At the conclusion of the review of the works of Teodor Pavlović, we will reiterate that our most prominent scholars have emphasized that Svetozar Miletić was the successor of Teodor Pavlović. What Pavlović represented for the Serbian cause in Hungary in the 1830s and 1840s, Miletić represented in the 1860s and 1870s of the 19th century.
Given these facts, even if we deviate from the topic, it is useful for the readers to present the similarities in their life destinies. We do not intend, by this comparison, to diminish the significance and role of Miletić in Serbian society, but quite the opposite. We want to commend the attitude of Serbs and Serbian cultural-political workers, who treated him and his merits with exceptional respect, not only during his life but also during his illness and death, and up to the present day. Even his father was given a beautiful tombstone through public contributions.
We regret that Pavlović was not treated in a similar manner. Pavlović has been almost forgotten. Although Matica organized a scientific gathering on May 22 and 23, 1986, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the appearance of the Serbian National Newspaper and issued a collection of papers. A nice gesture, but it only evaluated Pavlović's work in journalism, even though the collection is titled "TEODOR PAVLOVIĆ AND HIS TIME". Another, perhaps more significant part of his work in educating the Serbian people in Hungary, by founding Tekelijanum and creating conditions for the education of children of poor parents and significantly strengthening publishing activities, hastened the birth of a new Serbian intelligentsia, which has been completely forgotten.
Pavlović has almost no proper monument, except for two modest busts: one in front of the building of Matica Srpska and the other in the park of his hometown of Karlovo (now Novo Miloševo). There is no place in Vojvodina named after Teodor Pavlović. Even in our cities, there is no street, not even in his native village, bearing his name.
When we read the chapter "How Others Evaluated Pavlović's Work", our assessment given in the introduction to this book – that he remains an insufficiently recognized figure in Serbian culture – seems modest.
We leave it to the conscience of the called to take care of the place of Teodor Pavlović in Serbian cultural history, while we will focus on presenting the similarities in the destinies of these great men of ours.
Pavlović and Miletić were the best students in their generations, throughout their education. Both were sons of small village craftsmen – cobblers. Pavlović, the son of Pavle, a cobbler from Karlovo (now Novo Miloševo), and Miletić, the son of Simeon, a cobbler from Mošorin.
Both studied and completed law in Pozun (Bratislava), where, along with their national ideals and patriotic feelings, they embraced PANSLAVISM, despite the twenty-year difference in the time of their studies. This detail alone was enough reason to oppose Vuk Karadžić and his language and orthographic reforms, as this would distance the Serbian language from Russian. Especially considering that both had significant obligations to notable conservatives. Pavlović, in his desire to win over Sava Tekelija as a great benefactor of Matica Srpska, had to, at least for a certain time, deviate from his progressive ideas, to which he soon returned after Tekelija's death, nurturing and implementing them with even greater persistence. Miletić had similar obligations to his benefactor, who provided for his further education, Jovan Hadžić (Miloš Svetić), the greatest opponent of Vuk's reforms.
Taking this into consideration, their resistance to Vuk's language and orthographic reform can be understood. Miletić, in his article "Ograda," published in the 6th issue of the Serbian National Newspaper in 1847, attacked Branko Radičević's poem "PUT" in which, among other things, Radičević mocks Teodor Pavlović. Among other things, he writes in "Ograda":
"...our task for life will be, as much as possible, to work on brotherly harmony... And therefore, we cannot agree with Radičević's intentions and views, which naturally and logically fall on us from education, and for that reason, we publicly distance ourselves from this and any future similar dedication, because we believe that, just as he could (so unworthy) dedicate to Serbian youth, they have the right, if they do not like the dedication, to not accept it..."
In his further activities, Miletić freed himself from "hypothec" and accepted everything that was progressive and would contribute to the accelerated development of Serbian identity.
In 1876, Miletić was sentenced by the Hungarian authorities for treason to five years in prison. He remained in prison until November 1879. This date was immortalized by Zmaj Jova in his poem: "FIFTEENTH OF NOVEMBER 1879," in which he expresses his own and the Serbian people's happiness and joy that Miletić is free, and among other beautiful verses, he also mentions these:
"RAISE THE CHILDREN FROM THE CRADLE
SO THEY REMEMBER HIS LIKENESS!"
The harsh regime in prison had shaken Miletić's health. But as soon as he recovered a little, he was already in 1880 editing "Zastava" and with a series of articles re-entering political life.
Constant conflicts, especially the one at the pre-election conference of the Serbian National Liberal Party, which stemmed from the dominance of the right wing and his conflict with the representative of the left wing, Jaša Tomić, in 1882, led to the first signs of nervous breakdown in Miletić, and subsequently to a complete mental collapse.
From 1883, Miletić did not participate in public life until his death on February 4, 1901, in Vršac. Unfortunately for him, here too fate mirrored the fate of Teodor Pavlović.
