In spite of the tendency of national culture societies and individuals
to be protective about products identified as of their own creation,
the cosmopolitan community of scholars has developed along many Lines,
even in the pre-email and Internet times. This study traces one such
line, initiated by one scholar interested in knowledge of another soci
ety who personally went to it, met another scholar and entered into a
joint venture. Their product became a classic and the contacts extende
d over the years and involved increasing numbers of students and schol
ars who crossed national, even continental boundaries. I have limited
myself here to the contacts of scholars between two universities in Am
erica and one university in Poland. The initial lines of connection ha
ve been followed by other scholars into other centers, resulting in nu
merous contributions to scholarly knowledge.