New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-10-07
A JVOMAN'S "REMINISCENCES
THE STORY OF FRANCES POWER COBB =
LIFE OF FRANCES POWER COBBE By her
self In two volumes. Houghton' NIi'lh * GO


LIFE OF FRANCES POWER COBBE. by Her
self In two volumes. Houghton Nli'lh %
Miss Cobbe. who is now a winning ana WHY
old lady Of more than seventy years mas given
us IN these volumes some Of the most delight
full "reminiscences Of our time. Few women 81
this century have had wider experiences - ne
and affairs or greater number 90 acguaih
ancos among interesting pcop.e: ana bat Tow
could have prohtod 50 richly thereby as has TINS
clever and large-hcar,cd woman. To A strength
Of character and intellectual abilities OF sort
generally called masculine have been united ii'
her case a feminine depth Of sympathy ana merry
resentment Of oppression and injustic". h'r
nob.c abors in rctorma;or."s. Ragged schools
and wolkhouscs Will no, soon be- fofg tton In
England for she has don" much 10 DING about
many civi.iz!ng changes in law and custom. and
even those who do not sympathze In bee Efforts
T. stop tho crueltIcs " vysa.ti'n mus; respect
tho noble spirit IN which she has conducted her
crusadcs. Several chaptcrs In these volumes are
necessarily devoted t. he Humanitarian work.
and it must be said in u .ir favor thot They arc
never duh as such records are app @ b." Tn"
authors sense Of hume. her quick ego fr all
that is quaint. grotcsquc and moving IN human
nature serve to make her Simplest roc0i.ections
vivid and cntcria ming
Miss Cobbc c0nrra'ula,cs herself upon being
We'll born. in the trucst sense u parents good
and WISE honorable and h,norod sound In D dy
and mind In more conventional sense. too.
she was well born for she was the daughter 81
two ancient families allied e. many noble house,
# Grea, Britain and ireland Mss Conbo $
grcat-grandmothcr was that LAZY Betty C'5he
VINO once received from IN, ~ Queen Charloit"s
,ad!cs-in-waiilng . letter begging her to give the
Queen a true version II certain family story.
Lady Betty as spirited dame as her great
granddaughter. in reply. presented her comp-
ments but was sure the queen % Eng.ard
would no; pry into the private affairs Il her
subjects. and had no intention Of gratifVng the
impairment curiosity Of lady-in- waiting II
may be added that tho family matter about
which the Queen was curious. concerned Lady
Rctty's grandmother. Lady Bcrcsford. and WAS
that famous story tod by Walter Scott and
others 81 the lady who wore On one wrist "A
sable ribbon 10 hide the mark II "A ghosts grasp.
Practical Miss Cobbe after tellipg the tale OF
the appearance OF Lord Tyronc's ghos, 10 his
cousin Lady Bercsford and of the marks left
by his fingers. concludes that Lady Bcresford
accidentally gave her wrist "A severe blow
against her bedstcad while she was asleep and
that she the appartion in "A dream. II Is
a reasonable version. though sadly unpicturesque.
Most Of Miss Cobbes early years were spent
at her fathers beautiful old Irish home New
bridge. which was built In ne last century 10y
Archbishop Cobhc. Her sketches Of life in the
ireland Of the thrtics and fortics are spar
king with anecdotc and with curious comparisons
Of these times and the old times. She points
out the definite change in character since the
early years Of the century. the greater simplicity
and higher animal spirits Of those years having
yielded to a more analytic and pessimist.c franz"
of mind. As regards that former simplicity. sh"
says that 'ordinary ladies and gentlemen. even
clever and well-educatcG ones would. think.
If they could revive now. seem 10 US rather like
boys and girls than our grandparents.
Thousands Of illusions. IDEAS shades OF scnt-
mcnt and reflection which have become com
monplaces to us we've novel and strange to
them" Those were the days when the cduca-
ton of girls was so farcical in its shallowncsa
that II Is not to be wondered at that among
women at least there was "A simplicity Of mind
amounting to fceblcncss. To be- an Ornament Of
Society was the sole aim which the schoolmis-
trcss Of the period held up 10 her pupil Every
thing" says Miss Cobbc, was taught us in the
inverse ratio Of its true Importance. At the
bottom Of the scale were Morals and Religion
ably poor music. too, OF the Italian school then
in vogue. and generally performed in a snowy
and tasteless manner on harp or plano. | can re-
call an amusing instance in which the order Of
precedence above described was naively betrayed
by OF our schoolmistresses when she was ad-
rnonishng one Of the girls who had been de-
tected in a lie. Don't you know. you naughty
girl. said Miss r.. impresslvely before the whole
school. don't you know we had almost rather
find you have p Che mark Of Pretty Weld in
your muse than tell such falsehoods?'" And the
cost Of this kind Of education. strange to say
was enoir nous.
Soon after the clever young daughter OF
Thomas Cobbe left school, an overwhelming
sense Of her Ignorance came upon her and she
promptly proceeded TO make UP for lost time in
ardent and remarkably systematic study. This
she continued FOR many years combining with II
all the cares Of the mistress Of a household: for
her mother was an invalid and the management
OF the paternal establishment was on the young