Talk:Liberal Arts, Inc.

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"Watch this space!"

A query to the Berkshire Athenaeum obtained the response "We have a good amount of information on this project, and I would be happy to send you the photocopies." Will add more to the article when I get it. Dpbsmith (talk) 17:28, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] "political activities of an associate"

Paul Mellon of Pittsburg, who was to have been the "angel" in the proposed new literal-arts college... was there a few days before announcement was made that he had withdrawn his offer. It was said at the time that the political activities of an associate of Mr. Barr, annoyed Mr. Mellon and that was the reason the offer was withdrawn.

I'm guessing that the associate was Scott Buchanan, and I'm guessing that the activities might have been public support of Henry A. Wallace. I'm not a historian and I'm pretty vague on all this. I don't think Buchanan's politics were all that far to the left of Stringfellow Barr's, however. I think that Barr, Buchanan, and Mark Van Doren were all "one-worlders." I'm not going to put anything in the article until I get this straightened out for sure. Anyone else know anything about this? Dpbsmith (talk) 15:03, 29 September 2005 (UTC)

Be cautious; I think August 1947 may be too early for support of Wallace, as such, to be an issue. It could of course have been any of a number of issues later connected with Wallace. But I have no knowledge to add. Septentrionalis 03:21, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

That's why this idle speculation is in the Talk page. My local public library thinks they can get me an interlibrary loan copy of "Radical Visions : Stringfellow Barr, Scott Buchanan, and Their Efforts on behalf of Education and Politics in the Twentieth Century" (is that a long title or what?), a 2001 book by one Charles A. Nelson, which might have something to say about this. I don't want to buy the darned thing--it costs $93.75!!!!!--just to read five pages in it. If you have access to a bigger library, or one that might have this volume (are you a student at St. John's? hint, hint, they might have it kicking around somewhere) please feel free to take a look yourself...

I said I applied to St. John's. IIRC I was accepted; but I went elsewhere. I'll see if I can lay hands on a copy.

Am I right in thinking that the current bunch of supporters of the "Western Canon" are politically conservative, but that Barr, Buchanan, and Mark Van Doren were politically liberal? Dpbsmith (talk) 12:46, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

I don't know enough about them to say; Mortimer Adler was just strange. Septentrionalis 20:23, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

I see you have gotten Radical Visions. Please add their account of this fiasco. Septentrionalis 02:57, 19 October 2005 (UTC)

Starting to nibble on it. He says nothing at all about politics. He thinks that it is more like: Mellon's intention was contribute $4.5 million and no more, which was enough to endow an ongoing program at an existing college; Barr and Buchanan overreached in trying to found a new college; Mellon did not oppose the plan; and there was a misunderstanding in which Barr and Buchanan interpreted this as a commitment to contribute more, while Mellon thought Barr and Buchanan were planning to raise the necessary funds for new buildings. Dpbsmith (talk) 23:04, 20 October 2005 (UTC)

And, as I recall it, that Mellon expected, at most, to fund a college; Barr wanted to bring the liberal arts to everybody, with an adult education program; and assumed Mellon would go along. Septentrionalis 23:51, 20 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] A thank-you to the Berkshire Athenaeum...

...whose Local History department was of great help in locating information for me. Dpbsmith (talk) 22:36, 1 October 2005 (UTC)