Historical story

A good patriot is a green patriot. How ecological was the Second Polish Republic?

Ecology is not an invention of the last decades. In pre-war Poland, not only the Bolsheviks and the opposition were fought with enthusiasm, but also the destruction of nature. Mandatory tree planting holidays and ecology as a test of social culture. Here is the Republic of A.D. 1930.

The pioneers of ecology started their activities during the partitions. This group included, among others, Jan Gwalbert Pawlikowski, Władysław Szafer, Bolesław Hryniewski and Adam Wodziczka. They continued their work after Poland regained independence in 1918 and called for educating the whole society in the field of nature protection. In the article "Shaping environmental awareness in the Second Republic of Poland", Edyta Wolter from the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University presents the activities of these researchers and their achievements for Polish environmental education and legislation in this field.

Do you love your country? Look after trees and don't tire the animals

In her article, the researcher reveals unknown and forgotten sources, in which we read, for example, that the best law will not change anything if the society is not properly educated, and the proper relationship between man and nature is a reliable test of culture.

Another cheerful ecologist ... (cover of "Światowid" from September 1929).

The Ministry of Religious Denominations and Public Education, as early as 1923, issued a circular addressed to all school authorities, which explained the rules of organizing the tree planting festival obligatory in schools - in spring and autumn. It was planned that each child would receive one care tree to symbolize love for nature and the homeland.

In addition, the Minister forbade lower and higher lower secondary school teachers from suffering animals during biological observations. School farms were to serve not only to get to know the life of animals, but also to develop friendly feelings towards them. The ministry also encouraged the establishment of school gardens (the Society for the Support of School Gardens was helping) and the organization of tourist and sightseeing tours. They were supposed not only to shape the aesthetic sensitivity of young people, but also ... to evoke patriotic and civic feelings in them!

Don't throw stones at the toad!

The author also presents us with the entire reading canon - both domestic authors and authors translated from foreign languages. Students learned from them how to create the right conditions for plants to develop, how trees clean the air, and developed attitudes of respect for animals. In one of the books we read, for example:"do not throw stones at a toad, otherwise you would deprive the garden of a brave defender."

"Sweet fruits of autumn". Cover of Światowid from September 1926.

Children were also made aware of the knowledge about the animals' living environment and their needs, e.g. the fact that in winter birds suffer from hunger and tormented animals feel pain. An important element of the educational process was the protection of plants, trees, animals and birds.

Minister Sławomir Czerwiński also issued a circular in 1929 referring to the value of deliberate collection of waste paper. He argued that paper and old newspapers can be used as recyclable materials, and that all probation offices and inspectorates, secondary schools and teacher training institutions should be involved in collecting them. So if you went to school at the end of the 20th century and you thought that collecting rubbish from the pitch was a novelty - know that your grandparents, and maybe even great-grandparents did the same.

The source of the above news is:

E. Wolter, Shaping environmental awareness in the Second Polish Republic , "Quarterly of the History of Science and Technology", No. 2 (58) / 2013

Historical news. What's the matter?

The "historical news" column is the latest news from the world of history. We are looking for missed and concealed discoveries of Polish (and not only) scientists. We show that there is always something going on in research on the past.
Our news is short and accessible. On 2-3 thousand signs, we will summarize for you the discoveries that scientists have made on dozens of pages of hermetic works. We only write about what really matters. No boring.
We rely on scientific publications from the last 18 months . In the world of history, news spreads slowly, and academic works reach potential recipients with a long delay. What in other fields ceases to be news after 24 hours in history may be even a year later.
When preparing news, we follow the list of the most prestigious historical periodicals. If you are a publisher or author and would like us to reach for a specific publication - please send it to the correspondence address of our editorial office or in an electronic version.