In Litteris Libertas                                13

thanks for so polite a testimony of her approbation &
esteem—He wishes most fervently, that prosperous gales—
an unruffled sea—& everything pleasing & desirable, may
smooth the path she is about to walk in—

West-point    October ith 111 ()

Yes, the Columbia Libraries and those of her sister universities
and colleges are beacons of freedom beckoning to all who toil in
the quest for truth and knowledge. Every branch of learning is
solidly represented, and all, including those who seek some spe¬
cial proficiency, as in medicine or the law or journalism or music,
are enriched by the culture of the Liberal Arts, so indispensable
to the development of creative thought, and what we call, for
lack of a better word, imagination. All who enter here may seek
solace and refreshmenr in the delights of literature and the mani¬
fold allurements of the humanities. Here the sciences and the
humanities walk together pari passu. Here no tyrant tells us what
to learn or what to teach. And we pay a proper tribute to our
forbears and to those who fought for freedom and made all these
things possible. These are the thoughts I would have you asso¬
ciate with the celebration, on this 28th day of January in the year
of our Lord 1958, of the Bicentennial Anniversary of the Found¬
ing of the Columbia Libraries. As John Jay would have said: for
all these blessings we thank Almighty God, the creator and pre¬
server of all mankind.