A tutor in spe: The magazine Opiekun Domowy under the editorship of Franciszek Gumowski and Bogumił Aspis (1871–1872)

Abstract

This article is an analysis of the evolution in the program, content and form of Opiekun Domowy [The Home Guardian] (1865–1876) from July 1871 until April 1872. The process was initiated by a highly motivated pair of new editors, Franciszek Gumowski and Bogumił Aspis. Their ambition was to provide the magazine’s educational mission with a solid scientific foundation. The article tries to reconstruct their pedagogical credo by examining the way in which the scientific approach is brought into their presentation of educational themes. Another aspect of their approach, noted in the article, is the analogy between raising a child and “raising” a reader, a relationship which seems to guide their attitudes towards their readers. An analysis of the revamped communications strategy in that period shows that while the family and family values remained at the centre of the project, the idea of guardianship — as highlighted in the title — came for a significant revision. By tracing and exploring that shift in the case of a respected Warsaw periodical the article provides an insight into the process of socio‑cultural change in the second half of the 19th century.