My Years with Ludwig von Mises.pdf - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

He himself was completely absorbed. Sometimes he folded his
hands closeto his face, his elbows resting on the desk. Sometimes
he leaned back in the chair, his hands pressed against the table, his
head thrown back, his eyes introspective, seeing nothing. He may
have looked at people, but he did not see them. Once in a while he
shot a furtive glance to my place. I felt he saw me and then back he
was in his thoughts, fully concentrated on the lecture.
During the discussion he was vigorous in-his arguments, -but he
was always polite and civil. He never offended people, but he
found no excuses for socialists. He explained every subject to the
point of disarming his opponent, but never, never did he persuade
anyone against his will. Occasionally the discussion got too lively
and excited. Then Lu, with a single remark, brought the students
back to the subject and released the tension. He always knew how
to guide them. His restraint and civility were unparalleled. The
students may have differed in their views about a subject, but they
were united in their feelings of admiration and respect for Lu.
In the last five or six years of the seminar, it was a great relief for
him when I brought the car to NYU to take him home. When I was
not there and he was brought home by others, he was forced to talk
or to further discuss some problems, and he was too polite to tell
his friends how tired he was. With me there was no need to talk; he
could relax. But regularly he asked me: "Did you like the lecture?
Were you satisfied?" To ask me that question-it touched my
heart.
I was never as attentive in his seminar as I should have been. I
took too much interest in the students who attended. I watched
them; I studied their faces. I saw many come and go whose names
I did not even know. But others I saw grow and develop, acquiring
stature and insight.
Lu met every new student encouraged, hopeful that one of them
might develop into a second Hayek. If he saw a tiny spark, he
hoped for a flame. Never did he show any sign of impatience, and
he encouraged everyone to speak out and give his opinion.
Again and again he advised his students to read and to learn
foreign languages. "It is a great pity," he often said, "that American
scholars do not know foreign languages and are unable to read
foreign literature. Every economist should study Marx and Engels
in the original language. Only if they know their subject from
every angle will they be able to discuss it successfully." He
pointed to the example of Keynes, who knew hardly any German
or French and was therefore unaware of solutions for economic
policy which had already been advanced by French and German
authors.
One evening at the seminar Lu cited authorities in French and in
German. A student objected: "Why are you giving these citations,
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