Dear M^r. Darwin,

I feel very proud of having inveigled you into “looking through” Kant—² Though I cannot quite say, like one of his disciples, “God said: Let there be Light, & there was—the Kantian Philosophy” yet I have retained for these twenty years a most lively sense of gratitude to him for helping me to find (or think I found) a stepping stone or two in the Slough of Despond³

I more than suspect you of a smile in your beard when you write of him as “a great philosopher looking exclusive into his own mind”— But surely may I not argue that, after all, his mind, & that of another philosopher I could name are things not wholly undeserving of attention,— phenomena quite as much needing to be studied & accounted for, say, as even our beloved dogs? We poor humble learners who would fain be the most docile of your scholars, see one of you driving complacently down the “high priori road”, & the other with infinite skill progressing on the solid causeway of material facts— But are you never going to unite your lines of thought & let us see how metaphysics & physics form one great philosophy?—

Pray forgive dear M^r Darwin, my infinite impudence! Though I attended on Saturday a most successful Woman’s Rights Meeting⁴ I am of opinion that our Ancient privilege of talking nonsense even to those we most deeply honour, is one not to be parted with on any terms!—

I enclose a little notice embodying what I thought the point of those “Cut pages” of Despine—⁵ Do not think of acknowledging this or returning that—

Most truly your’s | Frances Power Cobbe