Evening star., 1939-10-15

agency even Dlgger, maze IL not only one OF
the big agencies, but the biggest. But we were
over the real bulge And | decided that |
wanted to do something with more of a
challenge in it than just making more money.
That is, if | could find such a new job. |
hadn't yet made big money as many people
think of money, but as have always thought
of it had made good deal And never was
interested in yachts or any of the other So
called luxuries that might have been able to
afford if | had piled up even more"
So Bill Benton resigned. He didn't know
Just what he was going to do, but he felt sure
that somewhere there was job waiting for
him, a job with the new challenge that he
craved. Perhaps government job. But any
way, it would be lob the chief reward of
which would be in the sense of worthwhile
accomplishment rather than in money
One day less than three weeks after he
had turned in his resignation. Benton got a
telegram from his old Yale classmate, DR..
Robert Hutchins. the youthful president OF
the University of Chicago. He had just heard
of Benton resignation and was asking him to
come to Chicago to join the administrative
staff of the university. Benton read the tele
gram put it aside. He didn't think that was
the Job he wanted 1t involved, among other
duties. charting the public relations of the
university.
Hutchins followed up his telegram to Benton
with a long distance telephone call. Within
two or three days he was in Benton's office.
When he left, he had partly persuaded
Benton that there was a real challenge in the
fact that millions of people need the precious
mental merchandise that university has to
give - and most Of them aren't getting it.
Recently you may have heard new radio
program dramatizing the contributions OF
education to our lives - program directed
by William B. Benton, viCe-president of the
University of Chicago. Yes. that's our Bill
Benton. He took the job on trial, and found
the challenge that he wanted. The radio is
one of the means that he is using to meet it.
Il know the power of RADIO he says. so
does Mr. Roosevelt So do Hitler and Stain.
Yet no one, perhaps, has yet begun to suspect
its possibilities in education. No one? Bill
Benton has.
He plans, too, to use that other modern
medium. the moving pictures - the greatest
weapon for the attack on ignorance the world
has ever seen, as former United States
Commissioner of Education said
Some of Bentons friends think that it is
because he comes from a long line of educators
that he gave up his chance to amass millions
and turned to educational work An over
whelming urge for public service, say these
friends must have been bred into him.
public service?" says Bill Benton, if you
ask him. Isn't that mostly high-sounding
phrase? just wanted to do job, job that
would have real challenge in it"
All right Bill Benton But what makes
your job a challenge to you? What but the
opportunity to Eberate the minds of your
countrymen? So are scientists challenged to
liberate their bodies, statesmen to liberate
their souls A hundred and sixty-four years
ago, man named George Washington, a
successful man, accepted such challenge,
and forsook his plantation to lead an army and
found republic. That republic Bill Benton,
has been land of many great success storles
like yours. 1t is good that they are still being
written 1t is better that the sequeS. like
yours. are still being written, too. For IN the
sequels, even more than in the success stories,
lies Americas greatness.