Eugene Hlebtsevich and the establishment of free public libraries in Belarus in the early twentieth century in the context of socio-political and cultural processes of the time
Eugene Hlebtsevich and the establishment of free public libraries in
Belarus in the early twentieth century in the context of socio-political and
cultural processes of the time
In the early twentieth-century in Czarist Russia, as well as
on its national border regions, including in Belarus (the so-called North-West
province), there was a series of democratic processes. There was a massive
struggle for social emancipation, which resulted in the Revolution 1905 - 1907
period, resulting from the tsarist monarchy was forced to transform itself into
a constitutional (launched Duma). On the outskirts of the national struggle for
social emancipation and reinforced by a battle for national interests. Tsarist
government to make certain concessions. So, December 25, 1904 was repealed a
ban on the Belarusian word in print, which operated since 1867. They began to
legally leave their native language Belarusian books, newspapers and magazines.
Intensified theatrical musical life. Unequivocal national coloring acquired
paintings. In general, this was the period of the Belarusian national revival.
On the cultural-historical arena there are such giants as Yanka Kupala and
Yakub Kolas in the literature, Ihnat Bujnicki in the theatrical sphere,
Euthymios Kars in philology and bibliography, Eugene Hlebtsevich in
Librarianship. In 1902, he formed the first Belarusian National Party AAH
(Belarusian Socialist Gromada) - Leading party of students, officials and
writers. In 1903, delegates of the Congress I took AAH program aimed at
achieving autonomy of Belarus. In 1906 at the II Congress of the AAH thesis
autonomy was deepened and assigned, supplemented by the idea of convening the
Diet. The most important centers of the Belarusian national revival were then
Vilna, Minsk, Grodno and Petersburg, which uchilos many young people from
Belarus, especially in the Grodno region.
In the wake of the national liberation movement arose
Belarusian scientific-literary circle of students of St. Petersburg University.
Members of the circle, and the first known later library activist Eugene
Hlebtsevich, who initiated the establishment of free public libraries in
Belarus. As the historian of librarianship MI Bye, "was created 11 public
libraries: nine in the Grodno province and two in Minsk. They distributed
literature among the residents of more than 100 villages "[1, pp. 55]. The
basis of these libraries were progressive book publisher FF Pavlenkov. Brother
Eugene Hlebtsevicha Vladimir wrote that "a well-known publisher Pavlenkov
donated as a bequest capital on the device of public libraries" [2, pp.
139]. Active participation in the selection of literature for public libraries
and their supply has democratic intelligentsia of Belarus. For example, Yanka
Kupala, who was at that time in St. Petersburg, ensure
people's library of publications of Belarusian publishing house "Look
sonce ³ ® our akontsa. Members of the Belarusian scientific and literary circles of
St. Petersburg University bustled about getting books from publishers
"Knowledge", "mediator" and others, organized evenings and
concerts, part of the collection of which was to purchase books for public
libraries. At the request of members of the group Petersburg Academy of
Sciences as an exception to free allocated libraries works of Russian classical
literature, sent their books Tolstoy, Gorky, Serafimovich. Due to public
libraries Belarusian peasants first opportunity
to get acquainted with the works of their national writers Yanka Kupala, Yakub
Kolas, aunts, F. Bahuševič and others, with the first Belarusian
newspaper "Our share" and "Nasha Niva".
The idea of free public libraries, the desire to make the
book accessible to the masses organically fit into the socialist ideology,
which had been committed and Eugene Hlebtsevich, an active worker masses. At
the invitation of aunts, he took part in the II Congress of AAH [3, pp. 194, 4,
pp. 70, 5, pp. 310, 6, pp. 652]. He was personally acquainted with many members
of this party: the same aunt, K. lanterns, A. Burbisom and others. The idea of
socialism in the best sense of the word is quite close to the Belarusian
mentality, our character. Since ancient times Belarus has its peculiar
distribution of popular socialism - toloka. During the agricultural works
provided free collective assistance to those in need: widows, soldiers' wives,
lonely elderly people. Do not accidentally press organs of the Belarusian
Socialist masses of the newspaper "Our share" and especially
"Nasha Niva" were truly all-country newspapers. At the Library
Science and literary themes in them actively published Eugene Hlebtsevich.
Socialist ideology, in its ideal, in the correct, undistorted
form and is close to universal values, the Christian religion. Father Eugene
Hlebtsevicha had direct relevance to the spiritual service. Ivan Hlebtsevich
taught arithmetic, ancient Greek and Latin languages, geography in Zhirovichi a
religious school and also headed the library Zhirovichi monastery. "In the
library very often visited his son, Eugene. He studied with his father, as one
must be able to read the book, to know it ", - notes the modern
ethnographer SN Chigrin [7, pp. 27]. Any library appears to us as a kind of
temple, especially the monastic library - this is all we can say, a temple in
the temple. Thus, since early childhood Eugene Hlebtsevich had the opportunity
to partake of God's great gift book, dreaming of making it socially meaningful,
accessible to all people. While studying Zhirovichi boy in a religious school
and Vilna Orthodox seminary only strengthened this desire. Then, when Eugene
Hlebtsevich was already a student at St. Petersburg University, plans to
"Library of socialism" were translated into real life. Connected to
this work and father Eugene. In the village of the district Kleniki Belsky
Grodno province, he headed the free public library, reading room named after FF
Pavlenkova, opened in 1907 through the efforts of his son Eugene. At the same
time here in Klenikah, Ivan Hlebtsevich served in the local church Orthodox
priest.
In 1911, Eugene Hlebtsevich attended the First All-Russia
Congress of Librarianship, where a presentation on "Library Development in
Belarus", in which great attention paid to the activity of free public
libraries. In 1912, student’s circle has issued a pamphlet in Kovno E.
Hlebtsevicha “Libraries and cooperation", one of the first works on the
theory and the organization of library science. Naturally, the basis for the
organization of library work by the author on the principle of the socialist
formation and functioning of national libraries. How researcher of library
science he wrote another book "The mass reader and anti-religious
propaganda", "general reader, and work with the book, the first of
which was published in Moscow and Leningrad in 1928, the second - in Moscow in
1936. The works were written in the spirit of socialism, in the spirit of
social justice, equality and democracy reader. E. Hlebtsevich still very
concerned about meeting the reading needs of the common man, and anti-religious
propaganda was to impose the Soviet socio-political model is a travesty and
distorts the true socialism. As literary critic E. Hlebtsevich published in St.
Petersburg in 1914 the book "Revival of the Belarusian populist literature",
reprinted in 1917 under the title "Populist Poetry Belarusians.
Domestic cultural studies and literary AM Petkevich with
regret that Eugene Hlebtsevich "in 1930 was forced to flee from the
Belarusian intellectuals fleeing pogroms in Russia" [8, pp. 24]. In
general, Eugene Hlebtsevich went down in history as the famous Belarusian, and
then the Russian researcher of library science as the best man of his time, the
initiator of creation in Belarus network of free public libraries. Ideas
Hlebtsevicha accessible books, knowledge and education lives in our country
today.