Society for the Advancement of Experimental Sciences and their Practical Applications

The company was founded in Moscow in accordance with the will of the Vologda merchant of the 1st guild Kh.S. Ledentsov , approved by the Ministry of Education on February 24, 1909, jointly run by the Imperial University of Moscow and the Imperial Moscow Technical School .

To open a society, Kh. S. Ledentsov initially deposited 100 thousand rubles in the cash register of Moscow University, and according to his will, he transferred his entire fortune (over 1 million rubles) to it, which amounted to “untouchable capital to them. Kh. S. Ledentzova ”, the interest from which went to the income of the company. According to Ledentsov (whose decision was influenced by his communication in Moscow with a group of natural science professors led by N. A. Umov ), the purpose of the society’s existence was to help “mainly discoveries and inventions that could bring as much capital as possible benefit for the majority of the population ”, and benefits from society should“ facilitate the implementation and implementation of the above discoveries and inventions, and not follow them in the form of bonuses, subsidies, medals ” ^[1] . Society received the motto: "Science, work, love, contentment."

Prominent scientists of that period took part in the development of the charter of the company: Professor A. A. Tikhomirov (rector of Moscow University), S. A. Fedorov (director of the Moscow Technical School ) and N. A. Umov (president of the Moscow Society of Naturalists ).

The first meeting of the company was held on May 17, 1909. S. A. Fedorov was elected Chairman, N. A. Umov, Vice-Chairman, and N. F. Charnovsky, Inspector of MTU workshops, were elected Secretary.

The society council included: A. A. Manuilov , A. P. Gavrilenko , P. N. Lebedev , I. A. Kablukov , I. Kh. Ozerov , N. E. Zhukovsky , P. P. Petrov , Ya. Ya Nikitinsky , V. I. Grinevetsky , as well as public figures known for their outstanding successes in the field of industry and technology: A. I. Konovalov , S. I. Chetverikov , S. I. Bokastov ^[2] and others.

In addition to the Council of the company, its governing bodies were expert commissions, divided by areas: aeronautics (previous - N. Ye. Zhukovsky); chemistry (previous - I. A. Kablukov); electronics, photography, cinematography, instruments for scientific and educational purposes and meteorology (previous - P.N. Lebedev); chemical technology, mining and metallurgy (previous - P. P. Petrov and Ya. Ya. Nikitinsky); technology of fiber substances (previous - S. A. Fedorov); railway business, construction and architectural business, heating and ventilation (previous - Gavrilenko); engines of all kinds (previous - V. I. Grinevetsky); machines, tools, devices and apparatus for personal use (previous - N.F. Charnovsky).

In expert commissions from 1909 to 1918, over 1,100 applications for inventions in various areas of technology were considered.

In total, the society consisted of about 100 full members, mainly professors of Russian universities, as well as dozens of honorary members from among prominent scientists. The company had a drawing workshop, a library and a patent department in which the inventors were assisted in the proper execution of application certificates for the issuance of security documents, privileges and patents. The company participated in exhibitions, congresses, awarded medals and prizes to researchers and inventors who actively participated in the work of the society. It took an active part in the preparation of the 1st Congress of Inventors, which took place on October 1-3, 1916 in the building of Moscow University and was chaired by N. E. Zhukovsky.

The Ledentsov Society supported the initiative to create the Moscow Scientific Institute with specialization in various fields of science, which was put forward by a number of leading Moscow scientists who left Moscow University as a result of the events of 1911 . The first to implement this program in 1912, it was decided to finance the construction of Russia's first major research physics institute in Moscow on the basis of P. N. Lebedev’s laboratory at A. L. Shanyavsky Moscow City University ^[3] . At the expense of society, the laboratory of I. P. Pavlov in St. Petersburg, the aerodynamic laboratory of Zhukovsky at Moscow University and the laboratory for testing propellers and models at IMTU were built and equipped ^[4] .

The society funded the work of prominent chemists - A. E. Chichibabin , L. A. Chugaev , N. M. Kizhner , research by V. I. Vernadsky in the field of radioactivity of minerals, N. D. Zelinsky , K. E. Tsiolkovsky and many others. The company provided technical equipment for innovative research and entire scientific areas, in particular the Karadak biostation , published scientific papers by D. I. Mendeleev .

Since the beginning of the First World War, a significant part of the funds was allocated by society to research and the preparation of medicines.

  IP Pavlov wrote: “... I believe that Moscow will be proud of its Society and its founder, Christopher Semenovich Ledentsov, no less than its other historical merits and figures” [5] .

In the last years of its existence, the society included 295 full and honorary members. The company issued its own journal “Temporary”, which covered all its financial, organizational, technical and industrial activities.

Initially, the company was located in the premises of the Polytechnic Society ^[6] , then in its own mansion on Zemlyanoy Val street ^[7] and rented a piece of urban land from the Moscow City Council adjacent to the house along Sadovaya and Syromyatnaya streets in the Yauz part of Moscow for the construction of new premises. The capital of the company as of 1.1.1917 was 1 689 315 rubles, in addition to income from interest on the capital, its growth was due to the sale of real estate owned by H. S. Ledentsova and bequeathed to the company. Actively helped society and the Moscow mayor N.I. Guchkov .

By the Decree of the Supreme Economic Council of the RSFSR of 8.10.1918, the company was closed, and its property was nationalized. In 1929-1930 the archive of the Lebentsov Society (1238 units) was transferred to the State Historical Archive of the Moscow Region ^[8] .

• Belyaeva T. A. Kh. S. Ledentsov and “Society for Promoting the Success of Experimental Sciences and Their Practical Applications” // Vologda State Technical University: historical review. - Vologda, 2006. - P.14-16.
• Gaysinskaya L. I. Documentary materials of the Society for the Advancement of the Success of Experimental Sciences and Their Practical Applications named after Kh. S. Ledentsov // Historical archive. - 1995. - No. 5. - S. 110-139.
• Zavyalova O. N. On the question of studying the activities of H. S. Ledencov and the “Society for Assisting the Successes of Experimental Sciences and Their Practical Applications” // Ledenzov Readings. Business. the science. Education: Materials of an international scientific-practical conference / Ed. ed. Doctors of Economics, Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences I. I. Lyutova, Doctors of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor T. V. Lodkina. - M.: Publishing house Mosk. humanity. Univ., 2009. - P.50-75.
• Karatygina T.F. Library of the Society for Promoting the Success of Experimental Sciences and Their Practical Applications named after Kh. S. Ledentsov // Scientific and technical libraries of the USSR. - 1979. - No. 6. - S. 25-28.
• Morozova S.G. Society for the Advancement of the Success of Experimental Sciences named after Kh. S. Ledentsov. - M., 1993.
• Imperial Moscow University: 1755-1917: Encyclopedic Dictionary / A. Yu. Andreev, D. A. Tsygankov. - M .: Russian Political Encyclopedia (ROSSPEN), 2010. - 894 p. - 2,000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-8243-1429-8 .
• E. Yu. Gorbunova. Philanthropists and philanthropists in the history of Moscow University / Editor: V. I. Tropin. - M .: Publishing house of Moscow University, 2010. - 320 p. - ISBN 978-5-211-05745-6 .

• Ledetsov Khristofor Semenovich (neopr.) . Encyclopedia of the Russian merchants . Date of treatment January 23, 2018.
• The history of the Karadag scientific station in the chronicle of the journal "Temporary" (1910-1918) (neopr.) . Scientific electronic library of periodicals . Date of treatment January 24, 2018.

• Category: Candy Fund Members