Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/73

THE INCEPTION OF THE PLAN 47 tunity of emphasizing" it. Indeed, for the six months following this first interview he was profoundly interested in encouraging Mr. Rockefeller to go forward with the project. This will appear in the letters that follow. On November 5, 1888, three weeks after this first interview, Mr. Goodspeed received a telegram from Dr. Harper asking him, at Mr. Rockefeller's request, to come to New York for an interview on the subject of a new university in Chicago. On the same day he wrote, saying: I spent ten hours yesterday with Mr. Rockefeller. He came to Pough- keepsie. The result of our interview was the telegram which I sent you last night He is very much in earnest, or surely he would not have gone to Poughkeepsie It was at his request that I telegraphed you to come on to meet us in order that we might find out exactly how things stand, and in order that it may be more firmly clinched I believe this is the most important step that has been taken in the matter of the Chicago University. It is absolutely certain that the thing is to be done: it is now only a question as to what scale. I have every time claimed that nothing less than four millions would be satisfactory to begin with and have expressed my desire for five Just what he wants to do and what his definite ideas are I cannot yet tell. I have never before known him to be so interested in anything, and this promises much Hoping that these details will be sufficient, and expecting to see you Friday night in New York, I remain, .... Dr. Harper and Mr. Goodspeed met Mr. Rockefeller Saturday morning at the breakfast table. Mr. Rockefeller's entire family was present and several of them participated in the discussion. Mr. Goodspeed gave such information as he could. Mr. Rocke- feller finally asked what he would like to have him do and urged him to say frankly just what was in his mind. Thus encouraged, Mr. Goodspeed spoke with entire frankness, suggesting an initial gift of a million and a half toward a two-million-dollar fund. Mr. Rockefeller closed the conference by saying that he would be glad to help in founding an institution in Chicago and was disposed to give several hundred thousand dollars for the purpose. On Novem- ber 19, ten days later, Dr. Harper wrote: Mr. Rockefeller came to New Haven last evening. He was with me from 7 : 30 to 10 : oo Saturday night and all day yesterday. Almost the only thing we discussed was the University of Chicago. He has made a good deal of progress since you and I visited him He is anxious now to have the thing agitated