Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/305

 THE FIRST YEAR 267 tion. The University fiscal year began July i. The first instruc- tional year did not begin till October i. There was no Summer Quarter the first year. The real fiscal history of the year, there- fore, began with the opening in October. The first week had not ended when the secretary sent to Mr. Gates the following telegram : October 7, 1892 Yerkes builds Observatory with largest telescope in the world. The story of the telescope and Observatory is told in the chapter on the "Second Era of Building." The President had greatly desired to see the opening marked by another great contribution from Mr. Rockefeller that would relieve the University from impending peril. No one saw more clearly that the institution was being organized on a scale not warranted by its resources. He was walking by faith, not by sight, during the weeks preceding the opening. But this did not prevent him from taking measures looking toward deliverance. Five weeks before the opening he wrote as follows to Mr. Gates : I am anxious to have two things happen on the first day of October. First, the publication of my first annual report, and secondly, if at all possible, the announcement of another gift from Mr. Rockefeller. The ball is rolling. We must continue to keep it rolling, and if he will give us a promise of one million dollars, I will agree to find another million within six months. I can do it in ninety days, but the strain upon me would possibly be too great to justify the attempt, especially with all the other initiatory work of the Uni- versity on my hands. I feel that this is very vital. We have now, in the estimation of the whole world, come right up side by side with Harvard and Yale. The thing is done. It is not a thing to be done. It is, and I say it with all modesty, a remarkable achievement. This has been made possible simply by the two great gifts Mr. Rockefeller has already made in addition to his first. Nothing else under heaven could have accomplished it. The work which the rest of us have done is absolutely nothing, and will be abso- lutely nothing in comparison with the other side. It is not our achievement. It is his Will he not give us another million, without condition, it being understood that we shall add another million at once ? . . . . Nothing could possibly help me in this tremendous task so much as another gift on the day of opening. I write this letter for your eyes alone. Please do not send it to Mr. Rockefeller, but tell me what I should do. I must do something soon. The demands of the situation are very great. I cannot do what we ought to do, what is expected of us, situated as we are, without more money for buildings.