A bit of history about my region under Russian rule at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Russian social organizations in the Kingdom of Poland in the Lublin Governorate in the years 1861-1914 and from 1912 in the Che?m Governorate. /selected fragments/.

The source base for the history of cultural and social organizations in the Lublin and Siedlce governorates in the second half of the 19th century are state archives. The following groups are kept in the State Archives in Lublin: Che?m Guberniany Office for Associations (1912-1916), Lublin Guberniany Office for Associations (1906-1915), Siedlce Guberniany Office for Associations (1906-1912), Chancellery of the Governor of Lublin (1867) -1915) and the Lublin Governorate Government - Administrative Department - Inspectorate and Supervisory Department (1867-1915). The condition of the groups is average. They are supplemented by a partially preserved set of "The Chancellery of the General-Governor of Warsaw (1874-1917)" kept in the Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw. The last office mediated in the exchange of correspondence between governors and the central offices of the Russian Empire, and also supervised the activities of social organizations, especially until 1905.

Previous studies of cultural life in the Kingdom of Poland are reflected in the publications of the authors listed below. Maria Barbara Styk presented some of the associations conducting amateur theater activities in the Lublin region, and Stefan Kruk - in Lublin. The Musical Society in Opole Lubelskie was mentioned by Bronis?aw Mikulec. The Jewish musical and literary association in Lublin was mentioned by Gertruda Sowińska, and in Siedlce by Edward Kopówka. The history of the public library society promoting culture. Hieronim ?opaciński in Lublin was published by Kazimiera Gawarecka and Maria Gawarecka, and mentioned by Ryszard Bender and Andrzej Przegaliński. The establishment of the Public Library and Reading Room Society in Zamo?? was presented by Robert Urban. The Lublin Scientific and Literary Society and the "Lublin Museum" Society, which combine cultural and scientific goals in their activities, were mentioned by R. Bender. Most cultural and social organizations operating in Lublin mention Wies?aw ?ladkowski in his synthesis of the city's history.

The general increase in population and the constant increase in the levels of its income and education resulted in the collapse of the basic structures of churches and religious associations as the main centers of social life in the second half of the 19th century, especially in cities and settlements. More and more different types of organizations began to be established, including cultural and social ones. This was also conditioned by the expansion of the social scope of the phenomenon of "free time", which was previously available mainly to the upper classes, and then gradually covered the middle and then lower classes.

The desire of Russians to create social and cultural organizations in the Kingdom of Poland, including in the Lublin and Siedlce governorates, was conditioned primarily by the sense of alienation in new places of settlement, and often also by the lack of families. Russian government officials and military and police officers were frequently transferred from one city to another within the Russian Empire. Participating in the activities of associations filled their "free time". Among other national groups, the establishment of this type of organization resulted mainly from the needs of passive and active participation in culture. They were also a manifestation of the progressive disintegration of extensive family ties. The purpose of the social gatherings was to provide members with the opportunity to enjoy their free time. Their activities focused on maintaining club rooms and the newspaper and book reading room. Resursy subscribed to numerous press titles and collected books that were used on site. With the consent of the governors, musical, literary and theatrical evenings were occasionally organized there. Balls were also organized there, especially during carnival.

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In 1861, there was an Officer's Resource Center in Zamo??. In 1868, government officials and officers applied for permission to formally establish the Russian Nobility Assembly in the city. Its statute was approved on March 2/14, 1869 by the Minister of Internal Affairs. The club officially opened on December 31, 1869/January 12, 1870. Since the approved statute was consistent with the model one from 1875, it was not changed. In the 1880s, in addition to the numerically dominant Russians, there were several Poles among the members of the service. In 1888, the organization had 56 officers and 33 townspeople, including 84 Russians and five Poles, while in 1890 there were 28 and 44, respectively. Only Russians sat on the nine-person board, and its president was Colonel Mrlov. In accordance with the restrictive model statute, on March 9/21, 1891, the minister approved the new statute of the Zamo?? organization, which did not limit its membership to Russians. At the same time, its name was changed to Zamo?? Social Meeting (AGAD, KGGW, 2565; APLub, KGL, 1885:218, 1888:419, 1890:243/a, 1895:335; APLub, RGL-Adm I, 1868:245, 1879: 33). It was probably liquidated at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries due to lack of members.

After the liquidation of the separate army in the Kingdom of Poland, garrisons of Russian troops were deployed in its territory. After the failure of the January Uprising, Russians - state officials - began to arrive in large numbers. They were often lonely, and even those with families felt alienated in their new places of settlement. Most of their stays were relatively short. They created social organizations whose aim was to provide their members with the opportunity to spend their free time pleasantly. Their activities focused on maintaining club rooms and the newspaper and book reading room. Resursy subscribed to numerous press titles and collected books that were used on site. With the consent of the governors, musical, literary and theatrical evenings were occasionally organized there, to which professional musicians, poets and prose writers were invited.

On November 29/December 11, 1875, the Minister of Internal Affairs approved the model statute for social gatherings throughout the Russian Empire. According to it, the resource bodies were nine-person boards, three-person audit committees and general meetings of members, which could only be men. The right to approve the organization's statute belonged to the minister. The liberal model statute of social organizations from 1875 was questioned at the end of the 1980s. On June 6/18, 1890, the deputy minister approved a new, separate model statute for social meetings in the Kingdom of Poland. The most important changes he introduced were: at least 1/2 of the board's composition was to be Russians, and it included the district head without elections; the activities of the Orthodox Church on holidays were banned and the Russian language used in the club and documentation was introduced as a mandatory language. The right to register resources was retained by the Minister of Internal Affairs.

There is a mention of the activities of the Officers' Meeting in Bi?goraj from 1879 (APLub, RGL-Adm I, 1879:33). In the years 1869-1871, officers tried to legalize the Noble Meeting in Janów Lubelski. They were met with the refusal of the governor of the Kingdom of Poland, because the draft statute was fundamentally different from those previously approved (APLub, RGL-Adm I, 1869:291).

Russian public officials and military officers did not limit their contact to passive reception of culture in resources. They were the forerunners of creating organizations in the Kingdom of Poland organizing amateur music concerts and theater performances, as well as reading belles-lettres and poetry. The statute of the first of them, the Russian Society of Lovers of Music and Theater Art in Che?m, was approved on June 20/July 2, 1890 by the Minister of Internal Affairs, who had powers in this respect. In 1895, it had 145 members, including 95 men and 50 women (APLub, KGL, 1889:103, 1895:335; APLub, RGL-Adm I, 1907:136).

In addition to lay people, the Orthodox clergy also engaged in charitable activities. From 1879 there is a mention of the existence of a Protective Society at the Orthodox Church in Che?m (APLub, RGL-Adm I,1879:33). On December 22, 1898/January 3, 1899, Archbishop Hieronim legalized the Orthodox Guardianship Society at the Cathedral Church of St. Trinity in ?om?a (AGAD, KGGW, 2803; APBia?, KG?, 1033). Both associations maintained shelters for children.

Attempts to establish a society to help poor students of the Marian Girls' School in Che?m in 1899-1900 (APLub, KGL, 1899:271) and a society to help poor students of the Institute of Agriculture and Forestry in Pu?awy in 1900-1903 (APLub, RGL-Adm) failed. I, 1902:90), due to the inconsistency of the draft statutes with the model one. The Russians failed to create a second mutual aid society in the event of death in ?ód? in 1903-1904 (AP?ód?, RGP-Adm, 7174, 7080).

The new statute of the Lublin Society Meeting was registered on December 29, 1912/January 11, 1913 (APLub, LGUds.Stow, 16, 125), and the Russian Society Meeting in Warsaw on January 17/30, 1913 (APWar, WGUds.Stow, 981 ). The Che?m Resource, whose statute did not formally limit membership to Russians, under the influence of the emerging modern national consciousness at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, in fact became a Russian organization. After unsuccessful attempts to change the statute in the years 1907-1909, a new one, limiting its membership and changing its name to the Russian Society Meeting in Che?m, was registered on April 8/21, 1914 (APLub, RGL-Adm I, 1907:136; APLub, ChGUds. Stow, 149).

Government officials from various ministries and army officers and their wives established charitable organizations. Two competing social groups in Che?m led to the legalization of the Russian Charitable Society in the city on May 9/22, 1907, and on May 19/June 1 of the same year, the Russian Women's Charity Circle. The president of the first association was the wife of the director of the Marian school, Viera Vyszniakova. The second organization was to focus its efforts on helping children. Due to limited financial possibilities, it was decided to combine both into the Russian Women's Charitable Society, which was entered into the register on January 16/29, 1910. Its first president was the wife of a tax official, Elena Siemynovskaja (AGAD, KGGW, 7457, 7521; APLub, LGUds.Stow, 14, 15, 153; APLub, RGL-Adm I, 1907:63).

The Russian Charitable Society in Hrubieszów, whose statute was approved on July 4/17, 1908, in addition to helping the poor, planned to open an agricultural and beekeeping school in the city for young people from the Kielce, Lublin, Radom and Siedlce governorates. It was headed by O. Milkov (1910) and L. Maliuk (1911). In 1911, it had 69 members (AGAD, KGGW, 7354; APLub, LGUds.Stow, 15, 154).

Following the inspiration of the head of the Orthodox theological seminary, Mikhail Kobrin, and a group of teachers and government officials, on January 8/21, 1908, the Russian Consumers' Association in Che?m was registered as a headquarters to gather local cooperatives, whose members were to be officially only Russians. It was hoped that many Ukrainian Orthodox peasants would join this organization (AGAD, KGGW, 6834; APLub, RGLAdm I, 1908:8).

Just before the formal establishment of the Che?m Governorate, the Main Board of Agrarian Reform and Agriculture, on April 14/27, 1912, registered the Russian Agricultural Society of Che?m and Podlasie with its headquarters in Che?m. In addition to carrying out economic tasks, it was supposed to support cultural life. Orthodox Archbishop Jevlogij (1912-1914) became the chairman of the society. In 1914, it had 106 actual members and 29 supporting members. The actual members included: 50 Orthodox clergy, 46 government officials, six peasants, two landowners and two teachers of folk schools; and among the supporters: 14 officials, 11 clergy and four women (APLub, RGL-Adm I, 1913:82). Under the inspiration of the state authorities, the above-mentioned M. Kobrin, together with a group of teachers and state officials, founded the People's Educational Society of Che?m Rus, based in Che?m. It was registered on June 25//July 8, 1907. The aim of the organization was the socio-political and economic development of the Che?m region and Podlasie. In the years 1909-1910 it had 213 actual and 301 supporting members (AGAD, KGGW, 7198; APLub, KGL, 1908:150/st.I; APLub, LGUds.Stow, 15, 134; APLub, RGL-Adm I, 1908 :8).

In the years 1875-1877, state officials and landowners tried to legalize the nobility meeting in Hrubieszów, encountering the governor's opposition. Officials returned to the plans in March 1882. The statute of the Hrubieszów Society Meeting was approved on November 12/24, 1882. In 1885, it had 34 members (21 Poles and 13 Russians), and in 1888 - 28 (15 Russians and 13 Poles). ). The chairman of its board was Nasonov. Efforts to establish a social meeting in Tomaszów Lubelski were made unsuccessfully by state officials in the years 1875-1879. The Liberal Model Statute of Social Organizations of 1875 was questioned by the next Home Secretary in the late 1980s. On June 6/18, 1890, his deputy approved a new model statute for social meetings in the Kingdom of Poland.

The most important changes he introduced were: at least 1/2 of the board's composition was to be Russians, and it included the district head without elections; the activities of the Orthodox Church on holidays were banned and the Russian language used in the club and documentation was introduced as a mandatory language. The right to register resources was retained by the Minister of Internal Affairs.