Pavlo Yatsko
Educator and educational reformer, local historian and archaeologist, active founder and activist of «Prosvita» (Enlightenment) Pavlo Yatsko was born on June 10, 1886 in the village Beczynfolvo in present-day Slovakia. He received a good education, knew several languages thoroughly, worked fruitfully in the field of education. For many years he lived and worked in Perechyn: first as a teacher and later as a school principal. He later became the director of a school in Uzhhorod.
In 1910 he married Ilona Humen, the daughter of a forester from Velykyi Berezny. Together they raised three children: Paraska, Jaromir and Magdalena. He had a firm, even strict character, but sincerely loved children and grandchildren. During the First World War, Pavlo Yatsko was drafted into the army, from where he returned unharmed in December 1919.
Educational and scientific work
In the early 1920s, the intelligentsia of Carpathian Ruthenia began discussions in Uzhgorod on the establishment of the «Prosvita» society. The constituent assembly was held on May 9, where the creation of «Prosvita» society was announced, and Yulij Braschaika was elected its chairman. The main department of the society included 11 members and 5 deputies, among whom was Pavlo Yatsko. At the end of the same year, he founded the first reading room in Perechyn, which included 90 members. For them, he read his essays on «What is Prosvita» (enlightenment), «Ruthenian language», «History of the Rusyns», «Serfdom», etc.
On March 2, 1921, the literary-cultural department of the «Prosvita» society was established in Uzhhorod. Since 1923, the department has published a local quarterly, edited by Ivan Pankevych. On January 5, 1924, the Pedagogical Society of Carpathian Ruthenia was established under the leadership of Augustyn Voloshin. The society took over the publication of the magazine, which affected its content - from now on it published not only local lore, but also pedagogical texts. Pavlo Yatsko, who moved from Perechyn to Uzhhorod, was elected editor-in-chief. At the same time, he became the director of a civic school. While in this position, the educator taught a number of subjects and participated in the creation of school textbooks on the history of the region.
Understanding the need for scientific research in the region, in the third issue of the journal Carpathian Ruthenia in 1925, he called for a serious study of the native land and substantiates the concept of its research in three areas: 1. Historical and archaeological; 2. Natural and geographical; 3. Ethnographic and economic. In the article «The Importance of Local Lore» Pavlo Yatsko has wrote: «It will be possible to publish a detailed history of the Ruthenians only when we know in detail the past of each region of our land. Then it will be proved that our land is rich in historical events! In the circle of natural science and ethnography, we can unexpectedly collect and save many interesting objects and materials from destruction. Future generations will be grateful to us for that holy work!»
He not only encouraged others, but also studied the history, ethnography of Carpathian Ruthenia, studied folklore sources, organized archeological excavations, based on which he wrote articles. In particular, he wrote the work «Odki is the name of the village Perechyn» («Odki» can be translated as «where from»), which was published in 1925 in the magazine Carpathian Ruthenia.
Some of his manuscripts have also been preserved, in particular «Ruthenian graves from a terrible time in the Zemplin region» and other texts that are marked by a high scientific level. At his invitation to Perechyn, were sent a professional archaeologist Yaroslav Pasternak from the Prague Institute of Archeology, and together with Yatsko they explored the cemetery of the Eneolithic era, which resulted in an article by an archaeologist «Podkarpatská Rus v mladši době kamenné».
Administrative, reform and public work
On March 30, 1925, a general meeting of the Society of Civic Schools Teachers was held in Uzhhorod, at which Pavel Yatsko was elected to the board. Later, on May 7, 1927, he became its chairman. In this work, he actively undertakes to reform the educational process for both students and teachers themselves, advocates for a full university education of teachers. Under the chairmanship of Pavel Yatsko, this Society decided to organize a Ruthenian university for teachers in Uzhgorod. To resolve this issue, Pavlo Yatsko and Fedor Plesha went to Prague to the Czechoslovak Ministry of Education. At the beginning of 1928, during the school minister's visit to Subcarpathia, the Pedagogical Society prepared a memorandum for him and sent a delegation consisting of Augustyn Voloshin, Augustyn Stefan, Oleksandr Markush, and Pavel Yatsk to submit it. After that, on February 12, 1928, Pavlo Yatsko was invited to Prague for a demonstration congress of public and civic schools teachers, where the main issue was the initiation of the teachers law. Later, Pavlo Yatsko, referring to this demonstration congress, drew attention to the shortcomings in the reform of the school administration, and in particular to the requirement to keep records of Carpathian Ruthenia not in the native language. In response to the Society's request, a representative of the Prague Ministry promised that administration in Carpathian Ruthenia would remain in the native language and that local schools would be given full autonomy.
The teachers of Carpathian Ruthenia knew him well and were afraid of him, because they had to retrain with him, and the requirements for teachers were high and principled. However, his opinion was listened to, and the instructions were unquestioningly followed, knowing that these remarks were for the common cause.
Pavlo Yatsko also had time for community service. We learn about this in particular from the poster of the «Festive Evening» of April 28, 1928, which was dedicated to the 125th anniversary of Alexander Dukhnovich. Pavlo Yatsko, a «professional civic school teacher» opened the solemn program with an introductory speech. At that time, three choirs with a total of 350 people performed songs based on Dukhnovych's words by composers Yaroslavenko, Gaivoronsky, Lysk, Kyzyma, and Kosice. There were also Ukrainian folk songs arranged by Mykola Lysenko and Mykola Leontovych. Pupils and students recited poems by Dukhnovych and Grange-Donsky.
The educator worked without rest and constant overload early led to the deterioration of his health. He died on August 22, 1938 at the age of 53 from an ischemic stroke. Shortly afterwards, Hungarian troops entered Uzhhorod and his widow, Ilona Jacko, was forced to move to Khust. The Government of Carpathian Ukraine provided her with an apartment where she lived until her death at the age of 60. And already in modern Vynohradiv lives the granddaughter of the activist Georgina Palosh, who keeps manuscripts of scientific works of his grandfather, summaries of his speeches at various conferences and other interesting documents.
Photo 1. Young Pavlo Yatsko.
Photo 2. P. Yatsko together with his wife and daughter.
References:
Kul Yurij. Turya-Remeta. In search of treasure:
http://carpaty.net/?p=29316&lang=uk
Mikhail Chukhran. Pavlo Yatsko: «Woe to the people whose treacherous fate has deprived them of their historical roots»
https://zakarpattya.net.ua/News/81278-Vyishov-deviatyi-nomer-chasopysu-Lemky-Karpat
Pavlo Yatsko:
https://sites.google.com/site/tutperecin/kultura/pavlo-acko
Pavlo Yatsko. Odky (where from) derives the name of the village Perechyn // Carpathian Ruthenia –1925.
