XVI CARNEGIE INSTITUTION 



This is intended to cooperate with all existing institutions be- 

 cause one of the objections — the most serious one, which I could 

 not overcome when I was desirous to establish a university here 

 to carry out Washington's idea — was this : That it might tend to 

 weaken existing institutions, while my desire was to cooperate with 

 all kindred institutions, and to establish what would be a source of 

 strength to all of them and not of weakness, and therefore I aban- 

 doned the idea of a Washington University or anything of a memo- 

 rial character. 



Gentlemen, a university worthy of Washington, or a memorial 

 worthy of Washington, is not one costing a million dollars, or ten 

 million dollars, or twenty million dollars, but of more. When I 

 contemplated a university in Washington in fulfilment of Wash- 

 ington's great wish I set a larger amount than the largest of these. 

 I take it for granted that no one or no association would think of 

 using the revered name of Washington except for a university of 

 first class rank, something greater and better, if I may be allowed 

 to say so, than we have in our land today — and 3'ou all know the 

 sums which are now used for our universities. 



Gentlemen, your work now begins, your aims are high, you seek 

 to expand known forces, to discover and utilize unknown forces for 

 the benefit of man. Than this there can scarcely be a greater 

 work. I wish you abundant success, and I venture to prophesy 

 that through your efforts, in cooperation with kindred organiza- 

 tions, our country's contributions through research and the higher 

 science in the domain of which we are now so woefully deficient, 

 will compare in the near future not unfavorably with those of any 

 other land. 



Again, gentlemen, from my heart, I thank you, and I will now, 

 with your permission read the deed of trust which has been pre- 

 pared. I may say that the intended officers of this Institution have 

 a letter from my cashier, stating that the notice of the transfer of 

 the bonds will be sent you early in February. They cannot be 

 transferred until the first of the month. They begin to bear in- 

 terest on the first day of February. Here is the deed of trust. * 



There is nothing so important, I think, as the last clause. This 

 clause follows the deed given to the Scotch universities, in the main. 

 When I proposed it to the committee the chairman said he did not 

 know about assuming so much responsibility as a trustee, and sev- 



* Printed on pages xi-xiv. 



