THE UNIVERSE OF INFORMATION.pdf - ideals

sort out some of the financial confusion continuing to exist
in the family's Spanish affairs. Early in 1921 he became aware
that another brother, Adrien, seemed to have finished with
him. Moreover, «Rita has written horrible things to me. Gaston
has disappeared from the horizon. Edo did not even inform
me of his marriage». And now Raoul asked for further help,
asked him «to mount a horse which I have left in the stable
for so long», and even to go to Spain again. 66 Apparently,
Adrien was suspected by his siblings of discreditable financial
manoeuvrings at their expense. Eventually, in November, Otlet
wrote a letter to Adrien and sent a copy to Raoul with the
note «it is all I can do». He informed Adrien of the letters
he had received from various members of the family who
had invited him to intervene in the dispute and observed,
«I feel a thousand bonds in these eternal and complicated
affairs». He felt they should not be allowed to trouble the
tranquility he had so dearly achieved. Nevertheless, duty was
strong, and he hoped to solve the problems they faced by
driving all concerned together in Spain. 67
FOOTNOTES
1. UIA, Programme generate de la Quinzaine Internationale... (Bruxelles:
UIA, 1920), pp. 22—23.
2. Ibid., p. 23.
3. UIA, Congres Mondial des Associations Internationales: Compte-rendu
sommaire de la deuxieme session ... (Publication No. 66; Bruxelles, UIA,
1913), p. 27.
4. Paul Otlet, Les Problemes internationaux et la guerre (Geneve: Librarie
Kundig; Paris, Rousseau et Cie, 1916), pp. 296—297.
5. Paul Otlet, Sur la creation d'une Universite Internationale: rapport presente
a l'Union des Associations Internationales (Publication iNo. 90;
Bruxelles: UIA, 1920), p. 11. The quotations in this and the following
two paragraphs are from this document and no further reference will be
made to it.
6. Otlet to Drummond, 13 January 1920, Dossier No. 39, «Societe des Nations*,
Mundaneum. All letters to officials of the League are in this
dossier and no further reference will be made to it beyond the identification
of particular letters.
7. Congres Mondial des Associations Internationales: compte-rendu...,
p. 15.
8. Otlet to Jules Destree, 8 May 1920.
9. Otlet to Destree, 8 May 1920. The Red Cross enjoyed a special status
at the League. Though it was not an official union or organisation and
not provided for under Article 24 as a result, Article 25 of the Covenant
specifically pledged the members of the League to its support.
10. Drummond to Otlet, 21 June 1920.
11. Drummond to Otlet and La Fontaine, 14 August 1920.
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