AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
the assessment of individual areas of public enlightenment;
the analysis of activities carried out by various institutions,
for instance by Matica slovenská, Sokol, Spolok sv.
Vojtecha, Slovenská liga, YMCA (Young Men's Christian
Association) and YWCA (Young Women's Christian
Association);
legislative measures concerning public enlightenment and
the participation of different fields of culture in these
activities;
urgent fight against alcoholism.
Congress delegates had an opportunity to attend various cultural
events, among them unveiling of two commemorative plaques –
one dedicated to poet P. O. Hviezdoslav who studied at the Law
Academy of the Evangelical Collegium in Prešov in 1870 –
1872. The other plague was dedicated to writer Jonáš Záborský
and put up in a nearby village o
f Župčany, where he was a parish
pastor.
In the final hours of the congress, the participants adopted a
formal declaration in which they defined “the aim of popular
education - pious, moral, and educated nation” (Prvý slovenský,
1922, p. 1). They also appealed to the members of the
intelligentsia and urged them to dedicate all their energy and
capacities to public enlightenment.
Other appeals concerned: the use of Czechoslovak language in
all spheres of public administration; improvement of teacher’s
education, as an essential prerequisite for increasing the
educational level of working class; enforcement of the Act on
Public Libraries; protection of nature and national heritage; the
support from politicians and journalists in dissemination of
knowledge in a joint effort to “rid Slovakia of alcohol”, etc. The
first congress will also be remembered through a poem entitled
Vitajte nám, bratia! (Účastníkom slovenského kultúrneho zjazdu
v Prešove) [Welcome brothers! (To delegates of Slovak cultural
congress in Prešov] composed by Anton Prídavok with a date of
2 June 1922 (Prídavok-Umkin, 1922, p. 1).
The next congress, held in Štubnianske Teplice on 22 – 24 May
1926, was attended by 128 delegates of district and municipal
boards and local enlightenment committees, 70 students of
teacher training college and another 60 guests. In his
presentation, Matula, a head of the Popular Education
Department of the Ministry of Education and National
Enlightenment, defined the term popular education as “a
systematic stimulation of intellectual development and life of
adults outside of the regular schooling” (Matula, 1926, p. 15).
Other terms used at that time were: adult education, after school
education, non-formal education, popular enlightenment,
national enlightenment, workers’ enlightenment, or demo-
pedagogy. From the perspective of the state and the citizen, the
ideal goal of popular education was to re-educate the passive
serves into able, i.e. active, agile, enlightened, and disciplined
citizens who would be conscious of their rights and duties.
Krčméry, a secretary of Matica slovenská, opposed the idea of
educating people into being “Czechoslovaks”. Instead, he
defended the preservation of cultural particularities of Czechs
and Slovaks and promoted education in statehood based on
nationality, which would arouse in people permanent and
growing patriotism (Krčméry, 1926). In the adopted resolution,
the congress delegates demanded:
to establish county enlightenment associations;
to adjust working hours for teachers who were particularly
active in performing culturally enlightening activities;
to exempt public enlightenment events from fees;
to start at least one puppet theatre.
A compilation of 17 selected articles with discussions entitled
Zjazd ľudovýchovných pracovníkov zo Slovenska v
Štubnianskych Tepliciach na Turíce 1926 dňa 22. 23. a 24. mája
[Congress of Slovak Popular Educators in Štubnianske Teplice
on the Day of Pentecost 1926, 22 – 24 May] was published after
the congress. The compilation also contained an overview of 74
district enlightenment boards in Slovakia together with a list of
personnel.
The congress in Banská Bystrica was held between 2 and 6 July
1927. The delegates adopted a resolution in which they
demanded clerks and other intelligentsia circles to have a duty to
participate in enlightenment activities, just as teachers did. They
also suggested attaching more importance to the radio, launching
new radio stations in Bratislava and Košice, monitoring trashy
literature and screening of unsuitable films. At the same time,
the congress participants lodged a formal objection to
municipalities refusing to finance the purchase of books and
remunerate librarians.
The Resolution adopted at the congress of popular educators of
Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia held in Spišská Nová Ves
on 8 – 10 July 1929 addressed similar issues. It reads: “We are
fully aware of the growing interest in organising popular
educational activities not only among public officials, but also
among individuals. We know that the number of active public
educators from all different walks of life has been growing too.
There are, however, some unresolved issues that require urgent
intervention from the authorities and the general public alike”
(Rezolúcia [The Resolution], 1928, p. 9).
The pressing issues mentioned in the Resolution were:
systemization of vacancies for female teachers who could teach
courses for women in Slovak villages or help out in schools;
popular educators having an option to borrow books from
teachers’ libraries; extra attention given to communal libraries in
Eastern Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia, etc.
The chosen location for the next congress was Zvolen, but
eventually 131 representatives of the enlightenment boards and
committees met in Žilina on 4 to 6 July 1930. They went on trips
to Rajecké Teplice and Lietava Castle. The congress called for
greater engagement of the intelligentsia in the cultural-
enlightenment work. The 1930 Resolution proposed travelling
cinema in every county and the establishment of the House of
Culture [kultúrny dom] in every municipality, etc. (Rezolúcia
zjazdu [The Congress Resolution], 1930, pp. 14-15).
Exactly one year later, enlightenment workers and
representatives of the Federation of Slovak Students [Zväz
slovenského študentstva] and regional student associations met
at the 5
th
Congress in Zvolen on 4 – 6 July 1931. The delegates
remarked that “Slovakia, too, was hit by the economic crisis. Its
negative effects are also felt in popular education; subsidies for
the popular educational activities were reduced” (Snemovanie
[Session], 1931, p. 5).
In the discussion that followed the main presentations, delegates
pointed out the need to focus on dissemination of informative as
well as entertaining literature for adults, organization of courses
for the illiterate, promote development of amateur theatres,
organise courses for theatre directors, combat alcoholism, etc.
The biggest problem seemed to be the economic crisis. Despite
several resolutions and petitions, the authorities were forced to
reduce the budget assigned to cultural-enlightenment activities
and staff salaries.
For instance, in 1933, the budget for popular education and
public libraries totalled 2.2 million, which was down by 3.2
million (60%) in comparison to 1932 (Štátny rozpočet [State
Budget], 1933, p. 66). In those difficult times, the congress was
convened to Nitra and it was held between 5 and 6 July 1933.
The congress petitioned to adopt an amendment to the Act on
Public Libraries, which would clearly define the competencies of
library boards, their supervision, and the legal status of librarians
(Zjazd ľudovýchovných pracovníkov [Congress of popular
educators], 1933, p. 11). The financial crisis hit hard. In 1935,
only popular educators from the Eastern Slovakia attended the
next congress and in 1936, the congress was not convened
anymore.
- 176 -