JANE LATHBOP STANFORD 169 



fairs are looking so much better, do you not think that I might afford 

 to bring back my housekeeper ?" Her servants then were her secretary, 

 her Chinese cook, and an old man, a servant of other days, who served 

 as butler, without salary. 



It was in these days, too, that Mrs. Stanford, going to Washington 

 to settle up the household affairs of the mansion occupied, while Mr. 

 Stanford was senator, took four hundred dollars with her, lived in the 

 private car owned by the Governor, attended to the packing of her 

 goods, and the rental of her house to a senator from New York, and 

 brought back $340 of the amount, which she turned over to me, to be 

 used for the university. I have given this and other details private 

 and personal, but full of meaning as showing her devotion to the uni- 

 versity, and her utter unselfishness in carrying out the plans made by 

 herself and her husband for the welfare of the men and women of the 

 coming generations of California and of the world. While matters in- 

 side the faculty and the details of instruction were left to those sup- 

 posed to be experts in these lines, for this was her husband's wish, she 

 had always before her his purposes. " What would Mr. Stanford do 

 under these conditions?" was always her first question; and in almost 

 every instance this question led to a wise decision. 



To outside suggestions as to this or that, she used to reply : " T will 

 never concern myself with the religion, the politics or the love affairs 

 of any professor in Stanford University." And this resolution she 

 religiously kept. 



With the passing of the government suit, conditions looked brighter. 

 The payment of the eight millions went on very slowly, because the 

 railway holdings could not be broken and must be sold as a whole if at 

 all. The taxes on properties yielding no income became an intolerable 

 burden. Besides, it was apparent that the original enabling act under 

 which the Board of Trustees was organized contained grave defects, 

 which might invalidate the actions of this Board. For this reason, 

 mainly, the Board of Trustees existed in name only, Mrs. Stanford 

 being in fact the sole trustee. 



In 1899 the railroad holdings were sold, to good advantage, thanks 

 to the good offices of a well-known German banker whose name I am 

 glad to speak, James Speyer, and the estate at once passed out of debt. 

 Finally, piece by piece, it passed into Mrs. Stanford's hands, and each 

 piece was at once deeded to the Board of Trustees. The Board of 

 Trustees was legalized by a change in the State Constitution. The 

 university was by the same means relieved of part of the burden of its 

 taxes. At the earliest possible moment, Mrs. Stanford again and in 

 full transferred the whole estate to the board, reserving for herself a 

 relatively small sum " to play with " as she said, but in fact to give her 

 occupation and means to carry out in her own way other plans of 

 strengthening the university and of helping mankind. The Board of 



