Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1931-01-22

11S acre lease agreement. Same TO
Williams Bros, assignment.
From Russian Army Service To
College Professorship
From a second lieutenancy in the
Russian Imperial army to an assist
ant professorship in Ohio Wesleyan
University has been the unusual
experience of Nicholas T. Bobrovni-
koff, a native of Russia, who recent
ly received his naturalization papers
as a citizen of the United States.
One night back in 1917, when the
bullets were whistling and shrap-
mel were shrieking ominously over
the front line trenches, Bobrovni-
koff looked not at the enemy posi-
tion in the tangled "No Mans
Land" ahead, but at the planet
Venus in the still sky above. Obliv-
ious, for the moment, of the
fighting men under his command,
this officer in the Cars army
dreamed of studying astronomy in
that land of opportunity, America.
For since childhood he has been
more deeply interested in telescopes
than in machine guns.
Today, this dream has come true
And Nicholas IT. Bobrovnik off. who
looked wistfully at the heavens on
that night in 1917, is studying the
consultations to his hearts content
in the quiet of Perkins Observatory
at Ohio Wesleyan. Instead Of COM
manding a unit in the Cars army
he is now teaching advanced stud
ents in astronomy. Instead of look
ing out for deadly gases and shells
from the German lines, he is now
aiding DR.. Harlan T. Stetson, direc-
tor of the observatory, in deter
mining how disturbances in the sun
affect radio troubles and other
earthly matters.
In straightforward, American"
English Bobrovnikoff tells of his ex
periences as a student, soldier, ref
ugee in war-broken Europe and
later as student of astronomy in
peace-loving America.
when the war broke out, I was
a student at the Institute of Mining
stayed for two years. In 1916,
when / was a lad of twenty, I en-
tered the Russian Imperial Army as
a second lieutenant, for l had had a
thorough military training at
school,
"The next year came the Rus
sian Revolution. A large number
Of us disapproved of the Bolshe-
Viks' desire to break faith with the
Allies by concluding peace with
Germany, and so we joined the
White Army"
Following the defeat of the
White Army, which was greatly
by the Bolsheviks,
and 1900 fellow SOL
iiers were forced to flee to the
Caucasus mountains and thence to a
British camp in Cyprus. There un-
der the tutelage of friendly Tom.
my Atkins. he learned the English
language in few months.
Later this knowledge became the
means through which Bobrovnikoff
found the avenue to the realization
Of his dream. Among the 100000
Russian refugees, banished from
their native land in the Reds "reign
Of terror" were many who, having
been students when the world war
began, wished to resume their aca-
lemic work. Owing to the benefi-
,ence of the Czecho- -Slovakian gov
ernment scores of these eager
youths were sent to the University
If Prague. While there Bobrovni-
loff met number of influential
Americans, who encouraged him to
emigrate to the United States for
he study of astronomy.
A fellowship at Yerkes Observa-
ory, the University of Chicago.
made it possible for Bobrovnikoff to
'eceive his Phi. d. degree at Chicago
n 1927. For the next three years
le was at the University of Cali
ornia, first as research scholar and
ater a national research fellow.
DR.. Bobrovnikoff began his work
It Perkins Observatory with the
pening of the present term. He
las no intention of returning to his |
lative land. His experiences in the |
Id world are closed book. Just |
his summer he married a Cali
ornia girl who, on quiet street at
Delaware, provides him the home |
ife which he has long desired.
Bobrovnikoff expresses his disgust |
f the scoffers and the calamity |
owlers of this country.
"It would do them good to OBJ |
erye conditions in Europe" he de-
lares, as he sets forth emphatically |
is faith in America, which to him is
ruly the land of opportunity.