EDUCATION AND THE CULTURAL HERITAGE 175lapping sub-cultures. The first of these was 'popular' or 'peasant' culture (kul-
tura ludowa). A large part of the urban proletariat still maintained contact with
their native villages. The elimination of the nobility and the decimation of the
pre-war bourgeoisie, left only a small number of families which had no deep
roots in the countryside. 'Folklore' - the ancient sayings, wisdom, stories,
dances, and dress of the peasantry - had not yet become a collector's item.
The second was Catholic culture. The Church had not left the propagation of
the Faith to chance. The vast majority of Polish children had been baptized and
had passed through the course of preparation for First Communion. Even those
who in later life abandoned their religious belief, were thoroughly familiar with
the language, the teaching, and the practices of Catholicism.
The third might be described as 'imitation Western'culture. In direct reaction
to the cultural fare supplied from official sources, Poles have traditionally
looked to the West for inspiration. Whether in literature or political ideas, in
music, arts, or in fashion, in artefacts, and in technology, the products of
London, Paris, Rome, or New York are automatically considered superior to
anything deriving from Central Europe or from the East. The Polish language
itself, which has never been subjected to the axe of native purism, is filled with
latinisms and westernisms of every sort.
The fourth, and perhaps the most important, was Polish literary culture. In
the course of the nineteenth century, Polish literature had addressed itself to all
the problems and genres of the age. In politics, Poland may have been of little
consequence, but in literary matters, she remained an important force, only sur-
passed in Eastern Europe by the great age of German and Russian literature.
What is more, as a result of mass education, the educated Pole could share his
ideas and interests with a mass audience. In this regard, the achievement of the
pre-war Sanacja regime in lowering illiteracy from 33 per cent in 1921 to 18 per
cent in 1937 was of capital importance.
In so far as none of the dominant sub-cultures owed anything to the former
partitioning powers, the success of the Polish educational crusade over two cen-
turies may be taken as granted. The accretions of German and Russian ele-
ments, once so important in Polish culture, have been largely erased. From the
purely national point of view, this represents a great triumph. At the same time,
one cannot deny that in certain respects Polish culture has been impoverished.
Much of the cosmopolitan, multi-lingual and international flavour of earlier
generations has been lost. Exclusive reliance on the Polish language, which is no
longer a means of international communication even in Eastern Europe, has
served to isolate Polish society from the world at large. Whereas before the First
World War the educated Pole moved in circles which used German, Russian,
and French, as well as Polish, in their everyday lives, his successor after the
Second World War had to be content with restricted sources of information
filtered through censored translations, or had to burn the midnight oil over
Eckersley's English for Foreigners. To this extent, the quantitative triumph of
Polish culture was attended by its qualitative limitations.