Stanisław Staszic

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For the village in eastern Poland, see Staszic, Lublin Voivodeship.

Stanisław Staszic

Stanisław Staszic
Born(1755-11-06)6 November 1755
Piła, Poland
Died20 January 1826(1826-01-20) (aged 70)
Warsaw, Congress Poland
Occupation(s)Philosopher, educator and writer
EraAge of Enlightenment
RegionWestern philosophy
  • Polish philosophy
School

Stanisław Wawrzyniec Staszic

Constitution of 3 May 1791
, adopted by that Sejm.

He co-founded the Warsaw Society of Friends of Learning (precursor to the Polish Academy of Sciences), of which he became president. He served as a member of the State Council of the Duchy of Warsaw and as minister of trade and industry in Congress Poland. Staszic is seen as the father of Polish geology, statistics, sociology, Tatra Mountains studies and exploration, mining and industry.

Life

Early life

Stanisław Staszic was born into a burgher family in the town of Piła (he was baptised on 6 November 1755), the youngest of four siblings.[1] His father, Wawrzyniec Staszic, was mayor of Piła and a royal secretary.[1] His brothers were Antoni (1743–1775) and Andrzej (1745–1825), a priest.[1]

Staszic attended secondary school at

Jesuit school at Poznań in 1778 and was ordained a Catholic priest (he took lesser Holy orders in 1774, and higher orders about 1778–79).[1] Between 1779 and 1781 he continued his studies in France at the Collège de France, where he took classes in physics and natural history.[2]

On returning to Poland in 1781, he accepted a position as tutor in the house of

Zamojski Academy.[2] He translated several works from French into Polish and briefly worked at the academy as a teacher of French language.[2]

Reformer

Staszic by W. Barwicki

His Remarks upon the Life of Jan Zamoyski (Uwagi nad życiem Jana Zamoyskiego, 1787), published anonymously on the eve of the Great Sejm, transformed the little-known tutor into one of the chief political thinkers of the late 18th-century Commonwealth.[3] It became a model for other similar works[2] and began a flood of political books and pamphlets unprecedented in the Commonwealth's history.[3] It was reprinted numerous times, including in unauthorized editions.[2]

Within his Remarks, Staszic did not portray the life of Jan Zamoyski (1542–1605, one of the most prominent statesmen in Polish history[4]); rather, he argued that reforms are needed, and that Zamoyski had already proposed or supported many of them two centuries before.[3] Staszic was a strong partisan of reforms and an ardent advocate for the interests of the lower classes.[3] He advocated the abolition of the serfdom and improvements of the peasants' fate (by granting them land and private rights).[3] He criticised the szlachta (Polish nobility) for inefficient governance, and argued that it showed itself too inept to be allowed to govern alone.[3][5] He argued for a slight increase in taxes, which should allow the Commonwealth to create an army of 100,000 that would at least stand a chance against the still-larger armies of its neighbours.[3] Although he preferred republicanism in theory, in the Commonwealth context he agreed that a strengthening of the central (royal) power was the most practical solution for reforming the country, in line with the similar developments elsewhere in Europe.[3][5] In Remarks he even supported the introduction of an absolute monarchy in Poland.[6]

Staszic was a keen observer of the proceedings of the Great Sejm, spending much time in Warsaw since the Sejm began its deliberations in 1788.

Constitution of May 3, 1791.[8][9][10]

During 1790–1791 he accompanied Zamoyski's family on a trip abroad, and continued to serve as an adviser to the family, although his relations with the sons (

Sapieha families, invested in their estates, and lent them money.[6]

Late life

Polish Academy of Sciences (Staszic Palace), Warsaw
Staszic, 1820s

After Poland's partitions, in which Russia, Prussia, and Austria seized all of the Commonwealth's territory, Staszic was active in many scientific and scholarly initiatives. He studied the geology of the Carpathian Mountains.[6] In 1800 he co-founded the Warsaw Society of Friends of Learning; from 1802 he was one of its most active members.[6] In 1804 he went to France, where he observed the changes wrought by Napoleon.[6] On return to Poland in 1805, he spent some time in the Tatra Mountains, where he continued his geological studies and conducted ethnographic ones. He worked with Jan Chrystian Hoffmann on a geological map of Poland.[11] In the Duchy of Warsaw he worked with the Ministry of Education (Izba Edukacyjna Księstwa Warszawskiego) and was involved in numerous educational reforms and initiatives.[11] He also briefly worked with the Ministry of Treasury.[11]

From 1808 he was president of the

Society of Friends of Learning (Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk, or TPN), forerunner to the Polish Academy of Sciences (Polska Akademia Nauk); he would be elected repeatedly as the society's president until his death.[11] In 1808 he also became referendary to the State Council (Rada Stanu) of the Duchy; in 1810 he became a full member.[11] In the council, he was active in regard to questions of education and the economy.[12] As TPN president he was active in many initiatives which supported and popularized science in Poland.[12] He oversaw the construction of a headquarters for the TPN, which came to be known as the "Staszic Palace".[13][14]

From 1814 he supported the

Slavic monarchy.[12][15] After the fall of the Duchy of Warsaw in 1815, he became a member of the government of the newly created small state of Congress Poland (in personal union with Russia), initially in the new Ministry of Education and Religion, in 1816 serving as deputy minister.[15] In 1815 he was decorated with the Order of Saint Stanislaus.[15] In 1819 he endorsed a controversial censorship law, damaging his reputation.[13]

His 1815 Polish translation of Homer's

history of Polish philosophy.[13] However, the work ran afoul of the new censorship law and was not distributed, much of the edition eventually being destroyed.[13]

He also carried out studies on education and on human behavior, in a social-science tradition.[13] Some of his views and theories made him a precursor of evolutionism in the natural and social sciences.[14] In his essays on human nature, he declared for the primacy of science and was relatively critical of the influence of religion.[13] These views gained him some critics, as he was seen as a priest who had abandoned religion.[14]

From 1816 he was involved in mining research and projects.

Staropolski Okręg Przemysłowy).[13][16] As his projects did not result in quick returns, he incurred increasing criticism, and eventually resigned from his position in 1824.[16]

In 1816 he founded the Hrubieszowskie Towarzystwo Rolnicze (Hrubieszów Agricultural Society),[15] seen by some as the first Polish cooperative.[17]

Grave in Warsaw

He died in Warsaw on 20 January 1826, most likely due to a stroke.[14] His funeral gathered 20,000 people, including the viceroy of the Congress Poland, Józef Zajączek.[14] He was buried in the Camaldolese Hermit Monastery in Warsaw.[14] His testament left his property at Hrubieszów to its tenants, and much of his wealth went to various philanthropic initiatives.[16]

Private life

Staszic was remembered by his contemporaries as a loner and not a person who was quick to make friends.[14] He has been described as somewhat miserly; despite acquiring significant wealth, he was said to wear old clothes and use an old carriage.[14] He was nonetheless widely respected by his contemporaries.[14] He was seen as stern but honest, and had a tendency to speak in a fashion that some found amusing.[14]

Remembrance

Stanisław Staszic monument in Kielce

He is seen as one of the chief representatives of the political activists and writers of the Polish Enlightenment.

Constitution of May 3, 1791".[18] He was also the protagonist of the Charles Dickens' novella "Judge Not" (1851), and of Hanna Muszyńska-Hoffmanowa's novel "Pucharek ze srebra" (Little chalice of silver).[14] Wacław Berent published a biography of Staszic, but it is now lost.[14] In 1926, on the 100th anniversary of his death, he was celebrated in the Second Polish Republic with several studies, articles and publications.[14]

In April 1951, he was honoured on a postage stamp of the

AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków.[14] There are statues of Stanisław Staszic in Łódź, Kielce, Hrubieszów and Dąbrowa Górnicza.[14] Several geographical landmarks, minerals and a bacterium bear his name as well.[14] In Piła, there is a Museum of Stanisław Staszic, which has gathered various artifacts related to him, and publishes a journal, "Zeszyty Staszicowskie" (Staszic Notebooks).[20]

Awards

Works

His best-known works include the following:

  • "Remarks upon the Life of Jan Zamoyski" (Uwagi nad życiem Jana Zamoyskiego, 1787)[21]
  • "Warnings for Poland" (or Warnings to Poland, Przestrogi dla Polski, 1790)[22]
  • "On the Origin of Mountains in Former Sarmatia and Later Poland" (O ziemorództwie gór dawnej Sarmacji, potem Polski, 1815)[21]
  • "On the Reasons of Jewish Noxiousness" (O przyczynach szkodliwości Żydów, 1818)
  • "Humankind" (Ród Ludzki, 1820)[21]
  • A Polish translation of Homer's Iliad (1815).

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Staszic Stanisław, Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 175 (T.42/4), 2011, p.540
  2. ^ a b c d e f Staszic Stanisław, Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 175 (T.42/4), 2011, p.541
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-83-02-04615-5
    . Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  4. ISBN 978-0-313-03456-5
    . Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-90-04-23121-4
    . Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Staszic Stanisław, Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 175 (T.42/4), 2011, p.543
  7. ^ a b c d e f Staszic Stanisław, Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 175 (T.42/4), 2011, p.542
  8. ISBN 978-963-7326-52-3
    . Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  9. ISBN 978-0-295-80362-3
    . Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  10. ISBN 978-0-8108-7536-4
    . Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  11. ^ a b c d e Staszic Stanisław, Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 175 (T.42/4), 2011, p.544
  12. ^ a b c Staszic Stanisław, Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 175 (T.42/4), 2011, p.545
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Staszic Stanisław, Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 175 (T.42/4), 2011, p.547
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Staszic Stanisław, Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 175 (T.42/4), 2011, p.549
  15. ^ a b c d e f Staszic Stanisław, Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 175 (T.42/4), 2011, p.546
  16. ^ a b c d e f Staszic Stanisław, Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 175 (T.42/4), 2011, p.548
  17. ^ (in Polish) Historia miasta Archived 20 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Official town page.
  18. ISBN 978-83-7022-172-0
    .
  19. ^ The stamp was issued with a denomination of 25 groszy and is listed in Scott's Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue as Poland #511. "Poland" Scott, volume 5 (2011)
  20. ^ Staszic Stanisław, Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Zeszyt 175 (T.42/4), 2011, p.550
  21. ^ a b c "Stanisław Staszic" (in Polish). 26 April 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  22. ^ "Stanisław Staszic (1755-1826)" (in Polish). Retrieved 19 September 2021.

External links

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