THE HARVARD ANNEX 227 



by which the building was enlarged to twice its original size. 

 During the summer of 1892 a still further addition was 

 made which provided an auditorium large enough for all 

 the general meetings held under the direction of the So- 

 ciety. Here the Commencement exercises took place in 

 1893 and 1894. 



With what satisfaction Mrs. Agassiz regarded these im- 

 provements and how hopefully she looked into the future 

 we may see from the following paragraphs of her address 

 at Commencement in 1892: 



I look back upon our opening life in the Annex as 

 having a certain charm notwithstanding its difficul- 

 ties, — the charm of a new and interesting under- 

 taking. The whole subject of collegiate education for 

 women has advanced with amazing strides in the last 

 ten years, and our present students may wonder that 

 I should speak of our first attempt as if it had been a 

 kind of exciting adventure. But I assure them that it 

 had something of this character, for it was surrounded 

 by obstacles and prejudices. Remonstrance and ex- 

 postulation came to me from some of my nearest 

 friends, who felt that the dignity and reserve of Har- 

 vard were threatened and the whole tone of the Col- 

 lege to be lowered. However, the nine days' wonder 

 was soon over. The Annex kept on its quiet way so 

 unobtrusively that when at the end of our first four 

 years, we felt its success to be so secured that we 

 might make some appeal to the public in its behalf, 

 we had almost to recall its existence to them; it had 

 grown into a college unawares as it were, unheralded 

 and almost unheeded outside its own precincts. That 



