Leslie Stephen

“ He had a great influence upon Sidgwick, whose sister he afterwards married. The boy was 'bookish' and took no interest in football or cricket. His intellectual development was precocious, and his great ambition was to become a distinguished scholar like his cousin. Instead of standing for a scholarship at Balliol, he decided to enter Trinity College, Cambridge, of which Benson was a fellow. He left Rugby in 1855 as senior exhibitioner, and began residence at Cambridge in the October of that year. His career at college was brilliant. ”

“ No one deserves a larger share of the credit for initiating and carrying out successfully a scheme which has had so great an eft'ect upon the education of Englishwomen.
Sidgwick in later years had also to discharge many duties of academical administration. His absence from the governing body prevented him from taking any direct part in the changes made in his college under the commission of 1877. He had, however, the influence due to the recognition of his high qualities of mind and character, both in his own college and in the university generally. ”

“ 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 ”

“ Nobody could be more generous in recognising the merits of his contemporaries ; and, as an editor, he took a special pleasure in helping young aspirants in the profession to which he was always proud of belonging. ”

“ Sidgwick became president of the college, and she and her husband resided there during the remainder of Sidgwick's life. Throughout the whole period Sidgwick took a most active part in the whole movement. He successfully advocated the admission of women to university examinations in 1881. He was always a member of the college council, and was also for a time on the council of the women's college at Girton. ”

“ Upon the death of Robert Chambers in 1871, William Chambers became the chief proprietor of the journal. Differences of opinion arose, and Payn resigned the editorship in 1874. He then became reader to Messrs. Smith, Elder, & Co., and from 1883 till 1896 edited the 'Cornhill Magazine' for the firm. Payn's first novel, 'The Foster Brothers,' founded on his college experiences, appeared in 1859. From that date he was a most industrious writer of novels, long and short. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The personal charm was heightened by the gallantry with which he met his sufferings, and few men have been so deservedly popular in a large circle. After his health had compelled him to give up his editorship he still devoted himself to literary work ; but his strength was failing, and he died on 25 March 1898 at his house in Warrington Crescent, Maida Vale.
Payn's domestic life had been thoroughly happy. His sense of the blessing is pathetically indicated in the essay called 'The Backwater of Life,' which gives the title to a posthumous volume of essays. Mrs. ”

“ He was hurt by the rejection of an article written for a school magazine, and the classical lessons gave him a, permanent dislike of Greek and Latin. He was always a very poor linguist. He was taken from Eton to be sent to a 'crammer' for the Woolwich academy, to which he had received nomination. ”