Letters to the Pall Mall Gazette, 1886–1887 Letters (with brief introductory notes) from W.W. Merry, John Bright, The Earl of Carnarvon, Matthew Arnold,

A central feature of Collins’s campaign on behalf of English studies was a canvass of the views of eminent people, conducted under the auspices of the Pall Mall Gazette. In a later book, Collins set out as follows the questions which he had asked:

1. Was it desirable that the Universities should provide systematic instruction in English Literature? 2. Was it desirable that a distinction should be made between Philology and Literature, and that the instruction provided should be instruction in Literature as distinguished from instruction in Philology? 3. Was it desirable that the study of English Literature should be indissolubly associated with the study of ancient Classical Literature?1