Acta Papensia 2002 - A Pápai Református Gyűjtemények Közleményei 2. évfolyam (Pápa, 2002)
1-2. szám - Műhely - Tóth István György: Alfabetizáció a XVII-XVIII. századi Magyarországon
Műhely megállapították, hogy a választáshoz mindenek előtt világos értelem kell és szellemi függetlenség, és az írni- olvasni nem tudók ennek nincsenek híjával. Ennek megfelelően a vármegyéken nem cédulákkal, hanem színes agyaggolyókkal szavaztak, hogy az írástudatlanok se kerüljenek hátrányba. Petőfi Sándor 1845-ben írt híres sorai, a „Nem írok, nem olvasok, én magyar nemes vagyok,” természetesen nem szociológiai leírást, hanem maró szatírát jelentettek. De bármilyen nehezen fogadja is el nemzeti büszkeségünk ezt a tényt, egy szatíra csak akkor lehet hatásos, ha a társadalmi tapasztalatokra appellál — Petőfi kortársai még sok írástudatlan nemest kellett, hogy lássanak, különben nem nevettek volna az őseinek rozsdamarta kardja alatt henyélő nemesen, aki se nem írt, se nem olvasott.4 SUMMARY ISTVÁN GYÖRGY TÓTH Literacy in Ihe 17-18h Century Hungary During the examiation of the literacy of Early Modem Hungárián society, a histórián generally scrutinizes authentic private signatures in different records. Statistical evaluation, however, may raise suspicions from many viewpoints. In most cases it cannot be verified that a person who signed his name with a cross was really illiterate. Somé of the researchers think that signatures were an inter-mediary stage between literacy and illiteracy. The disclosure of the connections between writing and reading capabilities is similarly difficult, since these skills can partly be acquired separately as well. According to the judgement of the author, the joint application of Statistical analyzation of signatures and the history of mentality can yield somé results. Measurement data can only be properly understood, if we know, what role did literacy play in the life of a given Community. Researches carried out so far show that the overwhelming majority of the 17rh—18th Century population had lived in verbality. According to the estimate of the author, 20 per cent of the peasantry was able to write in Vas County during the years between 1770-1780, while the national average was 25 per cent. The Situation was not any better among poorer nobility as attested by the registers recorded during the examination of the nobility. The educational reform of the enlightened absolutism could only be feit at the beginning of the 19th Century. Development was, however, unequal and slow as shown by the national cenzus in 1870. Then 51 per cent of the male population above 6 in Hungary proper, 78 per cent in Transylvania, 84 per cent in Croatia and Slavonia were totally illiterate. Dynamic development could only ensue during the following decades. The majority of the population resident in the Kingdom of Hungary became literate from the 1890s onwards. 4 Petőfi Sándor: Összes költeményei. I. Bp. é. n. 188. A magyar nemes. Acta Papensia 11. (2002) 1-2. 37
