Gottingen Bids

Last year Heidelberg University, from whose faculty Nazis had ousted 44 members for racial or political causes, provoked a frenzy of educational discussion by inviting its fellow universities over the world to attend its 550th anniversary celebration (TIME, March 16, 1936). Most British and many U. S. universities sorrowfully refused. Last week educators had a vexing question to decide all over again when they received invitations for the 200th anniversary celebration of the University of Gottingen to be held June 30.

In Great Britain it soon appeared that only the little University of Durham would accept. Oxford, which is currently campaigning for a $5,000,000 endowment, tried to decide which course would offend fewer contributors, finally refused. Reaching the U. S., the invitation to send a delegate was promptly accepted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Haverford, Ohio State, University of Alabama, Wittenberg College, University of Idaho. It was promptly refused by Dartmouth, Carnegie Institute of Technology, the Universities of Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire and the College of the City of New York. Princeton, which like Gottingen was chartered by George II, Elector of Hanover and King of England, joined Yale in deciding to send only a message praising Gottingen's past.

One school to admit that it might be thinking of steamship fare as well as moral principles was rich Harvard, which announced that "if any senior member of the faculty happens to be in Germany about June 30 he will be designated as the Harvard delegate." The University of Pennsylvania, which had earlier accepted Gottingen's invitation, last week withdrew its acceptance when its representative changed his summer plans.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.