Calendar: 1886-1887 Page 99

95 NEW DEPARTMENT FOR THE HIGHER EDUCATION OF LADIES On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of King's College in 1881 the necessity for new and important development was strongly urged upon the Council by the Prin- cipal at that time the present Bishop of Sydney He repre- sentedthat the chief step of educational progress now generally felt to be necessary and commanding accordingly large share of public interest and support was the promotion of the Higher Education of Women Much had been done already in this direction but the Council felt the strongest conviction that this work could not be carried out to its truest perfection except on those sound and time-honoured principles on which under God's blessing the work of King's College has advanced successfully for the last half century Without undervaluing the work of other Educational Institutions in this cause the Council had reason to believe from experience that there was abundant room for the action of King's College and that this action would be cordially welcomed and supported by those who hold firmly to the principles which it represents and who see in its constitution and character security for the loyal preservation of these principles The Council therefore believed that they could not signalise the Fiftieth Anniversary of the College better than by attempting this important development of its usefulness They proposed to create new Department of the College locally distinct from the others but under the same system and government in which the advantages hitherto enjoyed by