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 
