# Prince Witold Czartoryski (1864–1945)

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Father of Adam Czartoryski; Senator of the Republic; owner of Pełkinie

CZARTORYSKI, Witold, b. February 10, 1864 in Weinhaus near Vienna, d. September 4, 1945 in Maków Podhalański, buried in the local cemetery. His father Prince George Constantine (1828-1912)—politician, social activist, deputy to the Galician Diet and member of the House of Lords of the State Council in Vienna; his mother Maria Joanna Czermak (1835-1916); his sister Wanda (1862-1920)—president of the Society for Women's Economic Education, participant in the defense of Lviv in 1918; his wife (married 1889) Jadwiga Count Dzieduszycka (1867-1941); daughters: Maria Anna married Krasiński (1890-1981), and Anna Maria (1891-1951)—Superior of the Congregation of the Visitation Sisters in Warsaw; sons: Casimir George (1892-1936), George Peter (1894-1969)—honorary canon of the Krakow chapter, military chaplain, Vladislav Alphonse (1895-1975), John Francis (1897-1944)—Father Michael—Dominican, during the Warsaw Uprising chaplain of III Grouping "Konrad" AK, murdered by Germans; Roman Jack (1898-1958)—WP officer, Stanislaus Ignacy (1902-1982)—doctor of theology and philosophy, dean-infułat of the Metropolitan Chapter in Krakow. Adam Michael (b. 1906-1998), pseudonym Sparrow—WP and AK officer, master engineer in forestry, doctor of biology, honorary guest at the founding congress of the Christian-National Union (1989). Witold Thaddeus (1908-1945), Peter Michael (1909-1993)—WP and AK officer, master engineer in agriculture, doctor honoris causa KUL, vice-president of the Congress of Poles in Canada.

After completing the State Gymnasium in Jaroslaw, he pursued one year of philosophical studies and three years at the Agricultural Academy in Vienna.

Owner and manager of the Pelkinie estate on the San River (sawmills, brickworks, horse studs) and Konarzewo (Poznań province) and Bielin (Lesser Poland); president of the District Council in Jaroslaw (1898-1904). From 1903 member of the board of the Przeworsk sugar factory, president of the waterworks company for the Łańcut-Jaroslaw area. He established orphanages and village schools, maintained a pension fund, supported the upkeep of 17 Roman and Greek Catholic parishes. Vice-president (1906-1910) and president (from 1910) of the Galician Society of Agriculture in Lviv, vice-president of the Central Organization of Agricultural Associations in Warsaw, founder in 1906 of the Society of Farmers' Circles (later transformed into the Farmers' Union). From 1908 deputy to the Diet in Lviv: president of the "Center" club, member of school and agricultural commissions; from 1913 hereditary member of the House of Lords in Vienna. Participant in the founding conference (August 15, 1917 in Lausanne) of the Polish National Committee (with headquarters in Paris); in 1918 appointed by the Regency Council as commissioner for Galicia. Active in the Land Leagues and the Society of the Ludwik Mickiewicz Popular University, member of the examination commission of the Agricultural Academy in Dublanki and Agricultural Studies in Krakow, president of the Higher Farmer Courses of George Turnau in Lviv. He was a member of the board of the Polish Library in Paris; co-publisher of "Rzeczpospolita" and "Warszawianka"; participant in Catholic Action and member of the Marian Sodality. During World War II he remained on a small portion of the Pelkinie estate, which he left in 1944 and settled with his son Stanislaw in Maków Podhalański.

Author of publications: Farmers' Circles (Kórnik 1912), A Few Words About Pruning and Surgical Treatment of Forest, Park and Avenue Trees (Jarosław 1929). Contributor to journals: "Rolnik" (1908), "Gazeta Narodowa" (1912), "Hodowca," "Jeździec," and others.

Senator of the Republic, 1st term 1922-27, elected from list no. 8, Lviv province; member of CHN; worked in the commission on education and culture; 1928-30 deputy senator from state list no. 24; won the mandate after new elections in Volhynia province May 25, 1930, as a result of which the state list no. 1 to the Senate lost its mandate to list no. 24; did not take the oath due to the dissolution before the expiration of the term of the Sejm and Senate on August 30, 1930.

Sources and references: T. and W. Rzepeccy, Sejm i Senat 1922-27, p. 404 (photo), 408, 537, 538; A. Bełcikowska, Guide, 1925, p. 98, 114; Composition and commissions of the Senate 1923, p. 6, 14, 19; Parliament RP, 1928, p. 151, photo. table X; T. and K. Rzepeccy, Sejm i Senat 1928-33, p. 200; "MP": February 3, 1928, no. 27; June 24, 1930, no. 143;

BN: biographical archive; Information Office of the Senate Chancellery: photo, copy of death certificate from Maków Podhalański Municipal Office dated November 12, 1997; BS: account of son Adam, February 23, 1994 and other family materials (with other names and birth dates of some family members and birthplace: Steinhaus Palace in Vienna);

S. Łoza, 1938, p. 120; PSB, vol. IV, 1938, p. 278-279 (in biography of his father); B. Olszewicz, List of Cultural Losses, 1947, p. 42-43; W. Witos, My Reminiscences, vol. I, 1988; Z. Kaczmarek, Marshals of the Senate of the Second Polish Republic, 1992; S. Grodziski, Provincial Diet, vol. II, 1993; Who Was Who, 1994, p. 503 (photo compiled by J. Laptos and A. Mania); Lexicon, 1995, p. 119; T. Lenczewski, Genealogies, vol. I, 1995-1996, p. 9-14; J. Buszko, Poles in the Viennese Parliament, 1996.

VLADISLAV CZARTORYSKI

BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL DATA ON THE LIFE OF PRINCE WITOLD CZARTORYSKI

KRAKOW 1969

FAMILY ARCHIVE OF VLADISLAV CZARTORYSKI WARSAW, UL. MICKIEWICZA 30, APT. 43 TEL. 39-59-84. OWNER: PAUL CZARTORYSKI

AS MANUSCRIPT: USE IN ANY FORM: QUOTES, CITATIONS, EXCERPTS, REPRODUCTION OF TEXT IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT OF OWNER PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT. WARSAW, JANUARY 20, 1994

PAUL CZARTORYSKI (autograph signature)

PRINCE WITOLD CZARTORYSKI

Born in Vienna in the Wienhaus palace of his father on November 10, 1864, died September 4, 1945 in Maków Podhalański at the home of his son Fr. Stanislaw, then pastor of Maków, later a canon and infułat of the Krakow Chapter. Son of George (1828-1912) (Biographical Dictionary) and Maria from the Czermakas. His secondary education was received at home. He passed his examinations at the state gymnasium in Jaroslaw. University studies at the Hochschule für Bodenkultur, Faculty of Agriculture in Vienna.

He married in Lviv on February 21, 1889 with Jadwiga Count Dzieduszycka (b. 1867, d. 1941 in Pelkinie), daughter of Vladislav (1825-1899) (Biographical Dictionary) and Alphonsina of the Miączyńskis. Through 52 years of ideal married life, his wife Jadwiga shared with her husband his work and interests, and through her distinguished individuality played an important role in shaping his personality, the direction of his work, and above all in creating the distinctively Polish and Christian style of life of the Pelkinie household, and first and foremost in the education of numerous children, the formation of their character, and their preparation for life. After his marriage he settled in his estate in Pelkinie, Jaroslaw county.

Following family tradition, he established in the environs of Pelkinie Palace a park (approximately 10 hectares), which became a beautiful example of garden architecture in a treeless area, and at the same time a valuable dendroligical site. For 50 years he personally and carefully maintained it, brought in valuable varieties of trees and shrubs, and established tree nurseries for park trees. Resolution of January 21, 1950, L.K.S.-Z-6-1-49 registration no. 18ZP recognized as an historical monument.

(Unpublished manuscript "Park in Pelkinie" by V. C., deposited in the State Nature Protection Council in Krakow 1950. Article by W. C. "Justification for Pruning of Free-Standing Trees," III Yearbook of the Polish Dendroligical Society 1930. Brochure "A Few Words on Pruning and Surgical Treatment of Forest, Park and Avenue Trees," Jaroslaw 1929.)

Estate and Agricultural Matters

As a farmer by vocation and education, W. C. introduced rational and progressive farm management, oriented toward livestock and beet production. The raising of lowland black-and-white cattle, and until the First World War Simmental cattle, held first place in terms of breed and milk production in the Association of Cattle Breeders in Lviv.

As a member of the board of the Przeworsk sugar factory (until 1903/4), he held a leading position in this large agricultural industrial plant. Moreover, on the Pelkinie estate experimental fields were conducted (fertilizer, crop, and variety experiments) as part of the actions of the Society of Farmers' Circles under the direction of professors of higher national institutions.

World War I caused great destruction to the folwarks (farms) located in the San River valley. Eighty percent of buildings were destroyed, and of the livestock only remnants remained. The rebuilding of these devastated areas required great effort and financial expenditure. Within a few years the Pelkinie estate became again one of the leading ones in the country.

Improvements. A few years before World War I, all lands requiring it were drained (several thousand hectares), and swampy meadows were brought to high productivity through an entire system of ditches. Intensive pastures were established.

The forests, which comprised the major portion of the Pelkinie estate, with a large timber reserve, were managed modernly with reforestation and selective cutting. The sawmill processed timber into high-grade planks, which found markets in the country and for export. The original sawmill was burned during World War I. Shortly after the war a new sawmill was erected at the rail line in Surochów with four saw lines and auxiliary machinery. A narrow-gauge steam railway (32 hp) connected the sawmill to the forests, reaching adjacent forests where timber stands were purchased. This railway reached ceramic facilities and the San River floating point. Part of the timber was floated down the San to Gdansk, after the frontier posts of the partitioning powers that cut across the Vistula disappeared. These facilities employed over 600 workers, providing income to the surrounding small farmers.

Ceramic Facilities. In addition to the existing steam brick factory in Szówka, the owner built a tile factory completed in 1925. Production reached several hundred thousand tiles per year. Sales extended from Krakow to Stanislavów. Funds for these investments were obtained from the parcelization of destroyed folwarks. Approximately 500 workers were employed, mostly local small farmers.

Data from remaining rare notes and tradition.

Stud Farm of Arabian Horses

A particular interest of W. C. was a horse stud farm. He himself not only had great talent as a breeder but it was his passion to personally break in horses, both for riding and harness. High-quality half-breeds or Anglo-Arabs, excellently trained, were exported, sometimes purchased by buyers from Berlin. But the main center of pure Arabian horse breeding, originating from the famous Julius Dzieduszycki stud farm in Jarczowce. The owner already then believed that Arabian blood was the foundation for improving the Polish horse. This principle of breeding was recognized by centuries of Polish experience, and confirmed in the experience of the last decades. From the devastation of the Pelkinie stud farm during World War I, only a few young colts survived. From these was rebuilt anew the stud farm of pure Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses. These horses won numerous prizes on domestic tracks, after these breeds' races were introduced in Poland. The Polish government purchased breeding material for state studs. Pelkinie Arabians were exported in the interwar period to the USA, Estonia, Germany, etc. During the last war, despite battles which resulted in part of the farm burning and the livestock being scattered, the stud farm was saved, and was subsequently taken over by authorities in the course of land reform. It continues to constitute a significant portion of the foundation of Arabian horse breeding in Poland, recognized by the outside world (USA) as the most valuable in the world. Great export possibilities.

W. C. initiated the breeding of the Hucul horse race to revive the breeding of this valuable mountain horse breed. As soon, thanks to his initiative, the Hucul horse received proper attention from breeding authorities, the stud farm of Huculs in Pelkinie was discontinued. The guiding idea of this action was the development of this valuable variety of horses for the benefit of the mountain population of the eastern Carpathians, and at the same time prevention of its degeneration through crossbreeding with foreign breeds. This action achieved full success.

Yearbooks of "Rolnik" (S. Bojanowski: Portraits of Oriental Horses and Their Breeders, Krakow 1906 Gebethner. Yearbooks of "Jeździec" and "Hodowca." Article by W. C. "Appeal for Establishing a Breed," Jeździec i Hodowca, 1933. Manuscript: "History of the Pelkinie Herd." Yearbooks of "Stud Books.")

Social, Economic, and Educational Activities

a) On the Estate Grounds

1/ Orphanages. Following his father, W. C. took over several orphanages established in villages on the estate, and increased their number to six. These orphanages were housed in manor buildings, some built specifically for this purpose. They were run by nuns from the Congregation of the Handmaid Sisters. The orphanages received their support at the expense of the estate. Their main task was conducting kindergarten, and where there was no school, they provided children with education at the primary school level through an examined teacher. They also engaged in nursing care for the sick from surrounding villages. Where there was no church on the premises, there was a chapel at the orphanage. Additionally, the orphanage workers conducted various courses such as sewing, tailoring, household management, etc., with professional instructors. The orphanages and their activities were under the special supervision of Mrs. Jadwiga.

2/ Village Schools. Already Prince George was actively engaged in primary school education. He organized an association of primary school teachers from several surrounding schools, aimed at raising the level of pedagogical activity. (See: "Wiazownica, the Home of My Grandparents" by V. C.) Each teacher within the estate received free use of several hectares of land to improve his material situation, thereby allowing for the selection of the best personnel, and the level of education in these schools improved. Prince Witold maintained this custom. As long as his social and political activity did not consume his time more broadly, he chaired the school boards of several local schools.

3. To enable the sons of estate workers to continue their education, they were given scholarships. For some time boarding schools for these boys were maintained at the expense of the estate under the direction of a qualified director. But this system proved less practical.

4. In 1867 Prince George established a pension fund for estate workers. Half the contribution was paid by the insured, and half by the employer, and in this way a fund was created which provided workers with old-age insurance. Once official pension insurance was introduced, Prince Witold distributed this fund among the insured and liquidated it.

5. Medical care at the expense of the estate by a full-time doctor covered all workers both physical and intellectual, until sickness insurance was introduced.

6. Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic (Uniate) Churches. The Pelkinie estate was located within three Roman Catholic and nine Greek Catholic parishes. The Bielin estate was in one Roman Catholic parish, while the Poznań estate Konarzewo was in four parishes. All these parish churches received annual support from W. C. for maintenance, and sometimes for grain. (17 parishes). The churches in Wiazownica and Radawa were destroyed during World War I and were rebuilt with substantial help from W. C. Furthermore, in the interwar period within the Pelkinie estate three new parishes were established in Wólka Pelkińska, Szówka, and Molodycze, and a daughter church in Manasterz, with considerable participation by W. C. in construction costs.

7. It should be noted that on each folwark an organized fire brigade was established with its own fire engine and other fire-fighting equipment, ready at any time to participate in putting out fires, which were so frequent in wooden village buildings. Victims of fire received help in rebuilding through building materials.

The estate's social duty included providing help to all manner of poverty.

In conclusion of this account of W. C.'s economic and social activities on the estate, it is noted that these two types of activity are difficult to separate from one another and to establish a boundary between them, since both, in accordance with W. C.'s assumptions, were to serve the homeland.

Social, Economic and Educational Work Beyond the Estate Grounds

As a delegate of Poland, he participates in an international agricultural conference in Paris. Decorated: Mérite Agrocol.

("Rolnik," "Gazeta Rolnicza, Warszawska," archives of the Society of Agriculture, Central Agricultural Society, Warsaw, etc.)

4/ From 1895-1896 he served as president of the Galician Forestry Society.

(Engineer Szczerbowski: Twenty-Five Year Memoir of the Activity of GFS, 1882-1907, Lviv, 1907.)

5/ Farmers' Circles. W. C., John Mycielski from Wiśniowa, and George Turnau from Mikulice, and several other like-minded farmers founded the Association "Farmers' Circles." The association began operating in 1906; its statute was approved by the Namestnictwo (provincial government) on March 11, 1908, L. 28311/XI. The goal of this organization was to stimulate farmers in the direction of rational work on their own property, to spur them on to eager social work and to develop a sense of responsibility toward their land. The institution was divided into circles comprising one or two counties. The circles held meetings several times a year, successively at members' properties, combined with visits to their farms according to a predetermined schedule. Excursions were organized combined with visits to leading farms in the country and abroad. Furthermore, members were obliged to participate in social work in their area. The association maintained experimental stations under the supervision of professors of higher institutions (Niezatyce). To enable students of agriculture to make productive use of their agricultural practice, a Commission of Practices was created. Students who applied were directed to progressive farms where they conducted their practices under a strict schedule and were obliged to submit periodic reports to the practices commission for evaluation. Such practice was a source of acquiring practical professional knowledge and taught serious work. In 1911 the association had 11 circles: Jaroslaw-Przeworsk, Rzeszów, Przemyśl, Wieliczka, Jasło, Krakow, Mielec, Podgórze, Lviv-Żółkiew, Sambor, and Stanislavów. In eastern Galicia "Circles of Conventions" with analogous goals were founded in parallel. After the First World War the Farmers' Union encompassing the entire Republic was established. The Farmers' Circles were then dissolved, and their members joined the Farmers' Union. Throughout their entire existence, W. C. was president of the Farmers' Circles.

For several decades, W. C. participated in diploma examinations as a member of the examination commissions of the Agricultural Academy in Dublanki and the Agricultural Studies in Krakow, representing the practicing farmers.

Minutes of the Practices Commission (Jagiellonian Library). Statute of "Farmers' Circles." Brochure: W. C. "Farmers' Circles," Gazeta Narodowa, Lviv 1912. W. C. "Duties of the Farmer," Rolnik 16.X.1908. Prof. K. Rogóyski: "Practical Education of Agricultural Youth," Warsaw Geb. and Sp. Warsaw 1913 (Jagiellonian Library). Yearbooks: "Rolnika," "Gazety rolniczej"—Family correspondence.

6/ Higher Farmer Courses. Concerned about farmer youth, who as a result of the war and interruption of studies caused by military service, with the initiative of the Farmers' Circles, Higher Farmer Courses were established immediately after the war in Lviv, with the purpose of giving this youth full technical education in a shortened period, not only theoretical education but also practical. The director of this institution was George Turnau from Mikulice, after his death Professor Dr. Zygmunt Markowski, while its president was W. C. These courses proved so worthwhile that they lasted until 1939 and competed effectively with agricultural academies. W. C. regularly participated in examination commissions at diploma examinations.

Yearbooks: "Rolnika"—regulations in the Jagiellonian Library.

7/ W. C. was a member of the local committee of the "Polish Library in Paris."

See: Fr. Puławski: "Polish Library in Paris from 1893 to 1948," Paris 1948, p. 55.

8/ Farmers' Bank. Shortly after World War I a group of farmers established a financial institution called the "Farmers' Bank." Its purpose was to have its own credit apparatus to finance various farming and agricultural undertakings, to gain independence from great capitalist finance, to conduct farmer monetary policy. Unfortunately this undertaking did not survive the crisis of 1926-30 and had to be liquidated, exposing many farmers to enormous financial losses. W. C. was a member of the supervisory board. In connection with the bank's liquidation, he suffered losses in the millions, which upset the financial balance of his estate.

9/ Foundation "Kórnik Facilities." Vladislav Zamoyski before his death created from his Kórnik and Zakopane estates (19,000 hectares, castle in Kórnik, library, museum collections, dendroligical institute/) a foundation, donating it to the nation. The statute of this foundation was passed as a law by the Sejm. Zamoyski died in 1924. He did not live to see the implementation of this institution. He appointed as executors of his will W. C. and John Zamoyski from Trzebienia, his closest friends and relatives. It thus fell to them to implement the founder's intentions. As administrators of the Foundation they organized the somewhat disordered economic and financial state of the estates, and put into effect its goals. After the establishment of the Foundation authorities, they became members of the Kórnik Foundation Curatorium.

Foundation Archive, correspondence.

10/ Rural Educational Centers. One of W. C.'s particular interests and concerns was the problem of educating youth. As the father of several sons, he felt the lack in Poland of an educational institution for boys providing Polish character education at a proper level and providing education and preparation for life. Government gymnasiums of the partitioning powers could not fully accomplish this task. With the outbreak of greater national freedom under Russian rule in connection with the events of 1905, the idea arose to create such a school in the Kingdom. W. C. made contact with individuals from the Kingdom. Together with Fr. John Graliewski and Casimir Lutosławski, after extensive study in the country and abroad, the school for boys was founded under the name "Polish Rural Educational Centers." The meetings and conferences of these gentlemen were held mostly in Pelkinie with the close participation of Mrs. Jadwiga. In 1906 a prospectus of this school was issued, dated in Pelkinie and signed by the above-mentioned people. In 1907 the school became active in Stara Wś near Warsaw in facilities provided free of charge for its use by ordinance holder M. Zamoyski, and subsequently the senior classes were moved to Surochów near Jaroslaw to buildings provided to the school also free of charge by W. C., and the oldest class was located in Prokocin near Krakow (John Getz Okocimski). Students came from all three partitions, which was the basic idea of the founders, to develop in the graduates a clear sense of the unity of all Poland. Therefore part of the school was located under Russian rule and part under Austrian rule. Unfortunately the Prussian authorities did not permit opening a school in the Poznań area. It was a type of experimental school, conducted according to the most modern pedagogical and didactic methods of that time, independent of the systems of state gymnasiums. The last year of study was devoted to preparing students for the school-leaving examination, which all graduates passed with good grades. World War I, in 1914, made further operation of the school impossible, and after the war it was not reactivated.

Printed: "Polish Rural Educational Centers, Principles and Means," Lviv 1906. Relevant materials in the hands of Professor Henry Chodynicki in Warsaw, who is researching the history and activities of the "Centers" by order of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Article by W. Chodynicki, "Polish Rural Educational Centers (1906-1914)," reprint "Pedagogical Experiments" 1963.

11/ Among W. C.'s social works should be counted his participation in the councils of the Sieniawa entailment of the Czartoryskis and the Poturzyc entailment of the Dzieduszycskis. The statute of the Czartoryski entailment obligated the current entailment holder, the usufructuary, to maintain from the income of the Sieniawa and Beski estates a historical museum together with a library and archive in Krakow. The statute of the Dzieduszycski entailment obligated the current entailment holder to maintain from the Poturzyc and Zarczyce estates a museum of natural history in Lviv together with the Poturzyc library. The duty of the Entailment Council was to oversee the entailment holder, to ensure he properly fulfilled his obligations under the statute of the entailment, in particular to ensure he did not diminish the entailment property, to properly support the museums and libraries from the entailment income, and above all to ensure that the cultural-scientific institutions that are the property of the entailment fully fulfilled the role in accordance with the founders' intentions.

Entailment Archives. Journal of State Laws, 1924, part III, no. 4.

POLITICAL ACTIVITY

In the first period of his public activity, W. C. was not actively engaged in politics. Only thanks to his achievement of an outstanding position in society did life itself call him to politics, through the inheritance of the legacy from his father, who was withdrawing from active life due to advanced age.

He began his political activity by running for deputy to the Sejm from the Curia of Lesser Property. In 1908 he became deputy to the Galician Diet. Not bound by any political faction, he entered the Sejm as an independent, "wild" as it was then said. Only after some time was the "Center" club established in the Sejm, of which he became president. The "Center" club later transformed into the "Christian-National Party." He was a member of the "National Council" and participated in Sejm commissions (school commission). The ideology of the "Stanczyks" did not suit him. He opposed the policy of Namestnik Bobrzyński, accusing him of excessive dependence, as Namestnik, on central Vienna authorities. Ideologically he stood closest to National Democracy, as an inter-regional party.

After his father's death, he became a hereditary member of the House of Lords in Vienna.

Election Proclamation. Letter from the Ministry of Interior of March 30, 1913, L. 2073/M.I.

With the outbreak of war in 1914, two orientations emerged among Poles. Some, counting on the victory of the central powers, considered their victory advantageous for Poland, regarded defeating Russia as our fundamental interest, participated actively in the war, creating legions. The other side considered the alliance of western powers as their ally. W. C. took the position of the second direction. He became strongly engaged and firmly opposed the policy of the Supreme National Committee.

In 1916 he managed to travel to Switzerland where he was a participant in the Lausanne conference that established the Polish Committee in Paris.

Letter from K. M. Morawski recalling his activities 1915-16 in Switzerland.

He firmly opposed the intent of the central powers to impose conscription in the Kingdom.

Letter to Hilinski dated March 15, 1916.

In November 1916, he was appointed by the Regency Council as commissioner for Galicia, with the task of assuming government of this region in its name. He did not reach Lviv, where the field had been prepared, because of siege by Ukrainians, and Krakow, politically controlled by activists, did not accept him. (General Roé's oath) In the meantime, the Regency Council handed power to Piłsudski.

He directed his activities above all to providing assistance to besieged Lviv, and eagerly strove to obtain military relief. He circulated between Warsaw and besieged Lviv, which he reached many times.

After the seizure of Eastern Lesser Poland by Polish authorities, he acted primarily as president of the Society of Agriculture, reorganizing this institution and agriculture after war devastation.

After regaining independence he entered the Senate as a member of the Christian-National Party, 1922-1927. After the transformation of the National Democratic Party into the National Party, and the dissolution of the Christian-National Party, together with other members he joined the National Party, 1928. Steadily and consistently he followed his party's direction, opposing Piłsudski's policy, and after his death opposing the Sanation. He belonged to the group of people leading the journal "Rzeczpospolita" and subsequently "Warszawianka," chairman of the executive committee of "Warszawianka," edited by Professor S. Stroński, bearing large financial sacrifices for its financing. Occasional articles by him appeared in the press opposing the Sanation policy. Before elections on family law issues, in defense of university autonomy, etc. He drew reprisals from the Sanation authorities (tax office).

Minutes of the Galician Diet, Senate of the Republic—Rzepeccy, "Sejm i Senat." Łoza: "Do You Know Who That Is." Articles in the press. Correspondence. Speeches.

As a devout and consistent Catholic, he participated in Catholic Action activities, was in close contact with the Polish episcopate. He belonged to the Marian Sodality.

During the German occupation he retained only a small portion of his estate. He remained in contact with Polish underground but because of his advanced age did not develop broader activity in this direction. His home became a shelter for dozens of families evacuated, whether from Poznań or Volhynia, and for those hiding from the occupant's repressions.

With his wife Jadwiga Count Dzieduszycka, he had two daughters and nine sons. Daughter Anna was Superior of the Visitation Sisters in Warsaw (Warsaw Uprising). Of the nine sons, three received priestly ordination, and six settled on the land. In the years 1914-20, six sons fought on the front. During the last war, four sons and three grandsons participated in campaigns on various fronts. Father Michael, a Dominican, was shot to death during the Warsaw Uprising, and son Roman died as a result of illness contracted in a prisoner of war camp.

On August 21, 1939, the Witold Czartoryskis celebrated their golden wedding in Pelkinie, surrounded by their children, numerous grandchildren, relatives, and friends.

General Characterization and Letter from Professor S. Kasznica. (attached)

He died on September 4, 1945 in Maków Podhalański at the home of his son Stanislaw, the then-pastor of Maków. Buried in Maków cemetery, in soil donated in the 17th century by the Czartoryskis.

Portraits: Francis Horodyski, ca. 1950, oil. Society of Agriculture, Lviv. Jadwiga Horodyska, 1943, pastel, family collection.

Dear Children and Grandchildren of Mine!

Some of you have for a long time desired this and urged me to write down my experiences and observations on matters of "education."

One of the main reasons I have hesitated to fulfill this wish is the conviction that one cannot and should not speak of his own methods of education. Above all, because every parent has in his own eyes conducted his actions correctly, and because he whose intentions were always honest and sincere cannot acknowledge that he made mistakes. It is much easier to convince ourselves that some evil came from the outside, from circumstances, from bad examples, from bad company, from the evil spirit of the times, or finally from the inclinations and faults which exist in each of us from birth - which we inherited from our ancestors.

However, there is something else: the belief that the methods which I sometimes applied may still serve some purpose - at least as a reference point or as materials for comparison with other methods employed by other parents and educators. I will therefore try to collect my observations, not to present them as general rules, but rather as a record of my personal experiences.

Let me start with the general principles:

1. The family is the basic cell of society. Above all, one must strive to strengthen this family community, its authority and its role in the education and upbringing of children. When the family is strong, then family members are united, help each other in sorrow and in joy, and create a proper moral and religious foundation for the education of their children.

2. Religion and morality must form the foundation of education. The source of morality is God and His eternal law. We must therefore convince children that the Christian faith is not merely a series of external practices and ceremonies, but a living force that must direct their entire life. The fundamental principle is: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things will be given to you as well."

3. Education is not merely instruction, but the formation of character. The educator must not only inform the mind but also and especially form the will and shape the moral sentiments. Hard work and discipline are necessary for this. There is no true education without struggle, effort, and sacrifice.

4. Every child is an individual with his own character and inclinations. Education must therefore be adapted to the particular nature of each child. One method is not suitable for all. The educator must possess great patience and deep understanding of the human heart.

5. The example and personal conduct of the educator is more important than all words and lectures. Children absorb the spirit of their parents and teachers more through their actions than through their instructions. What we teach by our words, we must practice in our lives.

6. Education should instill in the young a love for work and the habit of work. Idleness is the source of many vices. Physical work, manual labor, and the development of practical skills are extremely valuable in the formation of character and the development of the human personality.

7. Education should create citizens and patriots who understand their duties toward God, toward their country, and toward their neighbors. It should awaken patriotic feelings and love for the homeland, but this patriotism should be reasonable, noble, and consistent with Christian principles.

The most important task is therefore to preserve and strengthen family unity and to base the entire educational system on Christian principles. In the family, children should learn to respect their parents and their elders. They should learn to obey, not from fear but from love and respect. Obedience is not an end in itself, but a means to develop character and to prepare the child for life in society where order and discipline are necessary.

From my experience, I must note that many modern parents do not insist enough on obedience. The freedom that is given to children without proper guidance often leads to their ruin. True freedom consists in following the good and resisting evil, not in doing whatever one desires.

Education should also instill the habit of telling the truth. A child who lies is not only acting contrary to morality but is also undermining the foundation of trust that must exist between parents and children. We must react firmly to any act of deception and help the child understand the gravity of lying.

Physical punishment should be used only in extreme cases. I believe that it is possible to educate well without resorting to it. The most effective punishments are often those of a moral nature - such as depriving the child of something he loves, or expressing disapproval and disappointment. The child who is loved by his parents will strive to please them and will fear disappointing them.

Another important matter is the choice of companions and friends. Parents must carefully observe with whom their children associate. Bad company can quickly corrupt even well-raised children. At the same time, we must help the young to develop friendships that are true and lasting, based on common values and mutual respect.

Education should develop both the intellectual abilities and the practical skills of the child. We must not neglect physical education and the development of healthy habits. A sound mind in a sound body is an ancient but still valid principle.

One must also pay attention to the education of the senses. Children must learn to resist the temptations that surround them. The cultivation of modesty, especially among girls, is extremely important. We must protect them from harmful influences and from the corruption of morals that is spreading in modern society.

I want to emphasize once more that education is the most important task that parents can undertake. The future of the family, the future of the nation, depends on it. What we invest in the education of our children will bear fruit not only in their own lives but also in the lives of their children and of generations to come.

At the end, I address myself to my children, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren with a heartfelt request and wish that you remember always, both in everyday gray life and in turbulent times of war, that the constituent, basic unit in society is not a loose individual, but a compact Christian family in its narrower, wider, and broadest understanding of the expression. The value of the family is established, however, not only by the register, but by the consciousness of maintaining and educating in every step both our descendants and the entire surrounding environment with the traditions of the virtues and merits of our ancestors and combating their vices and errors. Carry high the banner of persistent, prudent, and joyful work and sacrifice, and of active apostolate of love for the Fatherland, for learning, and for living Christian faith, for the glory of God and the health of Poland. Strive, my children and grandchildren, on this foundation earnestly to maintain and strengthen in our so numerous family - faithful and close friendship of paternal and brotherly love. Throughout my long life my endeavor has always been to introduce into family and public life the requirements of high qualifications, education, obligation, discipline, and strength, as well as absolute Catholic ethics. Although I therefore confess with humility the shortcomings in the execution of these intentions and desires, I transmit them to you with great emphasis as my spiritual legacy. Insofar as you will put it into practice, then on the basis of real merits, by God's grace, you can become useful and distinguished servants of the great cause, worthy of the deserved family whose name you have the honor to bear. And then you can be certain not only of the blessing of an unworthy father and grandfather who is leaving the field of active life ever more, but you will deserve the just judgment, mercy, and blessing of the Lord of Hosts Himself. In conclusion, I ask you, dear ones, for prayers for my soul and the soul of the very blessed memory of your mother and grandmother, who should always shine for you as an example and model of a wife and mother, of a Christian and a Pole.

Witold Czartoryski [his mark]

Final passage of the testament of Witold, Prince Czartoryski. Dated Pełkinie, January 15, 1944.

Finally, I address myself to my children, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren with heartfelt request and wish that you remember always, both in the gray everyday life and also in turbulent times of war, that the constituent, basic unit in societies is not a loose individual, but a compact Christian family in its narrower, wider, and broadest understanding of the expression. However, the value of the family is established not only by the record, but by the consciousness of maintaining and educating at every step both your own descendants and the entire surrounding community with the traditions of the virtues and merits of your ancestors and of combating their vices and errors. Carry high the banner of persistent, prudent, and joyful work and sacrifice, and of active apostolate of love for the Fatherland, of learning, and of living Christian faith, for the glory of God and the health of Poland. Strive, children and grandchildren of mine, on this foundation earnestly to maintain and strengthen in our so numerous family - faithful and close friendship of paternal and brotherly love. Throughout my long life's endeavor it has always been my striving to introduce into family and public life the requirements of high qualifications, education, obligation, discipline, and strength, as well as uncompromising Catholic ethics. Although therefore I confess with humility my shortcomings in the execution of these intentions and desires, I transmit them to you with great emphasis as my spiritual legacy. Insofar as it will be put into practice by you, then on the basis of real merits you can become, by God's grace, useful and distinguished servants of the great cause, worthy of the deserved family whose name you have the honor to bear. And then you can be certain not only of the blessing of an unworthy father and grandfather who is leaving the field of active life ever more, but you will deserve the just judgment, always mercy, and blessing of the Lord of Hosts Himself. In conclusion, I ask you, dear ones, for prayers for my soul and the soul of the very blessed memory of your mother and grandmother, who should always shine for you as an example and model of a wife and mother, a Christian and a Pole.

Witold Czartoryski [his mark]

Speech by Piotr Czartoryski during the celebration of the Golden Wedding Anniversary of his parents on August 21, 1939

There are three mighty motors in man: Reason, Will, and Feeling. These are for the human soul like three spirited horses harnessed together in one swift carriage, which with reins in hand, one drives through difficult and often arduous roads. Training spirited horses is an art no light matter. Having three horses before one, each with complex faults, vices and virtues, the highest art is to harmonize them into one whole, to bring them into equilibrium. The balance of reason, will and feeling constitutes the fullness of life. The fullness of life is harmony, a proportionate relationship of all human gifts, both innate and transcendent, which leads us to God, whose highest definition is: Love, Truth, Good, and Beauty. Men of true equilibrium radiate these reflections onto others.

What gives this celebration its profound significance? It is that You, our Parents, through fifty years of shared journey, have harmonized your noble steeds into one mighty, unified chariot, conscious of its purpose, duty and goal. You have achieved the equilibrium of life's fullness. The coordination of inner and intellectual life with material life, wisdom with humility, peace with serenity, energy with compassion, you created for us a model of Catholic life in the fullest sense of our age—not a faith confined within the cage of one's own soul, but you gave us a model of lay apostleship, broad civic courage, and the shaping of opinion through bold proclamation of principles openly put into action. Through this Balance, you gave us a model of disinterested and self-sacrificing patriotism, of social order and legality, instilling these ideals into Polish life through your deeds. The culmination of this equilibrium is the family you created, in which you provided an example of absolute, harmonious unity between husband and wife.

Observing the chaos of social relations and leaden clouds hanging over the coexistence of nations, one might superficially conclude that the work and labors of your apostleship and of men of your caliber bear no fruit, since today one can scarcely discern social order, legality and peace—those manifestations of equilibrium for which you have apostolized. Yet let us remember that you and your close comrades-in-arms for Polish freedom have created this wondrous privilege for six sons: that with the Polish eagle on their breasts and saber in hand, they might carve out a lasting independent existence for Poland. To whom do we young men owe this honor of wearing the uniform of a Polish officer? To you, our Parents, and to those like you who fought for Poland's independence. The first part of your lives yielded that most magnificent fruit, which your own parents were not given to see—it gave us an independent Polish state. Look further into the future, at the young generation entering the sphere of influence on the course of social and political affairs. Academics, young intellectuals, graduates of military schools, crosses in university halls, closed retreats, the standards of the Order of the Cross and Sword, social weeks, the organization of commerce in Polish hands, and so forth—all these manifestations are your work and, in spirit, work and apostleship of colleagues equal to you in their quiet or known labors toward realizing the Polish motto: "Pax Christi in regno Christi." Through your ideas and deeds, we move toward a better tomorrow.

Dearest Parents! On this day of joyful family celebration, it is most difficult for me to speak about my Parents, because there surges into my mind and heart such a tide of emotions that it is truly difficult to fully express the depth of my love, gratitude and attachment toward you for all that you have given us, all you have instilled in us and all you have created for us. For fifty-nine years you have worked for us with heart, soul and body. Through the depth of your conversations, the subtlety of your feelings and the uncompromising temper of your will, you have shaped our lives. You denied yourselves the smallest pleasures to ensure that we all enjoyed a sufficient material existence. From childhood you instilled in us religious life, service to Poland, and the obligations of our station through both intellectual and physical training, through moral vigor. Every word I speak will pale before fifty-nine years of your deeds. Perhaps the best expression of our feelings toward you, our Parents, will be this: with joy I can assure you that we all, your children and grandchildren, will continue with your help, under the family standard—crimson with mutual love for that for which we fight, and green with hope for victory—to fight for the common ideals that you have poured completely into our minds and hearts.

Seated with us today, besides our immediate family, are numerous relatives and friends of this house. Beloved and distinguished guests! Your presence has proven the reciprocal affection, friendship, respect and attachment with which our Parents hold you. Beloved friends of our Parents! Through your many years of collaboration, community of purpose and friendship with our Parents, you have earned the deepest respect and affection in our hearts. I earnestly ask you, therefore, to remember that whoever fights for the same ideals, whoever held our Parents dear in friendship and respect—will always find in our hearts and homes complete community of purpose, friendship and respect. May we only prove ourselves worthy of reciprocity.

Dearest Parents! From this profound feeling of objective esteem and most fervent and faithful love and attachment flows the essence of the countless wishes that press upon our lips.

May you live to see your diamond wedding in happiness, health and peace, so that we may then gather at that joyful table in your company and among our friends, at a celebration that will be a triumph of the realization of the labors and aspirations of our life.

On Ethics in Public Life

Since the aim of education is to prepare a person for life with character and qualifications for some useful work, let us reflect more deeply on these two characteristics that we wish to achieve. Strictly speaking, one might say that the educational aim is to equip a person for life with only qualifications, or only a strong and lofty character, because by qualifications we understand not only intellectual, scientific and technical proficiency, but also moral development, and by character we can encompass all positive qualities without which there cannot exist ideals that put into action creative principles and virtues which in everyday life are called qualifications—that is, skill, experience and proficiency in performing work within the scope of certain spheres of life.

Yet remaining with the conventional definition of "qualifications" in the intellectual sense, and of knowledge and skill in a given profession, there emerges with great clarity an observation that, over time, in the opinion of even some well-intentioned people and those of good will, on the most diverse and important issues manifested throughout the world in excessive measure in all spheres of human life—a proliferation of purely intellectual, technical and practical demands has gone so far that in deep shadow are plunged the demands for strong character with very lofty ideals serving the highest and holiest causes. It is surely an evident truth that the higher one's life and professional qualifications are—if they serve chiefly personal advancement and pride, interests that are not pure, hidden and contradictory to the nation's interest—the more dangerous and harmful they become, the more they undermine faith in good will and confidence in any worker, even the most worthy. These—in themselves valuable, often acquired through diligent work and effort—properties, become, without the balance of pure character, an instrument which, like an axe and saw in the hands of a skilled carpenter are tools with which he can build a house, but in the hands of a criminal can serve murder or torture.

Whoever has his thoughts directed from the past toward the future, whoever does not live only from day to day, whoever does not go solely along the line of least resistance, to whom the nation's future is constantly in mind, whoever does not live only for his own "self," who strives toward the perfecting of his extended family, his descendants, toward serving in the improvement of his extended family, which is the Nation, toward the good of humanity—let such a person reflect deeply on the great question of "education." Education in the family, in primary school, secondary school, the highest schools, education of social activists, education of teachers, professors, officials, military personnel, farmers, workers, those in free professions, up to those occupying the highest positions, up to the education of clergy.

How important is the principle, beginning already with the child, that with every lesson, instruction, suggestion, every command given or order issued, education should be inseparable—influence on conscientiousness, on honesty, on a higher, more distant purpose. This striving does not hinder, as some believe, on the contrary, it completes and elevates the value of all knowledge and learning. This is not the place for a pedagogical treatise. However, since I have mentioned, among others, officials too, who are closely connected to public life, it must be emphasized how important it is to educate workers in this profession as citizen-officials. Each person choosing for himself this profession so very important and necessary in the life of states and nations should always keep in mind that he is the servant of an important cause, that, being a faithful and honest executor of laws, subject to military discipline, should be fair in his official duties, but also a benevolent counselor and friend, as well as an educator of the public he serves. Not overlooking transgressions, dishonesty and circumvention of laws and regulations, he should cooperate with the population in facilitating their difficulties and regulations—sometimes heavy and unpleasant, but necessary in one's own state. What great harm does an official inflict, one who thinks first and foremost of himself, or such a bad apple among them who commits abuses at the expense or for the benefit of the State or the population, or even for his own profit? It provokes resistance in the population not only against these perverse individuals, but creates enemies of their own laws, order, and even enemies of their own government. Each superior, therefore, of every department and branch of state administration, has an obligation not only to watch and control whether his subordinate official executes the letter of the law or not, whether he is delinquent in "bits and pieces," but should spread knowledge of the spirit of the laws among his subordinates, have civil courage and be relentless toward dishonesty, negligence and unkindness toward innocent and honest clients. This is in no way contradictory to his having paternal care and kindness toward his subordinate officials, who often work in difficult and trying conditions.

What can each mortal, however humble, contribute to changing things for the better?

In all life conditions, each person contributes directly or indirectly to the shaping of opinion, which must particularly be demanded of people exercising any function in public life, beginning with the village elder, the district chief, the teacher, the mayor, the judge, the official, the lawyer, the manufacturer, the merchant, the officer, the congressman, the writer, the journalist, ending with the clergy, the most important dignitaries up to the head of state. Opinion exerts mainly an indirect influence. I mention it, however, because opinion is—despite all this—a great ruler. How many people, through its formation, have lesser or greater influence—negative or positive—through their personal efforts on all elections, all appointments to prominent and modest positions! How often does demagoguery, class consciousness, party affiliation, the hope that this protégé or appointee will be grateful for the opinion given about him, for the vote cast, once he reaches the desired position—and sometimes even here the voter's material interest plays a great role—decide on giving one's vote? And yet, what should decide on giving one's vote in any elections or in supporting an appointment? Above all, deep confidence in the unwavering convictions of the candidate, in principles which we ourselves profess with regard to religion and patriotism, in his personal worth, not in empty words, proclaimed often solely to gain applause, for elections, to obtain the relevant position. In supporting someone's candidacy, the higher the position one aims for, the more one should inform oneself about the candidate. Not about whether he will support "my" material interests, but about what kind of religious, marital, family, and civic life he leads, his honesty, truthfulness, conscientiousness, his sense of responsibility for his words and deeds, what his intellect is like, his knowledge, and likewise what practical professional qualifications he has, which are indeed a very important factor, but which many even honest people have hitherto concerned themselves with almost exclusively, often not even knowing what the moral worth of the candidate is. It happened that people were elected or appointed to responsible positions who possessed neither practical qualifications nor solid character, simply because they pleased the voters, because they had to incite them against other classes, or play on a sense of hatred and envy toward neighbors, merely on these grounds that divided civic and national unity, to receive more votes nevertheless.

What remedy is there, then? How to cure society in this regard? How to distinguish good from evil?

It is a long and laborious educational work of entire generations, requiring durability and continuity of single spirit in all classes without distinction. Besides the ability to assess qualifications, which in some areas of human work can be recognized only by those versed and educated in a given field, one should be guided by principles of ethics, of great conscientiousness, which alone can decide on the character and energy of the action of people called to any public, leadership work. An inviolable code, one often recognized (to a greater or lesser degree consciously) by upright people, even those not particularly close to our Church, is Christian ethics, which for each believing Pole is the only legal haven, giving him community of views and action, the means of struggle against the growth of materialism, lies and hypocrisy, partiality and special interest, and for justice, truth, for a firm, lasting direction, in the means of struggles unchanging through changes of persons and even entire generations.

The principles guiding the life of a righteous individual should likewise govern collective life in family, nation, state, in every social grouping. Today one often hears the saying that in politics, in diplomacy, ethics cannot apply, that the end sanctifies the means, that with the enemy one must fight using his weapons, even if forbidden, perverse. In internal matters, and even in external struggles over the long term, unified, selfless strength must always triumph, standing high above personal, class and party matters. Without soiling oneself with revenge, vindictiveness through using the criminal means of one's enemies—without personal reckonings, individual unauthorized actions. Justice should stand on the pedestal of one's own conscience and the opinion of the entire world, very clear, very strong, uncompromising, severe, but absolutely superior morally and socially, above the barbarism of enemies, not in darkness but in clear light that educates and ennobles all society, one's own dignity, arousing in its time a public opinion through its purposefulness and seriousness toward the entire civilized world. Besides, he who fights with a certain sword dies from it. Brutal barbarism must end in destruction among the nations of the civilized world. We strive toward a different future.

Above class factions in political life should have precedence those associations that have representatives of all classes and professions, so that they might strive toward balance and development of all directions that have reason for being according to their moral, intellectual and economic worth for the nation and state, which set themselves the task of maintaining and raising the firm development and strength of their Homeland in the spiritual, intellectual, economic and material direction. Such firm direction can only be maintained by drawing closer to so much-desired governments of national unity, when the public comes to the conviction that the best, most cohesive executor and cement for this will be administrative, judicial, educational, legislative and military authorities, standing on a national foundation, grounded in Catholic ethics.