Ioan Mire Melik, or Melic (born Iacob Ioan Miren Melik; Liviu Papuc, "Ioan M. Melik sau simțul practic la Junimea", in Convorbiri Literare, December 2006 August 9, 1840 – January 29, 1889), was a Wallachian, later Romanian mathematician, educator and political figure, one of the early members of Junimea literary society. Known for his work in private education, and for his tenure at the University of Iași, he was the author of several early introductions to science—dealing with arithmetic and geometry, but also with topography and surveying. He was perceived as a bland figure at Junimea meetings, and had little to do with its literary agenda, but took care of administrative chores and, for a while, of its publishing venture. In his other job as headmaster of Institutele-Unite high school, where he employed poet Mihai Eminescu as a German-language teacher, he was regarded as remarkably stern, and had a publicized showdown with the students.
Taking his cue from the Junimist leadership, Melik followed the literary club as it transformed itself into a liberal conservative party. He represented Iași city in the Assembly of Deputies in the 1884 legislature, and then, under a Junimist government, helped enforce Titu Maiorescu's policies in the educational field. Melik is also remembered as an engineer and entrepreneur, who contributed to the modern history of Costeștii Botoșanilor village, his personal estate. He died of an unspecified disease at age 48, and was survived by his son Eugen, who followed in his footsteps as both a politician and an academic. Melik Jr was a leader of the Democratic Nationalist Party during and after World War I, but disappeared from public life after being exposed and sentenced as a confidence man.
Biography
Early years The future scientist was born in Bucharest, the Wallachian capital, on August 9, 1840 (although traditionally believed to have been born on August 15 or August 21, Mihai Dim. Sturdza, "Junimea, societate secretă", in Convorbiri Literare, June 2004 and wrongly credited in some documents as a "Iași native"). Liviu Papuc, "Masoneria junimistă", in Revista Sud-Est, Issue 4/2006 He was of Armenian origins: the Meliks traced their origin to Ohan, a Gregorian Armenian clergyman. As reported by the mathematician's son Eugen, they were recent immigrants from the Ottoman Empire, who had been scattered across the continents by mounting persecutions against their community; Boghos Yousefian, the Foreign Minister of Ottoman Egypt, was a close relative of the clan.Eugen Melic, "Scrisori și hârtii vechi", in Adevărul Literar și Artistic, February 16, 1936, p. 4 Ioan's parents were Ohan's son, Arakel "Popovici" Melik, and his wife Maria Gedik; they had two other children: Gavril, a boy, and Anika, a girl. Ohan's other son, Iacob Melic, was a successful architect. The Ottoman statesman Mustafa Reshid Pasha recommended his work to the Wallachian government, but Iacob left the country and settled in Paris.Iorga, p. 92 From his new home, Iacob Melik corresponded with the exiled leaders of the 1848 Revolution, in particular the moderate and pro-Ottoman faction of Ion Ghica, Alexandru G. Golescu and Nicolae Pleșoianu.Iorga, pp. 92–95
To the end of his life, Ioan was listed as having "Armenian Gregorian nationality"."†I. M. Melik Profesor la Universitatea din Iași", in Curierul. Foaea Intereselor Generale, February 1 (13), 1889, p. 3 According to his own testimony, he first attended the Armenian School in Bucharest's Yellow District, and then regular school in that same neighborhood. From 1854 to 1856, he completed secondary school at the Saint Sava College and was, in his own account, an award-winning student. From 1856, Iacob Melik took over the boy's education, taking him to Imperial France. Young Melik was tutored at a private boarding house (1857), before enlisting at the University of Paris Medical School, but changed his mind and applied for the École des Mines de Paris (1860). He finished school in 1864, and worked for a short while at salt mines in France and Belgium.
Melik's work took him to Moldavia, which, in 1859, had federated with Wallachia into the United Principalities. The regime of Domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza assigned him to inspect the Moldavian salt mines, at Slănic and Târgu Ocna. Known to his Iași colleagues and friends as Mirmilic,Călinescu, p. 440 he began attending the Junimea club in 1865, being one of the outside sympathizers of the cause, and manifestly lacking literary ambitions. Iacob Negruzzi, the Junimea co-founder and biographer of its members, asserted: "[Melik was] once a passionate Junimist, but always kept silent." Constantin Coroiu, "Farmecul discret al documentului (II)", in Convorbiri Literare, September 2008 Negruzzi jokingly added that the standard estimate, according to which the maths teacher had uttered some 23 words at club meetings held between 1865 and 1880, was probably exaggerated in Melik's favor. Literary historian George Călinescu suggests that Melik, like astronomer Niculae Culianu or schoolteacher Pavel Paicu, only came to Junimea "out of devotion or for the sake of entertainment".Călinescu, pp. 439–440 The mathematician was notorious for not having published a single line in the Junimist tribune, Convorbiri Literare.A. D. Xenopol, I. E. Torouțiu, Istoria ideilor mele (Wikisource version of the 1933 print)
Junimist projects With his Junimist credentials, Melik was made substitute Professor of Mathematics at Iași University (February 23, 1865). In parallel, he taught at a high school for young cadets. During October 1865, he joined a group of academics, also comprising Rector Titu Maiorescu, museum organizer Gheorghe Panaiteanu Bardasare, Culianu, and Negruzzi, in expressing support for Cuza's autonomous interpretation of Romanian vassalage—namely, his attitude toward the Ottoman overlords. Their open letter congratulated the Domnitor for not accepting to be scolded by Grand Vizier Fuad.N. Grigoraș, "Titu Maiorescu apărător al independenței", in Tribuna, Vol. XI, Issue 18, May 1967, p. 6 Melik acquired university tenure in April 1866, shortly after Cuza's regime had been toppled by the "monstrous coalition" and replaced by a Princely Lieutenancy. In May, he was caught up in the riots at Iași, whereby the Free and Independent Faction signaled its opposition to a proposed naturalization of resident Jews. In a letter to Românul, Melik explained that he did not support the Factionalist platform, but had merely objected to the riots being quashed by the Romanian Land Forces, which reportedly ignored academic freedom. His protest against the arrest of a university colleague resulted in his temporary arrest, ending when the rectorate intervened in his favor.I. M. Melik, "Domnule redactore", in Romanulu, June 2, 1866, pp. 32–33
Soon after, Melik became a conservative ally of the Junimist Rector Maiorescu, helping him do battle with the University's well connected Factionalists and the other left-liberal groups. As noted by Călinescu, the University's Junimist circle was formed around Professors Melik, Culianu, I. Negruzzi, Ioan Caragiani and Nicolae Mandrea, with Junimea itself being "a political get-together with some cultural aspects."Călinescu, pp. 399–400 Although still recognized as a secondary and inactive participant, Melik was involved on several early Junimist projects, and referred to by Maiorescu as the group's "banker". In addition to promoting Junimist goals at University, he participated in founding (and financing) the club's own private school, or "Academic Institute". He himself described the event as follows: "In summer 1866, I have founded the Academic Institute, in partnership with several colleagues, from both University and High School [that is, the National High School Iași]." Melik took personal care about furnishing the Institute, purchasing its books from prestigious companies such as Hachette, and keeping score of the more reliable publishing houses in Moldavia and Wallachia.
The institution itself left a mark on Romanian educational history, being seen as a model school in the field of private enterprise.Vianu, pp. 32–33 It remains primarily noted for its contribution in Humanities, which were assigned to Maiorescu. Constantin Meissner, the dedicated student and future Junimist pedagogue, recalled: "we [students] found ourselves speaking, gesticulating, moving our heads just like our precious model [Maiorescu]."Vianu, p. 33 Another former student, and later teacher at the Institute, was scholar A. D. Xenopol. He describes his alma mater as "an eminent private school", and Melik as one of the "leading professorial forces" in Moldavia; he also credits Melik's "complete and measured exactitude" as influential for his own work ethic. According to Xenopol, Melik's refusal to tolerate staff truancy earned him a reputation as a strict colleague. Referencing an Armenian stereotype, the other Junimists began calling Melik a mindirigiu ("quilter") of their absences.
Melik was, with Vasile Pogor and Al. Farra, a manager of the literary club's own publishing company—a bankrupt project, since Pogor would only purchase books from his own area of interest.Ornea (I), p. 28 Before going down, this commercial branch of Junimea put out a number of general education works, including Melik's textbook Elemente de aritmetică ("Elements of Arithmetic"). Richard Constantinescu, "Doctorul Anastasie Fătu despre Societatea Junimea", in Revista Română (ASTRA), Issue 1/2009, p. 32; Gheorghe Manolache, "Sub patronajul Junimii din Iași (1863–1874). Literaritate și literalitate sau arta de a traduce pe Schiller", in Transilvania, Issues 10-11/2005, p. 24; Vianu, p. 8 Melik was also a cashier during Junimea anniversaries. Witnessing the decline of Junimist capital, he even proposed, unsuccessfully, that the club fortunes be invested in a salt mine. Melik was not dissuaded by the opposition, and continued to draft plans about investing Junimist money, forming a credit union, and opening up the Humpel girls' institute. His record of Junimea gains and expenses is seen by philologist Constantin Coroiu as evidence of Melik's "computer-like rigor". According to Negruzzi, Melik was an outstandingly passionate defender of Maiorescu's reputation. When the Junimist leader was framed a statutory rape scandal and taken to court, Melik provoked the judge to a duel, over not being allowed to enter the courthouse.
Institutele-Unite and Assembly mandate On February 18, 1867, the Junimist mathematician was also admitted into the conservative wing of Romanian Freemasonry, or "Star of Romania" Lodge. This branch of the Oriental Rite of Memphis and the Grand Orient de France, wherein Pogor himself had reached the 90th Degree, had for its Iorgu Sutzu as its Venerable Master, and came to include most of the Junimist notabilities. On October 21 of the same year, Melik was granted the Fellow Craft Rank in Masonic orders. Noting the role of Junimist Masons in combating the liberals' stated xenophobia, researcher Mihai Dim. Sturdza suggests that the "Star of Romania" was in fact "a place of refuge, [...] where the foreign-born intellectuals [...] created a bloc with the conservative boyars and the Jewish merchants". Their main liberal detractors included senior academic Simion Bărnuțiu and other outspoken antisemites.