"In support of intellectual centre": polemic of The Sibirskiy Vestnik and The Grazhdanin on opening of Imperial Tomsk University (1888)

In 1888 the pages of a Moscow newspaper ofconservative direction The Grazhdanin (The Citizen) and a private Tomsk newspaper The SibirskiyVestnik (The Siberian News) hosted a polemic, the reason of which consisted in the opening of the firstSiberian Imperial Tomsk University. The discussion pronouncedly demonstrated the position of theRussian conservative circles not only in relation to the new university, but also to the Siberian societyin whole. First, it was the aggressive hostility towards the attempts of self-determination of theSiberian society, which was unanimously interpreted as "separatism". In the polemical process TheGrazhdanin refused to recognize Siberia's cultural and economic significance. Talks about thehistorical importance of the opening of the first university behind the Urals caused central publishers'indignation, hints on the regional identity immediately started charges in striving for opposition ofSiberia and Russia, for separation.From July to November of 1888 The Grazhdanin published about ten materials of various genres(the telegram, correspondence, front article, The Diary of Prince V.P. Meshchersky), which raised thesubject of a university in Tomsk. The publishers of the central newspaper expressed doubts in thenecessity of opening a university behind the Urals; they were convinced that the university wouldbecome the seat of students' actions and place for the development of Siberian separatism.The Sibirskiy Vestnik in its publications logically defended the right of Siberia for universityeducation. It drew the readers' attention to the fact of urgency of higher education not only for theyoung of Siberia, but for European Russia as well, which the first intake of students demonstrated.Another argument in favour of the Siberian University consisted in the thought about governmenteconomy - the university was supposed to train future official workers for the region, personnel foradministrations and authorities, so that in the future there would be no need of sending personnel fromthe capital to Siberia. The Tomsk newspaper considered separatism a bare fantasy of the author of TheGrazhdanin, because it had long been outdated in Siberia. The Sibirskiy Vestnik, like The Grazhdanin,discussed important public problems: the unity of the Russian government, separatism, relations of thecentre and the provinces, etc.The polemic with The Grazhdanin shows the high level of culture of Tomsk press, whichcorresponded to the city that had been chosen for opening of the first higher educational institutionbehind the Urals. The Sibirskiy Vestnik was quite a worthy defender in the polemic, reasonably andprecisely pointing at The Grazhdanin's extremes. History proved the correctness of the Tomsknewspaper, which predicted the leading role of the university in the growth and flourishing ofeducation, science, culture and economy of Siberia.

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