Dénes Dienes: History of the Reformed Church Collég in Sárospatak (Sárospatak, 2013)

THE SCHOOL IN ITS “OLD NEST” AGAIN HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE BETWEEN1703 AND 1777 - Laying the foundations for growth

HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE BETWEEN 1703 AND 1777

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Virtutis est multa ferre, multa facere - János Csécsi Jr.’s motto

of the dean of Zemplén were strengthened by appointing another prominent noble as trustee partner (1724). In the midst of this, Csécsi suffered a significant setback in 1730 when his wife suddenly died. Subsequently, he became even more hardened and unyielding. The fracture line among the youth shifted and the ‘primarius’ students accused Csécsi of committing serious errors.

It was not only the news of this ungodly situation that went beyond the walls of the school, but the consequences, also. The influential pastors and deans turned against Csécsi and he lost the support he had had during the Fiileki case. The dean of Borsod allegedly suggested to one of the ‘legates’ when he visited the congregation that they should get rid of Csécsi, since “it is better to be with an uneducated angel than with an educated devil’’. Certain pastors supported students according to which teacher’s support group they belonged. After fifteen years of strife it became clear that it was impossible to raise the standards or stabilize the financial situation under these circumstances. Thus the patrons decided to dismiss both teachers; their decision was backed by a royal decree in April 1734. Nagymihályi Szomoló became a pastor in a large and well-respected congregation in Mezőcsát, serving there until his death in 1742. Csécsi refused to leave town and managed to convince the town’s leaders to let him stay on in his house in Sárospatak. He lived in seclusion but he regularly tutored students in private. In 1744, he considered making an attempt to regain the teaching position he once had but the magistrate readily dismissed his request. In 1759, he appeared before a committee of inquiry which investigated the situation and rights of the College; he summarized the history of the school in a statement which he issued. The existing records show that this highly-educated and well-prepared teacher had a tendency to stir up storms whose cause was usually none other than his divisive personality.

LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS FOR GROWTH

The Csécsi period was tragic not only because a great scholar’s professional carrier was stained but also because it almost completely consumed the forces which, once settled, could have provided the basis to ensure Sárospataké future. Despite many of the Reformed Church congregations having lost their rights to practice their religion openly and the church body having to expend considerable energies to resist the Catholic restoration, activity in the sphere of education underwent a significant change. An ever-increasing number of parishes devoted effort and attention to establishing the conditions necessary for local schooling. This effort did not concentrate solely on organized educational structures for boys but also sought to arrange the possibility of institutional education for girls. The larger villages and market towns employed separate teachers for this purpose. It was still unthinkable for girls to cross the threshold of the local school but already the initiative of seeking a concept which would allow the realization of this one day was a significant step in the evolution of the thinking pertaining to education.

Pastors encouraged the members of their congregations to enroll their children in schools. General public schooling, as such, would only be attained many years in the future but congregational documents showed a steady