The first consultation about the organization of a Russian People's University in Chicago took place on June 27, 1918, at the initiative of Professor S. I. Novakovsky. The following persons were present: Professor S. I. Novakovsky; the Russian consul general, Mr. A. M. Volkov; Archimandrite Mardariy Uskokovich; Mr. F. I. Bregovsky; Rev. Pieshkov, Rev. Zheltonoga; Mr. Prilla, engineer; Doctor Sahud, Doctor Spiegelglas; Mr. A. E. Lutnitsky, and General V. A. Yakhontov, who was at the time visiting Chicago.

At this first meeting Professor Novakovsky, who was the first to raise the question as to the necessity of organizing a Russian People's University in Chicago, explained his views about this question and pointed out that it was necessary to start this undertaking immediately, 2because the Russian colony was in great need of education. Those who attended this consultation, after listening to Professor Novakovsky's report, exchanged their views about this subject.

The meeting unanimously commended the idea of founding a Russian People's University in Chicago and resolved to form "an Initiative Group for the Foundation of a Russian People's University in Chicago." An executive committee was elected consisting of Professor Novakovsky, Mr. Prilla (engineer), Mr. M. N. Pollak, Rev. Pieshkov, Doctor Sahud, Mr. A. M. Volkov, Archimandrite Mardariy Uskokovich, Mr. I. M. Bregovsky (engineer), and Mr. A. E. Lutnitsky. This committee elected the following officers: Prof. S. I. Novakovsky, president; Mr. A. M. Volkov, treasurer; Mr. A. E. Lutnitsky, secretary. The entrance fee 3collected formed the beginning of a fund for the foundation of a Russian People's University. The total sum collected was $64. The Initiative Group thus formed started on its labor of founding a university. During the period before July 10 the following persons joined this group: Mr. I. Erin, Mr. Sheinman, Professor Shcherbinin, and Mr. V. N. Fedorov.

The meeting of the Initiative Group on July 10 was devoted to the discussion of the question of the relation of the Russian People's University to the commission which was being organized by the American government with the intention of sending it to Russia. It was decided to seek participation in this commission, and the following members were elected as candidates to be sent to Russia as representatives of the Russian People's University: Archimandrite Mardariy, Professor Novakovsky, Mr. M. N. Pollack, Mr. Prilla, engineer, and Mr. 4I. M. Bregovsky, engineer. At the same time a report was written by Prof. S. I. Novakovsky and was sent to several official institutions in Washington. This report elucidated chiefly the educational needs of the Russian citizens, both in America and in Russia, who were bearing the heavy burden of the consequences of the war and the revolution. Among other things the report contained a project for organizing help for young Russian scientists. Briefly, this project can be summarized as follows: the "Fund for Help to Young Russian Scientists," having collected a certain sum of money, should send representatives to Russia for conducting negotiations with various colleges, proposing to them to select from among their students candidates which could be trained for professorship. The "Fund" undertakes to defray all the expenses of the students for transportation, lodging, board and tuition. Thus in two or three years Russia would have several hundred professors, lecturers and various specialists who could reinforce 5the decimated ranks of the Russian scientists and would also satisfy the needs of newly arising colleges. (Ed. Note: There is a note in the files on this report.)

At the meetings that took place on the 10th and 16th of July, 1918, were discussed and accepted the by-laws of the Russian People's University, worked out by Professor Novakovsky. At the meeting of July 19th the name of the Initiative Group was changed to that of "Council of the Russian People's University," in accordance with the name mentioned in the by-laws which had been ratified. There was also elected at this meeting a provisional board of administration to take care of all matters until the time when the university would start its activities. The persons elected were Prof. S. I. Novakovsky, president; Dr. M. Sahud, vice-president; A. E. Lutnitsky, secretary; 6A. M. Volkov, treasurer, and M. N. Pollak, chairman of the Section of Publications.

The elected Provisional Board, in cooperation with the Council of the University, started on the preliminary work connected with the foundation of a university. From the time when the idea of the founding of a Russian People's University in Chicago was first discussed to the opening of the university there were held four meetings of the Initiative Group, nine meetings of the Council of the University and two meetings of the commissions.

On October 5, 1918, took place the formal inauguration of the Russian People's University in Chicago. This inauguration was attended by about three hundred and fifty persons. Professor Novakovsky, as 7president of the Provisional Board, made a speech of welcome, pointing out the necessity of having at that particular time a university as a center of general education for the people. He expressed the hope that this university would have a splendid future. After Professor Novakovsky, speeches were made by Mr. S. Piotrovski, representative of the Polish People's University; Professor Litman, of the University of Illinois; Archimandrite Mardariy Uskokovich, Doctor Sahud, Mr. I. Erin, president of the society "Znaniye"; Mr. Zhuchko, representative of the Social-Democratic Club; Mr. M. N. Pollack, representative of the Union of Russian Young People, and Mr. S. O. Linetsky, representative of the Society Prosvyeshchenie. Twenty-five students registered at this occasion.

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On October 10th, as the studies had to be started at the university and the term of the authority given to the Provisional Board had expired, the club "Znanie" kindly allowed the use of its headquarters for the purpose of giving explanations to the members of the club about the purposes of the newly founded Russian People's University. On October 20, 1918, took place the first meeting of students at the temporary headquarters of the Russian university, at the Chicago School of Civics and Philanthropy, 2559 S. Michigan Avenue.

This meeting was attended by twenty-five students who had registered before, and by six who registered at this meeting - a total of thirty-one students. The following members of the Provisional Board of the University were present: the president of the university, Professor Novakovsky; the secretary, A. E. Lutnitsky; deans I. M. Bregovsky and 9M. A. Shcherbinin, and the following members of the council: F. I. Bregovskaya, Dr. S. A. Novakovskaya, T. Peshkov, Doctor Spiegelglas, V. N. Federov and Prof. V. Krichevsky.

When the students who had registered were asked what subjects they wanted to study, it was found out that all, except two, wanted to join the division of "preliminary studies" and to study the following subjects: Russian language, English and arithmetic. Two expressed their wish to join the commercial division. As to their education the students who had registered are classified as follows:

Illiterate.............None

Having no school education.............2

With elementary school education.............29

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With public school education.............1

With trade school education.............1

Having studied book-keeping.............1

Having had training as automobile mechanics.............1

Having studied in agricultural schools.............1

As to their professions, the same students are classified as follows:

Working in pastry shops.............5

Office workers.............2

Working in the stock yards.............10

Laborers in industrial plants.............10

Mechanics in factories.............4

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When the question as to the best location for the permanent headquarters of the Russian People's University was discussed, it was found out that the great majority of the students desired that the headquarters should be located on the Northwest side of the city, in the vicinity of Division Street, Milwaukee Avenue and Ashland Avenue.

As an epidemic of influenza was raging at that time, the local authorities had prohibited all evening classes. Because of that it was decided to have classes only on Saturdays and Sundays, from 3 to 7 P. M.

On October 26, 1918, the studies began at the university, and classes of the three most necessary subjects mentioned above were started. The lecturers were Professor Novakovsky, - Russian language; Mr. Prilla, engineer, and Mr. V. N. Fedorov, - arithmetic; and Professor Shcherbinin, - English language. These afternoon classes functioned till Nov. 11, 1918.

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After that two classes were taught daily. The following classes were added: Elementary Chemistry, taught by Professor Krichevsky; A General Course in Geography, by Prof. S. I. Novakovsky; First Principles of Metallurgy, by Mr. I. M. Bregovsky, engineer; and Calligraphy, by Mr. V. N. Fedorov. At the same time Mr. K. M. Oberuchev gave a series of lectures (nine) on the history of the Russian revolutionary movement.

On December 1, 1918, the number of students who had registered grew to sixty-two, and out of these forty-five were attending the lectures regularly. All these forty-five students belonged to the same division, - the Preliminary, which was the only one existing at that time. In accordance with the by-laws, a representative of the students attended the meetings of the Council of the University. The first representative 13of the students was Mr. Nesteruk.

In November, 1918, took place the solemn celebration of the tenth anniversary of the inauguration of the Polish People's University. The Counil of the Russian People's University, wishing to express its solidarity with the splendidly organized Polish People's University, created by a kindred nationality, decided to delegate to the celebration the president, Professor Novakovsky. The latter was very pleased with this decision, participated in the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the existence of the Polish People's University and made a short speech in Polish, presenting to the Poles the greetings of the members of the Russian University.

At the meeting of the Council of the University of November 25, 1918, 14the president, Prof. S. I. Novakovsky, was elected to go as a delegate to the Second General Civic Convention to be held in New York on December 13, 14 and 15, 1918. The delegate was given instructions to participate in the convention, speaking on behalf of the Russian People's University in Chicago, but only on questions having to do with educational and cultural work. These instructions were carried out by the delegate.

On December 27, 28 and 29, 1918, there took place in Chicago a convention of Russian cultural and educational organizations in America. This convention had been called at the initiative of the president of the Russian People's University of Chicago. Twenty-eight delegates from various local and other cultural and educational organizations and schools attended the convention. Professor Petrunkevich, representative 15of the central executive committee of the Federation of Russian Organizations, presided. The work of the convention was successful. Resolutions were passed concerning the cultural and educational work done in the Russian groups in America; the work undertaken by the Russian People's University in Chicago was commended. A council of the convention of Russian cultural and educational organizations in America was elected. Chicago was represented in this council by three members, viz., Prof. S. I. Novakovsky, Archimandrite Mardariy Uskokovich, and Mr. I. M. Bregovsky. The remaining four members, from other cities, were M. I. Volkov, agriculturist; Professor Calatsky, Dr. D. Z. Krinkin, and Col. K. M. Oberuchev. (See the program and the resolutions of this convention on pp.64-81 of News of the Russian People's University of Chicago.)

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On December 28th took place the first evening entertainment given by the Russian People's University. The musical and vocal program was quite a lengthy one. The following artists were on this program: Mme. E. P. Volkov, pianist; Mr. Kaminsky, violinist; Mme. Armazar, songs; Mme. Stranden, songs; and Mr. Martynov, declamation. Mr. Erin made a short speech, telling about the usefulness of the university and appealing to the public to register as students.

On January 14, 1919, the lectures were started at the university, at its own headquarters, at 1417 N. Hoyne Avenue. To the Preliminary Division was now added also an Agricultural Division, and the agriculturist Mr. M. I. Volkov was invited to be at the head of it. Eighteen students registered in this division when it was started. To the courses of studies of the Preliminary Division were added 17physics, taught by Mr. Bergenblit, and Russian history, taught by Professor Shcherbinin, who started to lecture on April 7. Lectures on human physiology and anatomy were also started by Doctor Sahud. (These courses of lectures were a part of the program of the Division of General Education.)

On March 30, 1919, at the initiative of the president of the university, Prof. S. I. Novakovsky, some members of the council of the university formed a special pedagogic council which included all the professors and lecturers of the university. According to the project which had been worked out, the aims of the pedagogic council were as follow: the elaboration of the programs of the various divisions, as well as of those of the courses of lectures of each division; the working out 18of the schedules of the various courses of lectures; the organization of subsidiary educational institutions, such as laboratories, museums, libraries, workshops, etc. The program quoted above was accepted at the first meeting of the teaching personnel of the university and later sanctioned by the Council of the University. Four meetings of the pedagogic council were held. At these meetings the programs of the Automobile Division and of the Pedagogic Division of the Russian People's University, which were to be started in the autumn of 1919, were worked out and accepted.

In May 1919 took place the first excursion organized by the Russian People's University. On that occasion the students were taken to the zoological garden. The day before, on May 24, Professor Novakovsky gave an explanatory lecture on "the spreading of animals on the globe."

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The second excursion was arranged in order to visit the Yerkes Observatory near Lake Geneva. Before this excursion Professor Novakovsky gave a lecture on "the moon and other heavenly bodies." The lecture was illustrated with screen pictures.

During the whole period, beginning with the inauguration of the university on October 5, 1918, and ending with July 15, 1919, - there were held seventeen meetings of the Council of the Russian People's University; eleven meetings of the Board of the University; seventeen meetings of various commissions and four meetings of the Pedagogic Council. The number of lectures given during the same period was as follows: regular lectures, - arithmetic, 78; Russian language, 78; English language, 78; geography, 12; metallurgy, 35; calligraphy,24; Russian history, 14; physics, 23; anatomy, 19; chemistry, 9; agriculture, 18; 20mechanical drawing, 36. Occasional lectures: "History of the Russian Revolutionary Movement," 9 (Mr. K. M. Oberuchev was the lecturer); "Tractors and their Importance," four lectures given by Mr. Kudryavtsev, engineer; two lectures by Ilya Lvovich Tolstoy, (a) "The Literary Activities of L. N. Tolstoy and his Contemporaries," and (b) "Leo Tolstoy and the Russian Revolution"; two lectures by Professor Galatsky, (a) "Cooperatives and Consumers' Societies in Germany," and (b) "Abraham Lincoln and the American Democracy"; five lectures by Doctor Spiegelglas on hygiene of the teeth and the mouth; five lectures by D. K. Kzarinov, "The Heavenly Bodies"; one lecture by Doctor Krasnow, "The Life of the Human Body."