L E T T E R S

704presume to inject an observation about the importance of religion. Years ago, inthe times when our nation was strong, in Poland and throughout Europe, religionwas the foundation, the core of all education, customs, and even of trade relations.It is impossible to describe the customs of these times, without also describing thecontemporary concept and purpose of religious observances. Throughout WesternEurope, the better writers of historical novels all understood this.Student life in Cracow, Poznań etc. The reform of the rascals (?); Unionwith the Greek Church, etc.The nobility enjoyed a social life in time of war as well as in time ofpeace. But, we catch a glimpse of the social life of the common people only onreligious occasions. The humane qualities of the peasants are the result of thesanction and protection provided by religion and the clergy.In Ruszczyc and in Tarło 985 you speak of the customs of our ancestors. Thememory of these customs is still fresh in our hearts, and vestiges of them can stillbe witnessed in the countryside. But, there are other memories that need to berevived. There are real situations and institutions that are tied to these ancientcustoms. Someone needs to sweep away the dust they have been gathering inhistorical archives, in order to uncover the truly historical life of Poland.Philosophers and artists must set about uncovering and describing the life led bycertain classes of society in our country’s past. There is a need to trace the originand development of certain social relationships, and to cast new light on the moraldynamism of our people. The entire corpus of our ancient poetry needs to berecovered. Both the morality and the poetry find their roots in religion andexternal traditions dating from Pre-Christian times.Such a project would go a long way toward promoting pride in the Polishcause at this time 986 .3).985 Tarło,Warsaw, 1827. An historical novel from the pen of Frederick Skarbek.986 A page from the correspondence notebook of B. Jański, in CRR: Mss 8568, p. 20.