244 ELIZABETH GARY AGASSIZ 



on December 6. The entries in Mrs. Agassiz 's diary record 

 some of the details of these days so eventful to her: 



1893, December 6. To Annex tea. Heard the good 

 news from the Harvard Overseers great enthusiasm 

 among the students. Evening, M. and C., Quin and 

 Pauline. It was very pleasant and all full of sympathy 

 about the Annex. Closed the evening with a note from 

 Miss [Anna] Lowell, enclosing check of $1000 for the 

 Annex, and we have also received the $90,000 from 

 Mrs. Perkins's [estate]. It has been a bright day for 

 that young institution. 



December 7. Concert, evening. Many congratula- 

 tions on all sides about the Annex. Mr. and Mrs. 

 Palmer walked home with me. They are very glad. 



December 8. To Annex for Idler Club. All excited 

 about the new name and attitude of the Annex. The 

 students already begin to call themselves "of Rad- 

 cliffe College." 



When the action of the Board of Overseers became known 

 to the public, loud objection was raised to it by some of the 

 zealous advocates of "higher education." The principal 

 ground of criticism lay in the informal nature of the con- 

 tract, which was regarded as too elastic in conditions and 

 in duration to guarantee the standard that should be de- 

 manded of an institution chartered to confer degrees in 

 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. So strong were the 

 objections felt by certain remonstrants that two petitions 

 on the subject were addressed in January, 1894, to the 

 Board of Overseers of Harvard University. One of these, 

 from various residents of New York, petitioned that Har- 



