Part 1 - The Institute Libraries - Institute for Advanced Study

vtion ef the scholar who disappears into his study and periodically
produces a learned w~rk has s highly specialized appeal. But in Flwner's
case, there was another reason why the race became an uneven one; the
Director temerariously brought to the Board of Trustees the Instftute's
most resourceful and insistent advocate for site snd buildings, by ar-
ranging for Professor Veblen to be elected e Trustee. Of course he did
this without reclizing that, like Frankfurter, Veblen might become hfs
adversary. Indeed, the Director appeared not to think in such terms;
when he saw an able advocate for the things he valued, he could hardly
wait to brfng him face to face with the Trustees and the Founders, so
that the man might exercise hfs powerful persussions for the good of the
Institute.
Professox Veblen had hsrdly arrived hone from Europe after win-
ning his appointment to the Institute than he engzged Dean Eisenhart in a
discussion of a site for the Institute, He wrote Flexner of this inter-
view: .
This morning Eisenhart suggested on his own ration that some
kind of land trading arranggment would probably be desfrable.
He intends to talk about this in general tens with Duffield
and some of the Trustees. He thought the Olden tract would
be excellent either far use or for trading purposes. Tk
plot he had particularly in mind for the Institute is part of
the golf course just below Princeton h, I said 1 thought
the part above it would be better. 12
Nb one could have loved earth more than Veblen; though he d isap 1
proved frankly of much in Princeton's administration, he admired its lsnd- I
acquisition policy which had caused it to gather to itself some 2,500
acres in Borough and Tovnship. Not only that; he had been mainly respon-
sible for designing Fine Wall, which vss once pronounced "the most luxuri-
ous building" devoted to mathemtics in the world, 13