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

János Ugrai: „THE PERIOD OF NATIONAL ADVANCEMENT” 1777-1849 - The school-forging law professor - Sándor Kövy

FROM THE ENLIGHTEMENT TO THE END OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

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The seal of Pánczél county, 1827

The seal of Nándor county, 1833.

‘Do not let it crumble.. Work and harmony are needed.'

time was his practice, before beginning his lecture, of himself summarizing the material of the previous lesson or else requesting the assistance of his audience to do so. These didactical methods may count as standard fare in our day and age but, in introducing and using these, Kövy truly added colour to the rather formal and unlifelike teaching methods of his era. He later further developed this mode of innovation when he assigned to his students the preparation of draft contracts, legal filings and discussion papers. These methods ultimately lead to the establishment of Pánczél county, an entity which became renown for both its methodological and political significance.

Sándor Kövy’s know-how and teaching methods attracted many students to Sárospatak. So much so, that thanks to his courses, the College was able to extend its sphere of influence to young people in whose circles and surroundings Sárospatak up to that point was basically unknown. The people in Patak managed to address Reformed Church communities also in parts of areas where the College had earlier hardly had any connection. (For instance, in the academic year of 1814-15, Calvinists from Bars, Hajdú, Komárom, Máramaros, Nógrád, Pest, Ugocsa and Veszprém counties were seen to be among the College’s newly enrolled students.) Young people of partly Greek Orthodox or Orthodox religious background, mostly of ethnical Rumanian or Serbian stock, also enrolled in the courses taught by Kövy. Records indicate that the period of peak enrollment for Greek Orthodox students in Sárospatak coincided with Kövy’s tenure. With only a few students of Orthodox background in the initial years, their number soon increased to between an annual eight and twelve who audited his lectures; in the 1820s, this number even rose to between fifteen and twenty such students. Kövy’s death in 1829 did not result for the first few years in an immediate flagging of interest on the part of prospective Greek Orthodox students for they continued to enroll in greater numbers and, even for several years afterwards, one or two from their ranks regularly appeared in Patak. This continuity, however, came to an end by 1838 and, in the subsequent years and decades, it was exceptional for a Greek Orthodox student to be enrolled at the College.

Kövy was a decidedly popular professor of the College, although, according to recorded anecdotes and memoirs, his disposition may not have earned the unequivocal enthusiasm of all of his students. Even at a relatively young age, intermingling character traits reflecting precision, patience and a quick-temper were evident in his behavior. According to certain accounts, his coarseness increased with his years. At the same time, not only was he capable of rising to anger but was also able to reconcile and acknowledge his own mistakes as well as the achievement of his students. Lajos Kossuth’s recollections may perhaps be the most characteristic in their description of Kövy’s nature. Kossuth first drew Kövy’s attention to himself when he organized a demonstration against him. During one of his lectures which had dragged on for too long, Kövy noticed that the students had become impatient, restless and were intentionally tapping their feet. In a fit, he shouted “worthless villains!" at them and summarily left the room. Thereupon, Kossuth led his classmates out to the fields where they declared that, until the professor apologizes to them, they would not be attending classes. Three days later, Kövy issued a curt and odd apology to his students: “well, let’s forget it and not waste precious time, let’s move on!” And it was at this time, according to Kossuth’s recollections, that Kövy exclaimed that “Lord