Nursing Activity of the Congregation of Sisters Servants of the Old Town in Eastern Lesser Poland in the second half of the 19th century

Abstract

In the vast majority of establishments, the relations between the sisters and the local community were correct or good. They were valued for their dedication, modesty, diligence and perseverance. Huge hopes were placed everywhere about their work in nurseries. It was hoped that the orphanage would not only be a place of care for abandoned, neglected and deprived of Christian upbringing children, but also contribute to raising the spiritual leve of parishioners.

This review is not only an evaluation attempt, but also a recommendation of the book «Care and upbringing of a small child» in the pages of magazines at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries by Prof. Stefania Walasek. The book consists of an introduction, six chapters, ending, conclusion (in English), bibliography, index of geographical names, and index of names. The structure of the publication is determined by the research questions posed by the author in the Introduction: «through what institutional forms were the care and educational tasks addressed to a young child carried out? To what extent have the undertaken activities supported the child’s development? Did they constitute a significant support for the family, both in material and pedagogical terms? What was the contribution of Polish educators in creating the theory of care and educational work with a small child?» (p. 9). Successively, in the first chapter, the author describes the activities of nurseries, starting from the socio-economic situation of children, which were primarily addressed to children from the poorest social strata. A significant influence on the establishment and development of the institution of the orphanage had Bl. Fr. Edmund Bojanowski or count. August Cieszkowski, as well as numerous societies and committees focused on helping children. The content of the second chapter is a presentation of selected representatives of pedagogical thought and social activists and their views on the care and upbringing of children. The author recalls such names as: Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski, Antoni Popławski, W. Nowicki, Stanisław Jachowicz, August Cieszkowski, Adam Goltz, Blessed Edmund Bojanowski, Ludwik Górski, Józef Montwiłł, Bronisław Trentowski, Ewaryst Estkowski, August Adam Jeske, Tomasz Dziekoński, Mieczysław Baranowski, Jan Władysław Dawid, Stanisław Karpowicz, as well as Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Maria Pape-Carpentier, Jan Svoboda and Frederick Wilhelm Froelm. The third chapter refers to the aforementioned Froebel and his concept of Frebler gardens, which in Poland experienced their development, often departing from rigid norms and rules towards original, peculiar solutions. The fourth chapter presents the promotion of childcare among the organizations of women operating at that time, such as the Union of Polish-Catholic Charitable Societies, the United Circle of Landowners, the Union of Małopolska Landowners, Circle of Ladies of the People’s School Society, the Polish Union of Catholic Women, or the Union of Upper Silesia Women’s Societies. Chapter five directs the reader towards the emergence of the concept of kindergarten as a new form of work with the youngest. The last, sixth chapter, in which the author refers to other forms of care for young children, such as the Jordan and Rau gardens, completes the presented issues. Reading the book under review confirms our belief that the press is an important source for historians of education. To conclude this presentation, we have an irresistible desire to ask ourselves whether the value of the book under review matters only for the historian of upbringing, or whether we can implement its content to the contemporary challenges of care and education? In my opinion, the answer to this question can be found in many contemporary, extremely interesting initiatives aimed at improving the fate of a child.