,AHandbookofPhrenotypics,op.cit.,pp.30-34.
