The historic library of the University of Louvain was set fire to during the World War on August 25, 1914. The intrinsic value of the building itself was a matter of some monetary consideration, but the value of the manuscripts and records destroyed is beyond estimation, for these documents can not be replaced. Some reparation is being made by the terms of the Versailles Treaty which allows Belgium to choose ten thousand volumes a month from the libraries of the various German universities, but nothing can bring back the records, begun in 1425, which told in detail the glorious history of the University of Louvain.

Immediately after the library was destroyed, Mr. Whitney Warren joined with several other leaders of the world's culture in Europe in asserting that the building should eventually be restored to the Belgian people and should serve as a memorial to the Belgian and American war dead.

Directly after the cessation of hostilities a movement was started to find a means for rebuilding the library and replacing its contents by others of equal value. The movement soon became entirely American, and a committee was formed to look into its possibilities. This committee, composed of Mr. J. P. Morgan '89, Mr. T. W. Lamont '92, and others, gave one hundred and sixty thousand dollars as a personal contribution to the cause and the cornerstone of the proposed library was laid on July 28, 1921.

This initial gift of the committee has been used in securing and clearing the site for the library. The library itself, it is estimated, will cost in the neighborhood of one million dollars, four hundred thousand of which must be raised before the operation of building can progress and this must come from the college students of America. The entire purpose of asking the college man to support the project is one of building sentiment in to the stone and mortar--sentiment which will last longer than the marble itself. It is to be a gift from the students of America to the scholars of Europe.