Early life and education Tumas was born in the village of north of
Svėdasai into a peasant family that owned 24 of land. He was the youngest of ten children, but only he and four siblings survived to adulthood. Tumas was born at midday of the
Nativity of Mary (
O.S. 8 September). His mother, aged 45, took all this as a sign that he should become a priest. At age five, Tumas received his
Confirmation from bishop
Motiejus Valančius in
Kaunas. He completed his
elementary school studies in within two years, which was faster than any other student. However, his knowledge was poor – he had very good memory and could repeat material without understanding it. Nevertheless, in fall 1881, he managed to pass entrance exams to the
gymnasium in
Daugavpils which accepted about 50 students out of 150 applicants. After four years of study, his parents urged him to transfer to the
Kaunas Priest Seminary, but he decided to finish the studies and started earning a living by giving private lessons. Long studies followed by private lessons to make a living negatively impacted Tumas' health and he frequently contracted respiratory illnesses. During this time he developed an interest in
Russian classic literature, particularly biographies and memoirs. His favorites were autobiographical novels
Childhood,
Boyhood, and
Youth by
Leo Tolstoy. He also read
Sergey Aksakov,
Ivan Turgenev (''
A Sportsman's Sketches), Gleb Uspensky, Mikhail Zagoskin, Ivan Goncharov, Nikolay Dobrolyubov, Dmitry Pisarev, and other authors. The gymnasium students organized and Tumas participated in illegal groups to read and discuss various banned, mostly socialist, publications. Lithuanian Povilas Matulionis introduced Tumas to Aušra'' (Dawn), the first Lithuanian-language periodical that was printed in
Tilsit,
East Prussia, due to the
Lithuanian press ban. However, Tumas did not adopt socialist worldview and there were too few Lithuanians to develop any kind of Lithuanian activities. After repeating the final year for the second time, Tumas graduated the gymnasium in 1888. After graduation, Tumas had to choose university or priest seminary. He doubted his calling for priesthood and considered studying veterinary in Saint Petersburg. His family's wishes and his poor health decided that he applied to the
Kaunas Priest Seminary. He had no particular calling for the
theology studies and especially struggled with
Latin: before entering the seminary, he knew no Latin and there were no Lithuanian or Russian dictionaries, thus he had to use a Polish–Latin dictionary but he did not know Polish either. Lithuanian language was taught by
Kazimieras Jaunius who provided little practical knowledge but inspired his students. Lithuanian students, including Tumas, organized a secret society with a goal of translating and publishing various Lithuanian religious texts. It became known as the
Society of Saint Casimir when one of its members obtained relics of
Saint Casimir, the patron saint of Lithuania. Catholic periodical
Žemaičių ir Lietuvos apžvalga (Samogitian and Lithuanian Review) appeared in October 1889 and Tumas contributed articled on Catholic and Lithuanian topics. His first contribution to the Lithuanian press was a correspondence to either
Varpas in 1889 or
Žemaičių ir Lietuvos apžvalga in 1890. Due to a bout of
tuberculosis, Tumas interrupted his studies in early 1890 and returned to his native Maleišiai for vacation and treatment for a year and a half. During that time, he continued to write for
Žemaičių ir Lietuvos apžvalga. He returned to the seminary and concentrated on his studies, graduating in fall 1893. During the summer 1893, Tumas traveled to
Mosėdis in an attempt to persuade Kazimieras Pakalniškis, editor of
Žemaičių ir Lietuvos apžvalga, to soften his criticism of the secular
intelligentsia. He was
ordained as a priest on 28 November 1893 in
Kaunas Cathedral by bishop
Mečislovas Leonardas Paliulionis. At some point, he also joined the
Third Order of Saint Francis.
Publisher of Tėvynės sargas Tumas was first sent by the
Diocese of Samogitia as vicar to Mitau (present-day
Jelgava,
Latvia), away from Lithuanian-speaking areas. However, Mitau already had a vicar, who moved from
Ilūkste without diocese's approval. Therefore, Tumas received a very cold welcome from local priests. He worked as a chaplain of a prison and a private gymnasium, and struggled with Polish-language sermons. In Mitau, Tumas found a group of Lithuanians, including linguist
Jonas Jablonskis and attorney
Antanas Kriščiukaitis, and often attended their gatherings. Jablonskis approved his first more serious literary experiment – a translation of one of the short stories by
Henryk Sienkiewicz – and published it in
Varpas. Dean Piotr Walent disapproved such meetings and wanted to control Tumas' activities, but Tumas refused to obey. Their conflict continued until the dean was deported to
Simbirsk in January 1895. At the same time, 23 other priests implicated in the case were deported to other locations in Russia. Tumas was not satisfied with his posting in Mitau and, after reading a poem by
Maironis in spring 1895, sent an emotional letter to the bishop requesting a reassignment. He received a reply in a week, but did not get a new posting until four months later. In summer 1895, Tumas was assigned as a vicar and a teacher of religion to
Mosėdis. He devoted his efforts to the Lithuanian press. In collaboration with priests Felicijonas Lelis and Kazimieras Kazlauskas held in the
Kretinga Monastery, Tumas established the monthly magazine
Tėvynės sargas (Guardian of the Fatherland) in January 1896. Due to the
Lithuanian press ban, it had to be printed in
East Prussia and then
smuggled into Lithuania. Tumas almost single-handedly edited the magazine from the December 1897 to the April–May 1902 issue. While it was a Catholic publication, it was relatively more liberal than
Žemaičių ir Lietuvos apžvalga. It attempted to reconcile the Catholic dogma with the
Lithuanian National Revival. While the newspaper promoted the Lithuanian identity (faith, language, culture) and opposed various
Russification policies, it did not support political resistance against the Tsarist regime and in general accepted the existing social and political order. In October 1896, Tumas' brother Jonas was arrested in
Priekulė for transporting a suitcase full of booklets printed by
Tėvynės sargas. The police also seized letters that implicated others in the
book smuggling operation, but Tumas managed to bribe police officials and destroy the letters. Tumas was searched, interrogated, dismissed from his job as a teacher, and sentenced to five years of exile by the
Governor-General of Vilnius. His friends, particularly former classmate , encouraged him to flee to United States, but
Adomas Jakštas who was deported for five years to
Ustyuzhna persuaded him to stay. The Ministry of the Interior did not approve the sentence and it was reduced to a year of house arrest. His brother, caught red handed, could not avoid the punishment and served three years in the
Kresty Prison and two years of exile in
Bessarabia. In August 1898, Tumas was transferred to
Kuliai. It was a convenient location for Tumas' illegal work – it was remote but also close to the Prussia–Russia border – and he organized a distribution point for the banned Lithuanian press. A local farmer would smuggle the books across the border, Tumas would hide them in the large
clergy house until book smugglers such as
Jonas Krikščiūnas picked them up for further distribution. To help the distribution, Tumas decided to split
Tėvynės sargas into two parts – the first part contained more dangerous political topics and thus could bring harsher sentences, while the second part contained more innocent practical articles on farming, etc. and thus attracted less interest from the police. This magazine was geared towards the common folk and Tumas yearned for a magazine for the
intelligentsia. To that end, he published five issues of
Žinyčia (Treasury of Knowledge) in 1900–1902. It was a cultural, not political magazine. Tumas was an avid reader. A surviving list of books owned by Tumas in 1899 shows 433 books, acquired since 1894. The list did not include any of the illegal Lithuanian publications and thus should be longer.
Troubles with the superiors In 1900, someone wrote an angry article to
Ūkininkas (Farmer) about Duke , owner of the
Rietavas Manor. Ogiński suspected that its author was Tumas and complained to bishop
Mečislovas Leonardas Paliulionis, who reassigned Tumas to near
Kuršėnai in July 1901. Tumas had to leave
Tėvynės sargas in care of
Antanas Milukas, though continued to be actively involved in its publication and officially resigned as editor in the first issue of 1902. In Micaičiai, Tumas began organizing a charitable society that would maintain a shelter for the poor. His work, commenced without the proper approval of his superiors, and deeply pro-Lithuanian attitudes upset priests from
Viekšniai,
Kuršėnai, and
Šakyna. They wrote complaints to bishop Paliulionis. in Vadaktėliai where Tumas worked in 1902–1905 One of the complaints attacked a translation of a short
catechism by Roch Filochowski published by Tumas in 1898 with counterfeited publication data (supposedly, published in 1863 at the
Zawadzki Press in Vilnius). The complaint protested that the catechism also counterfeited its approbation (supposedly, by bishop
Motiejus Valančius) and that it replaced various Polish
loanwords and
barbarisms with Lithuanian equivalents. In another complaint, Tumas was attacked for insisting that fellow priests spoke Lithuanian among themselves. As a result, Tumas was reassigned to a small and poor church in north of
Vadaktai in May 1902. In October 1902, the Samogitian consistory, presided by suffragan bishop , debated complaints against Tumas, including that he was a leader of the
Lithuanian National Revival, that he published an illegal Lithuanian newspaper and that he traveled widely soliciting contributions and donations to this newspaper. He was largely cleared of the charges, but was put on probation. He was to cease activities not directly related to his clerical duties and was prohibited from printing anything or traveling anywhere without an approval of the bishop. Tumas, isolated in Vadaktėliai under a watchful eye of fellow priests and police, was still able participate in Lithuanian activities. For example, in 1903, he published a translation of an invitation to the
Lithuanian nobility to join the National Revival by
Adomas Jakštas in
Dirva-Žinynas (Soil-Reference Book) and continued to care for the finances of
Tėvynės sargas. He remained in Vadaktėliai despite his friends' suggestions of ways to improve his station –
Antanas Milukas urged to emigrate to United States where he could become a parish priest in
Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Andrius Dubinskas suggested moving to
Riga or
Saint Petersburg, and Jakštas proposed to pursue an advanced degree in theology.
Russian Revolution of 1905 The outbreak of the
Russo-Japanese War forced the Tsarist government to make concessions to ethnic minorities and the
Lithuanian press ban was lifted in April 1904. He met the news with plans for a publication on
ethnography, one of his many interests boosted by a visit from Finnish ethnographer
Axel Heikel. He published a call in
Vilniaus žinios (News of Vilnius) for the publication to be edited by
Jonas Jablonskis, but the plans remained unrealized. During the
Russian Revolution of 1905, before the
Great Seimas of Vilnius in December 1905, he visited all Lithuanian dioceses (
Samogitia,
Vilnius, and
Sejny) as well as the
Saint Petersburg Roman Catholic Theological Academy organizing the priests. At the seimas, he was elected to its presidium, but resigned giving up his seat to
Pranciškus Būčys. He delivered a speech promoting
non-violent resistance to the Tsarist regime and cited the
example of Finland. At the seimas, priests organized the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Union, predecessor of the
Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party, and Tumas petitioned bishop
Eduard von der Ropp to remain in Vilnius as union's representative, but the bishop rejected the request. Tumas returned to Vadaktėliai and organized a local chapter of the union. He also proposed regulations protecting manor workers – some of the ideas were later incorporated into a national law, drafted by
Mykolas Krupavičius, Minister of Agriculture from 1923 to 1926. Upon learning of such activities, bishop Paliulionis urgently reassigned Tumas to
Sidabravas in December 1905 and to
Stakiai in March 1906. Due to the relocation, he skipped the election to the first
Russian State Duma. He was also arrested before moving to Stakiai, but released on bail. He helped
Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas, future Soviet revolutionary, hide from the Tsarist police. In Stakiai, which was particularly remote ( to the nearest school and to the nearest town), Tumas mostly took care of the church's farm and organized a purchase of
phosphate fertilisers for the entire village to use.
Vilniaus žinios and Viltis Petras Vileišis, the publisher of the daily
Vilniaus žinios (News of Vilnius), suffered financial difficulties and searched for ways to increase the newspaper's circulation. He enlisted the clergy to help the newspaper and they searched for a new editor among the priests. The younger priests advocated for Tumas, particularly given his editorial experience with
Tėvynės sargas. Reluctantly, bishops Paliulionis and von der Ropp agreed to transfer Tumas to Vilnius to work on the newspaper. He was promised a monthly salary of 75
rubles, but he was hesitant to take the offer. He cautioned that he was arrogant, short-tempered, and held strong convictions and opinions. He penned a declaration of principles that he would try to adhere to as the new editor.
Vilniaus žinios was to be a liberal nationalist Catholic publication advocating for the Lithuanian autonomy within the Russian Empire. It would not be socialist, but it would treat all social classes equally. It would defend the Catholic faith as the foundation of the order and morality and the Lithuanian nation as an equal to others. Tumas left Stakiai in February 1907 and edited the newspaper until it briefly stopped the publication in April 1907. During that short time, Tumas wrote many articles on various topics, including on education, art, economy. When
Vilniaus žinios was briefly discontinued due to financial difficulties, Tumas and his co-editor
Antanas Smetona organized the publication of
Viltis (Hope), a new newspaper that hoped to unite conservative Catholic clergy and more liberal
intelligentsia for the common good of the Lithuanian nation. Tumas traveled across Lithuania agitating priests to support the endeavor and managed to sign up 179 shareholders who each agreed to contribute 100 rubles annually to the trust company set up to publish the newspaper. The first issue appeared in October 1907. While Smetona was influential setting the ideology, he had a full-time job at the
Vilnius Land Bank and thus Tumas handled most of the day-to-day workings of the publication. Published three times a week,
Viltis concentrated on cultural matters as opposed to politics or news reports, paying particular attention to the Lithuanian language and folk culture as well as issues in art, science, education, and morals. Tumas wrote reviews of literary and scientific works. Tumas was also active in Lithuanian cultural life in Vilnius. He was a board member of the
Lithuanian Scientific Society and gifted some of his personal book collection to its new library. He was also a member of the
Lithuanian Art Society and participated in the cultural
Rūta Society. In July 1910, Tumas traveled as a correspondent to the official opening of the
Grunwald Monument in
Kraków during the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the
Battle of Grunwald. His critical article was published in the Ukrainian newspaper
Dilo. He contrasted the celebration, attended by many dignitaries, with
Estonian and
Latvian Song Festivals and concluded that the Grunwald celebration did not sufficiently involve all social classes. The Polish press responded by attacking Tumas and accusing him of anti-Polish attitudes.
Viltis had a permanent column to report on the situation of Lithuanian Catholics in the
Diocese of Vilnius and in particular on their fight for the Lithuanian-language church services. In November 1910, Tumas published an article listing known churches where Lithuanian-language services were removed by orders of
Kazimierz Mikołaj Michalkiewicz, administrator of the
Diocese of Vilnius while Bishop von der Ropp was in exile. This caused much controversy and, in February 1911, bishop assigned Tumas to
Laižuva in northern Lithuania. Effectively, it was an exile and also meant his departure from
Viltis. His place was taken by other priests, Fabijonas Kemėšis and later Juozas Dabužis. Various Lithuanian groups sent letters protesting the removal of Tumas-Vaižgantas to
Viltis for three months.
Exile to Laižuva Tumas arrived to
Laižuva on 1 March 1911. Just three months later, in May, priest
Konstantinas Olšauskas invited him to visit
Lithuanian American communities and collect donations for the construction of the headquarters of the
Saulė Society which organized Lithuanian schools in the
Kovno Governorate. Aboard the
SS Kronprinzessin Cecilie they arrived to New York on 5 July. They toured 55 Lithuanian American communities for three months and collected about $19,000 () or 34,000
rubles. More donations were collected in Lithuania and the headquarters, a three-storey brick building at a cost of 155,000 rubles, was completed in
Žaliakalnis in 1914. Upon the return, Tumas visited various Lithuanian towns and delivered over thirty speeches against emigration to the United States sharing stories of the difficult conditions and poverty of Lithuanian Americans. In 1912, these lectures were published as a separate booklet by the
Society of Saint Casimir. In 1912, Tumas was offered to move to
Riga to work as an editor of
Rygos garsas (Sound of Riga) and encouraged to run for the
Russian State Duma. However, he refused in part due to debts and ill health. He did participate in the Duma elections, helping to elect Lithuanian candidates, including
Martynas Yčas. During 1912, Tumas suffered from a depressive episode or
neurasthenia. He also nursed his nephew Kazys Mėginis who died of
tuberculosis in spring 1913. After his death, Tumas' attention shifted from journalism to literary work. He collected his previous works, edited them for style and language, and published in various Lithuanian newspapers hoping to publish them as separate booklets. In August 1913, Tumas, as a correspondent of
Viltis, participated in the opening of the
Estonia Theatre in
Tallinn. When a conflict with the conservative clergy forced
Antanas Smetona to resign from
Viltis in September 1913, he established a new publication
Vairas (Rudder) to continue the same ideology as the original
Viltis. Tumas contributed his best works to
Vairas with only a few submissions to
Viltis.
During World War I In summer 1914, , editor of
Rygos garsas and former contributor to
Tėvynės sargas, visited Tumas in Laižuva and offered him to become co-editor of the newspaper published in
Riga. At the time, about 50,000 Lithuanians lived in Riga. New bishop supported the effort and even found a priest that would buy Tumas' farm so that he could repay his debts. Tumas arrived to Riga in December 1914 and lived at the clergy house of the
Our Lady of Sorrows Church. He was promised a salary of 30 rubles a month for his editorial work, but due to financial difficulties did not receive it.
Rygos garsas was a four-page newspaper published twice a week. Bikinas edited news and political articles, while Tumas edited articles on cultural and societal matters. To address war-time demand for news, the publication frequency was increased to three times a week and the circulation reached 13,000 copies. With the German attack in the
Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes in February 1915, Lithuanian war refugees began arriving to Riga. Tumas and others organized refugee relief – opening shelters and soup kitchens, providing clothes and basic medical care, finding employment. Tumas and
Pranas Mašiotas became representatives of the
Lithuanian Society for the Relief of War Sufferers. In his fundraising efforts, Tumas met with various Latvian activists, including
Jānis Čakste and
Alberts Kviesis, future
Presidents of Latvia. In five months, Lithuanians in Riga raised 10,314 rubles and helped some 4,000 refugees. When, as a result of the
Great Retreat, German army took control of Lithuania in September 1915, the Lithuanian Society for the Relief of War Sufferers split into two sections – one remained in Vilnius and the other evacuated to
Saint Petersburg. Tumas was invited to become the general manager of the Saint Petersburg section, but quickly relinquished the duties as he was ill-suited for an office job. Instead, he traveled across Russia visiting Lithuanian refugees in
Tambov,
Crimea,
Kursk,
Tver, and elsewhere. He also wrote and published fiction works (four booklets in 1915–1916) and translated booklets for children (three works in 1917). During the summer 1916 vacation in
Voronezh, Tumas delivered a series of lectures to Lithuanian teachers at
evacuated Lithuanian schools on Lithuanian writers and literature and planned on publishing the lectures as a separate book. Lithuanians became more politically active, particularly after the
February Revolution, working to secure Lithuania's future after the war. Together with and
Liudas Noreika, both former contributors to
Viltis, Tumas established the
Party of National Progress in 1916, but it became publicly active in early 1917. The party essentially adopted the same ideology as
Viltis – represent the middle (nationalist) road between socialists and Christian democrats. In February 1917, Tumas was elected to the
Council of the Lithuanian Nation, which aspired to become an authoritative body that could represent all Lithuanians and their political objectives. The council decided to organize a political conference, known as the
Petrograd Seimas, in June 1917. Tumas traveled to Riga to help elect six representatives of the Party of National Progress to the Seimas (in total, the party had 20 representatives at the Seimas) and to
Mogilev to convince
Petras Kraujalis not to hold a separate Catholic conference. The Seimas was a raucous affair with passionate disagreements whether Lithuanians should demand full independence or autonomy within the Russian Empire. Tumas and other members of his party called for full independence. Their resolution won by a narrow margin of vote, but the opponents could not accept it and withdrew from the Seimas splintering the Council of the Lithuanian Nation. It was a severe blow to Tumas and his life-long work to unite Lithuanians for the common good of the Lithuanian nation. Tumas was delegated to the
Congress of the Peoples of Russia organized by the
Ukrainian Central Rada in Kiev in September 1917. Lithuanians, represented by nine men, including
Augustinas Voldemaras and
Antanas Tumėnas, were the only participating ethnic group to demand full independence. Upon return, together with
Stasys Šilingas and
Jurgis Alekna, he was sent to the
Lithuanian Conference in Stockholm in October 1917. The conference approved the resolution adopted by the
Vilnius Conference, recognized the
Council of Lithuania as the legitimate representative of the Lithuanian nation, and reiterated Lithuania's desire for full independence. Tumas decided not to return to Russia, but instead travel back to Lithuania. The required paperwork took seven months and Tumas devoted most of his time to writing
Pragiedruliai.
In independent Lithuania Newspaper editor and political activities Tumas returned to Vilnius in May 1918. He started writing articles for
Lietuvos aidas (Echo of Lithuania), eventually taking over as editor from
Petras Klimas, and attending the sessions of the
Council of Lithuania as a guest. At the outbreak of the
Lithuanian–Soviet War, many Lithuanian institutions evacuated to
Kaunas but Tumas remained in the city. He was a member of the Lithuanian delegation to
Vincas Kapsukas, leader of the
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, in attempt to find a
modus vivendi.
Vaclovas Biržiška, the Commissar of Education, supported Lithuanian activities and employed Tumas as a translator of educational books. Only one by was actually published. Tumas contracted
typhus and was ill when Polish army
captured Vilnius during the
Polish–Soviet War in April 1919. Upon recovery, he edited and helped publish '''' (Independent Lithuania). In his articles, he harshly criticized the new Polish administration, in particular before it enforced censorship. Several of his articles attacked Polish priest Stanisław Maciejewicz, a deputy of the
Polish Legislative Sejm. Maciejewicz accused Tumas of libel and initiated a case in the
ecclesiastical court of the
Diocese of Vilnius, but later abandoned it. In early 1920,
Antanas Smetona invited Tumas to Kaunas to become editor of
Tauta (Nation) published by the
Party of National Progress. He moved to Kaunas in March 1920 and ran in the elections to the
Constituent Assembly of Lithuania. He visited five
volosts and delivered eight speeches, but was not elected and largely withdrew from politics. He continued to support Antanas Smetona and the
Lithuanian Nationalist Union for which he was frequently criticized by the
Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party. On 11 November 1923, during an intermission at the
Kaunas City Theatre, Tumas publicly addressed
Aleksandras Stulginskis, President of Lithuania, asking him to pardon Smetona, who at the time served a prison sentence for criticizing the government. The play was canceled and Tumas received a public reprimand from the bishop and a symbolic one-day house arrest for public disturbance from the Kaunas District Peace Court. Tumas submitted clemency requests on behalf of many others, including
Kostas Korsakas. Tumas joined the
Lithuanian Riflemen's Union and became temporary editor of its magazine
Trimitas. In January 1921, eleven older Lithuanian activists, including
Kazys Grinius,
Jonas Jablonskis, and
Maironis, decided to publish an irregular publication with their memoirs of the
Lithuanian National Revival and other articles on the
history of Lithuania. Tumas became the editor of
Mūsų senovė (Our Past) and with funding from the
Ministry of Education published five volumes (865 pages) in 1921–1922. It was the ninth and last publication edited by Tumas. However, he continued to contribute articles to numerous, including social democratic, newspapers.
Church rector and university docent and was its rector from 1920 to 1933 In March 1920, Tumas also became
rector of
Church of Vytautas the Great. It was his ninth and last parish. The church, funded by the Grand Duke
Vytautas, was devastated during World War I and needed extensive repairs. Tumas solicited donations, hired workers for repairs and artists
Paulius Galaunė,
Petras Kalpokas, for decoration. The church was reconsecrated on 15 August 1920 by
Adomas Jakštas, but repairs continued for years. It was not a parish church, but Tumas was often asked to perform weddings, baptisms,
last rites. Many requested his services, because he was more lenient and accommodating. For example, in 1921, he wed poet at the break of dawn since dawn was a key symbol in Vaičiūnas' poetry. In ten years, from 1920 to 1930, Tumas wed 1,375 couples. He resigned from the church due to poor health in January 1933 and delivered the last sermon on 16 February. Over the years, Tumas had collected information on Lithuanian writers and literature. In 1921–1922, he lectured on topics in
Lithuanian literature at the
Higher Officers' Courses and a teachers' courses. He was also invited to teach at the
War School of Kaunas, but refused due to lack of time. Tumas was invited by
Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius to teach at the newly established
University of Lithuania. He started with a lecture on the poetry of
Maironis in the fall 1922 semester. His lack of higher education was an obstacle and he was promoted to
docent only in June 1924. He taught a course on the Lithuanian literature during the
Lithuanian press ban (1864–1904). He chose to discuss different writers every semester instead of a more systematic chronological or thematic approach. He lectured not only on the well-known (such as
Antanas Baranauskas or
Žemaitė) but also on virtually forgotten authors. He retired from the university in March 1929 due to poor health (throat and lung issues made it difficult to speak for long periods of time). The university awarded him a pension and an
honorary doctorate. He returned to the university for the spring 1932 semester when he taught a class on Lithuanian women writers.
Other public work and death Tumas was instrumental in establishing a literary archive at the university that collected writers' manuscripts, correspondence, photos, etc. Tumas donated most of his personal collection to this archive, officially established in March 1923. In 1924–1926, Tumas worked as a reviewer of books and educational materials for the
Ministry of Education. During that time he reviewed 66 works. He also contributed biographical articles to
Lietuviškoji enciklopedija, the first
Lithuanian-language encyclopedia. Tumas frequently traveled across Lithuania and internationally, including to Italy in 1931 and to Latvia and Sweden in 1932. In addition to his paid jobs, Tumas was very active in Lithuanian cultural life – he was chairman, treasurer, or board members of various Lithuanian societies, committees, and commissions, about 20 different organizations in total. He was a member of the
Lithuanian Riflemen's Union and was awarded its
Riflemen's Star. He was a member and, for a period, secretary of the
Lithuanian Catholic Academy of Science and treasurer of the book publishing company Universitetas. In 1932, he was elected chairman of the
Lithuanian Writers' Union. He actively supported and was elected as honorary member of , a nationalist student organization at the university, and was spiritual adviser to Young Lithuania, youth organization of the
Lithuanian Nationalist Union. He received numerous visitors asking him for donations, loans, or personal recommendations. Despite all of these activities, he still found time to write works of fiction, though his ability to write longer works was impeded. In independent Lithuania, Tumas' efforts and works received official recognition. He was promoted as honorary
canon of the Samogitian Capitulum in April 1921. He was awarded the
Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (2nd degree) on 15 May 1928, and the
Order of Vytautas the Great (2nd degree) in 1932. He also received the Latvian
Order of the Three Stars (2nd degree). Tumas supervised the construction of the villa of his nephew-in-law
Petras Klimas in
Ąžuolynas and spent his last months there. In January 1933, Tumas was diagnosed with
vitamin B12 deficiency anemia caused by
colitis. In early March, he was diagnosed with
bronchitis which grew into
pneumonia. He spent the last week bedridden and died in the evening of 29 April 1933. He was buried at the Church of Vytautas the Great. His funeral, a grand public affair attended by many dignitaries, was a subject to one of the first documentaries produced in Lithuania. ==Works==