THE PASSING OF THE ANNEX 237 



sonal history. One evening my wife told me that she 

 had seen Mrs. Agassiz that day, that Mrs. Agassiz 

 looked troubled, and was much distressed and per- 

 plexed about Radcliffe College and its degrees. At 

 that time, to my shame be it said, I knew little and 

 cared less about Radcliffe College, but I was sorry that 

 Mrs. Agassiz should be harassed, and I began wonder- 

 ing whether anything could be done to relieve the diffi- 

 culty. Shortly before, I had happened to be counsel for 

 a famous school of learning in a case in which the func- 

 tions of visitors had been much considered. And the 

 idea came into my head: "Why should not Harvard 

 University be the Visitor of Radcliffe College? " 



What is a visitor? 'Under the English law all col- 

 legiate institutions have visitors. If there is no other 

 visitor provided for by the statutes of the college, 

 then the Crown is the visitor. . . . The Board of Over- 

 seers are the visitors of [Harvard] University, and I 

 need not say how important and controlling are the 

 functions of that Board. No one can be chosen a mem- 

 ber of the Corporation or a professor in the Univer- 

 sity without the Overseers' consent. 

 i It was determined that the Corporation of Harvard 

 University should be asked to become the Visitor 

 of Radcliffe College. 



The last sentence anticipates our narrative somewhat. 

 The chapter in the story that follows Professor Gray's 

 happy thought of " visitors " to the Annex is told in a letter 

 to him from Mrs. Agassiz, in reply to one in which he had 

 outlined his scheme to her, but which unfortunately has 

 not been preserved. 



