Frances Power Cobbe
English Authoress and Philanthropist
1822 – 1904 A.D.

Miss Cobbe was born in Dublin and was a descendant of Charles Cobbe, Archbishop of Dublin.

Her mother died when she was quite young and she made her inquiry of Theodore Parker, the brilliant rationalist, concerning the future life. Parker’s thinking was that she was the mould [sic] in which much of her thought was afterwards cast.

She wrote Studies New and Old of Ethical and Social Subjects, Broken Lights, a statement of the doctrines of different divisions of the English Church, Essay on Intuitive Morals, probably her ablest production, Darwinism in Morals, and Other Essays in which she treated of unconscious celebration, dreams, and other questions of psychology.

She was greatly devoted to Mr. Parker and was with him in Italy at the time of his death.

Miss Cobbe was interested in philanthropic work. Early in her career she assisted at the Red-house Reformatory, London. Along with her rationalist writings on religious themes, she also contributed to the press and personally worked in behalf of the poor and friendless.

~*~

Reference: Woman: Her Position, Influence and Achievement Throughout the Civilized World. Designed and Arranged by William C. King. Published in 1900 by The King-Richardson Co. Copyright 1903 The King-Richardson Co.