George Matulaitis Journal

243 were here. They asked me what I intended to do about the schools. I replied that I am following the whole matter very closely. My opinion is as follows: 1) I do not believe that the question of whether the financial support offered by the Bolsheviks is to be accepted or not is really the most important one. The Bolsheviks will not allow any private schools to exist at all and intend to bring all educational institutions under their jurisdiction. Consequently, whether one takes money from them or not, the schools will still be under their control. 2) The parents must protest as vigorously as possible against the Bolshevik conspiracy to abolish religion from the schools. 3) It would be helpful if the teachers would also make a statement, orally or in writing, against the Bolshevik decree from an educational point of view. 4) If they really start to abolish religious instruction in the schools and will not allow priests to provide it, then the children should not be allowed to attend school. They will not miss very much. The delegates said that the Bolsheviks have threatened to confiscate libraries and educational equipment both in the Lithuanian and the Polish schools if there is any resistance. I answered: “They cannot take those things very far. When the situation changes, you can recover the school property.” Both delegates expressed their doubts about whether the Bolsheviks will be able to hold out in Vilnius for very long. Today, the Bolsheviks finally moved out of my yard. They took their automobile, the gasoline canisters, and other things. They were angry and threatened to take revenge. Today, I also gave a conference to the seminarians. I gave them one every day during the entire retreat: four in all. The priests in charge of religious education came to discuss the school situation. I gave them various directives and pressed them to have the parents come out in protest as soon as possible. On April 3rd, this same Bolshevik, O=da k, the prison warden, came to see me again. He told me nothing new, nor did he learn anything from me. I found out from Father Zarnowski, whom I had appointed to care for prisoners as much as the Bolsheviks would allow him to, that this same O=dak had visited him as well. When he came to me, he pretended to be a Lutheran, but he told Father ÷ arnowski that he was a Catholic.