Mázi Béla, Rozsondai Marianne: A Magyar Tudományos Akadémia és az 1848/49-es forradalom és szabadságharc : kiállítás a 150 éves évfordulón a Magyar Tudomány Napja 1998-as rendezvényeihez kapcsolódóan
Guide to the Exhibition
The political instability of the times also affected the affairs of the HAS. The imperial court in Vienna kept delaying the passing of laws. Because of bad news from Pozsony and Vienna, the Academy's March 27 weekly session was postponed, and the next general session of the Academy's Sections was scheduled to May 1. It was, therefore, in May that affairs took up the daily round again and the HAS took a prominent part in the immense work of democratic changes thereafter. The May 1 session sent out a board to give an expert opinion on the new press-law (Law 18:1848); the board offered several improvements then. At the same session, historian Mihály HORVÁTH (M) (board 8/b, show-case 6) proposed that historical documents of the preceding three hundred years were collected for transfer from Vienna to Pest; it was adopted with the proviso that a National Public Archive should be set up in Pest (show-case 8: no. 16). Accordingly, a board was assigned the duty of putting forward a plan; its petitions were accepted on May 29. The Section of Natural Sciences called on the Section of Mathematics to prepare the "immediate introduction of a general system of measuring standards," based on the decimal system already in use in France. Reform Endeavours At the last session held before the summer holiday, the issue of reform was put on the agenda again. Secretary General Toldy urged the Sections, also many a member residing in the countryside (show-case 7; nos. 1-7), to come up with proposals as soon as possible so that the Academy's Reform Board could consider them. The improvement of scholarly work, the democratisation of the structure of the HAS, and claims to regular financial support from the government are recurrent themes in the six extant proposals. Other cases at issue included plans for the reorganisation of the Library (show-case 9: nos. 1, 2), the introduction of a classification system, and the printing of library catalogues. Motions made by the Section of Natural Sciences were concerned mainly with increasing the number of its members. Historian József Péczely (M) suggested the substitution of the unspecific vernacular in the Academy's statutes with the clear-cut Hungarian language. János Balásházy (M) requested that scholarly journals were ordered for members. Philosopher János Hetényi (M) called on the HAS to urge members to publish regularly. He deemed it essential that the HAS was transformed "from a private society of the founders into a national institution." Physician Pál ALMÁSI BALOGH (M) {board 6: painting) considered the Académie frangaise a model
