Cast
- Lomonosov – the great Russian scientist;
- Elizabeth – Russian queen;
- Shumaher – the scientist;
- Miller – the historian;
- Brown – professor of philosophy
Action 1
Scene 1
The hall of St. Petersburg Academy of Science. Lomonosov and Shumaher are standing opposite each other.
Shumaher: Dear Mihail Vasilievich! Having known about Your passion in doing scientific research and Your outstanding mental abilities I propose You for the following work. It will be necessary to describe stones and minerals stocked in the Museum of the Academy of Science, in Kuntscamera. This work needs to be done as soon as possible. If You don`t do it on time, the Queen will be rather angry.
Lomonosov: It`s quite obvious for me, Mr Shumaer, that You are pursuing some faraway aim. The task will be done with all my will and diligence. However, it won`t be possible to do with the description in spite of the activity of mine. The reason is thousands of stones and minerals brought from different ends of the world are piled in mess. They have never been described and numerated, as far as I`m concerned. And when the wast work is not over on time, the Queen will be angry with You, Mr. Shumaher, as You were asked to do the work. And You didn`t even start doing the work as they say.
Shumaher: Quite wrong and rather abusive the information is! It has never happened that I gave up fulfilling the orders of reigning persons. However, I`m not a specialist in mineralogy and geology.That`s why I have a favour to ask You to do this work. The office has made a decision to send you under the control of the professor of Botanics and Natural History John Amman. He will teach You, Mihail Vasilievich, natural history, mostly studying minerals and everything about it with patience.
Lomonosov: Mister Shumaher! I`ll do my best and start working tomorrow. But would You mind Mr. Miller join me to help me as this scientist is an excellent historian of Russia as well as of other countries and times.
Shumaher: I`ll be glad to help You with it, dear Mihail Vasilievich!
Lomonosov: Farewell!
Shumaher: Farewell!
Shumaher leaves the hall.
Scene 2
The hall of St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Shumaher has left the hall, Miller enters it.
Lomonosov: Greetings, Mister Miller! Have You recently returned from Your journey?
Miller: Greetings, Mister Lomonosov! I`m back the other day. I haven`t started he work in the office yet. What are the news in the Academy?
Lomonosov: It won`t be a short story, dear Theodor Ivanovich, but I can tell You about my activities with pleasure.
Miller: You`re welcome!
Lomonosov: Stones and minerals brought from different parts of the world are kept in mess in the Museum of the Academy. Nobody has kept count of them, nobody has ever described them. I was ordered to numerate and to describe them as it is possible. However the work will be hard to be done quickly and perfectly by professor Amman and me. Mister Shumaher offered You as a scientist, a specialist in History to help us.
Miller: I won`t keep a secret about the fact that I have travelled through towns and cities in Easten and Western Siberia from Beriozov to Ust-Kamenogorsk, from Nerchinsk to Jackutsk. I have studied local archives there. I`ve been there from 1733 to 1743.
Lomonosov: Did You have any opportunities to study local minerals, Mr. Miller?
Miller: Mister Lomonosov! A lot of information was collected about the ethnography of the natives, local archeology and today`s situation in the region. We have brought an enormous collection of archive documents. I hope to work them over after some time, having written the description of the Siberian kingdom beginning from its creation up to these days. I hope this work will serve as an assistance for representatives of different branches of science. But, unfortunately, nobody studied minerals in our expedition.
Lomonosov: I`m disappointed having heard it. I strongly hoped to get Your assistance in this undertaking, Mr. Miller! Maybe Mr. Richman will join us in this project?
Miller: As far as I know Mr. Richman is engaged in doing kalorimetria and electricity. Recently he has worked out the formula of determining the temperature of mixture of different liquids with different temperatures each. Mr. Richman holds experiments on heat exchange and evaporation of liquids under different conditions. Geology and mineralogy are not his competence.
Lomonosov: Thank You, Theodor Ivanovich. I`m also engaged in the work with kalorimetry and electricity. But, to make the long story short, it looks like doing the work all by ourselves, as Mr. Richman is so busy.
Miller: I`m sure, Mister Lomonosov, that Your versatile talents and hard work will help You to overcome all the difficulties. Farewell, Mr. Lomonosov!
Lomonosov and Miller are leaving the hall, having bowed to each other.
Action 2
Scene 1
The hall of St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Lomonosov and Brown are standing opposite each other.
Lomonosov: Greetings, Mr. Brown! We`ve heard much about Your outstanding achievements in the sphere of natural disasters. Mr. Rihter and me are studying the nature of thunderstorm and atmosphere electricity. That`s why we`re interested in Your investigations in the sphere neighbouring.
Brown: Scientists of various countries think over the blessing of God and the retribution of God to the human beings in the form of catastrophes and disasters. If you turn to Kant and to his article "About the reasons of the earthquakes," you will see his opinion on their nature from the point of view of a natural scientist. Kant expresses his thoughts about some "precautionary measures" towards general disasters that have the status of "daring" and "vain" ones.
Lomonosov: Professor, here I`m forced to interrupt You for clarifying the main tenets of the theory of Kant. It is indeed,that in the absence of precautionary measures the impact of disasters will inevitably become irreparably destructive and irreversible.
Brown: Kant really believes that earthquakes, in particular, change the face of the earth, but he refers to this phenomenon in neutral way, without appreciating it. Here he is standing on the platform of separating of natural philosophical discourse from scientific one. As for me, we are for predicting of natural disasters, changes in the atmosphere and other natural phenomena. The work was written named "A word about the major changes of the atmosphere and the prediction of them".
Lomonosov: Mr. Brown, I would like to know, what Your conclusions on the discussing subject are.
Brown: In the work mentioned above we put forward mostly general methodological issues, think over such conceptions as” knowledge”, “foresight”, “ theory”, “ changing”.
Lomonosov: What kinds and types of changes do You see, Professor?
Brown: Changes take place in moral bodies as well as in physical ones both enormous and small. We see great changes in celestial bodies, in suns and in earths. Changes are seen in parts of those bodies as well as in the atmosphere. They lead to the perfection of the world and of all the inhabitants of it.
Action 3
Scene 1
Throne Room in the Zimny Palace in St. Petersburg. Queen Elizabeth is sitting on the throne, Lomonosov is standing in front of her.
Elizabeth: Reminding You Your unforgettable ode devoted to the Anniversary of Our Day of Accession to the throne of the Russian state, I ask You, dear Mikhailo Vasilievich, for Your explanations for the following lines quoted from it:
"When Boreos does not dare
Blow strongly and with all its might
At vessels covering the sea
As they are hurrying to Your Majesty"
It seems to Us that the Northern wind though cold it is can blow sails and move ships, or You have another opinion?
Lomonosov: Gracious Empress Elizabeth! I dare to remind Your Majesty
the Russian language features, to which help I have turned while writing the
ode. And, after all, being the master of many languages, the Russian language dominates
because of the following features. It`s spread over vast regions, it is rather rich as it
is, and is richer than all the others in Europe.
Charles V, a Roman Emperor, used to say that one can speak Spanish with God, French
with friends, German with enemies, Italian with women. But if he had been skilful in
Russian, he would have added that Russian suits them all.
It was the Greek language that I had used to get the name of the Northern wind from. And I
won`t oppose Your Majesty in Your view on the quality of winds.
However, Your Majesty`s a reminding about the northern wind makes me to
address you, dear duchess, with outlining the plan of research of the Arctic Ocean and the
development of the Great Northern Sea Route.
Elizabeth: Dear Michailo Vasilievich ! This item is rather vital for the Russian state. That`s why You should go on collecting information on the Northern way to the East Indies through the Siberian Ocean, watch the condition of ice , sea currents, describe the winds in the Arctic Ocean. A polar expedition might be organized under the conditions the facts are collected and systematized in a proper way.
Lomonosov: I`ve been studying the regime of Arctic for more than
several years,Your Majesty.I could have reported on some of my conclusions just now.
For example, we know now that the ice comes from the east of the Siberian Ocean, being
chased by the eastern winds and waters The direction of ice drift has become quite
clear, and the reasons for this phenomenon have been defined for naval and winds.
Elizabeth: Travelling at high latitudes needs special equipment. We have heard that you, Mr. Lomonosov, have succeeded in this sphere a lot.
Lomonosov: Your Majesty! To tell the truth, we managed to come
up with many instruments for navigation. So, in order to know all the
errors that come from the oversight of a ruler, the latter should be able to work
with a special recording compass. The navigator can follow the ship and celebrate
error-deviation from the intended course using our compass invented by me.
Navigators must be armed with astronomical knowledge. To help sailors I have invented a
special pipe, named “nochezritelnuyu”,with the help of which one can watch ships and
sea cliffs at night.
Elizabeth: That compass and the pipe will be very useful for sailors. However, sailors need to be trained to operate with those devices. What is your opinion about the possible ways of such training, dear Michailo Vasilievich?
Lomonosov: We need navigational schools. Navigational Academy should be established in Russia, as at those existing schools students are taught only the facts already known. Nobody cares about such schools where one could have got knowledge in mathematics, and especially in astronomy, hydrography mechanics from skilled tutors. The safety of navigation must be multiplied as well.
Elizabeth: Dear Michailo Vasilievich! Your suggestions should be thought over rather thorougly, so in some time You will come back to me to discuss the details of this undertaking. And now I would like to discuss another item with you.
Lomonosov: I`m listening to You quite attentively, Mother Empress.
Elizabeth: Overseas artists have mastered manufacturing of smalt pictures. And, as far as I know, You are a highly skilled glass producer, Mihailo Vasilievich. Therefor I intend to inrust You , dear Mihailo Vasilievich, to start the building of a mosaic workshop for manufacturing icons for Holy Orthodox churches, as well as portraits of famous figures of the Russian state.
Lomonosov: Your Majesty! Making mosaic paintings and monumental panels is a forgotten art in our Motherland. However, it is possible to revive this lost craft.
Elizabeth: Dear Michailo Vasilievich! Would it be possible to care about common people producing utilitarian obejcts for their urgent needs as well as monumental creations in your workshop?
Lomonosov: Being applied the science of producing glass was founded by us. According to the main principles of the science a special type of glass-making called “cooking” was invented. Another name of such a glass is “blind glass”. Smalt is an amazing beautiful material suitable for artistic purposes, for creating of variety of mosaic works. To satisfy a wide enough range of interests and needs of people, to make beads, patterned tops, accessories, decor and furniture hardscape, interior elements is quite possible.
Elizabeth: Dear Michailo Vasilievich! I intrust You to Organize a mosaic workshop and a factory. This undertaking will certainly be a success because of your indomitable energy and determination. It will certainly l glorify the Russian state. Mozaichists Matthew Vasilyev and Yefim T. Melnikovwill join You in this activity.
Lomonosov: It`ll serve me the honour to be approved by your Majesty in starting this undertaking, and with God's help to achieve the desired goals. Russia might be glorified in our affairs.
Список использованной литературы:
- Н.А.Бердяев «Русская идея», Санкт-Петербург, Издательский Дом «Азбука-классика», 2008
- Детская энциклопедия, т.1.Земля, издательство Академии Педагогических Наук РСФСР, 1958;
- Детская энциклопедия, т.2.Земная кора и недра Земли. Мир небесных тел., издательство Академии Педагогических Наук РСФСР, 1959;
- Детская энциклопедия, т.5. Техника., издательство Академии Педагогических Наук РСФСР, 1960;
- Детская энциклопедия, т.10. Литература и искусство, издательство Академии Педагогических Наук РСФСР, 1961;
- Журнал «Дилетант», М., ООО «Дилетант»,№ 9 (21), сентябрь 2013;
- А.Н.Любавин «О чём напомнил старый классный журнал», «Московский журнал», №3, 2014;
- Е. Максимова «Архангельск- город у Белого моря», М., Изд. дом «Фома», 2014;
- И.Л.Фейнберг «Читая тетради Пушкина», М., Советский писатель, 1981;
- Б.В.Шергин «Гандвик- студёное море», Северо-западное книжное издательство, 1971;
- http://bourabai.kz/boyarintsev/ проф. В.И. Бояринцев«Великий Ломоносов. Так начиналась русская наука. Борьба Ломоносова за русскую Академию Наук»