Adult education and Szabad Lyceum in a town in Bácska in the era of dualism

The role of Catholic organizations in the organization of the Szabad Lyceum associations

Abstract

The organization of Szabad Lyceum associations is rarely linked to Catholic organizations. Yet there is a town in Bácska, Baja, which exemplifies how a local Catholic bachelor’s association has managed to link up with the national movement. Teachers from the local Cistercian grammar school and from the teacher training college had been involved from the very beginning as speakers at the educational lectures. Year after year, not only the audience has grown, but also the number of associations and schools that also held lectures under the aegis of the Lyceum. Although an association was not formed, the Bajai Szabadliceális Bizottság (Baja Szabad Lyceum Committee) was founded in 1912 by various organizations, and two years later it continued to function as an association. The chairman of both was Dr. Adolf Werner, the principal of the grammar school. After moving from Baja, his work was taken over by his successor, Menyhért Kürti. The popular lecture series continued between the two world war.