EDUCATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION REALIZED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIETY OF STANISŁAW STASZIC IN ŁÓDŹ IN “CZASOPISMO PRZYRODNICZE ILUSTROWANE” IN THE YEARS 1927–1939

Summary: The article describes the subject of indirect education ( mass media ) for the protection of nature realized by the Environmental Society of Stanisław Staszic in Łódź in “Czasopismo Przyrodnicze Ilustrowane”, in the years 1927–1939. The article is based on the thematic and chronological structure. The chronological criterion applies in the framework of the substance-based division. In the process of scientific research an external and internal critique was undertaken concerning the historical sources, the hermeneutic understanding was applied.


Articles devoted to the issues of environmental protection
In "Czasopismo Przyrodnicze Ilustrowane" there were environmental articles, which are the scienti c basis of knowledge in the scope of ecology, environmental protection, such as J. Grochmalicki's article entitled About (with drawings) (see: Grochmalicki / , p. -). Professor of the Warsaw Agricultural University, Franciszek Sta in Appeal to the Polish teachers about a co-operation in preparing a map of sh breeding in the waters of Poland justi ed the need of knowledge -as he put it -for moral reasons -the treasures of nature of the fatherland (compare: Sta / , p. -). Paweł Borenstein, when he was considering the economic meaning of sh, he wrote about their alimentary value, the need to establish the protective periods/size (compare: Borenstein / -, p. ). Dr Bogumił Pawłowski wrote about a multi-functional meaning of the snow cover for nature, especially protective and life-giving (see: Pawłowski / , p. -). Professor Zygmunt Mokrzecki, in "Czasopismo Przyrodnicze Ilustrowane" issued an article devoted to the protection of nature in the aspect of Poland's economics, justi ed the meaning of grain pest prevention (see: Mokrzecki / -, p. -). is subject was also undertaken by Jan Ruszkowski in his article On the protection of plants against pests and vermin (Ruszkowski / -, p. -). On the other hand Edward Mieczysław Potęga explained the value of protecting glacial erratics. He proposed to establish a Museum of Glacial Erratics (compare: Potęga / -, p. -; compare: Potęga / -, p. -). In this context, in the analyzed periodical there also appeared An Appeal of the Society on the protection of glacial erratics in the local dailies, not to destroy them during drainage system works to keep them for the ancestors like other countries in the world do (compare: Apel Towarzystwa w sprawie ochrony głazów…, / -, p. -). Nature was regularly described in the periodical: forests, meadows, agricultural elds, dunes and sands, water plants, peat-bogs, trees worth protection (for example eld elm/Ulmus campestris L.) (Kulesza / -, p. -; Kulejowski / -, p. -). ere were texts on the protection of birds, the meaning of feeding them in winter (compare: Sokołowski / -, p. -). Dr Stefan Kreutz devoted attention to the protection of calm nature (stone, rock, minerals, caves etc.) (see: Kreutz / -, p. -). e protection of local nature was given special attention. In this context dr. Jan Erhard Patzner described plant community in the city forests in Łódź, referred to as environmental reserve in Polesie Konstantynowskie (see: Patzner / -, p. -). e meaning of the city forests was justi ed by Eugeniusz Grabda. He stated that the State Council for Nature Conservation devotes attention to green areas in the city, not only because they are beautiful and serve health (especially during walking trips), but also due to their educational value in the process of teaching environmental issues (compare: Grabda / -, p. -; compare: Kączkowski / -, p. ).
In the chapter entitled Monuments of nature worth protecting and appearing in the area of the Łódź province Kazimierz Kotkowski wrote about the status of the yew reserve in Jasień near Radomsko, gave numerical data concerning yew (see: Kotkowski / -, p.
-; Kotkowski / -, p. ). Władysław Urbanek explained the meaning of yews (trees) before rental in the wieluńskie poviat (Urbanek / -, p. -). Stanisław Kulejowski wrote also about the need to protect the forest reserve (mixed forest) in Jasień (see: Kulejowski / -, p. - / -, p. ). Among other things, there was a presentation to set up a bird reserve (see: Ochrona przyrody w Łodzi, / -, p. ). Prof. Walery Goetel explained how to organize a National Park in Tatras (based on the parks of nature in the United States of Northern America). He stated that the Tatra mountains cannot be closed only for visitors and the collected fees should be assigned to maintain the above mentioned protected area (compare: Goetel / , p. -). In the subject periodical there were many appeals for an urgent establishing of a National Park in the Tatras, according to the project of the State Council for Nature Conservation (see: Chrzanowski, Urbański / , p. ). erefore a resolution was published on March , which was undertaken by the Łódź Section of the Polish Tatra Mountains to express solidarity with the activity of the State Council for Nature Conservation (compare: Zarząd Oddziału Łódzkiego Polskiego Towarzystwa Tatrzańskiego…, / -, p. ). Normative laws devoted to environmental protection were printed, such as: Circular of the Province Police Commander in Łódź, Dr Torwiński on gathering information concerning environmental monuments in the area of the Łódź Province addressed to all poviat police stations in the Łódź Province (see: Okólnik Komendanta Wojewódzkiego…, / -, p. -). Foreign legislature may also serve as an example, about which prof. Adam Wodziczko wrote (see: Wodziczko / -, p. ). In the analyzed periodical there were texts about environmental monuments (see: Godne ochrony zabytki…, / -, p. -), the meaning of valuable servitude to protect plants in Poland (see: Gorjaczkowski / -, p. -) and abroad (see: Ochrona przyrody w Afryce, / -, p. ) and the role of predators in the world of nature.

Law on environmental protection
In "Czasopismo Przyrodnicze Ilustrowane" there were also excerpts of the Law of March on environmental protection (Dz. U. from , -, p. ), signed by the President of the Republic of Poland Ignacy Mościcki, President of the City Council, Jędrzej Jędrzejewicz and the Ministry of Religions and Public Enlightenment Wacław Jędrzejewicz. e readers learned that in chapter of this document (entitled Subjects and the content of protection, national parks, authorities and Nature Protection Fund) it was decided that the following should be protected: the earth, its shape and formations, caves, still and running waters, waterfalls, water coasts, animals, plants, minerals and fossils, which need to be rescued for scienti c, aesthetic, historical or commemorating reasons or due to their particular features of landscape, which were recognized as subject to protection (chapter art. ) (compare: Ustawa o ochronie przyrody…, / -, p. ). With respect to the type of subjects and purposes, the protection consists in: • temporary or unlimited in time legal prohibition to do any or relevant changes in the subject or its surrounding, • prohibition to use the subject, to hunt, sh, cut trees, destroy plants, contaminate water, change its coast, excavating soil, rock and minerals, • prohibition to sell, buy and transport or export the protected subjects, • prohibition to put tables, inscriptions or adverts on the subjects or in a given area, • prohibition to construct buildings at all or up to a certain height or quality, setting up industrial or commercial objects etc. • limitation of access to a given area, except for the owner, user and holder, their service workers and inhabitants, • doing protective works and maintenance by the state: building protective walls, regulating the water level decrease, foresting the areas, planting, or building fences and adverts concerning the protection etc. (Ustawa o ochronie przyrody…, / -, p. ). e Minister of Religions and Public Enlightenment in arrangement with the Minister of Agriculture and Agricultural Reforms a er hearing the opinion of the State Council for Nature Conservation was able to introduce a disposition on particular species of plants and animals (art. par. ). In the areas with particularly beautiful landscape and rich in the peculiarities of nature, where environmental protection could not limit itself to particular subjects, but it should refer to their habitats in the area of at least three hundred hectares, the Council of Ministers could set up a national park based on the disposition (art. par. ) (compare: Ustawa o ochronie przyrody…, / -, p. -). Whereas the management board and supervision belonged to the Minister of Religions and Public Enlightenment (art. par. ).
According to the subject Law the chairman of the State Council for Nature Conservation was the Minister of Religions and Public Enlightenment, who could do the activity of the chairman by his delegate (art. par. ). For the purpose of the protection of nature a special Fund of Environmental Protection as a legal person) was formed. e supervision over the FEP belonged to the Minister of Religions and Public Enlightenment in understanding with the Minister of Internal A airs and Treasury issued regulations concerning the organization and activity of the Fund (art. par. ). Besides, the Minister of Internal A airs in arrangement with the Minister of Religions and Public Enlightenment and the Minister of Agriculture and Agricultural Reforms could appoint special environmental guards and specify their rights and duties (art. par. ) (Ustawa o ochronie przyrody…, / -, p. ).

Societies and social organizations of environmental protection
Professor Władysław Szafer presented the activity of the State Council for Nature Conservation to the readers of "Czasopismo Przyrodnicze Ilustrowane". He wrote about the conditions of appointing a social organization of environmental protection on January at the VII Convention of NCEP in Warsaw: League of Nature Conservation, whose rst chairman was Aleksander Janowski (Szafer , p. ). e State Council for Nature Conservation from (in the beginning, from , the Temporary Commission of Environmental Protection) (Grabda / -, p. -) as an advisory body of the Ministry of Religions and Public Enlightenment undertook actions to protect nature against the destruction of the "remnants of the inherent beauty of the Polish land, taking care about the landscape, plants, dying out trees and monuments of still nature" (Państwowa Rada Ochrony Przyrody…, / , p. ). e Board of NCEP appealed in "Czasopismo Przyrodnicze Ilustrowane" to the Polish society so that social circles, as well as particular people (youths, adults, seniors) were among members of the League of Nature Conservation. It was explained that with very modest nancial considerations (membership fees) it was possible to gather nancial amounts enabling the State Council for Nature Conservation an immediate protection of the most vulnerable monuments of nature and a gradual buyout (from the hands of private owners) the most beautiful, scienti cally most valuable areas to create reserves of nature (protection for future generations) (compare: Państwowa Rada Ochrony Przyrody…, / , p. ). e following persons signed their names under the appeal: Aleksander Janowski In the readers were reminded that the State Council for Nature Conservation (based on e Law of March on the protection of nature and dispositions issued by the Ministry of Religions and Public Enlightenment in arrangement with the Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural Reforms) was still an advisory authority of national administrative authorities for environmental issues. It was composed of -members appointed by the Minister of RPE in arrangement with the Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural Reforms -whose scienti c, applicative and social activity was a guarantee of proper actions for the sake of nature. e chairman of the Council was still the Minister of RPE, who assigned his deputy among the Council members -a delegate of the Ministry of RPE for environmental protection (compare: K.M. , p. ).

Environmental Trips
Professor of the Jagiellonian University, Władysław Szafer described the landscape, plants habitats, ndings in the cave, he explained the genesis of the ore in Dolina Ojcowska. He stated that the area was worth recommending as the area of botanical trips (compare: Szafer / -, p. -). H. Jarmolińska justi ed the educational meaning of environmental observations during school trips (Jarmolińska / -, p. -). Wacław Bryszewski gave useful tips in the process of organizing school trips and concerning gathering knowledge on the monuments of the cultural and natural heritage, folk costumes, literature, protected monuments. He emphasized that every participant of a school trip (teacher, student) should rst be well prepared to be able to fully use this form of education (compare: Bryszewski / -, p. -). It should be emphasized that in "Czasopismo Przyrodnicze Ilustrowane" there were many recommendations of the natural Tatra landscape during school trips.
ere were descriptions of the Tatra mountains, the beauty of the r forest, there was emphasis on the meaning of the protection of the Tatras nature against damage (see: Szkolna wycieczka botaniczna w Tatry, / -, p. -).

Periodicals and other publications of the Environmental Society of St. Staszic in Łódź
Emil Jarmulski in "Czasopismo Przyrodnicze Ilustrowane" presented environmental articles issued in pedagogical periodicals in the period of the II Republic of Poland. He enumerated particular works based on the following criteria: methodology, teaching programs, lessons, materials for speeches, library, workshops, educational tools, school garden, trips, protection of nature, museums, scienti c articles.
In In the rst volume of there was information added in the form of an advert about a periodical (for young environmentalists in the age of -) entitled "Environmental Circle", which will appear in March, May, September and in November (four volumes in ) named as seasons: "Spring", "Summer", "Autumn", "Winter" (in titles). A list of co-authors creating the periodical was given: / -, cover). ere was information (in the form of advertising) about a recommendation of the Ministry of Religions and Public Enlightenment as recommended for school use with a quali cation for school libraries. In this context there was also a text in "Young Friend of Animals and Environmental Circle" -monthly devoted to popularizing natural sciences among young environmentalists.

Educational means
Helena Michcińska (Chairwoman of the Cinematographic Commission of the Polish Environmental Pedagogical Society) justi ed the educational value of environmental lms in the process of school education, especially at biology and environmental classes. She stated that "contemporary school, when trying to be the school of work, enabled the research" (Michcińska / -, p. ). For this reason, practical methods and diversi ed educational means should be applied to enable the children to explore the natural environment.
It is already known that in II Republic of Poland for the rst time lm was used in the Polish schools (at that time it was a very modern tool for education). Dr Józef Mirski described German experience in this scope. He stated that a lm meets its task as a useful didactic tool when it encourages youths and children to undertake cognitive, emotional and applicative activity. It may not become onlyas Mirski had put it -"a moment of passive contemplation" (Mirski / -, p. ), but it should evoke interests and constitute an integral part of a lesson.
e use of educational lms should be strictly related with a teaching program of a given educational subject. Mirski informed readers that a commission was appointed at the Ministry of Religions and Public Enlightenment to organize a school lm collection. e lm collection is managed by the Film Institute of the Polish Telegraphic Agency in Warsaw (ul. Królewska ).
In the periodical, which is the subject of the research analysis, it was also explained how school photographic workshops were created to serve as educational tool in the process of teaching nature and geography. e educational meaning of making photos was emphasized, prepared by students during school trips, especially the didactic aspect of documenting nature with a photographic camera (punctuality, cleanness, preciseness, reliability) (compare: Ordyński / -, p. -). As Swystun described the didactic meaning of creating environmental libraries in junior high schools, a er introducing a school reform in . He explained the rules of creating and motivating students to read valuable books on environmental protection (see: Swystun / -, p. -). Edward Potęga devoted attention to the creation of school natural reserves and experimental stations and setting up natural habitats in aquariums, growing plants in pots and school gardens (in the context of didactic means in the process of school education). He stated that school natural reserves are to be the area of research, as well as the center of natural observation for teachers and local environmentalists (compare: Potęga / -, p. ).

Competitions for teachers
Management Board of Environmental Society of St. Staszic in Łódź, in: "Czasopismo Przyrodnicze Ilustrowane" announced competitions concerning environmental protection. An example may be Competition for work in the scope of environmental protection for all teachers of common schools, high schools and seminars (not only for environmentalists). e purpose of the competition was to evoke teacher's interest in the issue of environmental protection, gathering materials to get acquainted with and to secure the monuments of nature in the area of the Łódź Province against damage. Individual and/or collective works should be sent to the address of the Environmental Society of St. Staszic in Łódź by December (Zarząd Tow. Przyrodniczego…, / -, p. ). In the analyzed periodical it was justi ed that nature science teacher's work for environmental protection was meaningful, especially in the process of explaining mutual dependencies of particular being in the natural system (Ordyński / -, p. -). e meaning of the teacher's scienti c development was also emphasized, also in the aspect of spiritual growth (Praca naukowa…, / -, p. ).

Conclusion
On the basis of a qualitative analysis of the content of "Czasopismo Przyrodniczego Ilustrowane" of Stanisław Staszic Environmental Society it was stated that in the years -the dominating subject was the protection of live and still nature. Articles on nature were published on the above mentioned subject, excerpt from the Law of March on environmental protection. ere were articles about societies/social organizations on environmental protection, educational value of school trips, competitions for teachers on the protection of nature. Publications of the Environmental Society of Stanisław Staszic in Łódź were also published and other educational means, which serve ecological education.