Studenți și profesori ai Universității din Iași la studii în străinătate (deceniul șapte al secolului XIX) (II)
Students and professors of the University of Iași studying abroad (seventh decade of the 19th century)

Summary/Abstract: The second part of our research deals with several issues such as the image of the Romanian students within the new education institutions, accommodation in the new environment, relationships with colleagues, financial difficulties, academic life and periods of exams, leisure and, finally, after their returning home, the employment in the Romanian educational system, in many cases. Once arrived in a Western university, the Romanian scholar entered a new world, where the numerous features of the civilized world were accompanied by a bureaucracy (especially in France) more oppressive than the one at home. In this bright environment, the young scholar could have easily lose his purpose, which was to obtain a diploma certifying special skills. In 1862, Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza warned about the scholars who fell into temptation and ”got lost”, thus enhancing the image deficit of the new Romanian state. That was one more reason for the Romanian authorities to control carefully the behavior of scholars abroad. The most important issue for the scholar just arrived in the education institution abroad was to find appropriate accommodation for study, close to school and less expensive. Since during the 19th century real accommodation channels were built, some of the students appealed to the host of friends and acquaintances; that was the case of V. A. Urechia, who, once in Paris, accommodates to pere Loriot, former host of Vasile Alecsandri. In Paris, the scholars found support, traditionally, in the Society of the Romanian Students, founded in 1845-1846 by a group of enthusiastic young and placed, so as to obtain more visibility, under the patronage of the poet Lamartine. The French metropolis provided the young scholars a Romanian library and an Orthodox Church where, in the early 1860’s, the Archimandrite Arhipescu served, thus making easy the students’ integration and connection with the Romanian environment, which was vital for those who had been abroad for a long time. In terms of linguistics, the accommodation of young scholars to the new environment was relatively fast, especially when they already knew the language, even to the average level. Interestingly, although the selection of scholars did not take into account their linguistic abilities, it was thought that, once arrived at the destination, the young needed one or two month to accommodate (if he already knew the language) or even more (in case of “exotic” languages); this period was useful for the young student to familiarize with the new environment and to prepare for attending the lectures and interact with teachers and classmates. Homesickness was a constant of living abroad. Usually, it appeared at the scholar’s departure from home and stuck to him during the study journey, until his return. Both the elite representatives (more cosmopolitan, but used to a secure living and environment) and the young lacking financial possibilities (who, although unfamiliar with trendiness, had less reason to miss their home conditions) faced this sentimental crisis. The accommodation difficulties met the financial ones, felt both by those sustained financially by the family and those who received a grant. In fact, both categories had to pay high school fees, rent and meals etc. Whatever resources were available for the students, money were never enough, especially in cosmopolitan centers, where offers and temptations were unlimited. In theory, students were ensured some cash flow, even with modest stipends. In practice, the main issue was that the grants arrived late and in many cases (whether they were paid on time or not) were considered too small to allow the beneficiaries to focus on studying and not to worry about the daily living. Among the university centers, Paris provided the most advanced study opportunities. Here, the students eager to study found the best conditions in libraries, classrooms, laboratories and special equipment for study. Once arrived in the City of Light, the student adapted quickly and, despite the financial difficulties, he was not very fond of returning home. At the foundation of the University of Iaşi, the teaching staff with French studies were a minority, while German-trained Professors predominated. This situation changed in a few years, as vacant chairs were taken mainly by former scholars in Paris (followed by those in Turin, Berlin and Madrid), so that by late 1860’s the situation reversed. At the Faculty of Science, with only one exception, the academics hired during this period had studied in Paris, namely N. Culianu, Gr. Cobălcescu, I. M. Melik, Miltiade Tzony. However, paradoxically, the teachers in Iaşi were attracted, in the following years, by the German, Humboldian, academic model, which promoted freedom of knowledge, autonomy of Professors and students and a close connection between education and research. These former scholars, along with many others, contributed to increased student attendance to classes and the percentage of graduated from foreign universities; among the most important conditions for receiving the grant from the state were the eagerness of attending classes, taking the exams and becoming bachelor or PhD. While the atmosphere in German centers was more relaxed, a fact reflected also by the percentage of doctors, a certain strictness ruled the French capital. In Paris, taking the exams and bachelor degrees proved to be difficult, regardless the domain of specialization. Here also there is a certain, natural evolution, with variations from one faculty to another. For the young Moldavians, PhD in law in Paris was very rare until the 1860’s. Very well documented, Constantin C. Angelescu identifies only one in the previous period, while the Bibliografia by Georges Bengesco does not mention any PhD Moldavian in the seventh decade; the bachelors also do not seem to have been very numerous (Gh. Mârzescu, Titu Maiorescu etc.). Medicine was a little better represented, also by the presence of Ioan Ciurea, PhD in medicine in Paris (later Professor at the Faculty of Law in Iaşi). It must be said that the domain of Letters enjoyed a special situation in Paris: the influx of trainees and ordinary students did not require for symmetry in terms of obtaining academic qualifications. The bachelor degrees were difficult to obtain, while the doctorates were exceptions for the foreign students, as only four (and none Romanian) took the degree by 1860. In the Sciences, despite the small number of scholars, the bachelor degrees were more common (Culianu, Cobălcescu, Poni, Melik, Tzony) and, even with the doctorates delay, the advance against Letters maintained until late, towards the end of the century. Taking into consideration the differences among characters, it should be still discussed, more carefully, the influence on cultural transfers of former students abroad, after their returning home and employment in the public system. Obviously, the cultural space where the young completed their education had a strong influence on them, which determined their support (often in opposition to supporters of other models) for the values assimilated during the studies. The time spent studying away from home, isolated from the Romanian society, gave the young students the chance to taste freedom, so compelling in our area, in all its forms (freedom of movement, of ideas, of morals etc.); they also shaped strong characters, influenced destinies, imposed values and formed specialists which influenced the local academic environment of the 19th century. This constant increase in the number of characters well trained in great European centers maintained a relatively young teaching staff. At the same time, the phenomenon protected the University of Iaşi of pronounced rudimentary accents and attenuated somehow the relative provincial feeling. Most of the scholars grew up rapidly, both professionally and ideologically, and became aware of their public image, which they maintain carefully, while developing carrier strategies. Their opinion became more important in issues regarding their domain of specialization and the great challenges of the Romanian society of the time. They brought in the country and imposed ideas, practices and even institutions, such as the Athenee of V. A. Urechia, following a similar model in Madrid and the Upper Normal Schools founded in 1874, after a French model, in addition to the two Romanian universities. In the same manner, the bachelors in Sciences brought new criteria for the organization of laboratories and sustained the necessity of acquiring modern didactic material and instruments. Aware of the need for tools to train the young generation, many of the newcomers began to compile handbooks, even if the financial advantages of such an initiative were not to be neglected. Above all, however, and also important for the destiny of the University of Iaşi, the former students returned with a new attitude towards work and with a strong view on excellence in education, which, to be right, was not always meant to resist easily in the Romanian space.

• Details
• Contents