This was not exactly one of those bits of over-easiness to pressure with which you reproach me—­but the resultant of a composition of pressures, one of which was the conviction that the “Institute” might be made into something very useful and greatly wanted—­if only the projectors could be made to believe that they had always intended to do that which your humble servant wants done—­that is the establishment of a sort of Royal Society for the improvement of industrial knowledge and an industrial university—­by voluntary association.

I hope my virtue may be its own reward.  For except being knocked up for a day or two by the unwonted effort, I doubt whether there will be any other.  The thing has fallen flat as a pancake, and I greatly doubt whether any good will come of it.  Except a fine in the shape of a subscription, I hope to escape further punishment for my efforts to be of use.

[However, this was only the beginning of his campaign.

On January 27, a letter from him appeared in the “Times,” guarding against a wrong interpretation of his speech, in the general uncertainty as to the intentions of the proposers of the scheme.]

I had no intention [he writes] of expressing any enthusiasm on behalf of the establishment of a vast permanent bazaar.  I am not competent to estimate the real utility of these great shows.  What I do see very clearly is that they involve difficulties of site, huge working expenses, the potentiality of endless squabbles, and apparently the cheapening of knighthood.

[As for the site proposed at South Kensington,] “the arguments used in its favour in the report would be conclusive if the dry light of reason were the sole guide of human action.” [But it would alienate other powerful and wealthy bodies, which were interested in the Central Institute of the City and Guilds Technical Institute,] “which looks so portly outside and is so very much starved inside.”

[He wrote again to the “Times” on March 21:—­]

The Central Institute is undoubtedly a splendid monument of the munificence of the city.  But munificence without method may arrive at results indistinguishably similar to those of stinginess.  I have been blamed for saying that the Central Institute is “starved.”  Yet a man who has only half as much food as he needs is indubitably starved, even though his short rations consist of ortolans and are served upon gold plate.

[Only half the plan of operations as drawn up by the Committee was, or could be, carried out on existing funds.

The later part of his letter was printed by the Committee as defining the functions of the new Institute:—­]