THE UNIVERSE OF INFORMATION.pdf - ideals

UIA should receive from the Conference of Rome, the patronage of
the League of Nations ... The new Rector of the University of Paris,
the Committee of English Universities, several American universities,
not to cite our Belgian universities and our International Associations,
are favourable to the project. But it is important that Destree,
at the same time Minister for Sciences and Arts of Belgium, intellectual
socialist, who supports the Quinzaine Internationale, should become
the great protector of the new International University which will
function at Brussels, should obtain recognition for the University. —
And then we should have fixed in Belgium something which will be
the foundation of something more — see, see one day, the Headquarters
of the League of Nations. 9
In June Nitobe visited Brussels to see for himself how
preparations for the much advertised University were progressing.
Drummond wrote very encouragingly to Otlet and
La Fontaine as a result of this visit. 10 On the 31st July,
Drummond reported that the Council
unanimously agreed in recognising your project of an International
University as an enterprise worthy of all encouragement. I have accordingly
been instructed to communicate to you the result of their
deliberations. The Council while reserving the question of formal
patronage at this early stage of the formation of the said University
when many elements of its successful operation are still indefinite,
none the less wish to convey to you the expression of their deep sympathy
with the new work you have undertaken as well as their most
sincere good wishes for its success. They also wish to give you the
assurance that the Secretariat of the iLeague of Nations is authorised
to facilitate to the fullest extent in its powers the achievement of the
work of international interest which the University is undertaking."
Drummond also informed Otlet and La Fontaine that the
Council had formally agreed to his request that the League
subsidise the publication of the Code des Voeux. 12 The conventions
for this were signed and delivered in August. La Fontaine
assumed the responsibility for preparing the work.
A difficulty had arisen by this time. The printer had told him,
he wrote to Nitobe, that it was
indispensable to buy the paper necessary for the publication of the
Code des Voeux beforehand. The scarcity of paper, the difficulty of
obtaining paper of the same quality after a few weeks and the constantly
increasing price obliges us to take precautionary measures
so that the printing of the Code des Voeux can go ahead without
interruption. In these circumstances, it will be necessary for us to
draw from a credit opened for us a sum large enough to buy the
paper, and it is probable that this sum would amount to 20,000 francs.
I think the terms of the agreement... will not be against this sum being
put at our disposal with the briefest delay possible. 13
He pointed out also that work on the Code des Voeux would
be delayed briefly because of the approaching Quinzaine Internationale
which was absorbing all of his and Otlet's time.
They hoped, however, that printing could begin in mid-September.
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