EugeneHlebtsevich and the establishment of free public libraries in Belarus in the early twentieth century in the context of socio-political and cultural processes ofthe time
In the earlytwentieth-century in Czarist Russia, as well as on its national border regions,including in Belarus (the so-called North-West province), there was a series ofdemocratic processes. There was a massive struggle for social emancipation,which resulted in the Revolution 1905 — 1907 period, resulting from the tsaristmonarchy was forced to transform itself into a constitutional (launched Duma).On the outskirts of the national struggle for social emancipation andreinforced by a battle for national interests. Tsarist government to makecertain concessions. So, December 25, 1904 was repealed a ban on the Belarusianword in print, which operated since 1867. They began to legally leave theirnative language Belarusian books, newspapers and magazines. Intensifiedtheatrical musical life. Unequivocal national coloring acquired paintings. Ingeneral, this was the period of the Belarusian national revival. On thecultural-historical arena there are such giants as Yanka Kupala and Yakub Kolasin the literature, Ihnat Bujnicki in the theatrical sphere, Euthymios Kars inphilology and bibliography, Eugene Hlebtsevich in Librarianship. In 1902, heformed the first Belarusian National Party AAH (Belarusian Socialist Gromada) — Leading party of students, officials and writers. In 1903, delegates of theCongress I took AAH program aimed at achieving autonomy of Belarus. In 1906 at the II Congress of the AAH thesis autonomy was deepened and assigned,supplemented by the idea of convening the Diet. The most important centers ofthe Belarusian national revival were then Vilna, Minsk, Grodno and Petersburg, which uchilos many young people from Belarus, especially in the Grodno region.
In the wake ofthe national liberation movement arose Belarusian scientific-literary circle ofstudents of St. Petersburg University. Members of the circle, and the firstknown later library activist Eugene Hlebtsevich, who initiated theestablishment of free public libraries in Belarus. As the historian oflibrarianship MI Bye, «was created 11 public libraries: nine in the Grodno province and two in Minsk. They distributed literature among the residents of morethan 100 villages „[1, pp. 55]. The basis of these libraries wereprogressive book publisher FF Pavlenkov. Brother Eugene Hlebtsevicha Vladimirwrote that “a well-known publisher Pavlenkov donated as a bequest capitalon the device of public libraries» [2, pp. 139]. Active participation inthe selection of literature for public libraries and their supply hasdemocratic intelligentsia of Belarus. For example, Yanka Kupala, who was atthat time in St. Petersburg, ensure people's library of publications ofBelarusian publishing house «Look sonce ³ ® our akontsa. Members ofthe Belarusian scientific and literary circles of St. Petersburg Universitybustled about getting books from publishers „Knowledge“,»mediator" and others, organized evenings and concerts, part of thecollection of which was to purchase books for public libraries. At the requestof members of the group Petersburg Academy of Sciences as an exception to freeallocated libraries works of Russian classical literature, sent their booksTolstoy, Gorky, Serafimovich. Due to public libraries Belarusian peasants firstopportunity to get acquainted with the works of their national writers YankaKupala, Yakub Kolas, aunts, F. Bahuševič and others, with the firstBelarusian newspaper «Our share» and «Nasha Niva».
The idea offree public libraries, the desire to make the book accessible to the massesorganically fit into the socialist ideology, which had been committed andEugene Hlebtsevich, an active worker masses. At the invitation of aunts, hetook part in the II Congress of AAH [3, pp. 194, 4, pp. 70, 5, pp. 310, 6, pp.652]. He was personally acquainted with many members of this party: the sameaunt, K. lanterns, A. Burbisom and others. The idea of socialism in the bestsense of the word is quite close to the Belarusian mentality, our character.Since ancient times Belarus has its peculiar distribution of popular socialism- toloka. During the agricultural works provided free collective assistance tothose in need: widows, soldiers' wives, lonely elderly people. Do notaccidentally press organs of the Belarusian Socialist masses of the newspaper«Our share» and especially «Nasha Niva» were trulyall-country newspapers. At the Library Science and literary themes in themactively published Eugene Hlebtsevich.
Socialistideology, in its ideal, in the correct, undistorted form and is close touniversal values, the Christian religion. Father Eugene Hlebtsevicha had directrelevance to the spiritual service. Ivan Hlebtsevich taught arithmetic, ancientGreek and Latin languages, geography in Zhirovichi a religious school and also headedthe library Zhirovichi monastery. «In the library very often visited hisson, Eugene. He studied with his father, as one must be able to read the book,to know it », — notes the modern ethnographer SN Chigrin [7, pp. 27]. Anylibrary appears to us as a kind of temple, especially the monastic library — this is all we can say, a temple in the temple. Thus, since early childhoodEugene Hlebtsevich had the opportunity to partake of God's great gift book,dreaming of making it socially meaningful, accessible to all people. Whilestudying Zhirovichi boy in a religious school and Vilna Orthodox seminary onlystrengthened this desire. Then, when Eugene Hlebtsevich was already a studentat St. Petersburg University, plans to «Library of socialism» weretranslated into real life. Connected to this work and father Eugene. In thevillage of the district Kleniki Belsky Grodno province, he headed the freepublic library, reading room named after FF Pavlenkova, opened in 1907 throughthe efforts of his son Eugene. At the same time here in Klenikah, IvanHlebtsevich served in the local church Orthodox priest.
In 1911,Eugene Hlebtsevich attended the First All-Russia Congress of Librarianship,where a presentation on «Library Development in Belarus», in whichgreat attention paid to the activity of free public libraries. In 1912, student’scircle has issued a pamphlet in Kovno E. Hlebtsevicha “Libraries andcooperation", one of the first works on the theory and the organization oflibrary science. Naturally, the basis for the organization of library work bythe author on the principle of the socialist formation and functioning ofnational libraries. How researcher of library science he wrote another book«The mass reader and anti-religious propaganda», «generalreader, and work with the book, the first of which was published in Moscow and Leningrad in 1928, the second — in Moscow in 1936. The works were written inthe spirit of socialism, in the spirit of social justice, equality anddemocracy reader. E. Hlebtsevich still very concerned about meeting the readingneeds of the common man, and anti-religious propaganda was to impose the Sovietsocio-political model is a travesty and distorts the true socialism. Asliterary critic E. Hlebtsevich published in St. Petersburg in 1914 the book»Revival of the Belarusian populist literature", reprinted in 1917under the title «Populist Poetry Belarusians.
Domesticcultural studies and literary AM Petkevich with regret that Eugene Hlebtsevich»in 1930 was forced to flee from the Belarusian intellectuals fleeingpogroms in Russia" [8, pp. 24]. In general, Eugene Hlebtsevich went downin history as the famous Belarusian, and then the Russian researcher of libraryscience as the best man of his time, the initiator of creation in Belarus network of free public libraries. Ideas Hlebtsevicha accessible books, knowledgeand education lives in our country today.