Boguslawa Czajecka: Stowarzyszenie Humanitarne "Schlaraffia" w Krakowie (1909 - 1938)

SUMMARY

The name "Schlaraffia" means "the land of the idle". In arte voluptas, the slogan of the organization, and its graphic symbol correspond well to the name.

Schlaraffia was founded in Prague in 1859. This date was considered as the year zero, or the year of the eagle owl (that is anno Uhui 0).

Schlaraffia referred to the idea of "paradise" free of concerns of everyday life. The character of this seemingly cheerful association fond of art was similar to that of freemasonry. The symbols the association applied confirm it. There is the eagle owl - a symbol of wisdom, as well as the key - a symbol of understanding the essence the beginning of things. Scissors were the sign of power; they corresponded to two crossed epees in freemason symbolism. The dunce's cap and the cup were symbols of life and pleasures pursued within Schlaraffia. Initially the association gathered artists and art patronage. As time went by the number of members and the range of their professions diversified. As far as nationality of members is concerned, there were Jews, Jewish Germans, Germans and Czechs. The designers of the group were Karol Ludwik Thoma, the director of the Prague Theatre, Henryk Oberländer and Schmidt Weissenfels. Also Albert Eilers, a musician and a poet, contributed actively. After the seat in Prague had time to take deeper roots, chapters sprang up within the Dual Austro-Hungarian Empire, Prussia, in other European and North American countries.

From 1918 to 1939 there were nine chapters of the Humanitarian Association "Schlaraffia" active in Poland: in Bielsko (since 1901), Cieszyn (since 1907), Lvov (since 1910), Poznan [Posen] (since 1889), Przemysl (since 1912), Bydgoszcz (since 1910), Cracow (since 1909), Katowice (since 1926), and Gdansk [Danzig] (since 1884).

The structure of the organization comprised two groups: 1) Patrons of Eagle Owl's Table (Uhustammstisch) and 2) Coloniae. Schlaraffia had double authorities: public and secret. The first were appointed annually during the Annual General Meeting of the members. As soon as the authorities were chosen, and in accordance with appropriate regulations, police was notified (after 1929 also Starostwo Grodzkie [the local agenda of the central government]. The Executive Board consisted of the president, one vice-president, secretary and treasurer.

Secret activities were centred around 1) Secret Supreme Council and 2) Chancellor. The Secret Supreme Council consisted of four people: the Marshall, the Master of Young Masters (tutor), the Master of Ceremony, and the Master Treasurer.

The Cracow Schlaraffia drew finds from membership fees, donations of members and friends, finds, and money collected during parties and balls.

From 1909 to 1938 the Cracow seat of Schlaraffia was the building at 17 Zielona (later: Józefa Sarego) street.

The association gathered only adult men, of certain prestige. During the twenty-eight years of existence the Cracow Schlaraffia had 134 members. Among them, apart from military people, were thirteen bankers, sixteen engineers, nine plant directors, four merchants, five masons and two architects. Another group were representatives of freelance professions: four lawyers, five physicians, three university professors, one musician, one singer, one painter, and four diplomats.

Among the members there were many highly skilled engineers. But it were the artists, especially musicians and painters, who played a special role in the association. The association maintained a range of contacts with other associations and organizations; among these was the Union of Jewish Humanitarian Associations in Cracow - B'nei B'rith. There were six activists of the Cracow B'nei B'rith in Schlaraffia.

Members of Schlaraffia were divided into a number of initiation levels: pilgrims (Pilger), candidate (Prüflinge), squire (Knappen), young master (Junker) and knight (Ritter).

Every candidate had to be introduced and commended. Stricter discipline, which was introduced towards the end of the 30's must be seen as an attempt of defence against the "intruders".

Meetings (Sippung), that took place on a particular day of the week, were attended by members only. Weekly meetings of Schlaraffia involved a number of formalities after which one of the "knights" challenged another for a "word-joust". At that point both knights and squires put on paper dunce's caps. They could be distinguished by a white-headed pin worn in the button-hole.

Only the most meritorious members of the organization could reach the highest initiation level, knight (Ritter). On being "knighted", each of the "knights" was given a new pseudonym, which often reflected the virtues or vices of the newly knighted. The ceremony took place only once a year. The new "knight" was given a diploma and an appropriate coat-of-arms. There were thirty-four "knights" in the ranks of Cracow Schlaraffia.

Each of Schlaraffia centres had its own traits, distinguishing it from the other ones. Among these were: the colours (Reichsfarben), the seat (Burg), the day of meetings (Sippungstag), and the time of meetings (Schlag). Members gathered for sessions in a room specially prepared for the specific rites. On entering the room everyone was to bow deeply to a stuffed eagle owl - the symbol of wisdom. Schlaraffia had its own laws and its rites, based on chivalric one ("Schlaraffen Spiegel und Zeremoniale"). Rich people who belonged to the newly formed middle class hoped to be "nobilitated" through reference to chivalric tradition - hence the rituals. Undoubtedly Schlaraffia was a secret association. The association had exclusively male membership and hid their activity away from the outsiders (the profane). As any secret union, Schlaraffia had a specific structure with individual leadership and system of five initiation levels. It also had its ritual place, that is the assembly room, well guarded from the profane, with the altar of the eagle owl and the president's throne. Enrolment procedures were defined very clearly, just as the rules for advancing to higher initiation levels.

The final establishment of the organization's character will call for a further study in future.

Contrary to the provisions of their statute, individual chapters of Schlaraffia took live interest in the political events both of home and foreign countries. The association did not remain indifferent to nazi ideology. This was especially true about German chapters, which with no consent, called an extraordinary convention in Leipzig on 23 April, 1933, where they passed breaking away from the mother chapter of Prague and refusing obedience to it. The decisions of the council were: 1) The leadership of the Prague "Absolute Mother" over the chapters of the German Reich ceases on 23 April, 1933. 2) Members of individual Schlaraffia chapters can be only males of Aryan origin, belong to the nation, and consider cherishing of Germanism their duty. 3) All Schlaraffia chapters located within the Reich were bound to submit reports taking into account the issue of unification (Gleichschaltung) by September 1933. These resolutions broke the former unity of the association. Worldwide deterioration of the association followed. Since then the Prague Schlaraffia began to wither only to dissolve itself in Prague on 22 April, 1939. At that time Schlaraffia was crossed out from the Prague register of associations.

Schlaraffia Cracovia was liquidated in 1938, according to the Act of the President of the Republic of Poland on dissolution of organizations involved with or dependent on freemasonry. Schlaraffia was deemed dependent of freemasonry, and liquidated by the police not only in Cracow, but also in Poznan and Bydgoszcz.

The character of the association, as a both quasi-freemason and clandestine organization has its representation in the preserved documents. Among the especially valuable materials are the Order's Order (Ordens-Matrikel) and the minutes of Schlaraffia gatherings, proceedings from the general meetings and the sessions of the Supreme Council (Oberschlaraffenrat) and the Order's Chapter (Ordenskapitels). Helpful materials on the programme of the association are also found in the proceedings of "Coloniae Cracovia". Apart from the associations's rites and goals they allow for establishing the intellectual level and manners of the members, as well as their mentality and in some cases even the inner problems that lay heavy on their minds. They provide interesting material for researching middle class mentality of the first half of the 20th century. Much information can be accessed in reports on Schlaraffia activity in Cracow. Detailed information on members and the operation of the association is to be found on "subjects and texts of the lectures delivered by the knights" -people of the highest initiation level.

The materials also include miscellaneous correspondence. It is helpful in portraying contacts between the Cracow Schlaraffia and its sister chapters in Europe and worldwide (from Los Angeles to Shanghai) and, what follows, definition of directions of expansion and regions of the highest density of chapters.

The local operation of the Cracow Schlaraffia chapter is documented by the roll of honour and an album of special postcards published by individual chapters. The roll contains 394 pages with members' signatures of all initiation levels, including the signatures of knights, during the meetings from 1912 to 1938. A valuable asset are the satirical pictures done in pencil, coloured pencil and infrequently in water-colour. Many of these may be considered a sign of wholesome sense of humour, and some of their represent reasonable artistic standard. They render the solemn atmosphere of meetings, as g.: knighting. The album contains 178 valuable postcards and photographs published by the wealthier Schlaraffia chapters. Fortyfive postcards and nine photographs present the seats of several chapters, interiors of meeting halls and in a few cases the whole buildings.

The association led a wide range of propaganda activities. It usually encountered no difficulties in publishing its own local bulletins on special occasions.

The Cracow chapter maintained closer contacts with its sister associations in Vienna and Graz. Correspondence concerning organizational matters and rites of the association portrays the ties of the Cracow Schlaraffia with Prague. Apart from letters from individual associations one may find here letters from individual knights, i.e. members of the highest level of initiation, and, as enclosures, diplomas, information leaflets, reports and invitations.

To conclude, the papers of the Humanitarian Association Schlaraffia in Cracow contain varied and valuable information on this untypical quasi-freemason association of polygenous national structure which influenced its operation.

The association existed in Cracow from its foundation in 1908 to closing in 1938. The documents consists of 60 units; their total length is 5 ft (1,5 meters).

Schlaraffia's office is typical for a clandestine association. First of all, the date is encrypted. Although the months remain in an unchanged order, because there were twelve of them, their names were encoded as follows: January - Eismond, February - Hornung, March - Lenzmond, April - Ostermond, May - Wonnemond, June - Brechmond, July - Heumond, August - Erntemond, September - Herbstmond, October -Weithemond, November - Windmond, and December - Christmond.

Recording of the year was also complicated. The new era of Schlaraffia began with the moment of foundation of the first chapter in Prague. Both eras are illustrated by a table. The documents bear only the year Uhui. Dates of the standard calendar are extremely rare and were used only in a few instances.

The first statute of the association declared German the official language. Apart from the encrypted names of months and specific marking of years the archives feature encoded place names: especially seats of chapters.

Following the order of the Minister of Interior of 15 December, 1938 on termination of freemason societies, the archive of Schlaraffia was taken over by the Starostwo Grodzkie in Cracow. In September 1940 its seat was taken over by German authorities and all the archives, including those of Schlaraffia, were taken over by the State Archives in Cracow in two batches: the first, of 14 August and the latter of 23 September 1940. They were stored at 54 Grodzka Street. Although the collection is well-preserved, it is not complete. It is not known if any parts were destroyed or removed, and which parts these were.

Supplementary source material on registration of Schlaraffia is found in the Acts of the Starostwo Grodzkie in the form of a single fascicle (StGKr 213).

In 1958, while being arranged, the materials of Humanitarian Association Schlaraffia were excluded from the main body of papers of the Starostwo Grodzkie. Ordering them was resumed in 1988 in a few stages. First the papers were divided into groups, then draft inventory of the material was made. The collection was then ordered according to the kind of preserved materials, their subject and chronology. Incomplete part of the archive were not disposed of.

In 1990 another 1.5 ft (50 centimeters) of materials were found. These materials consist mainly of books, and include: the Order's Order, proceedings from assemblies and general meetings of Schlaraffia, Chapter of the Order, Supreme Council and ordinary meetings. These materials were included into the previously organized collection, which was ordered according to the following key:

1. "Uhustammtisch Cracovia" (Patrons of Eagle Owl's Table) SCHL 1-5
2. Coloniae Cracovia 1909-1938 (a.U. 50-79)
The Order SCHL 6
Personal and organizational matters SCHL 7-29
Property and finances SCHL 30
Social and artistic activities SCI-IL 31-33
3. Humanitarian Association Schlaraffia from 1918 to 1938 (a.U. 59-79)
Organizational matters and rites of the association SCHL 34-41
Personal matters SCHL 42-49
Co-operation with sister chapters home and abroad SCHL 50-51
Financial matters SCHL 52-55
Own press SCHL 56-57
Congratulations and best wishes for knight "Edenwolf' SCHL 58
4. Coloniae Katovicia SCHL 59-60

The collection has been scantily researched. It is worthy of greater attention, especially as it touches upon little known subjects.

Trans. Piotr Krasnowolski

Uniwersytet Jagiellonski, Kraków, 1996. 61-64. p.