COMPETITIVE EXAMFNATION. 183 



effect as we intended. Before it could take form other 

 influential opponents of slavery heard of it, and drew up 

 an exhortatory address from the women of England to 

 their sisters in America. This address was in the main 

 moderate and good ; the feeling it expressed was unexcep- 

 tionable, but it was couched in slightly religious terms, 

 which gave it the appearance, as we thought, of an 

 assumption of spiritual superiority over those addressed; 

 and we, who had hoped for the concurrence of thoughtful 

 and influential men, felt that our effort lost strength by 

 being made exclusively a woman's movement. Accord- 

 ingly the original promoters of the plan withdrew. I do 

 not think the Address of the Women of England, which 

 was well introduced and signed, did either good or harm 

 in America. Our abolitionist friends lamented our failure, 

 but beyond causing some slight irritation among the 

 American ladies, who did not like its tone, and did not 

 see in it the good feeling of the writers, it had no effect 

 at all. 



In the Introductory Lecture on the opening of the 1853. 

 session of 1848 my husband had distinctly stated some S 

 of his strong objections to competitive examinations, and examina- 

 their preparatory cram, with other parts of the educa- 

 tional system as it was (I wish I could add, and is no 

 longer) carried on. 



He had strongly expressed his disapproval of the 

 course proposed by the University of London on its first 

 establishment, and refused to take part in the examina- 

 tions. 



At that time the enormous variety of subjects on 

 which a young man was required to answer questions, 

 without reference to any special ability, was stultifying 

 and confusing even to the brain which could receive them 

 all without damage to physical health. Apropos of this 

 reckless and fruitless waste of mental effort, my husband 

 wrote an illustrative ' Cambridge examination : ' 



