 In 1930s, these gymnasiums, except for the ones in Šakiai and Prienai, were taken over by the Lithuanian government.It was an intentional effort by the authoritarian regime of President Antanas Smetona to reduce the influence of the Catholic Church and by extension its main political opponent the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party.The society also established specialized schools, including an agricultural school for girls in Karkliniai in 1924 and a higher school of commerce in Kybartai in 1925.