Polish Journalism Pioneer at the Turn of 20th Century. Aleksander Świętochowski and His Relations with Press

From the age of 23 until his death at the age of 89, thus for more than half a century, Aleksander Świętochowski was associated with the Polish press. He was an author of texts, editor and publisher, owner of three magazines: „Prawda” („The Truth”), „Kultura Polska” („Polish Culture”), and „Humanista Polski” („The Polish Humanist”). Despite numerous additional activities in the public sphere - literary, social and educational, political - biographers unanimously believe that, above all, he was a journalist and in this role he had no equal. The aim of the article is to show life of „ The Apostle of Truth” through the prism of his relations with the press. The main theme has been set in the broader context of the political realities of the time. Due to the wide time span, the professional career dynamics of the protagonist and the evolution of his image were taken into account. Świętochowski’s approach to work, as well as his view on the surrounding reality, has been analyzed and an attempt has been made to assess the motives behind his decisions related to his profession.

„Vicious Circles”. The struggle of publicist – Aleksander Świętochowski – with the idea of tolerance in the years 1872–1914

The article discusses the idea of tolerance in the works of Aleksander Świętochowski. Its aim was to present the views of „The Apostle of Truth” on this subject. These views turned out to be interesting but inconsistent. The author attempted to transfer patterns from the free states of Western Europe directly onto the entirely different ground of Polish lands, which were under partition. At the same time, he seemed to ignore the fact that among his compatriots, the theory of the idea of tolerance was much more mature than among thinkers from other parts of the continent, as it had already been analyzed between the 15th and 17th centuries. The slogan embraced by the positivists served as one of the instruments he used to gain popularity. Through it, he promoted other elements of the ideology of progress, moralized, and created utopian visions. However, he did not delve into the issue of tolerance using a scientific approach, which might have been expected of him as a Doctor of Philosophy. Świętochowski condemned himself and his readers to circling around the idea he promoted but did not attempt to understand. The author’s style and his versatility in approaching the issue of tolerance inspired an analysis and synthesis of his views, which in many respects remain relevant today and have yet to be fully explored.