THE DAYS OF A MAN 



CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX 



WITH the beginning of 1900 there was inaugurated 

 an important movement for cooperation in higher 

 education. This began at the University of Chicago 

 in a conference called by the University of California at 

 the instance of Dr. Armin O. Leuschner, professor of 

 Astronomy, and made up of representatives of Ameri- 

 can institutions providing for research. Its occa- 

 sion was the receipt from the authorities of the 

 University of Berlin of a request for data to enable 

 them to reach a just valuation of American degrees, 

 the standards in this regard among our 575 colleges 

 being very unequal. 



Finding ourselves in agreement as to the delicacy 

 and difficulty of the proposed task, we abandoned 

 it and went on to discuss various other matters of 

 common interest with profit and enjoyment. I 

 accordingly ventured to move that the institutions t{ ( 



. t r American 



there represented form a permanent organization open unwer- 

 to all others making provision for graduate research. sities 

 My resolution being favorably received, I was made 

 chairman of a committee of three Dr. William 

 Rainey Harper of the University of Chicago, Dr. 

 Conaty of the Catholic University, and myself 

 to prepare a constitution for "The Association of 

 American Universities." Sitting next to Harper at 

 a banquet in our honor, I then drew up the necessary 



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