The Society for Elementary Books (Polish: ''Towarzystwo do Ksiąg Elementarnych''; 1775–92) was an institution formed by

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

Commission of National Education The Commission of National Education ( pl, Komisja Edukacji Narodowej, KEN; lt, Edukacinė komisija) was the central educational authority in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, created by the Sejm and King Stanisław II August on October 1 ...

(''Komisja Edukacji Narodowej'') in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

in 1775. The Society's mandate was to design school

syllabus A syllabus (; plural ''syllabuses'' or ''syllabi'') or specification is a document that communicates information about an academic course or class and defines expectations and responsibilities. It is generally an overview or summary of the curric ...

es and

textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textbook ...

s for newly reformed schools.

History

Since education in Poland had until then been conducted mostly in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, the

faced the problem of an almost complete lack of textbooks. It was to cope with this problem that the Society for Elementary Books was formed. At times the scientists who worked on the new Polish-language textbooks had to invent the requisite specialized vocabulary. Much of the vocabulary that they invented, related to chemistry, physics, mathematics and grammar, is still in use today, and some of the Society's textbooks were in use as late as the Second Polish Republic (1918–39) The chairman of the Society for Elementary Books, in the years 1775-1791 was

Ignacy Potocki Count Roman Ignacy Potocki, generally known as Ignacy Potocki (; 1750–1809), was a Polish nobleman, member of the influential magnate Potocki family, owner of Klementowice and Olesin (near Kurów), a politician, writer, and office holder. H ...

, and in 1792

Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz ( , ; 6 February 1758 – 21 May 1841) was a Polish poet, playwright and statesman. He was a leading advocate for the Constitution of 3 May 1791. Early life Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz was born 6 February 1758 in Skoki, nea ...

. The main secretary, in the years 1775-1787, was Grzegorz Piramowicz, later

Franciszek Zabłocki Franciszek Zabłocki (2 January 1754, Volhynia – 10 September 1821, Końskowola), is considered the most distinguished Polish comic dramatist and satirist of the Enlightenment period. He descends from an old aristocratic family of Poland with ...

. Significant contributions to the Society's activities were put by

Hugo Kołłątaj Hugo Stumberg Kołłątaj, also spelled ''Kołłątay'' (pronounced , 1 April 1750 – 28 February 1812), was a prominent Polish constitutional reformer and educationalist, and one of the most prominent figures of the Polish Enlightenment. He s ...

. The ordinary members of the Society were also: John the Baptist Albertrandi, Józef Bogucicki, Paweł Czempiński, Jędrzej Gawroński, Szymon L'Huillier, Szczepan Hołowczyc, Adam Jakukiewicz, Grzegorz Kniażewicz, Józef Koblański Onufry Kopczyński, Feliks Łojko, Kazimierz Narbutt,

Antoni Popławski Antoni Popławski (1739–1799) was a Polish Piarist educator and economist. A physiocrat and a proponent of the emancipation of serfs, in 1774 he coined the term " noble democracy" to describe the political system of the Polish–Lithuanian Common ...

, Stefan Roussel, Sebastian Sierakowski,

Józef Wybicki Józef Rufin Wybicki (; 29 September 1747 – 10 March 1822) was a Polish szlachta, nobleman, jurist, Polish poet, poet, political and military activist of Kashubians, Kashubian descent. He is best remembered as the author of "Mazurek Dabrowskieg ...

and scientific directors in

Corps of Cadets (Warsaw) ''Szkoła Rycerska'' ( en, School of Chivalry) or ''Akademia Szlachecka Korpusu Kadetów Jego Królewskiej Mości i Rzeczypospolitej'' (English: ''Nobles' Academy of the Corps of Cadets of His Royal Majesty and the Commonwealth'') was the first st ...

- Christian Pfleiderer (German professor of mathematics) and Michał Jan Hube. The honorary members of the Society were: Jan Dubois de Jancigny, Piotr Samuel Dupont de Nemours and

Scipione Piattoli Scipione Piattoli (; 10 November 1749 – 12 April 1809) was an Italian Catholic priest—a Piarist—an educator, writer, and political activist, and a major figure of the Enlightenment in Poland. After ten years as a professor at the Universi ...

Teodor Wierzbowski: Protokóły posiedzeń Towarzystwa do Ksiąg Elementarnych 1775-1792. Warszawa: Komisya Edukacyjna, 1908. Famous books created by the Society included ''Elementarz dla szkół parafialnych'' and ''Gramatyka dla szkół narodowych z przypisami''. The Society was chaired by

, and its general secretary was Grzegorz Piramowicz.

made many important contributions to the Society's projects. Members included Onufry Kopczyński, Kazimierz Narbutt,

and the academic directors of the

Corps of Cadets— Ch. Pfleiderer (mathematics) and Michał Jan Hube. The Society was dissolved in 1792, in anticipation of the coming total dissolution of the Polish state.

References

Bibliography

* T. Wierzbowski: ''Komisja Edukacji Narodowej 1773-1794. Monografia historyczna'', t. 1: A. Opracowania i źródła drukowane, B. Źródła archiwalne, Warszawa 1911. * A. Jobert: ''La Commission d'Éducation Nationale en Polgne (1773-1794). Son oeuvre d'instruction civique'', Paryż 1941, s. 1-24. 1775 establishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1792 disestablishments in Europe Educational organisations based in Poland History of education in Poland 1790s disestablishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Science and technology in Poland {{Edu-org-stub