Page:Heroines of freethought (IA cu31924031228699).pdf/300

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292
FRANCES POWER COBBE.

has reasoned itself so far out of the intricacies and bewilderments of the Christian faith has certainly within it the force to probe much deeper than even this book goes into the reason of things. We confidently expect Miss Cobbe, if she lives, to take a yet more daring and advanced stand as a liberal thinker than even “Darwinism in Morals” shows, of which hope that title is suggestive, as indicative of development in thought as in all things else.

From ‘‘Intuitive Morals” we extract the following thoughts, as demonstrating Miss Cobbe's ability as a writer, and the pure, true humanitarianism of her religious conclusions:

"Like the clown, who believes that cold and darkness are something positive, and not merely the negations of caloric and light, we give to evil an affirmative existence — nay, a personified one. We believe that the universe contains not only one absolutely good, but also one absolutely evil; not only a God, but a Devil. But