Stanwood Cobb

{{short description|American educator, author and prominent Baháʼí}} {{Infobox writer  | name = Stanwood Cobb | image = | imagesize = | caption = | pseudonym = | birth_date = {{birth date|mf=y|1881|11|06}} | birth_place = Newton, Massachusetts, US | death_date = {{death date and age|mf=y|1982|12|29|1881|11|06}} | death_place = Chevy Chase, Maryland, US | occupation = Educator | period = 1914–1979 | genre = non-fiction, poetry and religious | subject = Education and Baháʼí Faith | movement = | spouse = Ida Nayan Whitlam | partner = | relatives = | signature = | website = }} '''Stanwood Cobb''' (November 6, 1881 – December 29, 1982) was an American teacher, author and prominent Baháʼí of the 20th century.

He was born in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of Darius Cobb and his wife, née Laura Mae Lillie. Darius and his twin brother Cyrus Cobb were Civil War soldiers and artists, and descendants of Elder Henry Cobb of the second voyage of the Mayflower. Their mother was Eunice Hale Waite Cobb, founding president of the Ladies Physiological Institute of Boston. Darius Cobb and his wife had four daughters and three sons.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=vccMAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA73&dq=%22stanwood+cobb%22&ie=ISO-8859-1#PRA2-PA71,M1 ''The Register of the Malden Historical Society''] Vol 6, 1919–20 by Mass Malden Historical Society, Frank S. Whitten Printer, p.70-3</ref> Stanwood Cobb studied at Dartmouth College, where he was valedictorian of his 1903 or 1905 graduating class, and then at Harvard Divinity School, earning an A.M. in philosophy and comparative religion 1910.<ref name="oates">{{cite book|editor=John F. Ohles|title=Biographical Dictionary of American Educators|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z5YNz-kNZgsC&pg=PA275 |year=1978|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-04012-2|pages=275–6}}</ref><ref>[https://iamanaref.blogspot.com/2007/08/what-stanwood-cobb-told-me-about-abul.html McLean, J.A., ''Pilgrim's Notes'' (blog), "What Stanwood Cobb Told Me About ʻAbdu'l-Bahá," Sunday, August 12, 2007]</ref><ref name="world">[http://bahai-library.com/books/bw18/800-825.html ''The Baháʼí World'', Vol 18, Part 5, "In Memoriam: Stanwood Cobb, 1881–1982"]</ref> His thesis work, ''Communistic Experimental Settlements in the USA'', observed that every such settlement had failed within a generation because of an inability of communism to get people to subordinate their own desires for the good of the group.<ref>{{cite book | last = Cobb | first = Stanwood | author-link = Stanwood Cobb | title = A Saga of Two Centuries | publisher = Avalon Press | year = 1979 | location = Washington, DC | page = 33 }}</ref> In 1919, he married Ida Nayan Whitlam.<ref name="oates"/> Cobb was a member of several literary associations<ref name="oates"/> and of the Cosmos Club of Washington, D.C.<ref name="world"/>

Cobb lived internationally for some years before settling in Chevy Chase, Maryland, where he died.

==Career as educator== In 1907–1910, Cobb taught history and Latin at Robert College in Constantinople (now Istanbul), followed by several years teaching in the US and Europe.<ref name="oates"/> He later headed the English department at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland (1914–15), taught at Asheville School in Asheville, North Carolina (1915–16), and was instructor in history and English at the United States Naval Academy (1916–19).<ref name="oates"/> Frustrated by the teaching experience at the Academy, Cobb heard a lecture by Marietta Johnson who helped marshal and crystallize his thoughts on education practice and curriculum theory.<ref name="emery">[http://www.educationanddemocracy.org/Emery/Emery_AltSchoolsPaper.htm Alternative Schools: Diverted but not Defeated] Paper submitted to Qualification Committee, At UC Davis, California, July 2000, By Kathy Emery</ref> As a result, in 1919, Cobb founded the Chevy Chase Country Day School, of which he was the principal until his retirement,<ref name="oates"/> and, active in the progressive education movement in the United States, became a founder and motivating force,<ref name="emery"/> first secretary, and eventually president (1927–1930)<ref name="oates"/> of '''The Association for the Advancement of Progressive Education''', in 1931 renamed Progressive Education Association (PEA) and then '''American Education Fellowship'''.<ref>''Historical Dictionary of American Education'' ed. by Richard J. Altenbaugh, 1999 Greenwood Press Publisher, ''Progressive Education Association'' by Craig Kridel, p.303-4, {{ISBN|0-313-28590-X}}</ref><ref>[http://cehd.umn.edu/History/Timeline/1910s.html University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development, "Timeline: 1910s"] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20080506223830/http://cehd.umn.edu/History/Timeline/1910s.html |date=2008-05-06 }}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080308040315/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,883101-2,00.html ''Time Magazine'', "Progressives' Progress," Monday, Oct. 31, 1938]</ref><ref>[http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=4325 Beck, Robert H. 1959. "Progressive Education and American Progressivism: Margaret Naumburg" (book review). ''Teachers College Record'' 60(4): 198–208]</ref> The first president was Arthur E. Morgan.<ref name="struggle">''The Struggle for the American Curriculum'' by H. Kliebard, p. 168, published by Rutledge, 1955</ref> Later, the influential John Dewey served as president.<ref>[http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1012.html Encyclopedia of Chicago – Progressive Education]</ref> Cobb resigned the presidency in 1930 following the influx of supporters of George Counts who moved the focus of the Association from a student-centered learning approach to one of a social policy oriented approach to education theory.<ref name="struggle"/> However, between the enormous impact of World War II on all thought and the involvement of many members of the PEA in communism and the general atmosphere of Anti-communism in the United States the achievements of the PEA both before Cobb's resignation and after were largely lost.<ref name="emery"/>

==Life as a Baháʼí== After looking at Theosophy and Reform Judaism and other themes in religion'<ref name="rest">''Restless Souls: The Making of American Spirituality'' by Leigh Schmidt Cobb, published by HarperCollins, 2005, p. 218</ref> Cobb investigated the Baháʼí Faith after a series of articles in the ''Boston Transcript'' on the religion attracted his attention. He pursued the interest to Green Acre conference center in Eliot, Maine in 1906 during his studies at Harvard Divinity School preparing for the Unitarian ministry. Sarah Farmer much affected Cobb,<ref name="rest"/> and Thornton Chase was giving a series of talks.<ref>[http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/notes/vol2/chs.1906.html Minutes of the House of Spirituality, 1 Sept. 1906]</ref> It was on that occasion that Cobb became a Baháʼí.<ref name="world"/>

Between 1909 and 1913 he met with ʻAbdu'l-Bahá five times (twice in Akka and several times during the latter's travel to Europe and the US).<ref name="world"/><ref>[https://iamanaref.blogspot.com/2007/08/corrections-to-blog-on-stanwood-cobb-no.html McLean, J.A., ''Pilgrim's Notes'' (blog), "Corrections to Blog on Stanwood Cobb...," Sunday, August 12, 2007]</ref> In 1911 Cobb and a number of others gave talks in honor of the personal invitation by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to the pilgrimage of Louis Gregory.<ref>[http://members.aol.com/louisggregory/History.html Biography of Hand of the Cause of God Mr. Louis George Gregory]</ref>

Cobb was a founding member of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Washington D. C. in 1933, and served on various committees (for example Cobb was Chairman of the Teaching Committee in 1935<ref>''Alain Locke: Faith and Philosophy'' by Christopher Buck, ''Studies in Babí and Baháʼí Religions'' – Volume 18, p.168</ref>) and edited two Bahá'í journals: Star of the West in 1924, and World Order from 1935 to 39.<ref name="world"/>

==Books and articles authored== Cobb was a prolific writer. Among his books were:

*''The Real Turk''. 1914, The Pilgrim Press, ISBN B000NUP6SI. *''Ayesha of the Bosphorus''. 1915, Boston Murray and Emery Co. *''The Essential Mysticism''. 1918, Four Seasons, (republished 2006 by Kessinger Publishing, LLC as {{ISBN|978-1-4286-0910-5}}). *''Simla, A Tale of Love''. 1919, The Cornhill Company. *''The New Leaven: Progressive Education and Its Effect upon the Child and Society''. 1928, (Guy Thomas Buswell review published in The Elementary School Journal, Vol. 29, No. 3 (Nov., 1928), pp. 232–233).. *''The Wisdom of Wu Ming Fu''. 1931, Henry Holt and Company. *''Discovering the Genius Within You'' 1932, John Day Publisher, and again, World Publishing Co., Cleveland, 1941. *''New Horizons for the Child''. 1934, Avalon Press. *''Security in a Failing World''. 1934, Avalon Press. *''The Way of Life of Wu Ming Fu''. 1935 (reprinted 1942), Avalon Press. *''Character – A Sequence in Spiritual Psychology''. 1938, Avalon Press. *''Symbols of America''. 1946, Avalon Press. *''Tomorrow and Tomorrow''. 1951, Avalon Press. *''The Donkey Or the Elephant''. 1951, Avalon Press. *''What is Man?''. 1952. *''Sage of the Sacred Mountain; a Gospel of Tranquility''. 1953, Avalon Press. *''Magnificent Partnership''. 1954, Vantage Press Publisher (Warren S. Tryon review published in The New England Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 3 (Sep., 1955), p. 429). *''What is God?''. 1955, Avalon Press. *''What is Love?''. 1957, Avalon Press. *''Islamic Contributions to Civilization''. 1963, Avalon Press. *''Memories of ʻAbdu'l-Baha''. 1962, Avalon Press. *''The Importance of Creativity''. 1967, Scarecrow Press. *''Life With Nayan''. 1969, Avalon Press. *''Radiant Living''. 1970, Avalon Press. *''The Meaning of Life''. 1972, Avalon Press. *''Thoughts on education and life''. 1975, Avalon Press. *''A Call to Action: Develop Your Spiritual Power : Man's Fulfillment on the ...''. 1977, Avalon Press. *''A Saga of Two Centuries'' 1979 (autobiography).

Similar to his books, the focus of Cobb's articles has been education and Baha'i oriented – he has contributed to or was anthologized by: *The Atlantic Monthly (Feb 1921) *The Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research by the American Society for Psychical Research, *The School Arts Magazine by Davis Press, *Childhood Education by the Association for Childhood Education International *Child Study by Child Study Association of America *The New England Magazine by the Making of America Project *''The Path of Learning: Essays on Education'' by Henry Wyman Holmes, Burton P. Fowler, Published 1926 by Little, Brown and Company *Progressive Education by Progressive Education Association as well as *The Baháʼí World (see Baha'i Periodicals for information) *World Order

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{Internet Archive author |sname=Stanwood Cobb |sopt=t}} *[http://acei.org/ Association for Childhood Education International]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cobb, Stanwood}} Category:American Baháʼís Category:Dartmouth College alumni Category:Harvard Divinity School alumni Category:Progressive education Category:1881 births Category:1982 deaths Category:Converts to the Baháʼí Faith Category:20th-century Baháʼís Category:American men centenarians Stanwood Category:20th-century American educational theorists