Harvard University was founded in 1636. It is the oldest and also considered the best university in USA. Among many possible reasons that make it the best, Harvard University only admits a fixed, small number (1650) of new freshman students each year. [Many universities in China consider the increase of freshman students each year as a measure of improvement in quality/reputation.] The following story may tell us something else why the university is good.

Harvard University has the second largest library (system) in USA (next to the Library of Congress). The establishment of Harvard University in 1636 was not related to Harvard. However, a rich guy named John Harvard died in 1638 and he donated all the books and manuscripts he collected to the university. As a result, the university had its first library. The university also had its name: Harvard University. That first university library was in a building named “Harvard Hall”.

At that time, library books were not allowed to be checked out by either professors or students. Readers had to stay in the library to read and to make notes.

Harvard Hall caught a big fire in 1764. Everything in the building was burned to ashes. Harvard University lost its first library. Harvard University lost all the books of its first library ……. Harvard University also lost all the portraits of John Harvard that were kept in the university library. It had been more than 125 years since John Harvard died. Nobody knew how John Harvard looked like when the university decided to erect a statue for John Harvard because all his portraits had been burned with the library books. Therefore, the current statue standing in Harvard University campus had nothing to do with John Harvard but is only a symbol of him.

Harvard University lost all the books of its first library except one. There was one book escaped such a tragedy. At the day of that fire, a student took a book from the library to his dormitory to read it overnight because he was going to have the final examination in the following day and really had to finish reading that book. A day after the big fire, the student brought that book to the University president and explained to the president how that book was escaped from the fire. The university president said: Thank you, thank you so much for saving the only book left for the university library. But you are also expelled from the university for you have violated the university rule.

The student was expelled from the Harvard University. An artifact of that book is still in display in one of the Harvard University libraries.

(2003.08.04)