412 ELIZABETH CARY AGASSIZ 
self so impressed with Mrs. Agassiz’s presentation of 
the case that he availed himself of a mode of retreat 
suggested to him by the counsel for the petition. He 
made no statement in opposition to Mrs. Agassiz. I 
suppose he did not feel equal to that task. I know I 
should have felt in that way, if I had been retained on 
the wrong side. Thereafter the petition for the estab- 
lishment of Radcliffe College went smoothly on its 
course, and the needed bill was passed. 
Mrs. Agassiz did not perceive at the moment the 
effect she had produced. She was agitated at the 
close of the meeting and felt that she had not suc- 
ceeded; so I had the pleasure of telling her that she 
had succeeded, and that she had succeeded all alone. 
The previous speakers have told of the womanly 
character of Mrs. Agassiz. She was cultivated, well- 
bred, and in her manner aristocratic, if you please, 
in the best sense; but there never was in this commu- 
nity a more influential woman, and in this case it ap- 
peared most clearly that her influence was of the 
strongest with common men. That is as it should be. 
I am sure those men said to themselves as they lis- 
tened to her, “‘I should like to do just what this wo- 
man wants me to do. I will vote for the establishment 
of any college of which this woman is to be the head. 
I will vote for the establishment of any college which 
is going to give this woman an opportunity to bring 
up some women like her.” That was just the effect she 
produced. Everybody in the room felt it. “Let us 
have the college which this woman asks for, and let us 
hope that she will train up in it women like herself.” 
