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

paper last, and it gave Lu an opportunity for a most impressive
ending to the evening. My action startled me. Never before had I
raised my voice or asked a question during one of Lu's lectures. I
failed to note down Lu's answer to my question. Maybe because I
knew in advance what he would say. It was easy for Lu to answer
my query. That must have been one of the reasons I sent it up. I
knew that the lecture and the following half hour of questioning
put a terrible strain on him, and I wanted to give him some relief.
As Lu's answer is more important than my question, I wrote to
Dr. Gasper in February, 1975: "Do you by any chance have the
lecture given in Tucson on tape or could you give me-out of your
memory-a short outline of Dr. von Mises'· answer?" Dr. Gasper
answered: "I wish that I could satisfy your request at once from
my own memory. Regrettably my position on the platform (the
highest honor I have had) made me much the most nervous person
there and therefore did not permit me to take notes as ordinarily I
would."
With refreshing honesty Dr. Gasper verified once more the bewilderment,
adoration, and awe young people often felt when they
first met my husband. Only later would they realize how humble
and modest he really was.
But my husband surely advised the students to read what their
professor asked them to read. "But read not only that," he must
have said, "read more. Read everything about the subject from
every point of view, be it socialist-Marxist, liberal, libertarian.
Read with an open mind. Learn to think. Only when you know
your subject from all sides can you decide what is right and what is
wrong. Only then are you ready for a discussion, because you can
answer all questions, even those your opponents will throw at
you."
The next morning Lu and I visited the campus museum. When
Lu became fatigued, we returned to the hotel. After lunch the big
Rolls with the elegant chauffeur appeared again, to take us through
the campus to the auditorium, where Lu was to meet the faculty
and then speak to the general public.
The faculty meeting was rather disappointing. Only about twenty-five
members of the faculty came to meet Lu. Dr. Gasper explained:
"They are like jackals, but don't forget the atmosphere of
this campus is leftist and the excitement about Nixon and Cambodia
is increasing."
This was not very comforting, but in contrast to the faculty reception
the lecture for the general public was very crowded. Lu
spoke about the trade cycle and about gold, and when Gasper
asked some questions about the current economic situation, Lu
gave them his frank opinion in his forthright and honest way. The
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