but it will come to pass in our children’s children’s time. I myself pronounce and write (not knowing any better) “pjauti,” “spjauti,” “bjaurus,” “labjau,” but “sunkiau,” “geriau.” If I write “pjauti” and so on, I could not distinguish “pjauti” = schneiden, pautas ‘Ei’ and Old Prussian peuse ‘Fichte’ (we would write *piausė). But these are trifles! If Mr. Jablonskis and Būga tell us to “write uniformly ‘pjauti,’ ‘geriau,’ ‘labjau,’” then we will all write that way and rejoice that we have achieved uniform spelling. Until you two revise the textbook, some will say, “We pronounce ‘labjau’ but ‘geriau,’ and write them that way,” while others will ask, “Why should the same diphthong be written sometimes ‘lab-jau’ and sometimes ‘ger-iau’?” There will be no end to it!

You mentioned Žemaitė. She is a woman whose writings I like very much. It is true that we sons of Lithuania Minor have many Germanisms in our language, but we know how to distinguish what is pure and what is not. Žemaitė’s language is the most beautiful. It is not artificial. When I read Šviet. darbą or some other writing of the present day, I am annoyed by newly coined words, syntax, and so forth, made for no reason. I must admit that I often do not understand what these men write: σκοτεινοί εἰσιν². From Žemaitė’s and your writings I am learning to write truly Lithuanian—that is, purely and “ungekünstelt”³, as the German says. When writing my preface to Mažvydas, I write as my mother taught me to speak Lithuanian: not elegantly, but also not in a distorted way without reason. I deliberately wrote simply; next time I will write better.

I hope that in 8 days I will be able to send “Mažvydas” to you. — Next summer I intend to search in Vilnius and elsewhere for old Lithuanian writings. I firmly believe I will find them!

Wishing you heartfelt good health

Your devoted admirer

Jurgis Gerulis

Kronprinzstrasse 15.

¹ lack

² are dark

³ naturally, simply

A. S.

DATA FOR F. KURŠAITIS’S BIOGRAPHY

1. A letter from F. Kuršaitis’s father, Mikelis, to J. Schneller

In the Manuscript Department of the Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (Ludwig Rhesa Collection, F 228—624) is a letter from Mikelis Kuršaitis (1780?—18...?), father of the distinguished linguist of Lithuania Minor Frydrichas Kuršaitis (1806—1884) and teacher at the Lenkviečiai school—

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aitis, to Pastor Johann Schneller. The letter was written on June 19, 1839, in Lenkviečiai (Lengwethen, now the center of the Lunino rural district in the Nemanas district) and sent with the confirmand Liutkus to Gastos (Heinrichswalde, now Slavsk). The Seikviečiai mentioned by V. Biržiška (Aleksandrynas. Chicago, 1965. Vol. 3. P. 172) resulted from an incorrect reading of the place where the letter was written.

Lenkviečiai is about 10 km south of Ragainė, near the churches. The church was built in 1732—1735, and after Salzburgers settled there, a parish was established in 1741 (Hubatsch W. Geschichte der evangelischen Kirche Ostpreußens, Göttingen, 1968. Bd. 2. S. 111). As L. Rhesa notes (Kurtzgefaßten Nachrichten von allen seit 1775 an den evangelischen Kirchen in Ostpreußen angestellten Predigern... Königsberg, 1834. S. 151), Schneller (Johann Schneller, born 1786) was ordained in 1824 and served as pastor first in Lenkviečiai, then in Gastos, where his duties apparently also included supervising parish schools.

The letter consists of an address and three pages of text (34.5 cm × 20 cm), written in Gothic cursive in small, rather irregular handwriting. The letter paper has been considerably affected by damp, and the ink has seeped through, making the text difficult to read in places. The Berlin linguist F. Hintzė (Hinze), whom I thank for his help, assisted in deciphering the more difficult passages.

The contents of the letter suggest that Pastor Schneller had recently inspected M. Kuršaitis’s school, and that Kuršaitis is now, as it were, summing up the results of the visit from his own perspective and wishing to remind him of his needs. In the letter, Kuršaitis describes his impoverished material circumstances, failing health, and the difficulties of teaching. The letter also reveals that the school had few teaching aids of various kinds. Thus Kuršaitis humbly asks for help in having a Lithuanian Bible bound and requests a larger, more convenient map.

From the biography of M. Kuršaitis’s son, the linguist Frydrichas Kuršaitis, we know that he began studying at the University of Königsberg at a relatively advanced age: before his studies, he had been an assistant at his father’s school and had taught at nearby elementary schools. Even after enrolling at the university in 1836 (at the age of twenty-eight), he had to “put his studies aside for two years” (see Tumelis J. Fridricho Kuršaičio autobiografija // Žmonės ir kalba. V., 1977. P. 144). M. Kuršaitis’s letter helps explain this period in Frydrichas’s youth to some extent. The son, a student in Königsberg, had to interrupt his studies: he was ill for about half a year and later traveled on a doctor’s advice. In addition, thieves had made a considerable clean sweep of their belongings during that period.

The letter is one of the earliest surviving written documents of the Kuršaitis dynasty. It is significant above all as probably the only epistolary text by Mikelis Kuršaitis, providing authentic material on the realities of schooling in the first half of the nineteenth century in Lithuania Minor and preserving direct information about Professor Frydrichas Kuršaitis. In its content, the letter also nicely supplements the biographies of the other linguist Kuršaitises (see Kaunas D. Kelios pastabos kalbininkų Kuršaičių biografijai // Mūsų kalba. V., 1983. Nr. 1. P. 50—53).

We present a translation of the letter from German into Lithuanian.

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[Address]

His Excellency

To Reverend Pastor Schneller

Heinrichswalde

through the confirmand* Liutkus

[p.1]

Lenkviečiai

June 19, 1839

Your Excellency

Today, in my haste, I forgot to humbly ask Your Excellency

1. It has long been necessary to have the Lithuanian school Bible rebound before it falls completely apart. I must use it every day for teaching, since it is the only one we have for reading, as there is no lockable bookcase in the school; moreover, the Lithuanian New Testament and Bible history book belonging to the school were stolen. Kindly permit me to have the Bible rebound at the school’s expense.

2. When teaching writing, especially penmanship, I am dissatisfied with my handwriting, and my hand itself, like my eyes, has grown old; I can no longer improve it. I humbly ask that worn-out writing-instruction boards be sent at the school’s expense. I also find it difficult to teach geography with my failing old eyes, because the map sheets are too small in format; therefore I would also like

[p.2]

a large map.

3. Since I suffered from joint pain throughout the winter and then immediately fell ill with jaundice until Pentecost, it takes very great effort for me to manage the school properly. This is the main reason I have only just got out of bed; I am only now beginning the lessons with my pupils. Therefore, I humbly ask that funds be allocated to me here. Since I have never been idle in my duties either, and have applied my meagre knowledge and strength most diligently; moreover, since my small income is not enough to support me, and preparing lessons also takes a great deal of time, I must neglect (my teaching duties). I most humbly ask Your Excellency to intercede so that I may receive an addition to my small salary, which was promised to me long ago and which I have been expecting ever since, for I must also help my children, who cost a great deal despite my meagre income, and I, too, wish to live.

4. I also wish to tell Your Excellency about the situation of my son, a student at the University of Königsberg. For some time, about half a year, he has been somewhat unwell; the doctor advised him

[p.3]

* Words restored by the translator from abbreviations or inserted for clarity are written in parentheses.

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to travel around a little, he went about Elbing, Prussian Holland, and elsewhere, and, returning from his trip, found his wardrobe and bed empty, his clothes, laundry, and bedding stolen.

5. You will receive the books you (Your Excellency) left with me from the bearer of the (letter).

With deep respect

I remain

Your Excellency’s

most humble servant

Kuršaitis

2. O. Vitulskis’s letter to F. Kuršaitis

Information about Otto Vitulskis’s (Otto Witulski) letter to the future linguist also sheds light on F. Kuršaitis’s early years. This is Vitulskis’s reply to Kuršaitis, written on November 25, 1830.

Little is known about Vitulskis himself. He came from Gumbinė and moved to Prussian Holland in 1794, that is, 36 years earlier; he was the steward of the Kalthof estate in the Prussian Holland district (Adlig-Kalthof). The letter shows that he had not become Germanized (“being an old Lithuanian, I love the people of my land”). He considered himself old (“You will forgive me, an old man”). It is not known when he died: in his autobiography written in 1845, Kuršaitis refers to Vitulskis as “already deceased.” V. Biržiška writes Wittalskis (see Aleksandrynas. Chicago, 1965, vol. 3, p. 172), but does not mention the letter itself among Kuršaitis’s papers. — In the autumn of 1830, Vitulskis met Frydrichas in Braunsberg (apparently there for the journey recommended by doctors and mentioned in his father’s letter) and brought him to Königsberg. Their meeting was accidental, but significant for Kuršaitis. Vitulskis, as a school patron, recommended Kuršaitis and in 1831 invited him to serve as the independent teacher at the Kalthof school; Kuršaitis also taught Vitulskis’s own children (for more, see “People and Language,” p. 143). While teaching at Kalthof, Kuršaitis received better pay than at his previous posts and was able to save for further studies.

Vitulskis’s letter was published in issue 7 of Tilžės keleivis in 1889, pp. 141–142. Thanks to J. Tumelis for suggesting that it be published.

My dear Sir!

I received Your letter of the 3rd [z. M. and read it with joy. That You praise me so highly for taking You from Braunsberg to Königsberg with me seems to me an undeserved tribute to me as a friend of mankind, for I think I am to blame if, being a human being, I can be helpful to my fellow man—even if I do not know him—without tormenting myself; I rejoiced, or rather Your letter brought me joy, only because I found in it that You were as I had thought You to be.

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Now, my dearest Sir! You wrote to us about our journey, asking me to help You find a place in the East Prussian district, since You would not soon find one in the Lithuanian district, or, more precisely, the Gumbinė district. In response to Your wishes, I want to make You a proposal, and if it pleases You, this offer of mine can place You in the “Oberland,” or more precisely, the East Prussian district, for four weeks. If this suits You, we could live in the same estate and travel almost as comfortably as we did from Braunsberg to Königsberg. — Our schoolteacher died in May, and, unwilling to appoint an unsuitable person, I—as patron of the school—have postponed the matter and am having the children taught in the meantime by some young man.

Until today I have not appointed anyone to this school; now, having become acquainted with You, I have chosen You. Therefore, I am taking up the position vacated by the teacher who has left. Such a teacher is needed, and even if the heavens were to fall, do not be afraid that four estates belong to our school district and that You would have to serve as an assistant. Not at all! There are at most 40 schoolchildren, half of them at the school. They are the children of farmhands, but there are also the children of estate stewards; what will depend on Your teaching and the stewards’ opinions, I cannot promise. But You wrote that You can also teach Latin thoroughly, and this would be especially useful for my son Rudolf, who attends school in the Dutch town. I would immediately place him, along with the younger children, in Your care, and I promise You above all that, if You wish to teach my children privately in my home, You can turn all Your earnings into money and eat at my table until You marry and have one of my children in Your instruction. You will also be spoken of well in my home.

Now, my Sir, think it over carefully, but reply as soon as You can, for the authorities may ask me to appoint a teacher. The pastor and bishop are already well-disposed toward You; You still need to send me the necessary certificates: 1) a birth certificate; 2) where You have taught; 3) where You were a teacher before that; and 4) how long You served as an assistant teacher. The authorities would request such certificates from me, since I have appointed You from another province. Now, my dear Kuršaitis, do as You wish; You have found a friend in me. The Lord has brought us together; I can make You this offer, and You cannot fail in this position, even if You have a wife and six children. Write to me again, too, whether You can teach music, for we have many more churches here than in Wejmaluniai, unlike Lithuania; so if You can play the organ, You may obtain a good position as organist at this school. Being an old Lithuanian, I love the people of my land, although I moved to this region in 1794, and have earned as much affection in this corner of the country as I have for its people. Once again, my dear Kuršaitis, it is not my place to persuade You; consider everything according to Your own judgment and choose what is best for You. If You do not believe my words, look at the attached note showing what a teacher here earns; such a teacher is needed here, and if—as

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I have already said—and Heaven will collapse. Forgive me, an old man, for bringing my letter to a close, since the clock strikes ten, my eyes are weak, and my wife is going to bed. Therefore, I bid my dear Kuršaitis good night, and I am almost waiting for his reply; whether or not it is franked, whatever it may be, I remain most devoted to my Lithuanian, and call myself his humble servant.

Kalthof near Pr. Holland, 25 November 1830.

Wittulski.

Prepared by Vincentas DROTVINAS

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