Engineering society of Katerinoslavshchyna: celebration of memory of T. G. Shevchenko (1914)

In 1914 there was 100 anniversary of T. Shevchenko birth. In the Russian empire they started preparation to the momentous date in advance. In 1904 at Kyiv authorities created the committee on building the monument of T. Shevchenko in Kyiv, and in 1906, from the greatest permission, they began collecting donations. In different corners of the state municipal justices, zemstvo boards and rural communities prepared to the celebration of centenary Shevchenko anniversary. Revolutionary events in 1905 resulted in liberalization of domestic policy in the state. The tsar's "Manifest on October 17" declared liberties which mostly the right-wing forces: in the regions with different nationalities there were created monarchist, nationalistic groupments that provoked against the expected Shevchenko anniversary. Anatolii Ivanovich Savenko was one of the basic ideologists of Russian nationalism and Ruthenian identity in Ukraine, he became the most active head of anti-Ukrainian movement. He was a public and political figure, publicist of the beginning the ХХth century. Therefore in January 1914 the Secretary of the Interior Mykola Maklakov signed a circular that forbade "Public celebrations in honour of ukrainian writer Taras Shevchenko" in all empire provinces. Despite ministerial circulars, on February 25 and further days there were held everywhere the mass meeting and manifestations, hundreds of resolutions, dead-offices and others. Katerynoslav became probably the only city in Ukraine where mass triumphs passed on occasion of the poet anniversary. A festive evening dedicated to Shevchenko birthday passed on February 25, 1914 in Katerynoslav English Club. The representatives of different communities, committees, societies, groups, educational establishments took part in this ocasion. Katerinoslav representatives of technical intelligentsia did not remain aside as well: Katerynoslav Depatrment of Emperor's Russian Technical Society, Companionable group of Katerynoslav engineers, Surveyors Society of Russia south, Engineers Society (Ekaterinoslav Mining Graduate School) and other. Investigating the history of creation and activity of the indicated scientific technical associations, there were found interesting facts in relation to the celebration of 100 anniversary of T. Shevchenko in Katerinoslav.