CHAPTEK VII 



The Kharkoff Lycde — Bogomoloff and Socialism — Atheism — Natural 

 History studies — Private lodgings — Private lessons in histology 

 from Professor Tschelkoff — A borrowed microscope — First article 

 — Italian Opera — ^The gold medal. 



In 1856 Dmitri Ivanovitch took the boys to Kharkoff 

 in order to make them enter the Lycee. They passed 

 their entrance examination quite satisfactorily ; Kolia 

 was admitted into the j&fth class and Ilia into the one 

 below it. They were day boarders and lived in the 

 house of one of their former tutors. 



This was at a time when the new and liberal reign 

 of Alexander II. was giving birth to many hopes ; 

 the Lycees preserved but insignificant traces of the 

 hard regime of Nicholas I. Previous narrow and 

 doctrinal teaching was giving way to a current of 

 reaUstic and rational ideas, physical and natural 

 science had become the vogue, and professors were 

 trying to come into touch with their pupils and to 

 influence their intellectual development. The boys 

 on their side were founding mutual instruction clubs, 

 attending popular Sunday lectures, interesting them- 

 selves in social questions — in fact the revolutionary 

 movement was beginning to strike root. Life in 

 general was intense, aspirations exalted, and hopes 

 radiant. 



During his first school year Elie worked assidu- 

 ously in all branches of the curriculum, and his 



28 



