Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/236

 206 A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO little progress made in gathering a faculty, President Harper became very uneasy. On December 26, 1891, he wrote to Mr. Gates: We have not a head professor after nine months of constant work. Not one of the men that we want can be moved from a good position at the salary of six thousand dollars. I am in despair The only thing that I can see is nine hundred and ninety-nine unfinished deals. Everything is unfinished. Nothing seems capable of being finished and this uncertainty is crushing. On November 16, 1891, forty days before this letter was written, the Trustees had fixed the salary of head professors at six thousand dollars per year, and at the same meeting had taken the following action: that Professor William Gardner Hale, now of Cornell University, be elected Head Professor of Latin, and that President Harper be requested to visit him and endeavor to secure his acceptance. Twelve days later the President reported that he had visited Mr. Hale, and informed him of his election, with some hopeful indications that he would accept. Some hopeful indications! But not many. The visit to Cornell, however, was extraordinarily fruitful in that it revealed to Presi- dent Harper another head professor in J. Laurence Laughlin, with hopeful indications from him. A visit had also been made to Boston at the same time, and an interview held with President Albion W. Small of Colby University, but whether with "hope- ful indications" or not does not appear. What does appear is that President Harper had become convinced that the men the University wanted ought not to be asked to leave the positions they were occupying, for what they could not but regard as the uncer- tainties of Chicago, on the basis of a salary of six thousand dollars a year. Accordingly at the next meeting of the Trustees held December 29, 1891, the following action was taken. The Com- mittee on Organization and Faculties recommended: Professor J. Laurence Laughlin of Cornell as Head Professor of Political Economy. Dr. Harper made a full statement in regard to Professor Laughlin and Professor Hale, and the difficulties in the way of securing Head Professors. After a full discussion, in which every member of the Board present took part the following action was taken unanimously: