Z dziejów walki o wiarę i polskość pod zaborem pruskim („dialog” diecezjan polskich z biskupem chełmińskim A. Sedlagiem)

Abstract

The Prussian authorities, after having annexed the northern and western parts of Poland, tended to entirely germanize their native population and to turn them into protestants. They tried to achieve their aim by drawing German colonists into the country, substituting German schools for Polish ones, introducing the German language in offices, jurisdiction and even in church-life. In these circumstances the development of Polish culture was seriously handicapped until the thirties of the 19th century. I n those hard times the Polish community found in Christopher Celestin Mrongovius (1768–1855) a valient fighter for their cause, a man of highest merits as explorer and scholar, lecturing Polish first in Elbląg, later in Gdańsk, whose work was to be continued by Florian Ceynowa (1817–1881), particularly in the field of exploring the Kashubian region. To the revival of the national spirit in the revolutionary period, called springtide of nations, contributed particularly the Polish League (Liga Polska), founded in Berlin and acting in the years 1848–1850 in Silesia, Major-Poland (Wielkopolska) and Pomerania. With the increase of national consciousness in Pomerania went hand in hand the cultural and economic activities to improve the standard of living of the Polish population, especially of families with numerous children. Taking advantage of the short period of liberty brought about by the springtide of nations, the Polish community demanded resolutely from the Prussian authorities the restoration of the Polish language in offices, schools and indeed also in the churches. The native population insisted on having sermons, hymns, songs and teaching of religion in Polish. It was mainly a matter of bringing the Polish youth up on principles of Christian ethics. The Polish people submitted their desiderata in form of petitions, from which we are now able to learn much about the conditiones they lived them in. The above article discussed petitions of the Polish population of Pomarania, particularly of Gdańsk, submitted to the bishop A. Sedlag (1834–1856) in the years 1848 and 1849. From the bishops „Appeal” to the Polish members of the diocese of December 26th, 1848, which was the answer to the petition of the diocesans of Toruń, we can gather that there arose a dispute between the German bishop and the Polish community on acount of the want of Polish priests or at least of such as Knew Polish enough to be understood by the Polish population. The bishop argued in his „Appeal" that the whole blame for the lack of Polish priests was to be put on Polish parents, because they didn't send their sons to the theological seminary, whereas the Poles justly maintained that the blame lay entirely in the Prussian system of germanisation, rendering it impossible to educate the Polish youth in the national spirit. Most significant was the fact that the Polish League existed also in Gdańsk, which was severely exposed to the pressure of germanisation. It counted about 228 members. Chairman and the soul of it was a young priest, curate at the church of St. Joseph, Maximilian Królikowski. These facts can be established on the base of the correspondence between the president of the Prussian Regency in Gdańsk, v. Blumenthal, and the bishop A. Sedlag, also on the base of the report of the president of police in Gdańsk, v. Clausewitz, both sources of information having been preserved to our days in the archives. These facts prove the vitality and energy of the Pomeranian community, shown in those dark hours, after the Poles had lost their national independence. At the same time they testified to the impotence of the germanising pressure exercised on the Polish population in order to deprive them of their nationality.