As an internationally known British preacher, lecturer, and author, Agnes Maude Royden's (1876-1956) involvements spanned the issues of women's rights--political, social, and religious--social justice for the poor and disenfranchised, and world peace.

Born in Liverpool, England, in 1876, Agnes Maude Royden was the youngest of eight children and the sixth daughter. The family fortune was built on ships, and her eldest brother, Sir Thomas Royden, became chairman of Cunard Steamship Company. Intellectually more precocious than her elder sisters, Maude (as she would always be called) persuaded her parents to continue her education beyond high school. She graduated from Cheltenham Ladies College in 1896, and in 1897 went to Oxford University to continue her studies at Lady Margaret Hall. She read history and achieved second-class honors. It was here that she formed two important and enduring friendships, with Evelyn Gunter and Kathleen Courtney, who shared her strong desire to make a contribution...