Dr. Haass and the Distribution of Books to Prisoners in the Moscow Transit Prison (Second Quarter of the 19th Century)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the philanthropic activities of Friedrich Josef (Fyodor Petrovich) Haass (1780-1853), a Moscow physician who moved to Russia in the early 19th century. Haass was actively involved in the work of the Prisoners' Aid Society, established by Emperor Alexander I. The Society was based on the ideas of the British prison reformer John Howard. Not limiting himself to the development of prison medicine, Haass strove for the precise implementation of the rules of the Prison Board. This involved teaching the prisoners to read, instilling in them the basics of a Christian worldview and rules of conduct. Haass distributed thousands of copies of books and pamphlets free of charge. This study shows the repertoire of books distributed, the statistics of book distribution; it highlights the most popular book titles and different audiences for whom Haass bought books. The spread of literacy and book reading was influenced by a combination of Haass' personal character, the traditiona of German Catholic Enlightenment, Church pastoralism, the principles of social Christianity, and Post-Rousseau's pedagogy. The article draws upon the documents of the Moscow Synodal printing-house (Russian State Archives of Ancient Documents, f. 1184) and other archival funds.