xford Solution

aron Von Lodge was the head of a small country known as Lilliland near Switzerland. The time was the early 1900s.

Whenever the Baron was faced with a problem regarding the people of Lilliland, he would always consult his chief advisor, Professor Hamblin, formerly of Cambridge University. Sometimes the Baron would ask the Professor about some everyday problems as well just to see if the Professor was still as practical as ever.

The Professor believed that most problems could be solved with a little research by going to the library and finding as much information as possible about the problem. The deeper the research, the more evident the solution becomes. The history of the problem in question and knowing how the problem developed helps in the solution. Sometimes a possible solution is no solution at all when it was tried some time ago and failed.

The Professor had the Baron build a fine library in Lilliland Castle as well as one in the community for all to use. But there are times when the Lilliland libraries just didn’t have enough information available. The Professor called this the Oxford Solution because he would visit the Oxford University Library in order to find the information that was needed. Some of his friends, who were still professors at Cambridge University, helped in locating a book and hoped that the solution would be called the Cambridge Solution. Since Oxford and Cambridge Universities were founded in the 12th and 13th centuries, the discussion was really academic.

When citizens of Lilliland came to the Baron with a problem, it was unwise to dismiss them or give them a quick solution. The Baron believed it was wiser to show concern for the problem, be a good listener, and do the expected research, and show the citizens how and why a particular solution was developed.

It was this concern that made the people of Lilliland feel comfortable and fortunate to have a leader who really cared about them.