Part 1 - The Institute Libraries - Institute for Advanced Study

productive phil~nthropy. On his desk were pages of mnuscript and
galley proof of s book he was writing. "Have you ever dremd a dream?"
he asked, starting to fill the vtcuum, His o m interests and work had
always been in the f ield of educzticn, and latterly had been concen-
trated in higher educsition. He was engaged in writing a book to be
entitled Universities: herfan, Ewlish, German, which represented
En expsnsion of three lectures he had delivered at Oxford bniversitg in
1928 fcx the Rhades Trust Memorial ceremony. Of this the first chapter:
The Idea of 2 Modern University, lay ready at hand. suggested thht
no 3etter use of the money could be made in the public interest than
through the endowment of such an institution as It described. His
visrtors, deeply i~ressed with his vision and his fervor, departed with
a copy in hand, psorcising to read ilt and to refer it to their principals. 3
Mr. BaFberger and Pas. Fuld were interested. Promptly they
invited tneir advisers anZ Dr. Flexner to dine with than in thefr auite
zt the Madison Hotel, their customazy residence during the concert
season. The evening was devoted to a discussion of their plan, and of
the idea of 2 modern university. They recognized in Flexnes an authority
in nedical education which caused them quickly to relinquish their mn
ids, for f t ae& that most of the time thereafter was devoted to con-
-
sideration of various applications of Flexner*~ Edez. He bad much in
his favor; he was an able advocate, well informed and ccnvinc5ng. To
th= he mist have been even more than that, with the prestige darfved
frm. his connection with the General Education Board, and his vell-
publicized marragement of the Rockefeller money for uedical education.
Indeed, there s e e d to be little difficulty in persuading