"In the publication" Review of the activities of the Society for the charity of orphans of the peasant class of the 1st zemstvo district of the Penza district, from the foundation of the Society on April 30, 1895 to January 1, 1898 " the painful question of helping orphans was raised. The author of the material, an unnamed zemstvo chief of the Penza district, describes the catastrophic situation of children of orphans of the peasant class. “Orphanhood in all estates is a terrible calamity and grief, but nowhere is it so hard as in peasant life, however, an orphan peasant will not die of hunger; but only because there is no one to take care of his health, there is no one to think about his upbringing, and only with rare exceptions from among them do not come out people who are confused, embittered and sometimes vicious, finishing boys-orphans, and girls even worse”[1]. The author complains that zemstvo bosses pay little attention to solving this problem: “There is no doubt that zemstvo bosses should and can be, so to speak, the highest guardians of orphans, but is it really conceivable for the same zemstvo chief to monitor the life and development of orphans scattered throughout the site why his worries are reduced only to the protection of material crumbs belonging to the unfortunate children … Serving for more than 20 years in peasant and zemstvo institutions, all of the above was observed by me with great sadness”[2]. It was this fact that influenced the creation of the Orphans Charity Society. As the author writes: “But God is not without mercy, and the light is not without good people, and to gather a modest charitable society, which, according to the charter approved in December 1894 by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, opened its actions on April 30, 1895, and now, after For more than three years, about 20 orphans have been raised and nursed at the expense of the Society, and during all this time, not only was there no shortage of anything, but there is also a small saving now”[3]. The author gives other examples of the Society's achievements. “For clarity of the actions of the Society, I consider it my duty to provide the following information, gleaned by me from the reports approved by the general meeting of members … Full members, annually contributing at least 3 p., 100 persons of different classes of both sexes, including 12 peasant rural societies” [4]. Thus, the author of the article defends the principle of social justice, and not only sums up the results of the activities of the Orphans Charity Society, but also criticizes those persons who are responsible for helping orphans, for their passivity in this matter.
The article "On the charitable activities of Prince Obolensky for the improvement of Nikolskaya Petrovka" is devoted to a particular case of charity known in the period under study. This article describes the activities of Prince A. D. Obolensky in the field of charity in the village. Nikolskaya Petrovka of the Gorodishchensky district. Here is what the author says about this fact. “Nikolskaya Petrovka, Gorodishchensky district. This village has long been famous in the province and outside of its crystal factory, now owned by Prince A. D. Obolensky. Prince and princess A. A. Obolenskaya made it a significant cultural center of the Gorodishchensky district; they spend significant funds on the establishment of educational and charitable institutions for workers and local peasants in Petrovka: they have arranged for and at their expense a hospital, a pharmacy, one of the most populous primary schools in the province (over 200 students with 4 teachers), a needlework school for girls, folk library and folk readings with light pictures. This year, a new building was built for the school: in terms of the beauty of architecture, the vastness, the convenience of the location of all premises, in its position on the bank of a beautiful pond, this is the best school building in the province and could serve as an ornament not only for the district, but also for the provincial city, its cost together with an outbuilding for teachers' apartments, it costs up to 20 thousand rubles”[5]. On September 2, the building was illuminated. It is quite clear that information about such a school went beyond the Gorodishchensky district. The peasants' talk about an extraordinary school house in Petrovka has already spread far across the villages - we had to hear it not only in many villages of the Gorodishchensky district, but also in the Mokshansky and Saransky districts”[6]. The author informs us about the further development of the school. "In view of the fact that the population of Petrovka is not content with the course of the elementary school, the prince and princess Obolensky propose to transform their school from the beginning of the next academic year into a two-year department of the Ministry of Public Education" [7].
This material is the author's article by A. F. Selivanov "Charity in the Penza province in 1896". The author points out “The Department of Institutions of Empress Maria has collected information about charitable institutions of Russia for the Nizhny Novgorod exhibition, and has recently published them. From the charitable collection we will extract some information about the Penza province. It included 29 charitable societies and institutions and 1146 people were attracted to them. In addition, about 45 thousand people used to sleep in an overnight house in Penza. There were 764 adults and 382 children out of 1146 who were called up. There were 3 charitable societies, and they were mainly engaged in giving out benefits to those in need. In addition, these societies support at their own expense: 1 almshouse, 1 craft school and 1 orphanage. The funds of these societies consist of capital of 23 350 rubles, private contributions - 1050 rubles, various receipts and donations of 6300 rubles. and benefits 675 rubles. " [eight]. The article also describes the growth dynamics of charities. “The earliest founding of the charitable institutions of the province dates back to 1845, and most of them were founded in the nineties. From this entire overview, it is clear that the number of charities is not enough. In the last three years (1897-1899), we see that the number of charitable institutions in the province is increasing, and they are expanding. 20 charitable societies have been opened and 11 of them are at educational institutions … Annually, at least 200 thousand rubles are spent on charity in the Penza province. One cannot but wish that in Penza and other cities city district guardianships would be opened, as in Moscow, Kharkov, etc. " [nine].
In 1904, two notes "On donations for military needs, in connection with the outbreak of the Russian-Japanese war," were posted, where it was reported that "as soon as the rumor about the outbreak of hostilities in the Far East reached the villages and villages, rural communities of the four volosts of Gorodishchenskoye districts Voronovskaya, Shugurovskaya, Bortyanevskaya and N. Bornukovskaya, they immediately began to collect gatherings to discuss the funds that they could donate to the needs of the war … the total amount of which … extends to 10,000 rubles, then donations for the needs of the war, without causing any taxation, did not present any difficulties, and expressed themselves in a total amount of 4,500 rubles, in addition, the peasant women of these volosts, wanting to make their own contribution to the aid of the valiant army, collected 35,000 yards of canvas, towels, felt boots, linen, etc. The zemstvo chief presented monetary donations to the governor of the province together with the petition of peasant societies to cast their loyal feelings and willingness to breastfeed for the Tsar-Father and Holy Russia at the feet of his imperial majesty”[10]. In another note it was reported “Pupils of the Penza 1st Male Gymnasium donated 100 rubles to the cash office of the Russian Red Cross Society. to help the wounded and sick soldiers in the Far East, and, in addition, the employees in the gymnasium agreed on a monthly basis to deduct 1% from the salary to the same Society and for the same needs until the end of the war, and for the month of February 1904 it was transferred to the treasurer Of the Red Cross Society on February 20 and 21, on receipt for numbers 20 and 21”[11]. Vedomosti also reported that "the officials of the Penza-Simbirsk administration of Zemsky and state property, as well as local officials of the Penza and Simbirsk provinces, decided to deduct 2% of the salary received for the needs of the war between Russia and Japan, during this war" [12].
The rest of the publications of PGV 1906 were of a civil nature, which in no way affects their relevance. In this regard, the article "On helping the hungry in Mokshan" is of great interest. The material tells about the activities of the Mokshansk district committee of the all-land organization to help the starving population. Here is what is reported: “The district committee of the all-country organization provides assistance to the starving population of the district in 65 points, with the exception of the canteens opened by Mrs. Andreeva, about which the committee has no information. Assistance is rendered to 4250 persons and mainly to children, the elderly and the sick of all ages. At some points, canteens are set up, where they receive: cabbage soup with butter or corned beef, millet porridge with butter and 1 pound of bread per eater, in other places baked bread is dispensed from 1.5 to 2 pounds per person per day, and in others flour is given at 30 pounds for an adult and 20 pounds for children for a month … "[13]. Great help in this matter was provided by the provincial charitable committee “Since January, the provincial charitable committee has released 8000 rubles, issued 6745 rubles. 23 K. and is on the face 1254 p. 77 K. " [fourteen]. However, the author of the article warns that despite such significant help, the famine could recur again and on a much larger scale. “Thanks to the large stocks of bread in public stores, generous loans from the treasury and timely assistance to the zemstvo organization, last year's grain failure was not particularly sensitive for the population … but it’s scary to think about what will happen this year. From Easter until now, there has not been a single rain. The scorching sun burned all the grass; The rye is mowed down and begins to bloom, but meanwhile it has grown 10 vershoks from the ground, and in most cases the spring crops did not emerge, and where they did, they are not encouraging. If the rains do not pass these days, then we can confidently say that there will be a terrible famine, both for people and for livestock”[15]. In this regard, it should be emphasized that the threat of famine in the Penza province persisted almost constantly.
The publication also published materials informing about rather original facts of charitable activities. For example, the article "Happy Brides" tells about a case when an unknown benefactor donated a certain amount for marriage to several girls. “Vedomosti” reported on this: “On June 24 at 11 o'clock in the afternoon, in the hall of the City Duma, the clerk of the Cathedral held a memorial service for an unknown benefactor Ivanov, who donated 20 thousand rubles. Penza upon marriage. After that, a lot was given for the right to receive benefits for 45 girls. According to the drawn lot, this right was received: the daughter of the shopkeeper Evdokia Vasilievna Alekhina, 16 years old, the daughter of a peasant Yekaterina Vasilievna Sirotkina, 18 years old, the daughter of a tradesman Matryona Grigorievna Okorokova, 18 years old, and the daughter of a tradesman, Elena Vasilievna Razekhova, 23 years old. Truly, an amazing case when charitable assistance was provided to girls who did not have the means to collect their dowry.
The topic of the spread of begging, which was constantly raised on the pages of the publication, was touched upon in the article "Penza beggars". Regarding the widespread spread of this social phenomenon in the provincial center, the author writes the following: “Your newspaper has repeatedly said that in recent years Penza has been invaded and sieged by beggars and, in general, all kinds of beggars poisoning the lives of the townspeople. Not only on Moskovskaya Street, but also on Lermontovsky Square, even on other streets they constantly stop you, now a drunkard, now a "retired clerk", now an "administrative exiled" or "escaped from exile", or simply a bully, near which you even during the day will be afraid to take out your wallet, then the teacher "burned out from Syzran, and for several years now he has not been able to get to some city, although he lacks a few kopecks." And here is the well-dressed gentleman, you see, he has bread for bread, but he lacks a heel for tea. There are holy fools here: either with hooks, or with a tied head, or even on his stomach, crawling along the sidewalks of Moskovskaya Street. Here, with an ax and a saw, an unemployed worker - he needs to "bread and inn" [17]. The author believes that the internal affairs bodies can only partially influence the correction of the situation. “We are ready to ask, what can the police alone do with this evil? Almost nothing. Unless to stop an overly annoying beggar. In fact, imagine that the police will enter into all their rights and one fine day detain all the beggars at once. That's fine, the man in the street thinks. But excuse me, and then what? The police are arresting, say, 100 people. They are dismantled in the precinct. It turns out, for example, that 50 of them are from other cities, and the remaining 50 are Penza bourgeois. The police expel nonresidents by stage, at the place of residence, and the local ones are released to the bourgeois council for further orders. According to the law, the bourgeois government should look after the poor and weak of its members [18]. According to the author, this rampant begging is due to the fact that “… in our city there is no body that would specifically deal with the fight against begging and would unite in this respect the activities of public and charitable institutions. Meanwhile, the creation of such a body is very necessary”[19]. The article also criticizes the activities of charitable institutions “… there are many private charitable societies in Penza. Only we do not have such a wonderful institution in the idea as the house of industriousness. But the activities of all these societies and institutions do not differ in mutual consistency and integrity. Meanwhile, the unification of the activities of all these public and charitable institutions is decisively necessary. Only when they are brought into the system and directed in one common channel, their activity will bear fruit and achieve its goal”[20].
In the article, the author refers to the experience of other cities in the fight against poverty. “To combat poverty in St. Petersburg and Moscow, there are special committees for the analysis of beggars. These committees include representatives of city, zemstvo and estate institutions, as well as representatives of charitable societies. The police detain all the beggars on the street and send them to the committee to sort out the beggars. There they are really taken apart: those who really cannot work and have nothing, go to almshouses or receive monthly allowances, and parasites are brought to justice, and the newcomers are certainly sent out on a stage with the prohibition of returning to the capitals”[21]. The article also proposes a number of repressive measures to combat begging. “Of course, there can be no radical fight against begging until decisive legislative measures are taken in this regard. Most beggars are healthy and able-bodied people who simply do not want to do anything. They chose begging as their profession not out of need, but as a result of laziness and moral licentiousness … To fight such beggars, of course, not charity is needed, but repression, for this, appropriate laws are needed. It is necessary to subject all able-bodied parasites to imprisonment and forced labor in special workhouses”[22]. It gets in the article and society as a whole for an overly lenient attitude towards such a phenomenon as begging. “A great deal of blame for the development of begging falls on our society, the mass of which is still very weakly penetrated by sober and healthy views. Instead of them, liberal manilovism and tendencies of false philanthropy, which in reality are cowardice and a great evil, reign everywhere in our country”[23]. The article is summed up by the following sentence: “The establishment in Penza of a committee for the analysis of beggars would improve the situation in this respect, since then the population would know that the committee investigates the situation of all beggars, and those of them who really need and cannot work will receive the help you need. And if the population knew, then it would be less patronizing parasitism and less encouraging it, treating with great scrupulousness than now, to the beggars pestering on the street”.
P. S. Thus, it is obvious that many of the tasks of the past were solved in the same way as today, that is, they are shifted onto the shoulders of the public … And many phenomena in society have not been eliminated for more than 100 years!
1. Penza provincial news. "Review of the activities of the Society for the charity of orphans of the peasant class of the 1st zemstvo district of the Penza district, since the foundation of the Society - from April 30, 1895 to January 1, 1898". No. 60. 1898. С.3.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. PGW. "On the charitable activities of Prince Obolensky for the improvement of Nikolskaya Petrovka." No. 224. 1898. С.3.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. Selivanov A. F. "Charity in the Penza province in 1896". PGV. No. 218.1899. C.3.
9. Ibid.
10. PGW. "Donations for military needs in connection with the beginning of the Russian-Japanese war." No. 54, 1904, p. 3.
11. PGW. "Donations for military needs in connection with the beginning of the Russian-Japanese war." No. 54.1904. C.4.
12. Ibid.
13. PGW. "On aid to the starving in Mokshan." No. 110, 1906. С.2.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. PGW. Happy Brides. No. 136, 1908, p. 3.
17. PGW. "Penza beggars". No. 145, 1908, p. 2.
18. Ibid
19. Ibid.
20. Ibid.
21. Ibid.
22. Ibid.
23. Ibid.
