Treść książki
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BartłomiejBeniowski,1800-1867
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Hewasaprofoundmathematicianandagoodphilologue;heusedtodeliverdramasofhis
owncompositionintheuniversityroomsafterthelecturershaveleftthem;headmirably
imitatedthevoicesandgesticulationsofallthepersons....Ihavehadthepleasure,andIwill
saynowthehonourofelbowingwithhimduringthreeyearsinthemathematicalfaculty
oftheuniversity.
196
Itmakessensethatitwasthegenerousandall-embracingZanwhoapproached
BeniowskiabouttheDisseminators;moreoverZan)syoungerbrotherIgnacy
(fitallerthanTomasz,alongerfaceandpaler,morepittedwithsmallpoxscars,
amorehookednose,anequallypowerfully-builtmanwithbrowncurlyhair;
hestammeredterribly”)wasstudyingmedicineinthesameclassas
Beniowski.
197
Twentyorthirtystudentswereinvolvedintheinitialinvitation-onlyMay
morningexpeditionthatgaverisetotheDisseminators,andtheymetquietlyat
dawnatvariouspointsinthetownandwalkedtothehillsnorthofWilno,
fitoavoidtheattentionofthepolice.”Whentheygotthere,pailsofmilk,white
breadandfifreshcake”hadbeenprepared.TomaszZanstoodinthecentreof
abigcircleandthePhilomathssangasongthatsofarhadonlybeenrevealedto
themosttrustedinnercircle:fiLetusseizelifeinbothhands,weonlyliveonce.”
Zandeclaimedapoem,andanotherodewassung,whichendedwiththelines,
fiForherewevaluemosthighly/Fatherland,learning,virtue!”Theyreturnedto
townseparately,goingtomassinSt.John)schurch.Duringthisrecruiting
picnic,thePhilomathsfihadanopportunitytogettoknowtheyoungmen,
todistinguishthesincereandopenfromthefoolhardybraggarts.”
198
Afterthepinic,thePhilomaths-withapprovalfromtheUniversity
authorities-launchedtheTowarzystwoPrzyjaciółPożytecznejZabawy[Society
ofFriendsofUsefulRecreation].Therewereperhapseventually100members
ofthisDisseminatingassociation,organisedinspecialistgroupsorficircles”in
eachfaculty,eachwithaboutadozenmembers,andreferredtobythecoloursof
therainbow.ThecircleinthefacultyofMathematicsandPhysics,which
Beniowskijoined,washeadedbyanothercheerfulanddown-to-earthfigure,the
clumsy,broad-shoulderedfiSzerok”-Teodor(orfiBożydar,”thePolishequivalent,
whichhelikedtouse)Łoziński,whocamefromthesameVolhyniandistrictas
Beniowski,fromŻytomierz.LikeTomaszZan,TeodorŁozińskifundedhis
studiesbyprovidingprivatetuitioninMathematics;Zan,whowasinterested
196
loc.cit.Seealso:TomaszZan,fiNotatkipamiętnikarskie”[in]ed.HenrykMościcki,
Zfilareckiegoświata,op.cit.,pp.199ff.Beniowskiendshisreminiscenceswiththerhetorical
flourish,fiWhereartthounowZan?buriedintheicesofKamchatka?orperhapslingeringinthe
minesofSiberia?”wheninfact,afterayearofhardlabourinOrenburg,hehadbeenexiledbeyond
theUrals,andafteraccompanyingHumboldtonhisgeologicalexpeditionsinSiberia,wasby1839
alibrarianintheGeologicalInstituteinPetersburg.Beniowskimayhaveknownthis,but
consideredSiberiamoreevocative.
197
OttoŚlizień,fiZpamiętnika,”op.cit.,p.119.
198
IgnacyDomeyko,Filareciifilomaci,op.cit.,pp.12-13.
