![Varpas1889](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Varpas1889.jpg)
''Varpas'' (literally: ''The Bell'') was a monthly
Lithuanian-language
Lithuanian ( ) is an Eastern Baltic languages, Eastern Baltic language belonging to the Baltic languages, Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the official language of Lithuania and one of the official languages of the Europ ...
newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...
published during the
Lithuanian press ban from January 1889 to December 1905. Because its publication was illegal in Lithuania, then part of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, it was printed in Tilsit (current
Sovetsk Sovetsk (russian: Сове́тск) is the name of several urban localities in Russia.
*Sovetsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, formerly Tilsit
* Sovetsk, Kirov Oblast, a town in Sovetsky District of Kirov Oblast;
* Sovetsk, T ...
) and Ragnit (current
Neman
The Neman, Nioman, Nemunas or MemelTo bankside nations of the present: Lithuanian: be, Нёман, , ; russian: Неман, ''Neman''; past: ger, Memel (where touching Prussia only, otherwise Nieman); lv, Nemuna; et, Neemen; pl, Niemen; ...
) in German
East Prussia and smuggled into Lithuania by the
knygnešiai
Lithuanian book smugglers or Lithuanian book carriers ( lt, knygnešys, plural: lt, knygnešiaĩ, label=none) transported Lithuanian language books printed in the Latin alphabet into Lithuanian-speaking areas of the Russian Empire, defying a ba ...
(book smugglers). ''Varpas'', with circulation of about 500 to 1,000 copies, played a pivotal role in the
Lithuanian National Revival
The Lithuanian National Revival, alternatively the Lithuanian National Awakening or Lithuanian nationalism ( lt, Lietuvių tautinis atgimimas), was a period of the history of Lithuania in the 19th century at the time when a major part of Lithuania ...
. ''
Tautiška giesmė
"" (; literally "The National Hymn") is the national anthem of Lithuania, also known by its opening words, "" (official translation of the lyrics: "Lithuania, Our Homeland", literally: "Lithuania, Our Fatherland"), and as "" ("The National Anthem ...
'', one of poems by founder and editor
Vincas Kudirka written to commemorate the 10th anniversary of ''Varpas'', became the Lithuanian
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...
.
[Classic Lithuanian Literature Anthology] Editorial staff of ''Varpas'' later started two more specialized publications: more practical ''
Ūkininkas'' (''The Farmer'', 1890–1905) for less educated peasants and apolitical ''
Naujienos'' (''News'', 1901–1903) for general public.
History
After the first national Lithuanian newspaper ''
Aušra'' ceased publication in 1886 due to financial difficulties, activists sought to either revive or replace ''Aušra''. A group of Lithuanian students in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
organized publication of short-lived ''
Šviesa'', a monthly pro-Catholic newspaper that failed to satisfy liberal activists. Lithuanian students 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 ...
, led by Vincas Kudirka,
Jonas Gaidamavičius, and
Juozas Adomaitis-Šernas, organized society ''Lietuva'' (''Lithuania''). The society first thought of reviving secular ''Aušra'', but decided against it as it could have resurrected disputes with the clergy. Thus in January 1889 appeared a brand new newspaper ''Varpas''. It attempted to unite liberal, socialist, and Catholic fractions of the
Lithuanian National Revival
The Lithuanian National Revival, alternatively the Lithuanian National Awakening or Lithuanian nationalism ( lt, Lietuvių tautinis atgimimas), was a period of the history of Lithuania in the 19th century at the time when a major part of Lithuania ...
. Despite various difficulties (financial strains, delivery through underground knygnešiai network) it lasted longer than any other Lithuanian periodical of the period. ''Varpas'' played an important role forming ideas of Lithuanian nation and standardizing Lithuanian language. For example, in 1890 Kudirka published recommendations regarding Lithuanian orthography: he suggested to replace common "sz" and "cz" borrowed from Polish with new "š" and "č" borrowed from Czech. Both new letters are now integral part of standard Lithuanian.
Content
''Varpas'' was geared towards intelligentsia with stated goal to rise Lithuanian national consciousness and, ultimately, to achieve autonomy within the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
. Influenced by
Polish positivism
Polish Positivism was a social, literary and History of philosophy in Poland#Positivism, philosophical movement that became dominant in late-19th-century Partitions of Poland, partitioned Poland following the suppression of the January Uprising, J ...
, ''Varpas'' argued that Lithuanians could achieve this through work, economic development, education, and other non-violent means. Therefore, much of the articles included discussions about improving land reform, school system, health care, transportation network, etc. Some articles were more practical "how to" guides, but most remained theoretical lectures and discussions. About a quarter of ''Varpas'' content was related history. However, unlike ''Aušra'', it rejected
Romantic idealization of heroic past (which lead to two failed
uprisings in 1830 and
1863
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It proclaim ...
) and concentrated on more practical and useful contemporary history. Writers believed that understanding of current European politics could provide more beneficial than glorification of the old
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...
.
''Varpas'' was also a political newspaper, criticizing
Tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
ist policies, demanding abolition of the
Lithuanian press ban and other
Russification practices, and requesting equal cultural and political rights for all nations within the Russian empire. ''Varpas'' also maintained an anti-Polish position, but abandoned some oversimplified prejudice against Poles and Polonized Lithuanians that was apparent in ''Aušra''. For example, instead of blaming foreigners (Poles or Russians) for the demise of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, writers looked for internal reasons for the historical failures. However, the newspaper still called for development and strengthening of distinctively Lithuanian culture separate from Polish. Political demands included autonomy for Lithuania, but not resurrection of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...
. Towards the end of its publication and the
Russian Revolution of 1905
The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...
, ''Varpas'' became more socialist, including co-editor
Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas
Vincas Mickevičius (Polish spelling: Mickiewicz), known under his pen name ''Kapsukas'' ( – 17 February 1935), was a Lithuanian Communism, communist political activist, Opinion journalism, publicist and revolutionary.
As an active member of ...
, future leader of the
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (1918–1919)
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (LSSR) was a short-lived Soviet Puppet state during early Interwar period. It was declared on 16 December 1918 by a provisional revolutionary government led by Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas. It ceased to ...
.
Overall, the content of ''Varpas'' was extremely varied. In an attempt to unite various political fractions, efforts were made to include liberal, socialist, Catholic, and other articles. One column could contradict another.
Editors and contributors
Even though Kudirka officially edited just the first few issues of ''Varpas'', he is widely considered to be the driving force behind the newspaper. Up until his death in 1899, Kudirka wrote and edited influential column ''Tėvynės varpai'' (''Bells of the Homeland'') where he published articles on a variety of subjects: advocating unity among various social classes and political fractions for the greater benefit of the entire nation, satirical short stories mocking Russian authorities, theoretical articles about journalism and literature, etc. Other editors included
Juozas Adomaitis-Šernas,
Jurgis Šaulys
Jurgis Šaulys (; 1879–1948) was a Lithuanian economist, diplomat, and politician, and one of the twenty signatories to the 1918 Act of Independence of Lithuania.
Šaulys attended secondary school in Palanga and attended the Kaunas Theolo ...
,
Antanas Milukas,
Petras Mikolainis,
Martynas Jankus, ,
Povilas Višinskis
Povilas Višinskis (; 28 June 1875 – 23 April 1906) was a Lithuanian cultural and political activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. He is best remembered as a mentor of literary talent. He discovered Julija Žymantienė (Žemaitė) an ...
.
The newspaper, in line with its goal to promote Lithuanian language and literature, also published a number of literary works by various Lithuanian authors:
Pranas Mašiotas,
Vincas Kapsukas,
Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė
Gabrielė Petkevičaitė (; 18 March 1861 – 14 June 1943) was a Lithuanian educator, writer, and activist. Her pen name Bitė (''Bee'') eventually became part of her last name. Encouraged by Povilas Višinskis, she joined public life and start ...
,
Jonas Vileišis,
Žemaitė
Žemaitė (literally ''female Samogitian'') was the pen name of Julija Beniuševičiūtė-Žymantienė ( – 7 December 1921). She was a Lithuanian/Samogitian writer, democrat and educator. Born to impoverished gentry, she became one of the maj ...
,
Šatrijos Ragana,
Jonas Biliūnas,
Povilas Višinskis
Povilas Višinskis (; 28 June 1875 – 23 April 1906) was a Lithuanian cultural and political activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. He is best remembered as a mentor of literary talent. He discovered Julija Žymantienė (Žemaitė) an ...
,
Sofija Pšibiliauskienė, and others. Hoping to raise artistic quality, their works were reviewed by Kudirka and Stasys Matulaitis. Works by foreign authors were also translated and published in ''Varpas''. Academic articles on Lithuanian language and attempts to standardize it were published by
Jonas Jablonskis
Jonas Jablonskis (; 30 December 1860, in Kubilėliai, Šakiai district – 23 February 1930, in Kaunas) was a distinguished Lithuanian linguist and one of the founders of the standard Lithuanian language. He used the pseudonym ''Rygiškių Jon ...
. Future
President of Lithuania
The President of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Prezidentas) is the head of state of Lithuania. The officeholder has been Gitanas Nausėda since 12 July 2019.
Powers
The president has somewhat more executive authority th ...
Kazys Grinius
Kazys Grinius (, 17 December 18664 June 1950) was the third President of Lithuania, and held that office from 7 June 1926 to 17 December 1926. Previously, he had served as the fifth Prime Minister of Lithuania, from 19 June 1920 until his resignat ...
also contributed to the newspaper. Because the publication was illegal, many authors used various pen names and pseudonyms that changed frequently; a few articles were unsigned. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to determine actual authors. Overall, about 90 to 150 people (called ''varpininkai'') contributed to ''Varpas'', including a number of the contributors to ''Aušra''. Varpininkai organized annual conferences and meetings to discuss direction of the newspaper.
References
;Notes
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External links
Full-text archives of ''Varpas''
1889 establishments in the Russian Empire
Newspapers established in 1889
Publications disestablished in 1905
Lithuanian press ban
Lithuanian-language newspapers
Monthly newspapers
Defunct newspapers published in Lithuania
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