Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/482

 424 A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO Committees were immediately appointed by the Trustees, the Senate, and the alumni on a Memorial to President Harper. Their united recommendation that "the General Library building be made " such a memorial was adopted and received general approval. Advantage was not immediately taken of the proffer of Mr. Rocke- feller. These committees invited subscriptions, the committee of the Trustees from the general public, that of the professors from the members of the faculties, and that of the alumni from the graduates and students. It was not until 1907 that the assistance of the Founder was sought. His response, written by his son, contained the following proposal: My father will be responsible for providing three dollars for every one dollar contributed by others up to a total to be provided by him of six hundred thousand dollars, upon the condition that this pledge shall apply only to such subscriptions as have already been secured or shall be secured for the purpose, on or before April i, 1908, and paid on or before January i, 1909. These conditions could have been complied with easily had it not been for the extraordinary financial panic which suddenly pros- trated the business of the country. The subscription was, how- ever, completed in January, 1909. The Founder added fifty-five thousand dollars to his contribution, and the contracts were let in January, 1910. Ground was broken on January 10, 1910. Quite unintentionally it thus happened that actual work on the Memorial Library began on the fourth anniversary of the death of President Harper. The cornerstone was laid June 14, 1910. Addresses were made by Clement W. Andrews, Librarian of the John Crerar Library, and by Professor Ernest D. Burton. The cornerstone was laid by Mrs. William Rainey Harper. The build- ing was completed in June, 1912, two years and five months after the breaking of the ground. The formal dedication occurred in connection with the June, 1912, Convocation. In his Annual Report President Judson said of the fund raised : This total sum of approximately one million and forty thousand dollars was provided by a gift of six hundred and fifty-five thousand dollars, from the Founder and three hundred and eighty-five thousand dollars from other sources. The will of the late Mrs. Elizabeth A. Hill provided thirty-eight thousand, six hundred and sixteen dollars and ninety-two cents as a part of the endowment fund. Two hundred and ten thousand, nine hundred and ninety-