I firmly believe the most important decision taken anywhere in the twentieth century was the decision taken as to where to locate the Princeton graduate college.
President of Princeton Woodrow Wilson wanted it located down on the campus. Other people wanted to located where it in fact is, up on the golf course away from the campus. When Wilson lost that, he had one of his characteristic tantrums, went into politics and ruined the twentieth century.
George Will
May 18, 2010
”2010 Milton Friedman Prize Dinner Keynote Address” featuring George F. Will
[Via Kevin. Please read the transcript at Kevin’s or listen to the podcast. This is a lot good stuff in there.
To understand this quote requires knowing more than a little about Woodrow Wilson’s “contribution” to the politics of this country. One might give Wilson a little bit of slack because of World War I. But it is probably better explained that WW I gave him the excuse to implement his agenda rather than WWI required the implementation of an oppressive government.—Joe]
Yeah, I liked that one, too!
Well, I will say this much… shoving the graduate college way out in the middle of frakking nowhere like it is does make it one hell of a hike to get back over to main campus, much less the far side of main campus… Still, kinda pretty out on the golf course.
In John Barry’s book, The Great Influenza, he goes into a lot of detail regarding the Wilson administration’s manipulation of events to insure our entry into World War I. I highly recommend the book for its history of science in general, medicine in particular, and its coverage of the US in the time leading up to the war and the epidemic.
I just finished listening to The Great Influenze. It is a very good book. And not just for the Wilson admin history.
Agreed. Anyone interested in the history of science and medicine would, in my opinion, find the book fascinating. When I started it, I expected a rather dry recitation of the facts of the epidemic, not the history of medicine, Johns Hopkins University, and the time during which the epidemic took place.