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    Published: 2022-12-30
    Vol. 29 No. 2 (2022)

    “The Jesuit Fathers beat well, but they teach even better.” From the times of Stanislaus August diarists on the Jesuit Society, its teaching, and educational methods

    Dariusz Rolnik
    Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings
    Section: Rozprawy i Artykuły
    https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2022.29.2.14

    Abstract

    Abstract

    The Jesuits and their teaching in the literature on the subject regarding the eighteenth century are presented rather negatively. Critical evaluations concern both the content and teaching methods used in Jesuit-run schools. It should be noted that the opinions of diarists are less severe in this respect. The diarists are more lenient towards the Jesuits, less critical. Although they see the shortcomings of the Jesuit schools, at the same time, they assess in terms of their contribution to the good of the Homeland. This is done primarily by those diarists who wrote their accounts after 1795, those who wrote their diaries before that date did not notice the problem of Jesuit education. The diaries also reflect the stereotype and mechanism of the formation of negative assessments of the Jesuits and their teaching. They indicate that the memorisation of Latin and the severity of education contributed to the criticism of Jesuit teaching. They also recognize that their model of a “good citizen” must have changed at the end of the eighteenth century. According to them, the “good citizen” was to serve the Republic of Poland and not the self-interests and anarchy of powerful lords.

    Keywords:

    Polish diaries, noble education, ideology of the Polish Enlightenment, Stanislaus August

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    Citation rules

    Rolnik, D. (2022). “The Jesuit Fathers beat well, but they teach even better.” From the times of Stanislaus August diarists on the Jesuit Society, its teaching, and educational methods. Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings, 29(2), 178–198. https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2022.29.2.14

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