In the second half of 1884, after illness forced him to leave his journalistic work, Mihai Eminescu left Bucharest and arrived in Iași. There, after being denied a world history chair at a “commercial school,” Eminescu was promoted to associate professor of geography and statistics in September 1884, “with a very busy schedule.”

His career as a statistics teacher was shorter than anyone, even he, had expected.

Not long after, Mihai Eminescu had a terrible accident: a broken ankle. It was a departure from public life for Eminescu, who never returned to the chair, despite managing to move month after month to collect his salary, according to payroll records from the time.

But until he began to teach statistics, Eminescu had a rather difficult year. After he moved to Iași in the autumn of 1884, he was offered the position of sub-librarian at the Central Library in Iași on 24 September, after the departure of A. Philippides. Ten years earlier, in 1874, Eminescu was director of the same institution. In addition, he will perform two duties – sub-librarian and teacher at the same time.

In the academic year 1874-1875, the poet taught only one semester, the second, at the “Academic Institute”, a new gymnasium, from where he left in May after the students protested against him. He was a German teacher in the second semester of the 1874-75 academic year, replacing Samson Bodnerescu, who was appointed principal of Bashot High School. One day in May 1875, several students of the “Academic Institute” proposed a demonstration against Eminescu, feeling aggrieved by the grades Eminescu gave them in German.

The next day, during the German lesson, as agreed, the 37 students in the class (upper 1st section) all went to the gymnasium, where they locked themselves inside, so when he entered the class, Eminescu found it empty. Confused and surprised, he went to the office, where he reported the matter to the head of Khurzuy teachers.

When the 9 o’clock bell rang, the students left the gym and re-entered the classroom. Here Principal Melik entered and asked why the students did not enter the classroom during the German lesson. The students responded that Eminescu treated them quite harshly, while giving them lower grades than they deserved.

On September 18, 1884, Mihai Eminescu registers a request in the office of the Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, Industry and Domains, in which he asks the minister to entrust him with the position of professor at the department of world history at the university. A commercial school in Lashi, before their occupation by competition.

• “Mr. Minister, having learned that the department of world history at the trade school in Iasi is vacant, I ask you to kindly entrust me with filling this position before the competition. Accept, Mr. Minister, the assurance of my special respect. M. Eminescu” (September 18, 1884)

The statement dated October 12 has a note that it should be moved to the case, since according to the results of the competition, he was appointed a professor at the department requested by Eminescu, and the poet was given a replacement for the geography department. and statistics of the same school.

The teacher’s oath submitted by Mihai Eminescu complied with the country’s law on the appointment of teachers in gymnasiums, gymnasiums and vocational schools, effective from March 17, 1879, and, as we can conclude from the documents of the time, was submitted no later than October 15.

• “I swear by the name of God and declare on my honor and conscience. To the faith of His Majesty Charles I, King of Romania, and the Constitution of my country. To faithfully fulfill the duties assigned to me by my function. Apply laws and uphold laws in everything and for everyone. No hatred, no passion, no favors, no personal attention, no direct or indirect interest. So help me God. Mihai Eminescu”

Mihai Eminescu’s monthly salary as a professor of statistics

In November 1884, Mihai Eminescu was listed in the fourth position in the staff list of the Commercial School from Lasha, and under the heading “Position and Assignment” was written “geography”. From this payment statement, we learn that Eminescu received a salary of 252 lei for that month, of which 25.2 lei was withheld for the pension fund. From the remaining amount of 226.8 lei, 11.34 lei was withheld under the name of 5% tax, and the fee received by the poet was 215.46 lei.

“Eminescu knew statistics well, he studied them in Vienna and Berlin. He often visited and followed the great economists of his time,” explains Nae Georgescu, dean of the Faculty of Literature. In 1884, Eminescu arrived from Vienna with the intention of resuming work at the Timpul newspaper (from where he had left), arriving in Bucharest on March 17, on which date the Timpul newspaper was dissolved.

He goes to Iasi and gets a job in the university library in Iasi, and at the same time looks for a second job. In the library, he received 250 lei every month, and in his second job, as a statistics teacher, he also received 250 lei. A total of 500 lei, which is his salary at Timpul, explains Georgescu.

See the INS article “Eminescu, Professor of Statistics” here.

The paper was published on Friday, October 20, on the occasion of the European Statistics Day, and was authored by INS President Tudorel Andrei, Christi Selaru and Volodymyr Alexandrescu.