THE PASSING OF THE ANNEX 251 
ably of course, and Radcliffe College received its 
most generous charter. 
The address of Mrs. Agassiz, which was the most im- 
portant that she ever made, is given here in full: 
I am asked to say something on the subject which 
is before you today, concerning the Society for the 
Collegiate Instruction of Women, better known by 
its more familiar (its household name, as it were) of 
the Harvard Annex, — names which we now petition 
you to change. Not because the more familiar name 
is not dear to us; on the contrary it belongs to the 
very initiation of our Society. It has the value of 
things which are associated with difficulties and sacri- 
fices, with strenuous effort, with small means and 
high aims. There are such times in the lives of institu- 
tions as well as of individuals, — times when the 
ideal side bravely takes the ascendency and seems to 
declare its independence of material means. At such a 
time, the name of the Annex was given to us, half in 
jest, half in earnest, wholly in good feeling by the 
students of the University. We were, perhaps, as im- 
pecunious a body as ever started on an important 
enterprise. Without any of the ordinary accessories 
for collegiate work (as buildings, books, apparatus 
and the like), with only enough money to cover the 
bare expenses of every day, we ventured to believe 
that we could build up an institution of learning for 
women which would eventually give them all the 
educational advantages which college gives to men. 
And why did we have this faith? Because of the 
