Treść książki
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BartłomiejBeniowski,1800-1867
50
weretofirethePolishimaginationtoanextentperhapsunwarrantedbytheir
socialorpoliticalimportance.
185
Theirleadingmemberswereinscribedinthe
PantheonofPolishnationalmartyrs,andforthis,AdamMickiewicz,afounding
Philomath,waslargelyresponsible,developinginPartIIIofDziady[Forefathers)
Eve,publishedinParisin1832]amessianicinterpretationoftheirrole.Forall
that,althoughtheWilnostudentsthemselvesvehementlydeniedanysuch
connections,theseassociationsrepresentanemanationofthecultofmale
friendshipthatwaswidespreadincontemporaryEuropeanuniversities,with
echoesoftheGermanTugendbund,
186
andalsooftheCambridgeApostles,
foundedastheConversazioneSocietyin1820byserious,Evangelicalyoungmen
whowantedtodistinguishthemselves,fitakingcomfortincomradeship,”fromthe
studentmainstreamofroisterousphilistineswhowerefieatinganddrinkingor
celebratingvictoriesontheplayingfield.”
187
Therewerenoplayingfieldsin
Wilno,butthemotivationsoftheyoungmenwhothreeyearsearlierhadfounded
theSocietyofPhilomathswereotherwisethesame.
188
ThePhilomaths)innocent
andprudishsocialactivities,aswellastheirapproachtotheworld)sproblems,
underpinnedbyanautomaticacceptanceofreligiousinspiration,representthe
backdroptoBeniowski)spoliticalawakening.
ThemovingspiritbehindtheorganisationwasTomaszZan,amathematician
andpoet,astudentintheFacultyofMathematicsandPhysics,whosegood
naturewasremarkedonbyall.Hecamefromafamilyofmodestly-situated
countrygentryintheregionofNowogródek,andhadtopayhiswayinWilno
byundertakingprivatetutoring.
189
Halfacenturylater,IgnacyDomeyko,
anotherPhilomath,tellsusthatno-onecouldequalhispopularity,andthathe
wasfialwayscheerful,withanopenface,helikedtojoke.”Domeykodescribed
himas:
ofmediumheightandaratherswarthycomplexion,hehadsmallfieryeyes,darkcurlyhair,
ahighforeheadwhichnarrowedalittleatthetop.Whenhesang,improvisedscenesorfell
intoecstasy,itwassaidthatraysshonefromhisbrowandeyes.
190
185
DanielBeauvois,Wilno,op.cit.,pp.349ff.
186
See:HelenaŁuczakówna,EmilijaSczaniecka,Zarysbiografiinatlewalknarodu
polskiegooniepodległość,Poznań,1930,p.23;MikołajMalinowski,Księgawspomnień,op.cit.,
p.28;StanisławMorawski,Kilkalat,op.cit.,p.270;SzymonAskenazy,Łukasiński,op.cit.,
vol.1,pp.301-308.
187
W.C.Lubenow,TheCambridgeApostles,op.cit.,pp.27ff.
188
TherewerealsotentativemovementsofthesamekindatotherPolishuniversitycentres
andamongPolesatGermanuniversities,see:SzymonAskenazy,Łukasiński,op.cit.,vol.1,
pp.301-308.
189
JuliuszKleiner,reviewofed.JanCzubek,fiArchiwumFilomatów”,PartI:
fiKorespondencya,”vols.I-V
,1913[in]PamiętnikLiteracki,vol.14,1916,p.346.
190
IgnacyDomeyko,Filareciifilomaci,op.cit.,p.4.
