mony of his colleagues shows that he took a very active and influential part in the debates, and united unfailing courtesy to singularly keen and ingenious criticism. He interested himself especially in financial matters. The taxation of the colleges for university purposes had given rise to difficulties in consequence of the decline of the college revenues under agricultural depression. Sidgwick got up the facts, devised an elaborate scheme for reconciling the conflicting interests, and showed that he could have been a competent chancellor of the exchequer. His scheme failed to secure acceptance from an appearance of over-subtlety. His anxiety to do justice to all sides led to some excess of complication and refinement. He is admitted, however, to have taken a most important part in changes by which the system of Cambridge education has been materially modified and new studies successfully introduced. He showed his interest in a very tangible form by munificent subscriptions, which enabled the university to build a museum of physiology, and to start lectures in law and philosophy measures which must otherwise have been abandoned or delayed.
Sidgwick's retirement from the council was partly due to the rejection of the proposal for granting titular degrees to women. He had never been in favour of precisely assimilating male and female education ; and he had some hesitation in accepting the proposals made by the more advanced party. He finally supported them, however, and incurred some unpopularity from conservatives, who dreaded that they might be committed to further measures. Although no one could doubt Sidgwick's absolute sincerity, his action was thought to be dangerous. He did not offer himself for re-election to the council. He was now anxious to finish his literary work, and thought of retiring from his professorship in order to devote himself exclusively to this task.
His labours had not been confined to the fields already indicated. He was an active member of a mendicity society in Cambridge, and of its successor, the Charity Organisation Society. He had also from an early period been interested in 'psychical research,' on the ground that some 'direct proof of continued individual existence' was important to morality. He was president of the society, founded in 1882, for the first three years, and again from 1888 to 1893. He investigated the alleged phenomena with scrupulous rigour, and always continued to attach importance to the results, though he does not appear to have arrived at very definite conclusions. Sidgwick was also a member of several societies founded for the purpose of philosophical discussion. He was one of the first members of the Metaphysical Society, which included some of the most distinguished representatives of opposite schools of belief ; of a similar society in Cambridge ; and of the later Synthetic Society, which aims at facilitating the reconstruction of essential religious beliefs. He became at once, as Canon Gore testifies, 'the life and soul of that society.' Sidgwick was seen at his best in such meetings. Besides his dialectical ability, he was delightful in simply social occasions. He was admittedly a first-rate talker. A singular ingenuity and vivacity of thought and constant play of humour were combined with perfect simplicity, absence of self-assertion, and ready appreciation of other men's points of view. His unmistakable sweetness of nature gained him innumerable friends and made him an invaluable link between members of the various circles to which he belonged. The same qualities gave a special value to his lectures. His intellectual position prevented him from being the lawgiver of a school or the head of a party. His aim was to encourage the freest possible investigation of first principles, and he shrank from any premature adoption of dogmatic conclusions. The position of philosophical studies at Cambridge made his classes very small. But he had several distinguished pupils who have borne most complete testimony to his power of stimulating their intellectual activity, and setting an impressive example of love of truth and of hopefulness not damped by provisional scepticism.
In the beginning of 1900 Sidgwick became aware of symptoms of a dangerous disease. He accented his position with characteristic courage and simplicity, joined in social meetings, spoke with marked brilliance at the Synthetic Society, and showed undiminished interest in his various undertakings. He resigned his professorship, but there were hopes that he might still be able, after a surgical operation, to do some literary work. The hope, however, was disappointed, and he died at the house of his brother-in-law, Lord Rayleigh, on 28 Aug. 1900.
The remarkable quality of Sidgwick's intellect is displayed in all his writings, although his ethical speculations seem to be regarded as the most valuable. The acuteness and subtlety of his thought have suggested to some readers that he was essentially sceptical or preferred a balance between two opinions to the acceptance of either. It should rather be said that he was of sin-
