Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/154

126 A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO I wish I could see you, for I can say some things which might not be expedient to write; nevertheless I shall doubtless write what may be necessary to say. It might be supposed that Dr. Harper, reading this letter care- fully, would understand that Dr. Morehouse was, at the time of writing it, engaged in preparing a full letter, which he had been commissioned to write at the first luncheon and was to submit for consideration, correction, and additions at the second, and that he advised Dr. Harper not to make it necessary for the letter to be sent, but to accept the presidency at once or at least to come to New York for an interview with him. As neither of these things was done, however, after Mr. Rockefeller and Dr. Morehouse had lunched together on the following Monday, and the letter, already prepared, had been submitted and approved it was sent as here follows : NEW YORK February 2, 1891 DEAR DR. HARPER: Mr. Rockefeller has shown me your letter of January 8 touching your acceptance of the presidency of the University of Chicago. While I am in no sense authorized to represent Mr. Rockefeller, at the same time you may implicitly rely upon the following statements as embodying substantially his conclusions as well as my own in this matter. 1. In view of the antecedent understanding between Mr. Rockefeller and yourself, your reading of his letter [promising a million dollars] to the Board of Trustees of the University was, in effect, your ratifying act in the acceptance of the presidency. As that bound him, so it bound you. It would not now be considered fair and honorable for you to recede, even on the score of appre- hended difficulties or embarrassments, while he should be held to the perform- ance of his costly pledge. This is the plain business view of the case, the view which the keen business men of Chicago and elsewhere will surely take, should all the facts become known. I have no doubt you view this in the same light. 2. After matters have gone so far, and after so long a time, the intro- duction of new conditions as prerequisite to your formal acceptance of the presidency is not regarded with favor, and, if pressed, would unquestionably result in serious impairment of the present cordial relations between Mr. Rockefeller on the one hand and yourself and the University on the other. 3. Mr. Rockefeller has neither the time nor the inclination to decide mooted theological questions and to assume the responsibility of saying what you should teach especially when that responsibility rests elsewhere. And