Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/63

THE PREPARING OF THE WAY 37 the policy of a location outside the city. It will be noted that Dr. Strong began his first letter, quoted above, as follows: "You know, of course, that I regard New York City as the great strategic point." For a considerable time previous to this date the subject of the New York university had not been an open one between the two men. The request for his opinion about the University of Chicago project was very naturally taken by Dr. Strong to mean that he was at liberty once more to speak for the New York university. Mr. Rockefeller's answer opened the door still wider. He wrote to Dr. Strong, on February 19, as follows: Referring to yours of the i5th and lyth, please accept my thanks. I am willing to take up the question, when our Baptist people are ready, of an edu- cational institution in New York I am very glad to talk about it, at any time, but not willing to assume much more than my own part of the burden. To make it successful we would want the sympathy and interest and approval of the denomination. The way being thus opened, Dr. Strong, very properly, began again to urge his plan for a university in New York, which Mr. Rockefeller should found, not in connection with others, as he declared himself ready to do, but assuming the entire burden himself. During the year 1887 he sent to Mr. Rockefeller many communications unfolding his plans very fully and appealing to him with the utmost earnestness to undertake the task and to act at once. During this year they went abroad together. During the whole year 1887, therefore, Dr. Strong had the ear of Mr. Rockefeller and found him, certainly until near the close of the year, an interested listener. The appeal for Chicago had thus renewed Dr. Strong's opportunity to urge his splendid university scheme for New York and he most properly had unproved it to the utmost. But in doing this he made it quite impossible for any serious consideration to be given to Chicago. He drove the Chicago appeal out of Mr. Rockefeller's mind by so fully occupying his attention with the plans for New York that he had little tune to spare for Chicago. Mr. Goodspeed, quite unconscious of the real state of the case, again wrote to Mr. Rockefeller in May, 1887. It then appeared that, although his mind was preoccupied by the