Marie Curie

Working

Private lessons and the floating university

When Manya returned to Warszaw in 1884 after her happy year with her relatives she was almost seventeen years old. She then followed the example of her siblings and started to give private lessons to help with the economy at home, since her father only got a very small pension and to, if possible, be able to save some for future studies. Bronya already had saved enough for one year of studies, but it required five years to become a physician. At the same time as giving private lessons, Manya was studying at "The floating university" together with Bronya. A group of teachers started it as a protest agains the censorship. Everyone were on an equal footing and they worked for equal rights for all to get an education. Since it was a university that was illegal, it moved from place to place, and if they had been revealed they all could have been sent to Sibiria. The students were given the opportunity to study the subjects forbidden by the government and the students also should teach children and adults that did not have a chance to get another education. Manya were teaching Polish litterature at a textile industry in secret. She even arranged a small library for the industrial workers. Bronya was also in to it, but she never gave up dreaming about becoming a physician.

The pact with Bronya

Manya presented a proposal for Bronya in 1885 that meant for Bronya to go to Paris and study at Sorbonne that same autumn. She had figured out that if she could work as a governess then she could pay for most of the studies for Bronya. When Bronya were finished with her studies she could help Manya in her turn. Her brother Joseph was already in Warszaw to study medicine and Hela was studying music to become a singer or a music teacher. Their fathers money was not enough for all to study, so Bronya and Manya had to wait or do something by themselves. Things turned out as Manya planned. Manya moved in to a rich family in Warszaw. She got a fairly well salary, 400 roubles a year, plus food and accommodation. Bronya went to Paris. Unfortunately could Manya not stand the spoiled children, the rude, surly and fretful mother and the egoism of the father. Constant rackets made Manya give notice and leave.

Governess and first love

Immediately after giving notice she got an offer for another job. It was a family that lived in a mansion on the countryside Szczuki. They owned a sugar plantation and the father, Mr Zorawski, was a factory owner. Manya would teach two girls, one was of the same age as herself and the other was 10 years old. She was suffering because she had to live that far away from her father, but the salary was better than she asked for so she accepted and moved there in 1886 . Manya got along with her two students very well and they appreciated everything that Manya taught them. In her spare time she taught the other children in the village. A thought about a school similar to "The floating" in Warszaw began to develop. She discussed it with her oldest student who thought it was a very good idea. To take no unnecessary risks she also asked Mr Zorawski for permission and he helped her with tables and chairs. The books and the pencils she had to pay for by herself. All the children to the factory workers could attend Manyas non-profit school.  To prevent her brain to become too weakened she read all the books she could get over, often several at the same time. At the small moments with time for herself she was solving some complex problems in both algebra and trigonometry. Everybody liked her very much. Mr and Mrs Zorawski protected her and invited her father and siblings often. They congratulated her on her birthday with flowers and presents. The poor population of the village adored her. The son of the Zorawski family, Kazmierz, who was studying abroad and only got home during the vacations, fell in love with Manya. They spent long moments together talking about his education. They started planning for marriage. Why, Manya was of a fine family and had a good education, besides she was very well-liked by all, so when Kazmierz one night told his parents about his choice he was undeniably surprised by the reaction he got. Both Mr and Mrs Zorawski got a fit of rage and their social prejudices were raising like a wall of bricks by their words: " One does not marry a governess! "

Three tough years and a new employment

Manya was deeply humiliated, but she still decided to stay. She needed the money for Bronya and her studies. Kazmierz was immediately sent to Switzerland. The atmosphere after this incident was not hearty any more, rather icy. Manya became gloomier and was tortured by her thoughts about the broken love, the humiliation of not being good enough and the monotony of not being able to study and get new impressions. She lived in kind of a vacuum, but despite this she was still interested in the success of her students. After three years of hard work at the family Zorawski resident Mania left and went looking for another work. This time she ended up at a wealthy and pleasant family in Warszaw and now she could visit her father and siblings often again.

Bronya invites Manya to Paris

In 1890 she received a letter from Bronya offering Manya to come and live with her and her husband to be, Casimir Dluski. They were planning to marry during the summer vacation and since Casimir would be finished with his medical education they promised to take care of Manya during her first year of studies, but Manya was still seing her Kazmierz in the sly and she was mentally not feeling well nor did she want to move that far away from her father. She opted to stay at home and started again at "The floating university", that furthermore had obtained a secret laboratory for the students in a so called "Museum for the industry and agriculture". She gave up working at the rich family and spent most of her time with her father and became interested in helping her siblings Joseph and Hela. She could not forget her love Kazmierz and spent the whole month of september 1891 at Zakopane in the Carpathians together with him. Manya struggled with all her emotions. She loved Kazmierz, but he could not decide against his parents will. Paris and studies at her beloved sister Bronya enticed her, but she didn´t want to leave her father. She came to conclusion when Kazmierz told her that he did not dare to marry her. Manya wrote a letter to Bronya and asked if her offer was still standing. Shortly thereafter she sent her bed and her mattress to Bronya and went to Paris. There were no more hesitations.

Author: Katrin Nilsson