Žiburys Society
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Žiburys Society (''žiburys'' means light, beacon; ) was a society established in 1906 that organized and maintained Lithuanian schools in the
Suwałki Governorate Suwałki Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of Congress Poland of the Russian Empire, which had its seat in the city of Suwałki. It covered a territory of about . History In 1867, the territories of the Augustów ...
of the
Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...
,
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
(later,
Suvalkija Suvalkija or Sudovia ( or ''Sūduva'') is the smallest of the five cultural regions of Lithuania. Its unofficial capital is Marijampolė. People from Suvalkija (Suvalkijans) are called (plural) or (singular) in Lithuanian. It is located sout ...
region of independent
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
). Organized and run by priests, the society supported and promoted Roman Catholic ideas and worldview. The society organized primary schools and later gymnasiums. In 1907, it established pro-gymnasium for girls in
Marijampolė Marijampolė (; also known by Marijampolė#Names, several other names) is the Capital city, capital of Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, bordering Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, and Lake Vištytis. The city's population stood ...
. In 1918, it established several
gymnasiums A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...
. Žiburys, along with other Lithuanian organizations, was closed by the new Soviet regime following the occupation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union in June 1940.


Establishment

After the failed
Uprising of 1863 The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last in ...
, the
Tsarist regime The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
enacted strict
Russification Russification (), Russianisation or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians adopt Russian culture and Russian language either voluntarily or as a result of a deliberate state policy. Russification was at times ...
policies: the Lithuanian press was prohibited, all non-government schools were closed, and government schools prohibited the use of the Lithuanian language. Lithuanians resisted such policies and organized illegal schools taught by daraktorius. The restrictions were lifted in 1904 and Lithuanians organized societies
Saulė Saulė (, ) is a solar goddess, the common Baltic solar deity in the Lithuanian and Latvian mythologies. The noun ''Saulė''/''Saule'' in the Lithuanian and Latvian languages is also the conventional name for the Sun and originates from the ...
(Sun) in the
Kovno Governorate Kovno Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Kovno (Kaunas). It was formed on 18 December 1842 by Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, Nicholas I from the western part of Vilna Govern ...
and Žiburys in the
Suwałki Governorate Suwałki Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of Congress Poland of the Russian Empire, which had its seat in the city of Suwałki. It covered a territory of about . History In 1867, the territories of the Augustów ...
to fund and operate Lithuanian schools. The Lithuanian Education Society Rytas in the
Vilna Governorate The Vilna Governorate was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Northwestern Krai of the Russian Empire. In 1897, the governorate covered an area of and had a population of 1,591,207 inhabitants. The governorate was defined by the Minsk Governo ...
was established only in 1913. Leftist Lithuanians established Šviesa (light), led by future president
Kazys Grinius Kazys Grinius (, 17 December 1866 – 4 June 1950) was the third President of Lithuania, holding the 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 r ...
, in December 1905. However, seven of its members left it in protest when the new society voted that the religious class should be taught by a regular teacher and not a priest. (The Tsarist regime closed Šviesa in 1908). Priest
Justinas Staugaitis Justinas Staugaitis (14 November 1866 near Šakiai – 8 July 1943, Telšiai) was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic bishop, politician, educator, and author. He was one of the twenty signatories to the Act of Independence of Lithuania. Biography ...
then took on to organize Žiburys and the founding meeting took place on 6 January 1906 in
Marijampolė Marijampolė (; also known by Marijampolė#Names, several other names) is the Capital city, capital of Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, bordering Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, and Lake Vištytis. The city's population stood ...
. Staugaitis was elected as chairman, but he was soon reassigned to
Lekėčiai Lekėčiai is a small town in the Šakiai District Municipality, Marijampolė County, in southwestern Lithuania. Location and geography Lekėčiai is located in the Šakiai District Municipality, Marijampolė County, in southwestern Lithuania. I ...
and priest
Motiejus Gustaitis Motiejus Gustaitis (27 February 1870 – 23 December 1927) was a Lithuanian Symbolist poet, who used numerous pseudonyms (among them Balandis, Bendrakelionis, Embė, G. M., K. M. G.). He was also a translator and educator, as well as a Catholic p ...
became the long-term chairman of Žiburys. The society was officially approved and registered on 15 May 1906.


Before World War I

In the Suwałki Governorate, most teachers were Lithuanian and taught in the Lithuanian language. Thus, the establishment of Lithuanian-language schools was less urgent than elsewhere. Initially, Žiburys established unofficial schools building on the traditions of daraktorius. In 1910, it officially registered nine primary schools with 465 students. In total, before World War I, the society had about 20 primary schools. On 22 September 1907, Žiburys opened a girls' pro-gymnasium with a dormitory in Marijampolė. It had 52 students in 1909 and 91 students in 1914. In 1908, the society invited Marija Pečkauskaitė (Šatrijos Ragana), who had studied pedagogy in Switzerland, to direct the pro-gymnasium. Twice the society petitioned the government of the
Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...
for a permission to elevate the school to gymnasium status but was refused. Its petitions for a boys' pro-gymnasium in
Sejny Sejny (; ) is a town in north-eastern Poland and the capital of Sejny County, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, close to the northern border with Lithuania and Belarus. It is located in the eastern part of the Suwałki Lake Area (), on the Marycha river ...
were similarly rejected. In 1907, the society established an evening school for adults in
Vilkaviškis Vilkaviškis () is a city in southwestern Lithuania, the administrative center of the Vilkaviškis District Municipality. It is located northwest from Marijampolė, at the confluence of and rivers. The city got its name from the Vilkauj ...
(50 students). The society also established local chapters that had small libraries and reading rooms. In 1909, there were 54 chapters with 3,556 members. In total, it had 58 libraries and 38 reading rooms. In 1911–1914, the society published five issues of the ''Žiburys'' magazine which reported on the activities of the society and discussed issues of Lithuanian education. Until 1918, the society did not receive any government funding and had to rely on school tuition, membership fees, and donations. To raise funds, Žiburys organized various public lectures (speakers included
Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas Juozas Tumas also known by the pen name Vaižgantas (20 September 1869 – 29 April 1933) was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and an activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. He was a prolific writer, editor of nine periodicals, universi ...
,
Petras Leonas Petras Leonas (1864–1938) was a Lithuanian attorney and politician, the first Minister of Justice of the newly independent Lithuania in 1918. After graduating from Moscow University in 1889, Leonas held a government job at various courts in S ...
, Marija Pečkauskaitė), music performances, amateur theater plays. The plays included drama ''Ponas ir mužikai'' by
Aleksandras Fromas-Gužutis Aleksandras Fromas known by his pen name Gužutis (1822–1900) was a Lithuanian writer, one of the first authors of Lithuanian plays and dramas. Born to a family of an office worker, Fromas received some education at the Kražiai College. He wo ...
, comedy by
Jean-François Bayard Jean-François Alfred Bayard (; 17 March 1796, Charolles, Saône-et-Loire – 20 February 1853, Paris) was a French playwright. He was the nephew of fellow playwright Eugène Scribe. Life As a law student and a lawyer's clerk, Bayard wrote with ...
, adaptation of ''Genovefa'' by
Christoph von Schmid Christoph von Schmid (15 August 1768 Dinkelsbühl, Bavaria – 3 September 1854 Augsburg) was a writer of children's stories and an educator. His stories were very popular and translated into many languages. His best known work in the English-s ...
, opera ''Birutė'' by
Mikas Petrauskas Mikas Petrauskas (1873–1937) was a Lithuanian composer and choirmaster best known as the author of the first Lithuanian Birutė (opera), opera ''Birutė'' (1906). He was an elder brother of the singer Kipras Petrauskas. Petrauskas learned to p ...
, ''Velnias spąstuose'' by
Žemaitė Žemaitė (, , "Samogitian woman") 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 major partici ...
and
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 started ...
, '' The Bear'' by
Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...
, ''Nepadėjus nėr ko kasti'' by
Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas Juozas Tumas also known by the pen name Vaižgantas (20 September 1869 – 29 April 1933) was a Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and an activist during the Lithuanian National Revival. He was a prolific writer, editor of nine periodicals, universi ...
. In 1914, society's chairman
Motiejus Gustaitis Motiejus Gustaitis (27 February 1870 – 23 December 1927) was a Lithuanian Symbolist poet, who used numerous pseudonyms (among them Balandis, Bendrakelionis, Embė, G. M., K. M. G.). He was also a translator and educator, as well as a Catholic p ...
traveled to United States to collect donations from
Lithuanian Americans Lithuanian Americans refer to American citizens and residents of Lithuanian descent or were born in Lithuania. New Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has the largest percentage of Lithuanian Americans (20.8%) in its population in the United States. ...
for the construction of a dedicated school building in Marijampolė, but the plans were interrupted by the outbreak of World War I.


Interwar period

During World War I, the girls' pro-gymnasium evacuated to
Tambov Tambov ( , ; rus, Тамбов, p=tɐmˈbof) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, Central Federal District, central Russia, at the confluence of the Tsna River (Moksha basin), Tsna ...
where it had about 180 students. In 1918, the society and its schools returned to newly independent Lithuania. Gymnasiums were established in
Šakiai Šakiai () is a city in the Marijampolė County, Lithuania. It is located west of Kaunas. History It is presumed that Šakiai first expanded from ''Šakaičai'' village, which was first mentioned in 1599. In 1719 Šakaičiai was renamed to Šaki ...
,
Prienai Prienai () is a city in Lithuania situated on the Nemunas River, south of Kaunas. In 2023, the city had 8,894 inhabitants. The name of the city is a derivative from the surname ''Prienas''. Pociūnai Airport is associated with the city. Histor ...
,
Vilkaviškis Vilkaviškis () is a city in southwestern Lithuania, the administrative center of the Vilkaviškis District Municipality. It is located northwest from Marijampolė, at the confluence of and rivers. The city got its name from the Vilkauj ...
,
Sejny Sejny (; ) is a town in north-eastern Poland and the capital of Sejny County, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, close to the northern border with Lithuania and Belarus. It is located in the eastern part of the Suwałki Lake Area (), on the Marycha river ...
(moved to
Lazdijai Lazdijai () is a city ('' miestas'') in Lithuania located about east of the border with Poland. History It was established by Sigismund II Augustus in 1570 and granted Magdeburg Rights by Sigismund III Vasa in 1587. During World War II, Lazdija ...
in 1921 due to the
Polish–Lithuanian War The Polish–Lithuanian War was an undeclared war fought in the aftermath of World War I between newly independent Lithuania and Poland, with fighting mainly in the Vilnius and Suwałki regions, which was part of the Lithuanian Wars of Independe ...
),
Kražiai Kražiai (; ; ) is a historic town (Lithuania), town in Lithuania, located in the Kelmė district municipality, between Varniai (32 km) and Raseiniai (44 km), on the River. The old town of Kražiai is an archeological and urban monument ...
even before the Lithuanian Ministry of Education was organized. In 1930s, these gymnasiums, except for the ones in Šakiai and Prienai, were taken over by the Lithuanian government. It was an intentional effort by the authoritarian regime of President
Antanas Smetona Antanas Smetona (; 10 August 1874 – 9 January 1944) was a Lithuanian intellectual, journalist and politician. He served as the first president of Lithuania from 1919 to 1920 and later as the authoritarian head of state from 1926 until the Occu ...
to reduce the influence of the Catholic Church and by extension its main political opponent the
Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party The Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party (, LKDP) was a Christian-democratic political party in Lithuania. History Russian Empire and Republic of Lithuania A Christian Democratic movement was established in Lithuania in 1890 by a group of Ro ...
. The society also established specialized schools, including an agricultural school for girls in Karkliniai in 1924 and a higher school of commerce in
Kybartai Kybartai is a town in Marijampolė County, Vilkaviškis District Municipality in south-western Lithuania. It is located west of Vilkaviškis and is on the border of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. History Kybartai was founded during the reign of ...
in 1925. To raise teachers' qualifications, Žiburys established two-year courses for teachers in
Pilviškiai Pilviškiai (, ''Pilveshok'') is a town in Vilkaviškis district municipality and in Marijampolė County History In the Jewish world, it was notable for being the first rabbinic post held by Rabbi Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg, who married and soon ...
and
Kudirkos Naumiestis Kudirkos Naumiestis () is a town in southern Lithuania. It is located south-west of Šakiai. History The settlement was first mentioned in 1561 as a village called ''Duoliebaičiai.'' In 1639 the town was renamed ''Vladislavovas'' () by Cec ...
. The society also established a kindergarten, several shelters for children and the elderly.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ziburys Society Lithuanian educational societies 1906 establishments in Lithuania 1940 disestablishments in Lithuania Organizations established in 1906 Organizations disestablished in 1940