Treść książki
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1.Berdyczów,Wilno,St.Petersburg,1800-1830
49
Hewastocarryanumbrella,theuniversalpanaceaforthosewithnocarriagesof
theirown,untiltheendofhislife.
Itwasfiwithaheavyheart”thatKarolKaczkowskilefthisDominican
monasterylodgingsin1821:
Ilefttherethebestepochofmyyounglife,fiveyearsspentamongbelovedandloving
colleagues,withnothoughtoftomorrow,inatranquillitybrokenbyhappyconversationand
honestlaughter.
181
Beniowskiwasleftbehindinthatsamemonasteryforanothertwoyears.Hemay
havesharedsomeofKaczkowski)ssentimentswhenheleftin1823,althoughby
now,acompletelydifferentatmospherehaddevelopedattheUniversityandin
thecityasaresultofstudentactivitiesinwhichBeniowskihimselfwasatleast
peripherallyinvolved.
SzymonBeniowskiwasprobablyafter1795apoliticalquietist,althoughhe
doubtlessdeploredtheRussiantakeoverofthelostprovinces.Theyears1817-
1823thatBartłomiejBeniowskispentintheWilnoMedicalFacultywere
howeveryearsofstudentactivism,ofbothsecretandopenstudentassociations,
whileversionsofJacobinism,CarbonarismandFreemasonryskulkedinthe
background.
182
Beniowski)sstudentgenerationinWilnowasthefirstpost-
partitiongeneration,bornaftertheKościuszkoRising,andmanyofthem
believed,intheearlygleamofemergingromanticnationalism,thatthefuture
couldbeimprovedbygoodbehaviour,hardworkandtheRomanCatholic
religion.Kaczkowskicallsitamovementoffiloftythought”thatwantedto
fiharnesseveryonetothesameyokeofsocialandnationalresponsibility.”
183
The
socialconcernsofthesestudentswereparalleledbyakeeninterestinscientific
developments,andwhiletheirproposalsmightsoundpriggish,theirletters
revealentertainingyoungmenwhoenjoyedjokesandthecompanyofpretty
girls.TheirleaderswerestudentsafewyearsolderthanBeniowski,including
AdamMickiewiczandTomaszZan(1796-1855)whobotharrivedatthe
Universityin1815.
184
InOctober1817,thebeginningofBeniowski)sfirstterm
intheMedicalFaculty,Mickiewicz,Zanandfourothersfoundedasmalland
exclusivesocietythattheychristenedtheTowarzystwoFilomatyczne(Societyof
Philomaths:filoversofknowledge”).
TonsofinkandpaperhavebeenexpendedonthePhilomathsandtheir
offshoots,thePromieniści[fimenofradiance”orDisseminators]andFilareci
[Philarets:filoversofvirtue”],whoseactivitiesinWilnobetween1817and1824
181
KarolKaczkowski,Wspomnienia,op.cit.,vol.1,p.146.
182
IgnacyDomeyko,Filareciifilomaci.ListIgnacegoDomejki,Poznań,1872,p.4.
183
KarolKaczkowski,Wspomnienia,op.cit.,vol.1,p.60.
184
LeonardChodźko,fiThomasZan,”op.cit.,p.1,saysthatZanwasbornin1791;Leonard
Chodźko(1800-1871)enteredtheLawFacultyin1816-1817;IgnacyDomeyko(1802-1889)
enteredthePhysicsandMathematicsFacultyin1816.
