Hörcsik Richárd: A Sárospataki Református Kollégium gazdaságtörténete 1800-1919 (Sárospatak – Miskolc, 1996)

Irodalom

The economic history of the Reformed College at Sárospatak (1800-1919) SUMMARY The management of the colleges financial/economic system was devided into 3 units. 1. The management of financial matters. 2. The controlling, organizing and executive offices. 3. Executive apparatus. The Curator and Vice-Curator were responsible for the management of financial matters. The Rector together with the Audit office managed the controlling, organizing and executory responsibilites. The key person in the Audit office was the „Senior" who can be mostly compared to a manager or an overseer of an estate. Amongst his responsibilities were the organization and administration of the college's financial enterprize, i. e. lending money on interest, the administration of donations, the management of student officers and professional workers in the vineyards, the supervision of wine keeping and the college's student run pubs. He assigned the work for the servants and workmen in the college, he also had to insure the smooth running of the education. The „Senior" was elected for a year by election. The „Contrascriba" (controlling officer) worked under the „Senior", whose task was to support the „Senior's" work with all his responsibilities. The 3rd unit was the executive apparatus. It can be divided into 2 sections: hired workers and student officers. Hired workers were the foreman, the cooper, coach driver, miller, servants and men working the vineyards. Amongst the student officers were the cellar keeper, the vine praebitor, libi praebitor, frumenti praebitor. Others were the contrascriba, sacristan, curator of foot-boy. They also helped the economy in an indirect way, as people would have been employed to do these jobs. Student officers were appointed to help at the time of the grape harvest, such as student inspectors and jurists. It is important to consider what economical, ethical and educational benefit the college gained from involving student officials in the self-financing system. Firstly, the students were more honest than the hired workers, as the utmost punishment for cheating was expulsion. Secondly, it generated a certain protestant independence because of the fact that students took part in the self-financing activities. Thirdly, by providing work for the poorer students they gave the opportunity for them to finish their