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�SOUVENIR
o f the
C entenary Celebration
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O f the Opening of
South Place Chapel
1824
February ISt.
uary 1&.
__
1924
-------------------------
�SO UTH
PLA G E
E T H IC A L
SO C IE T Y ,
South Place, Moorgate, E .C .2.
Object of the Society.
‘ The Object o f the Society is the
cultivation of a rational religious
sentiment, the study o f ethical
principles, and the promotion o f
human welfare, in harmony with
advancing know ledge.”
�SOUVENIR
of the
Published Aug. 16,1828
b Jones tc C 3. Acton Place
y
?
Ringsland
Road
London.
C entenary Celebration
South Place Chapel
1824
February, 1st.
1924
�THE CENTENARY CELEBRATION
S O U T H PL A G E E T H IC A L SO C IE T Y .
S outh
P lace,
M o o &g a t e ,
E .C .2 .,
1^1 February, 1924
In com m em oration o f the o p e n in g o f South P la c e C h ap el, on th e 1st F e b ru
a ry , 1824, by W illia m Johnson Fox. T he C elebration w as h e ld in the
C hapel, w hich w as b rig h tly decorated fo r th e occasion, a special
fe a tu re bein g th e d isp la y o f the m onogram “ S .P .E .S .”
1st M arch, 1924.
W e believe th is Souvenir o f the C en ten ary C elebration o f the opening
of South P la ce C hapel, 1st F e b ru a ry , 1824, w ill be considered o f p e rm a
nent value, not o n ly by the m em bers a n d frie n d s of o ur Society, but also
by the m any m em bers o f the p u b lic w ho, a lth o u g h unofficially a ttach ed to
the e th ic al m ovem ent, a re keenly conscious o f th e im portance to th e com
m u n ity o f th e cause of “ fre e e n q u iry a n d the r i g h t o f re lig io u s lib e rty .”
T h e speeches a t th e C en te n ary C elebration, re p o rte d in f u ll in th is
S ouvenir, re c a ll th e tre n d an d th e a ctiv ities o f South P la c e C hapel d u rin g
the p a st one h u n d re d years. T h is g lim pse o f our h isto ry h a s in te rest not
o n ly as a reco rd o f th e life o f one in d iv id u a l Society, it has a lso a m uch
w ider in te rest ow ing to th e fa ct th a t S outh P la c e C hapel, th ro u g h o u t the
h u n d re d y ears o f its existence, has p lay e d a not u n im p o rta n t p a rt in th e
lib e ratio n o f re lig io n , p o litics a n d a r t from a ll form s o f ty ra n n y . In tru th
as M r. J . M. R obertson suggested, the h isto ry o f South P la ce C hapel m ay
not u n re aso n a b ly be re g ard e d as a h isto ry in m icrocosm o f th e general
m ovem ent o f lib e ra l th o u g h t betw een 1824 an d 1924.
T h e v ivid a n d v a rie d c h a ra c te r o f the speeches a t th e C elebration, the
affectionate en th u siasm of the speakers, the b rig h t and a rtis tic decoration
o f the C hapel filled the m eeting w ith a s p irit of ju b ila tio n . T h e past
h isto ry o f South P lace w as re ca lle d w ith p rid e , the success o f the C eleb ra
tion w as self-ev id en t, a n d o u r th o u g h ts of th e fu tu re w ere b r ig h t a n d
h o p e fu l. D eep g ra titu d e w as expressed fo r the good w ork o f .the past
lead ers o f South P lace, e sp e cially W illia m Johnson Fox an d M oncure
C onw ay, a lso fo r th e su p p o rt given to the lead ers by the Com m ittee a n d
g en eral body o f m em bers, a n d the final g en eral fe elin g w as th a t the present
m em bers an d th e m any frie n d s o f the Society m ust now band together a n d
m ake a very g re at effort to increase its stre n g th , both n u m e ric a lly an d
fin an c ia lly , a n d as a n o rg a n isatio n , so th a t the tra d itio n s o f South P lace
C hapel m ay be c a rrie d on w o rth ily in the new hom e we propose to erect
a t Red L ion S q u a re , H olborn.
O ne fu rth e r v a lu a b le fe a tu re o f th is Souvenir is th a t it c o n tain s a
verbatim re p o rt o f M r. J. M. R obertson’s C entenary L ecture, “ A C en tu ry
of R elig io u s E v o lu tio n ,” d eliv ered a t South P la c e on S u n d a y , th e 3rd
F e b ru a ry .
^
P ollard.
E d ito r, “ T h e M onthly R ecord of South P lace
E th ic a l S ociety.”
T h e C h a i r m a n , T h e R i g h t H o n . J. M. R o b e r t s o n , sa id : I have first to
m ention th a t letters ex p ressin g re g re t a t in a b ility to be present have been
received from a num ber of d istin g u ish e d m en w ho have, in th e p ast,
occupied th is p latfo rm . T h ere is no tim e to read the letters. I w ill ju st
m ention the nam es o f W illia m A rcher, H e n ry N evinson, P ro f. G ilb ert
M u rra y , H avelock E llis , S ir F re d e ric k Pollock, B e rtra n d R u ssell, Isra e l
Z an g w ill, L aurence H ousm an, E d w a rd C a rp en ter, K a rl P e a t son, S ir F ra n k
Benson, an d W. S. G odfrey. T hese do not com plete the lis t o f contem po
ra rie s who have spoken here, but you w ill a ll re a lise w h a t a w ide field o f
con tem p o rary life a n d th o u g h t they cover.
W e a re m et to -n ig h t fo r a very in te re stin g com m em oration, nam ely :
the C en ten ary o f th e opening o f th is place. I t w as opened as South P la ce
C hapel by W illia m Johnson Fox one h u n d re d y ears ago. You a l l know
the e a rlie r h isto ry o f th e Society, how it w as sta rte d in 1793 by th e
A m erican U n iv e rsa list, E lh a n a n W inchester, whose successor, h a v in g been
converted to U n iv e rsalism by W inchester, converted h im se lf s till f u rth e r
to U n ita ria n is m . In th is phase o f its existence th e Society lost a good
m any o f its U n iv e rsa lists, b u t w as g ra d u a lly b u ilt up by people o f, p e r
h a p s, g re ater b re a d th o f view u n d e r U n ita ria n is m . I t w as on th a t lin e of
developm ent, c a rrie d on a t th e old ch ap el a t P a rlia m e n t C o u T t , th a t Fox
cam e in, a n d it w as u n d e r the m in istry of Fox th a t th e o ld c o n g reg a tio n of
P a rlia m e n t C ourt opened th is place one h u n d re d y ears ago.
Fox seems to me, on looking back, to have been a very im p o rtan t
in te lle c tu a l force th ro u g h the w hole o f h is life . H e w as, as you know , a
m an o f g re at n a tu ra l g ifts of eloquence, lite ra r y fa cu ltie s, a n d of lib e ra lity
a n d d epth o f th o u g h t. T h o u g h he, lik e h is predecessors, h a d been b ro u g h t
up in the stricte st orthodoxy, as a U n ita ria n he w as a lre a d y advanced, even
u n d e r th a t h e a d in g . Fox w ould seem to have been the effective founder
o f the B ritish an d F o re ig n U n ita ria n A ssociation, a n d the w ord “ fo reig n ”
in th a t title pointed to F o x ’s la rg e view s a t th a t tim e. T h e old U n iv e rsa l
ism w as a C h ristia n U n iv e rsalism , a p re d ic atio n of sa lv atio n for a ll. F o x ’s
U n iv e rsalism involved k in sh ip in the theism o f a ll re lig io n s. H e accepted
as reverend, B rah m in s and other H indoos, a n d , you m ay rem em ber,
M oncure C onw ay cred ited the fam ous B ra h m in or H indoo, the R a ja h
Ram m ohun Roy, w ith a d e te rm in in g influence in th e fo u n d in g o f th e
B ritish an d F o re ig n U n ita ria n A ssociation.
In a ll of those e a rly phases o f South P lace, one c h a ra c te ris tic stood out
in th e m ental a ttitu d e o f its cong reg atio n s. A lw ays, I th in k , they w ere strong
fo r lib e rty o f th o u g h t a n d tea ch in g , a n d resolute in c ondem ning a ll form s
o f persecution. T h a t note w as stru ck by F ox before the opening o f th is
place, when he m ade a very m em orable protest a g a in st the persecution of
th e old D eist, R ic h a rd C a rlile , whose prosecution h a d a c tu a lly been con
ducted by an orthodox U n ita ria n . Fox had no reserves in his fa ith in
freedom . N ot only d id h e sta n d o u t fo r the rig h ts o f D eists, p ro testin g
a g a in st th e ir persecution : he e q u a lly protested a g a in st a n y form of
persecution o f A theists. H e stood out a t th e sam e tim e fo r the rig h ts of
Rom an C atholics an d Jew s, an d of, in fa ct, a n y body th a t w as denied
e q u a lity of rig h ts in the face o f the E n g lish L aw .
I need not re m in d you how w ide also w as th e influence ra d ia tin e from
th is place u n d e r Fox, irresp ectiv e o f h is very la rg e lite r a ry associations
�4
CENTENARY
CE LE B R A T IO N
SO U V EN IR
a n d influence, a n influence w hich m ust have w idened w hen he became
a s you rem em ber he w as, a very p rom inent M em ber o f P a rlia m e n t one o f
th e tw o g re a t orators of the F re e T ra d e M ovement, in w hich C obden’w as the
re p re se n tativ e ra th e r o f a rg u m e n t th a n o f eloquence. You w ill rem em ber
how M oncure C onw ay has told qs th at, w hen he w as in th e U n ited States
a t W ash in g to n in 1856, he fo u n d people d r if tin g aw ay from him old
frie n d s , m em bers o f h is c o n g reg a tio n , leav in g h im because o f h is ’ zeal
a g a in st S lav ery . H e fo u n d there, in A m erica, lo y al su p p o rt from m en who
h a d h a d th e ir m inds form ed in E n g la n d u n d e r Fox, a n d , la te r, in C in cin
n a ti, when he h ad gone fu rth e r 0 1 . his p ath , an d h ad e stran g ed w orshippers
th ere a lso by some o f h is utteran ces on S u p e rn a tu ra iism , a g a in he found
frie n d s an d su p p o rte rs am ong men who had been tra in e d u n d e r Fox in
E n g la n d . C onw ay’s testim ony is th a t never a t a n y ju n c tu re d id he find
those men who grew up u n d e r Fox flinch or f a il in a n y c ris is w here it w as
n ecessary to a sse rt the p rin cip les o f lib e rty .
A fte r l o x ’s re tirem e n t, a n d s till m ore a fte r h is death , th is place had
lost its p restig e. T hey w ere then th in k in g o f clo sin g it. U n d e r a v a rie ty
of phases it fa ile d to re ta in its o ld influence, but a new lif e cam e in w ith
M oncure C onw ay, who a p p e a re d on the scene in 1863. O f him it is h a rd ly
possible to speak in th is place w ith o u t a special w a rm th o f affection. H e
w as, I th in k , fo r m ost o f us w ho a re over 50, one o f the g re a t lin k s w ith
the previous gen eratio n , a lin k w hich he alw ay s kept liv in g , inasm uch as
he never lost h is sy m p a th y w ith th e phases o f the past th a t he h ad o utlived
H is personal c h arm w as deeply bound u p w ith h is in te lle c tu a l influence
and he, in his g en eratio n , w as, T take it, as g re a t an influence as Fox had
been in h is, in some w ays possibly even g re ater—at least in respect to the
fa ct th a t w hereas Fox had u n d o u b ted ly kept h is m ind open to every new
adv an ce in scientific th o u g h t, C onw ay cam e into a p eriod w hen scientific
th o u g h t w as a d v an c in g very m uch m ore ra p id ly , and he responded to the
new advance a t every poin t. N o m an could m ore w o rth ily have fu lfilled w hat
we m ay c all the South P la ce tra d itio n —lo y a lty to freedom o f th o u g h t and
freedom o f tea ch in g , resistan ce to every form o f ty ra n n y o f the m ind. You
w ill a ll rem em ber how , w hen p o litics an d th o u g h t w ere both m oving very
ra p id ly , M oncure Conw ay in th is place stood op en ly an d fe a rle ssly on the
side o f C h a rle s B ra d la u g h an d M rs. B esant, w hen they fo u g h t th e ir battles
fo r freedom o f speech an d fo r p o litica l rig h t.
O ne o f m y ow n c o rd ia l recollections w hen I cam e to L ondon w elln ig h fo rty y ears ago, h a v in g c u t aw ay from a ll creeds an d c a llin g m y self a
S e c u la rist, is th a t I found k in d ly a n d frie n d ly h e a rin g in th is place
W hen I th in k o f it, I an d m y frie n d M rs. B ra d la u g h B onner a re amonsr
the oldest o f th e lis t o f A ssociates of South P lace, perh ap s, here to -n ig h t
W ell, since C o nw ay’s tim e, th e Society h a s h a d its vicissitudes o f ex p eril
m ent in v a rio u s d irec tio n s, but, I th in k , it has never deviated from its
openness to new ideas, av ersio n fo r a ll form s o f b ig o try an d o f persecu
tion, d e te rm in a tio n to keep an open m ind fo r w hatever tim e m ay b rin g to
qs. T h a t w as the h isto ry of the place an d o f the tw o g re a t lea d ers of
whom I have spoken. ^ I th in k it has been its h isto ry down to th is moment.
In th is respect I believe th is old b u ild in g , and w h a t it sta n d s for, are
u n iq u e in the h isto ry o f churches so-called. W ith in th a t c e n tu ry c e rta in ly
m any o f the ch u rch es have m odified th e ir tem pers— in fact, a ll o f them , at
least o f th e P ro te stan t C hurches— but not m any o f them have a lte re d th e ir
creed. T h is Society alw ay s honestly stated th e fact when it re a lly departed
from a n o ld position. F ox aban d o n ed the Sacram ents. C onw ay te lls us in
an am u sin g passage how he told th e C om m ittee th a t he h ad to shape h is
p ra y ers w ith g re a t in g e n u ity in o rd e r not to c la sh w ith h is own view s and
b eliefs.
T h e Com m ittee considered it, and re a d ily accepted Conwav*s
suggestion th at they should a bandon the m ach in ery o f p ra y e r in w hich they
no lo n g er h a d an y serious fa ith , a n d su b stitu te the device o f a re a d in g ,
w hich e xists to th is day. U n d e r C onw ay, too, T th in k it w as, th a t the
p u lp it became a p la tfo rm , and th e old high-backed pews w ere discard ed as
in stru m e n ts o f to rtu re a n d superseded by such seats as those in w hich you
now sit.
A fter its h u n d re d y e ars o f life , South P la ce C hapel is not lik e ly
OF
SOUTH
PLACE
CHAPEL.
5
to e x ist fo r m any y ears lo n g er as a place o f pu b lic m eeting a n d p u b lic
tea ch in g .
1 he m ore fit is it th a t we should th u s com m em orate the
C entenary. As re g a rd s the fu tu re , th ere can be no better p rognostication
th an the expression of hope th a t its fu tu re w ill be w orthy o f its p ast. A
h u n d re d y ears of its m ental lif e m ay be sa id to have been, as it were, a
m icrocosm o f the m ental life o f E n g la n d th ro u g h th a t c en tu ry . W e have
h ere to -n ig h t w ith us a num ber of d istin g u ish e d speakers, a ll m ore o r less
old associates of South P lace. I w ill, th ere fo re, not stan d a n y longer
between you an d them , an d w ill now c a ll on our frie n d M r. John Hobson.
B ut I m ust not om it to express th e deep re g re t w ith w hich we h ear th a t M r.
D e lisle B u rn s, who hoped to be w ith us, is q u ite u nable to come ow ing to
the sta te o f h is h e alth .
M r . J o h n A. H o b s o n , M .A .—I t is w ith
the deepest sa tisfac tio n th a t
I find m y self
a b le to be present on
th is
extrem ely in te re stin g
occasicn.
Now , w hen a th in g is 100 years old, it is not necessarily
in te restin g , not even i f it is an in stitu tio n .
T o m ake it in te re stin g , I
th in k it m ust be re p re se n tativ e o f a m ood, a m oving m ind o r soul, a n d
it is th a t m ovem ent o f th o u g h t an d fe elin g o f freedom w hich the C h airm an
rig h tly represented a s th e c e n tra l fa ct of th e lif e w ith w hich we a re proud
to associate ourselves. T hose who listened to him , an d those who have read
the extrem ely fa sc in a tin g little book in w hich o ur g re at predecessor on th is
p la tfo rm , D r. M oncure C onw ay, to ld the e a rlie r h isto ry of th is Society,
know th a t th ere is some ju stific atio n fo r our p rid e in th is place, its in s titu
tions, a n d th is Society a s re p re se n tin g , m ore a d eq u a te ly p e rh ap s, fo r a
lo n g er tim e th an a n y other place in L ondon, th is po w erfu l, passionate,
e n th u sia stic sentim ent fo r lib e rty an d the to le ratio n o f th o u g h t, an d fo r
the active expression of th o u g h t an d o f differences o f th o u g h t. It has been
a source of g ra tifica tio n to me p e rso n ally , d u rin g the q u a rte r of a c en tu ry
in w hich I have been connected w ith th is S a tie ty , on m any occasions
th o u g h I u tte red o p inions w h ich I knew were" not p a la ta b le to a
la rg e pro p o rtio n of my listen ers, to find th a t they w ere not deterred
from lis te n in g to me, th a t they reserved th e ir ju d g m e n t as they h a d the
rig h t a n d d u ty to do, a ju d g m e n t to differ from me.
I hoped th a t
they w ould re ta in in ta c t th a t difference, not m itig ate d by a n y th in g I m ig h t
say, excep tin g in so f a r as it recom m ended its e lf to th e ir sense o f reason
and justice. So th a t you come back to the in d iv id u a l sense o f reason a n d
ju stice. T he g a th e rin g of a people upon th a t basis, m aking a Society like
th is, is, I th in k , u n iq u e in th e h isto ry o f L ondon a n d , p erh ap s, o f th is
c o u n try .
r
It was a fa sc in a tin g sp iritu a l sto ry th a t D r. C onw ay told, how the
m akers, th e e a rlie r m akers o f th is Society, E lh a n a n W inchester, Fox, a n d
C onw ay, kept y e ar a fte r y e ar, decade a fte r decade, bro ad en in g dow n, not
from precedent to precedent but from one new er a n d la rg e r conception of
sp iritu a l life and its d u ty to a n o th er s till la rg e r a n d new er. And a ll th at
tea ch in g w as conducted, not in an atm osphere o f m ere a b strac t th o u g h t, for
w h at is rem arkable in the fo rtu n es o f these men an d th is Society is the
close contact kept w ith the v ita l, active m ovem ents in th is c o u n try and th is
w orld. T he atm osphere w as not, I rep eat, one of a b strac tio n but o f the
stru g g le o f h isto ry in its m aking d u rin g the N ineteenth C en tu ry —the g re at
causes o f L ib e rty , C ath o lic E m an cip atio n , the A nti-C orn L aw Movement
the A n ti-S lav ery M ovem ent, the M ovem ent of T o le ratio n fo r D issenters, for
D eists, fo r A theists, an d the ever-ex p an d in g m ovem ent in the w ider field
o f P o litic s— N a tio n a lism , w here N a tio n a lism w as a rig h t an d necessary
move in the stru g g le o f N a tio n a litie s fo r Freedom . W here N a tio n a lity
passed those b a rrie rs a n d became Im p e ria lism , then the s p irit o f South
P la ce hard en ed a g a in st it, a n d o ur speakers stood out a g a in st th is abuse
o f N a tio n a lism . T hey stood then in fa v o u r of In te rn a tio n a lism , an d not
of In te rn a tio n a lism o n ly in the sense o f re la tio n between one state an d
a n o th e r state, one governm ent and an o th er governm ent, but free association
o f peoples, w hich, p erh ap s, is m ore tr u ly described by a term w hich has
som etim es c a rrie d a c e rta in atm osphere o f re p ro o f about it. I m ean the
term C osm opolitanism . I do not th in k the m akers o f o u r Society would
�6
CENTENARY
CE LE B R A T IO N
SO U V E N IR
have re p u d ia te d th e term C osm opolitan in the w ay in w hich it is re p u d ia te d
by some people as i f it m eant w eakening of th e ir fe elin g s a n d connections
w ith th e ir fellow -m en. E veryw here, th is h isto ry h a s been a h isto ry fo r the
lib e rty o f th o u g h t, o f speech, a n d th e P ress.
It is im p o rta n t to bear th a t in m ind a t th e present tim e, because I
have been asked to speak of the po ssib ilities of the fu tu re work o f th is
Society.
Now I w ould say th a t we sta n d to-day in d a n g e r o f a new
in to leran ce, an in to leran ce p roceeding, not from one side only, in the
movem ent of the p o litic a l w orld, but from every side. A c e rta in passion
has upset th e w orld to-day, w hich catches m any people u n aw ares, and
m akes them less w illin g th a n they were to liste n to view s an d opinions
an d ju d g m e n ts w hich c la sh w ith th e ir ow n. It is the very sense o f the
em ergencies o f the w orld in w hich we liv e w h ic h p erv erts the tem per
of freedom in m any people who, on s lig h te r occasions a n d in o rd in a ry tim es,
were q u ite the frie n d s o f L ib erty .
T he em ergency in w hich we live now presents its e lf, o f course, differ
en tly to different m inds. P e rh a p s it presents its e lf d iffere n tly to the o lder
people an d the younger. M any old o r a g e in g people a m ongst us seem
sensible o f the fa ilu r e of D em ocracy, the fa ilu re , p erh ap s, of the su p p o rts
of C iv ilisa tio n them selves, an d even the p o ssib ility of the dissolution
of W estern C iv ilisa tio n , th e p o ssib ility p u t in a strik in g p h ra se
o f the late L o rd B ryce in h is la st book, the p o ssib ility of a new Ice Age
se ttlin g on the h u m an m ind. B u t th e re a re oth er, m any o f them younger
a n d m ore e n th u sia stic m inds, in m any c ountries, who see the D aw n of the
New E ra . A s a lu ta ry optim ism belongs to youth, but n e ith e r th e old nor
youths can view the present situ a tio n o f the w orld otherw ise th an w ith
con stern atio n . W a r h a s rip en ed an d revealed a num ber o f discords an d
conflicts w hich, doubtless, w ere in existence before, but w hich stand out
m ore p la in ly to the eyes o f m en. P o litic s, In d u stry , R e lig io n , E d u ca tio n ,
these a r e the fields o f s trife , a n d not o f some sim ple form o f strife . In
P o litic s, fo r instance, o r In d u stry , we som etim es h e ar of “ T h e C lass W a r .”
T h ere is not a C lass W ar, because a W a r im plies— m ostly, a t an y ra te __
tw o opposite p a rtie s in conflict w ith each other. T h ere is no C lass _W ar in
th a t sense. T h e re is no such cle ar-c u t id ea p e n e tra tin g the m inds o f those
w ho a r e e n g ag ed in In d u stry . I t is the sam e in p olitics. T he old P a rtie s
b reak up into a num ber o f d ifferent sections re p re se n tin g new phases. And
I need not speak to you about the w ay in w hich R elig io n s form new sects.
A ll these p illa r s o f society— In d u stry , P o litic s, R elig io n , E d u ca tio n —
are shaken at one tim e, an d th ere is a process w hich is necessary, no doubt,
a n d w hich goes u n d e r the inconvenient nam e of R econstruction. Recovery
is w hat people crav e a t the present tim e. Now th is R ecovery, i f it is
o btainable, dem ands Social C ontrol. It dem ands a k ind o f co n tro l w hich
h a s never yet been re alised in the w orld to a n y la rg e extent, a c ontrol
w hich is no lo n g er dependent upon the great unseen, unconscious, m ass
movem ents of m en, or upon the se p a ra te action o f some sin g le g re at p rophet
o r g re a t m an. Social C ontrol m eans som ething different from th at, a
conscious, r a tio n a l, a n d d istin c tly m oral co n tro l, for a ll these problem s
w hich beset us now a re re a lly m oral problem s. T h ey are problem s affecting
the incentives th a t o perate in th e conduct o f men an d women. It is th is
settlem ent fo r w hich an e th ic al society pre-em inently stands. T h is E th ic a l
R a tio n a lism is w hat South P lace sta n d s fo r, has stood for in th e p a st (so
fa r as these ideas have p rev ailed ) and stan d s for in th e fu tu re if we a re
to c ontribute our sh a re to the re al recovery of the w o rld . A nd not Recovery
a lo n e ; we stan d not m erely fo r Recovery, but for P ro g ress, and fo r P ro g re ss
upon ra tio n a l, m oral lines. In th a t s p ir it o ur Society c o n fro n ts the g re at
em ergent problem s o f o ur tim e. I can n o t do m ore th a n nam e them in
passing, such problem s as c en tre a ro u n d P o p u la tio n , th e sa fe g u a rd in g of
D em ocracy, the p o ssib ilities o f new In d u s tria l O rg a n isa tio n , the e sta b lish
m ent o f a R eal In te rn a tio n a lism , a n d behind a ll these the renovation o r the
establishm ent o f a reasonable system o f E d u ca tio n , th e m eans to a ll th e
other ends. T hese a re problem s, I repeat, o f R a tio n a l M o ra lity , th a t is to
say o f p la in , in d iv id u a l, tru th -seek in g a p p lie d for the purposes o f H um an
W elfare.
Reason is som etim es d isc o u rag e d , but w ro n g ly so, in th e new psycho
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logy o f w h ich we h e ar so m uch.
R eason is rig h tly understood as the
suprem e a rb ite r an d re g u la to r o f a ll the in stin c ts a n d em otions w hich
co n ta in the bulk of the d riv in g pow er o f h u m an ity . R eason h a s to h a r
m onise a n d govern not by p u re ra tio n a lisa tio n , but by a n e n thusiasm for
r ig h t th in k in g . S outh P la ce h isto ry , as you have h e ard it, c o n tin u a lly
lin k s up th in k in g w ith doing. W e a re not th eo rists or dream ers, or m ere
id ea lists. T he g re at lib e rativ e causes to w hich a llu sio n h a s been m ade
have been re al, concrete steps in th e P ro g re ss of H u m a n ity , a n d these causes
o f Social R econstruction cla im o ur u n d iv id e d a tte n tio n a n d en erg ies a t the
present tim e. In L ondon the place w hich succeeds th is h a ll should be
recognised from the b e g in n in g a s a c e n tra l pow er-house fo r c le a r, free
th in k in g a n d fo r the e n thusiasm o f tra n s la tin g free th o u g h t into actio n .
Som e o f us w ill be sad a t th e d isa p p ea ran c e of th is c h ap e l, but we s h a ll
look fo rw a rd in the hope o f a jo y fu l re su rrec tio n in B loom sbury.
P r o f . G r a h a m W a l l a s , M .A .—T he C h a irm a n told us ju s t now th a t h is
first v isit to th is room w as fo rty y ears ago. I am a m ere new com er. My
first v isit here w as th irty -e ig h t y ears ago. I rem em ber th a t the E xecutive
o f the F a b ia n Society decided in 1886 to m ake a b ig p lu n g e by ta k in g
from the very to le ra n t people o f th is ch ap el the use of the p lace fo r a two
d a y s’ conference on Socialism . W e inv ited everybody, in c lu d in g the
S o cialist L eague an d the Social D em ocratic F e d e ratio n . E sp e c ia lly we asked
C h a rle s B ra d la u g h , an d C h a rle s B ra d la u g h cam e and d isag reed w ith alm ost
e v ery th in g everybody sa id in th e room, sco ld in g us w ith a m agnificent gusto.
O n the ra th e r d u ll second a ftern o o n , m y frie n d S idney W ebb, p re p a rin g
h im se lf to be P re sid e n t o f the B oard o f T ra d e in the fu tu re , read a
d e ta ile d p a p er c a lle d A S ocialist B udget. It d id not e n tire ly e x h ila ra te
th e au d ien ce. O n th e p la tfo rm , ju s t w here H obson is sittin g , w as a re p re
sen tativ e of the Social D em ocratic F e d e ratio n . H e was a g entlem an c a lle d
R ossiter, who sold th e h arm less fluid c a lle d m ilk in B attersea, an d w as
th e most p e rsisten t red rev o lu tio n ist I have ever m et. D ire c tly W ebb’s
p a p er w as over, he jum ped to th e fro n t an d said : “ D am n y our p a llia tiv e s,
I am a R evolutionist.
I believe in b a rric ad e s, bombs, blood in the
street i f you like. T h a t is the only w ay to reach o u r u ltim a te g a o l ! ” In
fro n t, the au dience w ere y e llin g w ith la u g h te r, a n d he was u tte rly u n a b le
to u n d e rsta n d w hat they w ere la u g h in g at.
B ut, M r. C h a irm a n , w h ile I am not so very o ld in m y personal m em ory,
I am som ething o f a p a tria rc h in m y m em ory of a c e rta in period o f E n g lish
h isto ry . W hen I w as w ritin g th e “ L ife o f F ra n c is P la c e ,” I h ad to read
a n enorm ous m ass o f letters a n d new spapers a n d p a rlia m e n ta ry rep o rts
d e a lin g w ith the p eriod o f 100 years ago. I t took me about seven o r e ig h t
years. I w as d e fe rre d to e x a c tly as a m an w ho h a d lived in th a t period.
I rem em ber L y u lp h S tan ley , not yet L o rd Sheffield, who used to be ou r
lea d er on th e L ondon School B oard, sa y in g : “ Look here, w hat sort o f m an
w as m y g r a n d f a t h e r ? ” F o r th a t reason it has been suggested to me th a t
I m ight, in a very few w ords, p u t before you w h at w as th e position o f the
w orld of th o u g h t in E n g la n d a t the tim e w hen th is Society was estab lish ed .
I t re a lly is a very rem ark ab le th in g th a t the fo u n d a tio n o f th is Society
coincided w ith the b e g in n in g o f th e g en eral L ib e ral M ovement w hich
m arked E n g la n d d u rin g the n in ete en th c en tu ry , an d th a t the success o f th is
Society, the im m ediate success, w as very la rg e ly d u e to th e coincidence of
its form ation w ith th is m ovem ent. In 1824 we w ere n in e y ears off the
B a ttle of W aterloo, an d the w o rld w as slow ly recovering from the passions
o f the N apoleonic E ra , and from the h a tre d an d ty ra n n y w hich follow ed
the N apoleonic W ar. E n g la n d h a d ju s t d e finitely broken w ith th a t
c o a litio n o f despots w hich c a lle d its e lf T h e H o ly A llia n ce . W hen F ra n c e
m arched in to S pain a n d cru sh ed the L ib e ra l C onstitution there, we had
proclaim ed, th ro u g h th e voice o f C a n n in g , th at we proposed to c a ll a new
w orld into existence, a new fre e w orld to redress as f a r a s possible the
b alan ce o f the old. I t w as w ith in a week o r two o f the fo u n d a tio n o f th is
Society th a t th e w ords o f C a n n in g reached South A m erica, an d w ere
accepted as a general m essage of freedom to th e w orld.
In th a t sam e y ear, fo r the first tim e, the E n g lish G overnm ent perm itted
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the form atio n o f a C o n stitu tio n al G overnm ent in A u s tra lia . In th a t year,
H uskisson w as P re sid e n t of th e B oard o f T ra d e , a n d in tro d u ced a R ecipro
c ity B ill w hich p ra c tic a lly w iped out a ll the n a tio n a l selfishness of the
protective N a v ig a tio n Acts. In th a t year Peel, a s H om e S ecretary,
a c tin g w ith the force behind him o f the y e ars o f lab o u r o f S ir Sam uel
R o m illy a n d Jerem y B entham , abolished 100 offences fo r w hich the death
p e n alty w as im posed. F o r th e first tim e th ere w as a C rim in a l L aw in
E n g la n d , w hich w as a n y th in g but a sc a n d al an d d isg ra ce to the whole
c o u n try . In th a t y e ar the C om bination L aw s, w hich forbade the form ation
o f T ra d e U nions o f a n y k in d am ong th e men (they allo w ed an y k ind of
U nion fo r the M asters) w ere a t la st abolished. W hen in 1892 M r. G ladstone
looked back upon h is long lif e a n d association w ith L ib e ralism , he dated
the com ing of progress, as he und etsto o d it, in econom ic m atters, from th a t
event in 1824. “ T he L abour Q u estio n ,” h e d e clare d , “ m ay be said to have
come into p u b lic view sim u lta n eo u sly w ith the R epeal six ty or seventy
y ears ago o f th e C om bination L aw s, w h ich h a d m ade it a n offence for
lab o u rin g men to com bine fo r the purpose o f p ro c u rin g by jo in t action a n d
peaceful m eans an au g m e n tatio n o f th e ir w ages.
F ro m th is beg in n in g
progress b e g a n .” It w as in th a t y ear 1824 th a t R anke p u b lish ed h is g re at
b isto ry , an d began, as G. P. Gooch has to ld us, a scientific in te ip re ta tio n
of E u ro p e ’s past record. I t w as in th a t y ear th a t Jerem y B entham sta rte d
the “ W estm inster R eview .” F o r th e first tim e, m en whose le a rn in g com
pelled respect from a ll, stood fo rth p u b lic ly to d e clare opinions w hich
w ould have sent poor m en to p riso n in droves ten years before.
In th a t g re at m om ent, a m om ent w hen the w orld, tire d of w a r, tire d
of ty ra n n y , tu rn e d tow ards th e conception o f kin d n ess an d lib e rty in
th a t m om ent D a rw in w as a boy of fifteen, a b an d o n in g the w eary course
o f L a tin a n d G reek w hich ta u g h t him n o th in g , an d p re p a rin g h im self for
scientific tra in in g an d discovery.
G ladstone w as a boy o f fifteen,
le a rn in g to speak a t E ton, a n d a lre a d y deeply in terested in the p o litics of
h is tim e. T ennyson w as w ritin g h is first poems, a n d p o in tin g the w ay to
the form of th o u g h t a n d sentim ent w hich we c all V ictorian.
W e think now o f the process o f developm ent o f E n g lish freedom d u rin g
th a t 100 y e ars as being sim ple an d easy. W e have o nly to tu rn to the
h isto ry o f F ra n c e, S p a in , an d other n a tio n s to re a lis e it w as not so. It was
not in ev itab le, but freedom cam e because m en an d women w ere p re p are d to
w ork a n d to suffer.
T he 100 y e ars a re over, a n d these w a lls a re to be p u lle d down in o rd e r
th a t we m ay s ta rt a g a in in a n o th er place. As I sat here, my eye w as
su d d e n ly c a u g h t (w ith the recollection of 'the tim e when 1 w as a school
m aster tea ch in g L atin ) by those sh ie ld s on th e w all over there, on w hich is
the m onogram S .P .E .S . In a few m om ents I realised th a t i t ’m eant South
P la ce E th ic a l Society, but at first it sim p ly m eant to me the L a tin nam e
fo r Hope. T h a t fact, th a t S P E S m eans both South P la ce E th ic a l Society
an d H ope, you m ay c a rry w ith you as a m otto to y our new home.
M r. H a r r y S n e l l , M .P . In c ele b ra tin g th is g reat A n n iv e rsary o f
South P lace C hapel, we a ie tak in g p a rt in a trib u te to a revered an d very
fam ous in stitu tio n , an in stitu tio n w hich, tho u g h it h as h ad glo rio u s achieve
m ents a n d is f u ll o f years, has yet, nevertheless, not grow n old. It has
rem ained young in s p irit a n d active in en d eav o u r, a n d , w ith a fu ll c en tu ry
upon its head , is s ta rtin g o u t upon a new ad v en tu re w ith a ll the g lad
assu ran ce o f those who first sat w ith in its w a lls, a n d w ith th a t sam e
endeavour, th a t sam e quest fo r a h ig h e r form o f liv in g th a t those people
h a d who la id its first fo u n d a tio n stone.
It has not been the p riv ile g e o f those w ith whom I am sp e c ia lly
associated to have been in th a t close and co n stan t contact w ith South P lace
th a t its own m em bers a n d im m ediate frie n d s have enjoyed. I re g re t, in
com parison w ith M r. J. M. R obertson a n d P ro f. G rah am W a lla s, to be a
m ere in fa n t as a v isito r to th is place, fo r w h at a re th irty -fo u r years in
com parison w ith th irty -e ig h t o r fo rty ? W hen I cam e to L ondon in 1890,
th is w as the place to w hich I cam e by a sense of n a tu ra l g ra v ita tio n . I
th in k th a t w h at drew me h ere w as th a t w h ich has d ra w n v isitors, seekers
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a f te r tr u th from a ll ends o f the e a rth , w henever they have v isited th is
g re a t c ity in w hich we live. B u t m y w ork, a n d the work of those w ith
whom I am associated an d fo r whom I m ay sp e c ia lly c la im to speak to-night,
has a nam e in other fields in o u r own g re at c o u n try . N evertheless, the
sp e ll of th is place h a s alw ay s been upon us, the spell of its prestige.
Now th a t its venerable w a lls are doomed to f a ll, I c an n o t help expressing
a fe elin g o f personal p rid e th a t I have been on a few occasions p erm itted
to a d d m y nam e to th e lis t o f th a t w orthy g roup of men who have preached
w ith ’n these w a lls. And w h a t a g roup of m en th ey have been, and for
w h at fine id ea ls, a f te r a ll, have they stood ?
T he South P lace C hapel (or the South P la c e In stitu te , as we have
lea rn ed o f la te to c a ll it) has alw ay s stood fo r w ell-defined id ea ls. I t has
c h an g e d in the th in g s i t ’has advocated, but it h a s never been in a n y doubt
as to w hat it stood for a t an y p a r tic u la r tim e. It has stood, I say, for
w ell-considered id ea ls, for tr u th w ith o u t fe a r oi lim ita tio n . I t has stood
fo r the d ig n ity o f doubt a n d fo r the co u rag e o f dissent. It has stood for
th e Gospel o f H um an W orth, an d fo r grow th e v erlastin g . In a ll its phases
of developm ent it has h a d those id ea ls q u ite c le a rly before its mind'.
T h ere have been other churches, of course, whose m em bers have held the
tenets o f th eir c h u rch w ith e q u a l ferv o u r to th at w ith w hich the m em bers
of th is place have held the facts th a t have been preached from th is p la tfo rm ,
but th ere has been no c h u rch in o u r c o u n try th a t h a s h a d such m agnificent,
such c o n stan t an d sp le n d id to le ratio n as th e South P lace C h u rch , or C hapel,
h as h ad . A ll th a t it has asked a m an th a t has stood on th is p la tfo rm has
been th a t he should speak th e best tru th th a t he knew. I f a m an w as a
s p iritu a l outcast, a n in te lle c tu a l outcast, a c reed al outcast from some other
c h u rc h , th a t seemed the best reason in the w orld w hy he should be invited
as a guest here. It m ig h t be sa id o f.p e o p le of th a t k in d , as S outhey said
o f the re fu g e e : W hen th ey touched th is p la tfo r m th ey w ere free.
I ask you to re a lise how m agnificent has been the c ourage, the tolerance,
the g re a t re fo rm in g zeal o f the Society, the C en ten ary o f whose b u ild in g
we a r e now c ele b ra tin g . F ox a n d h is people stood, as you have been
rem inded to -n ig h t, fo r C ath o lic em an cip atio n . T h ey w ere not C atholics,
but they knew th a t C atholics, as citizen s o f th is C ountry, h a d r ig h ts an d
p riv ile g e s e q u al to those of a n y other sect in th is com m unity. A g re at
m oral gesture, m y frie n d s, in tim es lik e th is, a gesture w hich o u r C ath o lic
fellow -citizens have never a p p rec ia ted , a n d a gesture w hich they w ill alm ost
c e rta in ly never reciprocate. Fox, a n d South P la ce C hapel, stood also for
C h u rch R eform . It seems alm ost im p e rtin e n t in the days o f D ean In g e
to suggest th a t the C hurch ever needed re fo rm , but in those days there were
a g re at m any reform s needed th a t I have not tim e even to enum erate
to -n ig h t. B ut th is place, alm ost u n d e r th e shadow of St. P a u l ’s, pleaded
th at, how ever w rong the C h u rch m ig h t be in the d octrines it ta u g h t, a t
lea st it ou g h t to be d em o n strativ ely cleaT. It o u g h t to p u t in o rd e r its
own house before it lectu red o th er people too severely for th e ir fa u lts.
D r. Conw ay, and h is frie n d s in th is b u ild in g , protested a g a in st
im prisonm ent of people of th is a n d o th er com m unions fo r re fu s a l to pay
C h u rch R ates, and one o f m y first v isits to th is place w as w hen I cam e
to h e ar D r. C onw ay preach an d protest a g a in st the im prisonm ent for
B lasphem y o f M r. Foote an d h is frie n d s. It m ight be said th a t on those
m atters never h as a fa lse m oral note issued from th is p la tfo rm .
T h is
com m unity w as the first to petitio n P a rlia m e n t fo r the a b o litio n o f the
D eath P e n a lty fo r T h eft. It w as the first to protest a g a in s t th e oppression
of wom en, a n d to plead th a t school in stru ctio n be given to the young of
both sexes. W hen Fox w as the M em ber fo r O ld h am , he used h is sp le n d id
pow ers of rh e to ric, in seconding H u g h e s’ m otion, to try to p e rsu a d e the
House o f Com mons to a g ree to a n extension of the fran c h ise . O ne m ig h t
go on, illu s tra tin g , by nam es o f the m en who have stood on th is p la tfo rm ,
th e continuous e ndeavour th a t h a s been m ade to w iden the o p p o rtu n ities for
m an an d to rem ove p o litica l an d social b a rrie rs to h is developm ent. T he
South P lace In stitu te has been first in its revolt a g a in s t ty ra n n y , and
b ig o try and oppression. I t has been first in the dem and fo r w id er o p p o r
tu n itie s for m an. It has been first in its a sse rtio n of the p rin c ip le s o f
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freedom o f th o u g h t a n d o f expression. T h e o ld South P la ce is about to
d i e ; L ong liv e S outh P la ce !
We a re liv in g in different tim es now fro m those w hen F ox began h is
w ork in th is b u ild in g . I f he h ad to s ta rt hm w ork a fre sh , I am not so
sure th a t he w ould meet w ith the sam e success th a t he h ad 100 y e ars ago
A few people w ould be lo y al to h im ; they w ould r a lly ro u n d him a n d give
th e ir help a n d th e ir tru st, but the g re a t m ajo rity w ould say : “ O h yes, he
talk s w ell enough, o f c o u rse ; he is som etim es in te restin g , but I have a ja z z
T ea o r a N ig h t C lub to a tte n d , a n d I h a v e n ’t tim e fo r th in g s like th at ”
W e, speakers, w ere fated to be born a fte r o u r tim e, a n d yet we do not lose
hope a b o u t the fu tu re o f South P lace, fo r some d a y th e people w ill r a lly
once m ore to the spoken w ord, a n d if th is Society c a rrie s on the tra d itio n s
of the past w hen it moves in to a n o th e r neighbourhood, it w ill c a rry w ith it
the elem ents o f success. F o r i f C iv ilisa tio n is to go on, b u ild in g s, in s titu
tions, societies like th is w ill be m ore a n d m ore needed. T hey w ill be
re q u ire d to stoke up th e fires of m oral en th u sia sm w hich seem to die down
so easily, a n d I hope th at one g re at tra d itio n o f South P lace w ill alw ay s
be kept going. I t w ill pro v id e a hearth sto n e, a n open door, so th a t the
m an who has a n y th in g to say c an come th ere an d say it. L et him not be
cast out because he preaches som ething u n p o p u la r ; let it co n tin u e to say,
as it a lw a y s has : “ L et us h e ar w h at th is new doctrin e is w hereof thou
speakest.”
It is not m y business to advise those who a re responsible fo r the fu tu re
of th is Society w hat th ey should do. I can n o t h elp h o p in g th a t in th eir
w isdom , th e ir open in g C elebration o f th a t in stitu tio n w ill, ’a t least
in clu d e a g re a t C onference o f a ll those who accept ou r p rin c ip le s or who
sym pathise an d a d h ere to our w ay o f th in k in g an d outlook upon life , th a t
we m ay use th a t as a g re at occasion fo r re -sta rtin g o u r movem ent, upon
w ide, a n d deep, an d su re r lines.
’
T h e C h a i r m a n , in a n n o u n cin g M rs. F le tc h e r Sm ith,
sa id :I know y o u
w ill give a sp e c ia lly w arm welcom e to, I w ill not say “ o ur old frie n d ”
fo r she never grow s o ld , but to c u r ever yo u n g frie n d .
M r s . F l e t c h e r S m it h
I have to speak o f persons connected w ith
South P la ce who were M em bers. It is very difficult to go back some seventy
y ears and te ll you a ll about them in ten m inutes.
T he first person who re a lly affected me, w ho w as a M em ber, was
W illia m L ovett. H e sat over th e re by G. ] . H olyoake’s bust, a n d I was
very m uch im pressed by him . H e w as a C h a rtist, and had suffered in
h e alth th ro u g h being in priso n . H e ta u g h t me to ch an g e m y views e n tirely
about C h a rtists. H e w as c h a rm in g , a gentlem an o f the kindest. I do not
know if an y o n e here knew him . O u r C h a irm a n knows a ll h is h isto ry
He
w as a n E d u ca tio n ist, an d h a d classes a t St. M a rtin ’s H a ll. H e ta u g h t on
lin e s th a t E d u c a tio n a lists now are fu m b lin g over.
l i e was one of the
kindest a n d gentlest o f men.
I m ust say th a t I w as h e re before he cam e. I was here in the old
days th a t o u r C h a irm a n spoke of w hen th e re w as a U n ita ria n M in ister,
but I d id not le a rn m uch from them .
T he next person w ho interested me very m uch w as B enjam in W ard
R ich ard so n . H e w as a genius, who w rote “ T h e C ity o f H y g e ia .’* He
w as a m ost d e lig h tfu l speaker.
T hen th ere w as A lexander J. E llis , a good m an he was. W hat he d id n ’t
know about la n g u a g es an d m usic, I suppose w a sn ’t w orth know ing.
T h en , in the e a rly sixties, cam e D r. C onw ay, who gave us w hat those
I have m entioned w ere u n a b le to do : the w hole o f h is tim e an d e n erg y .
H is tea ch in g a n d influence, w ith th at of h is c h arm in g w ife, rem ain w ith
me as d e ar an d b e a u tifu l m em ories.
T here w as d e ar M rs. M a n sfo rd , w ith h e r sons and d a u g h te r, who sat
in th e seat n e ar w here M rs. C onw ay used to sit an d h old h e r little C ourt
on Sunday^ m o rn in g s. W hen we lost M rs. Conw ay, M rs. M ansford often
Received frie n d s , a n d g re a tly I enjoyed talk s w ith her.
A m ong other p e rso n alitie s, p le a sin g m em ories rise of D r. C oupland,
a u th o r of “ T h o u g h ts a n d A sp ira tio n s o f the A g es,” w ho gave us m any
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fine discourses, a n d who assisted in in a u g u ra tin g the C onw ay M em orial
L ectures.
W illia m S heow ring, w ith C. W . T h ies, w as in stru m e n tal in sta rtin g
S u n d a y A fternoon L ectures, an d a lso o rig in a te d th e idea of “ T h e R eligious
System s of the W o rld .” T he South P la ce M agazine w as ed ited by W . J.
R eynolds a n d John H . K. T o d d . M r. T heodore W rig h t e d ite d the “ Lessons
in 1882-3 fo r th e D ay ” by D r. C onw ay. M r. C laren ce S eyler an d H a ro ld
S eyler d id sp le n d id w ork fo r South P lace. W illia m C ockburn too. To
H . G. M orris we owe o u r e le c tric lig h t, an d to M r. M arsh w e owe our
h e a tin g fu rn ac e . T h ere w as C. D. C ollet, w ho w orked to free new spapers
from stam p d u ty . M ark E . M arsden in a u g u ra te d th e Soirees, when th e pews
an d p u lp it w ere rem oved. John L yon, w ho w as am ong the e a rlie r Members,
w as fined o r im p riso n ed , I believe, because he protested a g a in s t C h u rc h
R ates. A ll d id m uch tow ards the m ain ten an ce o f o u r freedom , w hich at
one tim e w as in d a n g er.
P e ter T a y lo r a n d P .A. T a y lo r, h is son, w ere both M em bers o f P a r l ia
m ent, I thin k . P eter T a y lo r, w ith C h a rle s D ilk e a n d G. O. T rev e ly a n ,
alw ay s voted a g a in s t R oyal G ra n ts. T h ey w ere, I believe, fo r y ears th e
o n ly men who d id so.
M iss Em m a P hip so n founded a G ir ls ’ C lub in South P la c e on th e lines
o f C hesterton H ouse G ir ls ’ C lub. M iss Josephine T ro u p discoursed sweet
m usic to us, and we m iss h e r g re a tly . T hen there w as R obert B row ning,
a n d seeing h im I w an ted , o f course, to re ad h is works.
I a lw ay s f e lt th a t some of the people who cam e to jo in d id not come in
the r ig h t s p irit. T h ey cam e w ith th e id ea : “ O h, th a t is not r i g h t ; I m ust
try an d get them to a lte r th a t ,” instead of sa y in g : “ W h at a p riv ile g e it
is to be received like th is, a n d to h e a r w h at we do h e a r from th e p la tfo rm .”
South P la ce has been to m e an e ducation a n d in sp ira tio n . I t h a s been
a lso to me a hom e, s p iritu a l an d social. I t w ould take me a ll th e evening
to tell you the benefits I have d erived from th is place. I am very so rry
the C hapel is oom ing down.
I cannot speak o f those whom I see now here. I have spoken o f those
who have passed. T h in k w h a t it h a s been fo r a young m em ber to know
a ll about those people. I m ay have le ft some out. I do feel th a t I cannot
say e n o u g h o f th e influence th a t South P la c e has been to me fo r over
seventy years.
It h as been d e lig h tfu l.
“ K eep y o u r lig h t b u rn in g ! ”
W a s n ’t th a t the la s t w ord of C onw ay? I d id not lik e to b rin g th e book to
quote, b u t
“ A lw ays keep yo u r lig h t b u rn in g ” is w hat I rem em ber in
h is F a re w ell D iscourse.
M r. C. J. P o l l a r d (who was a nnounced to speak as the rep resen tativ e
o f the T ru stees a n d G eneral Com m ittee) sa id : T h e C om m ittee o f South
P la ce E th ic a l Society, fo r whom I have th e p riv ile g e o f being the spokesm an
th is evening, a re ex ceed in g ly g ia te fu l to M r. R obertson a n d the other
em inent speakers. W e g re a tly a p p rec ia te th e ir frie n d s h ip a n d th e ir support.
T h ey have given us very v a lu a b le h e lp in o ur C en ten ary C elebration in
th is “ d in g y old h a l l ,” as it w as c a lle d la s t week, but since it h a s been
in the h a n d s o f the D ecoration C om m ittee w e cannot c a ll it th at. I have
a lw ay s p re fe rre d to c a ll it our d e ar o ld M eeting Place.
T o -n ig h t South P la ce is in ju b ila n t s p irit. W e c a r ry w ith p rid e the
m antle placed upon our sho u ld ers by th e p ast, an d we look fo rw a rd w ith
b rig h t hopes to the fu tu re . T h is m agnificent g a th e rin g is a s tirrin g event
an d a sp le n d id encouragem ent. O u r h isto ry is being finely celebrated an d
o u r a ctiv ities sy m p a th e tic ally recounted in th e v ario u s speeches to w hich
we have the p lea su re o f liste n in g . T he h e a lth y state of our v ita lity is
dem onstrated by th e g lo ry of to -n ig h t’s m eeting, an d the new South P lace,
in m y vision o f th e com ing y e ars, beckons to us c h eerily , b a sin g its
optim ism on our d oings in the p a st an d on th e evidence o f sound life our
p resen t existence e xhibits.
W e a re sp e c ia lly fo rtu n a te in h a v in g M r. R obertson as o u r C h airm an
th is evening. T h e view s o f m any o f u s w ere influenced a n d c larified years
ago by th e w ritin g s o f " J . M. R .” in C h a rle s B ra d la u g h ’s “ N a tio n a l
R eform er ” a n d in other jo u rn a ls. W e m ust a ll feel stim u la te d by the
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exam ple o f M r. R obertson’s continuous w ork a ll h is life in the cause o f
“ free e n q u iry a n d the rig h t o f re lig io u s lib e rty ,” to use th e w ords o f
W illia m Johnson Fox in h is O p en in g A ddress in the y e ar 1817 to our
predecessors, th e co n g reg a tio n o f P a rlia m e n t C ourt C hapel, A rtille ry L ane
B ishopsgate.
T h e d u ty we have now before us, a d u ty set in h ig h re lie f by the g lory
o f to -n ig h t’s C elebration, is to c a rry on the tra d itio n s of South P lace
w o rth ily , to m ake the best use o f th e in h e rita n c e in o ur h a n d s, an d to
p rovide a new H om e fo r th e Society, a hom e w hich sh a ll afford fa c ilitie s
fo r the f u ll expression of o u r e n th u siasm a n d the greatest o p p o rtu n ities for
th e extension o f o ur influence. W e a re not a Society concerned to make
m oney, but as D r. C onw ay w ittily expressed it, “ A lth o u g h money is not
the one th in g n e ed fu l, it is one n e ed fu l th in g .” In th is connection o ur
Society is m ore fo rtu n a te ly placed th an o th er bodies. We have bought the
free h o ld site a t Red L ion S quare. H o lb o rn , on w hich we propose to erect
the new South P lace. T h e T rustees of the Society have in h a n d a nucleus,
a p p ro x im ate ly , o f ^£31,000, but th is sum , a lth o u g h a la rg e one, is not
sufficient to b u ild a n d e q u ip th e necessary prem ises fo r the fu lfilm en t of
o u r aim s. W e have not o nly to pro v id e fo r o u r own S u n d ay M orning
Services, S u n d a y E v en in g C oncerts, Week N ig h t M eetings, Social F u nctions,
L ib ra ry , R e ad in g Room, R efreshm ent Room, an d o th er offices, but we hope
a ls o to be in a p osition to offer su itab le a n d w o rth y accom m odation for
H e a d q u a rte rs fo r th e E th ic a l M ovem ent, an d a co n g en ial rendezvous for
v isito rs from the provinces an d from a b ro ad . In a d d itio n to the cost of
p ro v id in g these prem ises, we have also to consider se rio u sly the question
o f a n E ndow m ent F u n d . W ith o u t a n E ndow m ent F u n d , it w ould be reck
less to proceed to the fu ll w ith our schemes, fo r, in a ll p ro b a b ility we
s h a ll be subjected to severe financial stress in the tra n sitio n p eriod between
le a v in g th is C hapel an d re -e sta b lish in g ourselves in o ur new home w ith the
la rg e ly increased m em bership ro ll w h ich o u r m uch h e av ier expenses w ill
dem and.
N or w ould it be f a ir to spend a ll o ur c a p ita l an d leave the
Society w ith o u t reserves. W e, th ere fo re, a p p eal to o ur w ell-w ishers to con
trib u te generously, each according to h is m eans, to our C en ten ary C e le b ra
tion A ppeal F u n d . I m ig h t m ention, as a h o p efu l b e g in n in g , th a t one
frie n d here, a M em ber o f the Society, h as prom ised the sum o f ^£200. Also I
am pleased to say th a t o u r frie n d s , the E th ic a l U nion, have consented ’to
co-operate w ith us in the issue o f a fu rth e r A ppeal. T o -n ig h t th ere has
been a p re lim -n a ry A ppeal placed in your seats. W e consider th is F u n d
to be a m atter o f v ita l im portance. I f we o b tain the am ount desired we
c an go fo rw a rd w ith co u rag e and wi*h confidence. In h e lp in g us i n ’th is
w ay, you m ay be sure th a t th e E th ic al M ovement in E n g la n d w ill as a
re su lt, possess a H om e whose influence w ill be a pow er in the lan d *
In conclusion, I w ish to say, on b e h a lf o f South P lace E th ic al Society
th a t, a lth o u g h w e m ust keep u p o u r in d iv id u a l existence, yet a t the sam e
tim e we f u lly recognise th a t o u r possessions m ust be re g ard e d also in the
lig h t o f a T ru st to be used fo r the fu rth e ra n c e of th e w hole E th ic a l Move
m ent a n d o f the w hole body o f F o rw a rd R e lig io u s T h o u g h t.
(A sh o rt in te rv a l th en ensued fo r conversation a n d refreshm ents.)
T he pro ceed in g s recom m enced by
T he C h a i r m a n ’ s announcem ent th a t a m essage from M r. S. K . R atcliffe
h ad been expected, te llin g the M eeting som ething o f the connection between
th is c o u n try an d the U n ited States, but th a t the le tte r m ust have m issed the
m ail.
.
M iss R a w lin g s then read the fo llo w in g very in te re stin g m essage from
th e d a u g h te r o f M oncure C onw ay, M rs. C onw ay S aw yer :
N ew York, J a n u a ry , 1924.
D e a r S o u t h P l a c e S o c ie t y ,
N o th in g fo r years h a s m ade me so u n h a p p y as not being w ith you
a t th is celeb ratio n .
I have a lw a y s fe lt, th a t w ith the exception of m y M other, you a t
S outh P la ce knew m y F a th e r better th an anyone. H e cam e to you a t
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th irty -o n e years of age, a n d gave you the best th a t w as in him . E ach
week he discussed w ith you the most im p o rta n t th in g s in h is m in d ,
g iv in g you h is m ost m atu re a n d ad vanced th o u g h t, fo r he w as a m an
w ho never stood s till
I loved a n d a p p rec ia ted h im , as few d id , but
I w as too young to re alise h is g re a t b ra in , a n d he an d I cam e nearest
to g eth er, w hen on re stin g from w ritin g , I w ould p la y him some m elodies
o f M ozart, a com poser we n ever tire d of.
O ne o f the a sto n is h in g th in g s in m y F a th e r ’s lif e w as the ra p id
an d tiem endous b ro a d en in g of h is m ind. W e who w ere b ro u g h t up in
com p arativ e m ental lib e rty can h a rd ly re alise how long it takes to get
cu t o f m ental r u t s ; but th in k w here m y fa th e r sta rte d . H e w rites in h is
d ia ry in 1851 :
“ A ug. 11—W ent to S a n d y S p rin g s. In the aftern o o n w ent over to
R oger B rooke’s. W e spent the ev en in g con v ersin g on T heology. I was
p e rfe c tly fascin ated w ith h im .”
A nd la te r he goes on to say th at R oger Brooke asked him w h a t he
w ould do if he found th a t the S p irit d id n ’t m eet h im next day in h is
p u lp it, a n d P a p a re p lied :
“ I should th in k G od’s arm w a sn ’t shortened th a t h e could not
save, no r h is ear heavy th a t he c o u ld n ’t h e a r, but th a t m y in iq u itie s
h a d sep arated betw een H im a n d me. So I sh o u ld p ra y u n til he c am e.”
A gain on A ug. 31 :
“ H a d a c h arm in g L ove F e a st. I fe lt fu ll o f the S p irit. I spoke
u n d e r th e S p irit. A fte rw ard s I w as m uch affected by B ro th er W -----com ing a n d p u ttin g h is arm a ro u n d me a n d sa y in g , ‘ O, M onc, I d id n ’t
know how m uch T loved you t il l I h e a rd you say w ith tea rs in your
ey es,11 feel so feeb le.’ ”
A g a in Sept. 7 :
“ A g re a t crow d on th e C am p G rounds. A ll got w et, it ra in e d a ll
d ay. P reached in a tent in the aftern o o n . H a d a m o u rn e r.”
V ery few of us to-day w ere born in such n a rro w d ogm atic p a th s,
a n d here is the sam e m an w r itin g in 1904 :
“ T he F re e th in k e r is th a t m an who welcom es ev ery teacher, but
c a lls no m an m aste r.”
“ T hey accept the facts o f science, but science can give them n o th in g
fin al, the seem ing solid facts of to-day m ay be a ll flouted by new facts
discovered to-m orrow . W e can n o t, th ere fo re, com pete w ith the o rg a n i
sations founded on dogm a. T hose a re fo r people who have a d jo u rn e d
th e ir lives to a n o th e r w orld. T h e fre e th in k e r considers o n ly the w orld
he is in, he has a ll the heaven th ere is a n d aim s to m ake the m ost o f i t . ”
H e often used to say to me, “ D o n ’t try an d take a w ay an y o n e’s
b e lie f from them i f it m akes them h a p p y , b u t i f an y o n e is in doubt or
trouble, help them to see the T r u th .” H is doctrin e w as, “ L ive and
let liv e ,” an d he preached eve^y d a y w h at he th o u g h t to be the tru th ,
even if it c o n tra d ic ted w h a t he h a d p re ac h ed the d ay before. A nd
d o n ’t fo rg et his M otto :
“ T o th in e own se lf be tru e , a n d it m ust follow as the n ig h t the
d a y thou c an st not then be fa lse to an y m a n .”
(Signed)
M il d r e d C o n w a y S a w y e r .
M r. F . J. G o u l d . — I th in k , F rie n d s, w h a t I have to say m ig h t alm ost
tak e the form of a story. N ot f a r from here, in H olborn, a lec tu re r, very
eloquent an d very in stru ctiv e, used to a d d ress crow ds o f w ork in g men from
tim e to tim e. A g re at m any o f them w ere C h a rtists, H e talk e d of Science,
P o litic s, P o etry —very often o f P o e try —but every now and then he gave a
most excellent lec tu re on E d u ca tio n . H e w as a m an w ho advocated com
p u lso ry S ecular E d u ca tio n . W e h a d E d u ca tio n c o m pulsory in 1870, but
not S ecu lar. T h is w as in 1845, an d th is w as the so rt of th in g he told th e
w o rk in g m en. “ In a ll c o u n trie s ,” he sa id , “ the object o f N a tio n a l
E d u ca tio n should be to form the M an a n d the C itiz e n .” I do not th in k we
c o u ld very m uch im prove on th a t statem ent o f the object of E d u ca tio n to
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d ay. As a g a in s t C leric alism , he sa id : “ I object to S ectarian ism in
E d u c a tio n .” A nd th en he used th is illu s tra tio n in su p p o rt o f his thesis :
“ A ll E d u ca tio n fo r a ll C itizens should be open. W e a ll have the enjoym ent
o f the free a ir o f heaven. E d u ca tio n is a lso a social an d n a tu ra l r ig h t
a n d blessing.
E d u ca tio n fo r a ll w ill be a victo ry m ore glo rio u s th an
T r a f a lg a r o r W aterloo, better th a n P a rlia m e n ta ry R eform , better th a n the
E m a n cip a tio n o f Slaves, fo r it w ill be th e R eform o f Society a n d the
E m a n cip a tio n of th e M in d .” T h a t L ec tu re r w as W illia m Johnson Fox.
At the tim e th a t he spoke to the w orking men a t H olborn, he h ad been
P a sto r o f th is C hapel tw enty-one years. A few y ears a fte r th a t he became
M .P . fo r O ld h am in L a n c ash ire . T h ree y e ars a fte r th a t he b ro u g h t in a
B ill fo r C om pulsory S ecu lar E d u ca tio n w hich, of course, d id not pass, but
th a t show ed the s p irit of th e m an.
Ju st a t th a t very tim e, in the U n ited States, the notables a n d fa th e rs
o f the State of V irg in ia h ad assem bled tog eth er to fram e w hat they c alled
a N ew C o n stitu tio n fo r the S tate o f V irg in ia . O ne of the topics th a t very
m uch exercised th e ir m inds w as th a t o f E d u ca tio n . I t w as suggested th at
E ducation sh o u ld be free. A g re a t m any, I th in k , w ere opposed to th at.
1 h is w as in 1850, ju s t a t the tim e w hen W illia m Johnson Fox w as
en d ea v o u rin g to p ersu ad e the H ouse o f Com mons to pass h is own B ill. A
young m an of eighteen b ro u g h t out a p am p h let, a young m an o f the
D ickinson C ollege. I t w as a v ery good p a m p h le t, very w ell w ritte n . I t
w as in fa v o u r of the free ed u catio n of the c h ild re n o f V irg in ia . A m ongst
o th er th in g s, he m entioned the a g ita tio n th a t w as going on in th is country.
“ H ere are crow ds of people in M anchester, L eeds, D erby, an d York, a ll
w illin g to su p p o rt M r. Johnson Fox, the Member fo r O ld h am .
W hy
should we not take the sam e lin e h e r e ? ” T h is young fellow o f eighteen
m ade th is excellent statem ent, su itab le fo r S ocialists (and I d o n ’t suppose
a sin g le in d iv id u a l h ere w ill object) : “ I t is the in terest of every member
of the com m unity th a t every other m em ber thereof should be e d u c a te d .”
T h a t w as re a lly ex cellen t. T h a t young fellow , ag ed eighteen, who w as
teach in g th e fa th e rs o f V irg in ia th e ir d u ty in social progress, was M oncure
D a n ie l Conw ay. T h a t w as before he became a M ethodist M in ister.
In 1863, a s you have a lre a d y h e a rd , he cam e over here, a n d , o f course
interview ed W illia m Johnson Fox, w ho w as then about seventy-seven years
of age, th e y e ar before Fox died. M oncure C onw ay leaves th is very vivid
p ictu re o f h is old frie n d . H e is speak in g o f W illia m Johnson Fox as he
met him in 1863. “ A b e a u tifu l and g racio u s old m an he w as, w ith w in n in g
face, so lt eyes, flow ing w hite locks, re m a in in g a p ic tu ie in my m em ory,
but, h a d I known as m uch o f him as I know now, I w ould have clasped
his knees.” So C onw ay spoke o f Fox. H e very nobly c a rrie d on the g reat
tra d itio n s o f th is Society. T h at w as the m ost b r illia n t tim e th at Freeth o u g h t h ad in th is c o u n try , I th in k . I rem em ber, som ew here about 1884__
I w as a B oard School teacher th en —I used to take a w alk from the school
I w as engaged in a t B ethnal G reen. O ne m o rning I h ad the “ D a ily
N ew s,” a n d it _took me a ll the tim e to read the m ost ex cellent re p o rt o f a
lecture on the H isto ry o f L ondon given on th is p la tfo rm by D r. Conw ay.
I t n e a rly covered a w hole page of th e 1' D a ily N ew s.” I hope the interest
in Red L ion S q u a re w ill be g re at enough to get as am ple space as D r.
C onw ay did.
T he subjects th a t w ere d e alt w ith in th is place p ra c tic a lly covered
ev ery th in g th a t in te rest m an k in d — H isto ry in a ll its in n u m erab le p h a se s,
the E m an cip atio n o f Slaves, the E m an cip atio n o f the H um an M ind, the
S u n d a y O p en in g o f In stitu tio n s, p u b lic in stitu tio n s like the B ritish M useum
a n d the N a tio n a l G a lle ry . In th a t m ovem ent C onw ay w as associated w ith
the late D ean S tanley. As to A rt, C onw ay’s w ords are c o n stan tly com ing
back a g a in . Once he alm o st became flam boyant in h is poetical reference
to hum an n a tu re .
H e used the D a rw in ia n ph rase, spoke o f lif e as a
“ stru g g le fo r existen ce,” a sort o f tu rb id stream . T hen, said C onw ay,
“ In th a t tu rb id stream o f stru g g le fo r existence, he is drow ned who is not
h e ld up e v ery d a y by com m union w ith B e a u ty .” I t w as very c h a ra c te ristic
of Conw ay.
As lo South P la ce L ectu rers, a p a rt from Conw ay, I can o n ly ju st
m ention a very lim ite d c atalo g u e : M ax M u ller, T y n d a ll, H u x le y . P e rh a p s
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15
the g reatest o f the topics o f those tim es w as th a t o f “ R elig io u s System s of
the W o rld ,” a fte rw a rd s p u b lish ed in a very a d m ira b le book, an d lectures
on N a tio n a l L ife a n d T h o u g h t. T h en , I th in k th a t in F e b ru a ry , 1883,
1 sa t dow n there, an d h e ard M rs. B esant lec tu re here on E volution in some
sense, the D a rw in ia n sense a s f a r as I recollect. C onw ay presided on th at
occasion forty-one years ago.
O f course, th e U n ited States h as never forgotten C onw ay, nor w as he
forg o tten by the people connected w ith h is old college, D ickinson
C ollege. A ric h m an gave the necessary m oney in o rd e r th a t a h a ll m ig h t
be erected in P e n n sy lv a n ia in m em ory of Conw ay. H e said he w ould only
su p p ly it i f it w as c a lle d Conw ay H a ll. H e sa id he d id th a t in recognition
o f C onw ay’s g re a t services in the realm of L etters, of R eform , an d of
H u m a n ita ria n E ffort. I th in k th a t sim ple p h ra se v e ry s u ita b ly describes
C onw ay’s c a re er in both A m erica an d E n g la n d .
I m ay ju s t m ention one personal rem iniscence.
On one occasion
C onw ay an d I d id speak together, not on the b r illia n t em inence of th is
p la tfo rm , but a t the re a d in g desk placed
below th e p la tfo rm . A crow d of
c h ild re n w ere g athered from the vario u s E th ic a l S u n d a y Schools from a ll
over L ondon, in c lu d in g a little g roup o f S o cialists from M rs. G r a y ’s
c la ss a t B attersea. As
fa r as m y m em ory goes, it w as th e y ear
1896 or thereabouts. I
cannot rem em ber w h at w as o ur p a rtic u la r
subject th at m o rn in g , but
I guess every c h ild who w as th ere —
some m ay be here th is evening w ho w ere p resen t on th a t occasion, a n d
who w ould be grow n up to m id d le a g e now, o f course—w ill rem em ber
C onw ay’s look a n d the s p ir it in w hich he spoke. H e spoke a d m ira b ly out
o f an a d m ira b le soul. As I rem em ber him I can see him now. I t seems
to me he w as sh a p in g in h is old age in a w ay w hich re ca lle d h is ow n
d escrip tio n o f W illia m Johnson Fox. H is serene face a n d flow ing w hite
locks rem ain a p ictu re in th e m em ory. C onw ay w as a first-ran k H u m an ist.
H e had a noble m essage fo r people o f m a tu re m in d s and fo r young people.
T he C h a irm a n then c a lle d upon “ My old frie n d and co m ra d e,” M r s .
B o n n e r , who
sa id .— I t seems to me th is evening th a t th is p la t
form is som ew hat in th e n a tu re o f a c onfessional box. As th a t is so, I am
a f r a id I sh a ll have to content m y self w ith com ing in to the v eteran class,
because m y first y e ar of definite recollection of South P la ce dates back
fifty years. In 1874 it w as a rra n g e d th a t a six n ig h ts ’ D ebate should be
h e ld between m y fa th e r a n d the Rev. B rew in G ra n t a t the Bow an d B rom ley
In stitu te , and D r. C onw ay k in d ly consented (he h ad been ten years M in ister
o f 1his C hapel, as it w as then) to tak e the c h a ir. W hen the fifth evening
cam e, how ever, speakers, an d c h a irm a n , an d audience were assem bled, but
they found th a t th e doors of the Bow an d B rom ley In stitu te were closed
a g a in s t them . In consequence of th is , fre sh a rra n g e m e n ts fo r debate were
m ade, and it w as th ro u g h the generosity o f D r. C onw ay an d th e b ro a d
m indedness o f th e South P lace C om m ittee it w as fixed th a t th a t D ebate
should be h eld in th is h a ll in th e fo llo w in g year. Now th a t debate, on its
own m erits, deserves to be fo rgotten. I have how ever, g re at p lea su re in
re c a llin g it because the fact th a t South P la ce should open its doors to m y
fa th e r a n d the reverend gentlem an who w as chosen to represent C h ris tia n ity ,
w hen other doors w ere closed a g a in st them , w as a ty p ical exam ple o f one
aspect (to m y m ind, not the lea st v a lu a b le aspect) of th e s p irit w hich has
p re v aile d in South P la ce r ig h t th ro u g h o u t its histo ry .
It is on th a t po in t th a t I have been asked to say a few w ords th is
evening, a lth o u g h I m ust confess th a t previous sfe a k e rs have taken m any
o f the flowers from m y basket th a t I should lik e to have show ered upon
you. W illia m Johnson F ox cam e to South P ia ce in 1824, 100 y ears ago.
H e b io u g h t to it a passion fo r lib e rty , fo r freedom , fo r defence o f free
speech. H e w as a U n ita ria n . H e w as not a F re e th in k e r; he w as not a
R a tio n a list in the m odern sense of the w ord, but we, w ho striv e to do w ork
in th e cause of R a tio n a list p ro p a g a n d a , can never fo rg et th a t Fox sat
th ro u g h o u t the w hole tria l of R ic h a rd C a rlile fo r the pu b licatio n o f P a in e ’s
“ Age of R eason.” H a v in g h e ard C a r lile ’s defence, an d h a v in g h e ard the
verd ict deliv ered , but before the m onstrous sentence w as pronounced, he
from h is p u lp it, gave a discourse in protest a t the prosecution of R ich ard
B radlaugh
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C a rlile . In th a t discourse he p u b lic ly declared th a t a ll shades of opinion
should have fre e expression, no m atter w hether the speaker w as C h ristia n ,
D eist, o r A theist. H e fu rth e r sa id th a t th ere w as no m edium in p rin c ip le
between the lib e rty o f a l l an d th e ty ra n n y of some. T h a t is the keynote
of the s p irit w hich p re v aile d a t South P la ce th ro u g h o u t its h isto ry , an d it
is th a t s p ir it w hich seems to me so v a lu a b le a p a r t of its w ork.
J u s t as we a.lways rem em ber th a t F ox p u b lic ly protested a g a in s t th e
prosecution o f R ic h a rd C a rlile , so a ls o we rem em ber th a t h is m uch-loved
successor, ou r d e ar frie n d M oncure C onw ay, in his tu rn protested p u b licly
a g a in s t th e sentence w hich w as passed on M r. Foote.
I t is very easy to ta lk in p ra is e o f free speech.
T o ta lk in
p ra ise of free speech is comm on enough, but South P lace in its h isto ry
has done m ore th a n ta lk . I t has p ra ctised as w ell as preached. It has
been here no case o f a n em pty benediction, o f a p a ssin g lip-service of
p ra ise, but a n y speaker w ho h a d a m essage to b rin g m ig h t be sure th a t in
th is h a ll he w ould have a courteous an d k in d ly h e a rin g . I f h is m essage
w as u n p o p u la r, then a ll the m ore reason w hy, in th is g re at c ity of ours,
th ere should be one place w here he co u ld count upon being listened to
a tte n tiv ely w ith o u t in te rru p tio n . T h a t does not m ean th at the Com m ittee
of S0Uth P la c e w ere in ag ree m e n t w ith th e sp e a k e r; not a t a l l ; but they
h e ld , as they s till h o ld , th a t th ere should be a free p la tfo rm fo r a ll shades
of opinion. T h e p la tfo rm sho u ld be free for the ’ ecent expression of every
d
shade o f opinion, w hatever it m ay be. I t has been c a rrie d out in th a t w ay
a ll th ro u g h its h isto ry —because South P la ce has h e ld , a n d s till h o ld s, to
its desire, to its fra c tic e o f th e r ig h t o f free e n q u iry , but it has also felt
th a t you can have no free e n q u iry w orth h a v in g unless you a re also w illin g
to give o p p o rtu n ity fo r f u ll an d free u tte ran c e to the answ ers to those
e n q u iries. In consequence, speakers a n d th in k e rs who have been excluded
elsew here, co u ld a lw a y s count upon th e h o sp ita lity o f th is p latfo rm . T here
has never been a n y b a r o f a n y k in d , no b a r o f c o lour, creed, class, or sex
p ro v id ed th e speaker h a d h is m essage to b rin g .
T o me it is a m atter o f pro fo u n d in terest to look back a n d to note some
o f the causes th a t have been pleaded in th is b u ild in g . P ro b a b ly the verv
e a rlie st advocacy by In d ia n s o f the m ovement for social and p o litica l
re fo im in In d ia took place in th is h a ll, advocacy voiced by such speakers
as the R a ia h R am m ohun R ay, K eshub C h u n d e r Sen, an d by th a t most
a d m ira b le m an an d eloquent p lea d er, whom m any o f u s w ill rem em ber
G opal K rish n a G okhale.
In d ia w as fo rtu n ate, in th at she could send h e r sons to plead h e r
cause. A fric a , less fo rtu n ate, found fo r its people d efenders, or those
who could voice th e ir a p p e a l, in th e ir E n g lish frie n d s . I d o ’ not know
w h eth er D r. Colenso ever cam e here. I th in k n o t; but m ost c e rta in ly h is
d a u g h te r, M iss H a rrie t Colenso (whom I am p roud to c laim as m y frien d )
cam e here an d spoke on b e h a lf o f the dispossessed M atabele, M ashona
an d Z ulu people, people who found in h e r a p lea d er, a n d to whom she and
h e r sister devoted th e ir lives. T h ere w as a n o th e r wom an who .also spoke
on b e h a lf o f the nativ e A frica n s, an o th e r frie n d o f m ine, M iss A lice
W ern er, to-day P ro fesso r o f S w ah ili a t the School o f O rie n ta l S tudies.
T h ey were not the o n ly women w ho have spoken here. N ot m any have
spoken o f th e women th is evening
N evertheless, r ig h t th ro u g h the H isto ry
o f South P lace, e ith e r fo r S u n d a y Services or for p u b lic m eetings from tim e
to tim e, there have been women speakers here. I f these w a lls could speak,
they w ould te ll us o f the c h arm o f F ran ces W rig h t, of the terse eloquence of
E rn e stin e Rose, o f M rs. E liz ab e th C ady S tanton, o f J u lia W ard How e, of
M rs. A nnie B esant, o f o th er speakers n e a re r o u r own tim e whose nam es
w ill occur re a d ily to y o u r m inds. In M r. Fox an d D r. Conw ay women
a lw ay s found sta u n ch frie n d s, ever re ad y to su p p o rt them in th e ir leg itim a te
a sp ira tio n s an d to encourage them in th e ir w ork.
So fo r 100 years, South P la c i has kept the flag o f free speech flying,
a n d never m ore sp le n d id ly th a n in tim es of storm an d stress, w hen we
h a rd ly d a red to th in k fie e ly , m uch less speak openly. T h ere m ust be m any
o f you h ere th is evening, 9ome o f you a t a n y ra te , who can re ca ll the
period o f the South A fric a n W ar, w hen it w as alm ost im possible to get a
h e a rin g fo r th at stream o f facts th a t w as so necessary to throw lig h t on
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CHAPEL.
the o rig in a n d conduct of th a t w ar, w hen a m an, such as M r. S chreiner,
w as denied a h e a rin g on an y p u b lic p la tfo rm save here, w here h is discourse
w as listened to from b e g in n in g to end w ith o u t the least d isturbance. T h is
record o f 100 y ears, a record w ith o u t break or sta in in defence o f free
speech, is a g re at h e rita g e , a n d one o f w hich we m ig h t a ll be intensely
p ro u d , no m atter w hether our p a r t w as g re a t or sm all. W e owe an immense,
debt to W illia m Johnson Fox fo r h a v in g la id dow n th a t p rin c ip le of
lib e rty of speech fo r a ll, a n d to D r. C onw ay a n d those associated w ith him
on so c o n sisten tly a p p ly in g th a t p rin c ip le .
N ow the tim e h a s come w hen South P lace, as we have know n it, w ill
be no m ore, but the o ld er w orkers o f South P la ce feel ju s tly p ro u d in
h a n d in g over th a t h e rita g e to the new gen eratio n , a n d th ey do it in tru st
an d confidence th a t th e new home w ill prove th a t c e n tra l pow er house, of
w hich M r. Hobson spoke, from w h ich w ill em anate new stream s of everin cre asin g good work such as h a s gone on before.
M r. R. D i m s d a l e S t o c k e r . — I feel it to be a g re a t p riv ile g e to speak
to -n ig h t on th is m em orable occasion. I have been asked in these rem arks
to deal w ith th e poetic associations o f th is South P la c e In stitu te . I sh a ll
attem pt, as f a r as I c an , to com ply w ith the request. I t m ay not be known
by everybody who is present to -n ig h t th a t am ong those w ho sat a t F o x ’s
feet w ere T hom as C am pbell, L eig h H u n t, M acready, th e acto r, H a rrie t
M a rtin e au , H elen F a u c it, an d R obert B ro w n in g .
A ll those, an d m any
o th e r lite ra ry personages, w ere in the h a b it of liste n in g to W illia m Johnson
Fox in th is place, a n d we m ust rem em ber th a t F ox w as a m an of the
greatest lite ra ry g ifts . In th e c a p a c ity o f E d ito r o f th e “ M onthly
R e p o sito ry ,” he gave the m ost p ra c tic a l encouragem ent to poets. Am ong the
co n trib u to rs w ere Ebenezer E llio tt, the C orn L aw R hym er, H a rrie t
M artin eau , a n d R obert B ro w n in g . In the L ife of W . J. Fox, R ich a rd
G a rn ett w rites “ P o e try claim ed a c onsiderable s h a re o f th e ‘ R e p o sito ry ,’
w hich, for a tim e, m ig h t alm ost be described as th e r a lly in g p o in t of the
young w rite rs of the p e rio d .” T h a t w as h ig h p raise. B ro w n in g , we m ust
rem em ber, w as b ro u g h t into prom inence th ro u g h W . J. Fox. B row ning
c o n trib u ted five poem s to th e “ R e p o sito ry .” H e w as review ed by Fox, and
a c tu a lly secured p u b lic a tio n fo r “ P a ra c e ls u s ” th ro u g h Fox.
T h ro u g h
Fox, B row ning ob tain ed an ir-tioduction to M acready, an d th is resulted
in a com m ission to w rite the p la y “ S tra ffo rd ,” w hich w as produced at
C ovent G ard en T h e a tre on M ay 1, 1837. B ro w n in g very fre q u e n tly
re fe rre d to Fox as h is fa th e r in poetry, su re ly a most fittin g desig n atio n .
B u t Fox, we m ust rem em ber, w as no m ere p a tro n of poets. He_ had
h is ow n g ifts , a n d w hen th e H y m n a l w as com piled in th e o ld days o f S a ra h
A dam s, th e w ork o f L ite ra ry E d ito r fe ll to h is lot. O u t o f the 150 pieces
w hich w ere selected fo r th a t co m p ilatio n , eleven of F o x ’s own c o n trib u tio n s
were in clu d ed . M any of these a r e s till sung :
“ M ake us a god, sa id m a n .”
“ A little c h ild in b u lru sh a r k .”
“ Jew s w ere w ro u g h t to cru el m ad n e ss.”
“ P ra is e to the heroes w ho struck fo r the r i g h t.”
I doubt w h eth er the solem n p rid e o f m oral en th u sia sm h a s ever found
g re ater expression th a n in th a t la s t poem.
M ention of the H ym nal re c a lls th e revered nam es o f the sisters E liz a a n d
S a ra h F low er. R ic h a rd G a rn ett speaks of E liz a as th e m ost d istin g u ish e d
wom an com poser of h e r day. S a ra h F low er, w ho subsequently became th e
w ife o f W illia m B. A dam s, is w ell know n as the a u th o r o f “ N e are r m y
God to T h e e .”
M oncure C onw ay w rote in h is A uto b io g rap h y th a t he
believed th e sisters in sp ire d B ro w n in g ’s “ P a u l in e ” a n d “ P ip p a P a sses,”
a n d R obert B ro w n in g g re a tly influenced the R a tio n a lism o f South P lace,
a n d , in c id e n ta lly , th e keen orthodoxy o f S a ra h F lo w er A dam s. “ S a ra h
F lo w e r ” — I am quo tin g from the A u tobiography— “ a sp ired to h e r God,
not e v erybody’s G o d ; b u t everybody is now sin g in g the hym n (‘ N e are r,
m y God, to T h e e ’), so m any years h e ard o n ly in o ur chap el. A nd p erh ap s
not one w ho sin g s it re alises th a t it w as w ritte n by a disbeliever in
C h r is tia n ity .”
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n r ™e nccm e ? e x t
M oncure D a n iel Conway. It is difficult to approach
D r. Conw ay from the point o f view from w hich I am speaking, because
one re alises th a t so m uch o f h is poetry w as expressed in the personal
c o n tact between h im self an d the people he met.
A nyone re a d in g the
A uto b io g rap h y re alises th a t it is, from s ta rt to finish, a poetic account of
h is experiences h is te rre s tria l p ilg rim a g e put into the m ost b e au tifu l
lan g u a g e.
B ut several o f M oncure C onw ay’s poems can be read and
am ong them we m ust m ake m ention o f his— “ A storm sped over sea and
lan d
in the H ym ns o f M odern T h o u g h t— I th in k s till sung as an anthem
B esides w ritin g verses, we m ust not fo rg et th a t M oncure C onw ay
ren d ered v a lu a b le services to the cause o f A rt, not m erely services of
a p p re c ia tin g B eauty, but of a c tu a lly do in g battle w ith the adverse forces
a g a in st A rt in life . H e w as in stru m e n tal in g e ttin g th e A rt G alleries
open on S u n d a y , a n d S u n d a y to-day is d ifferent from w hat it w as when
onw ay c a rrie d th ro u g h the task he h ad set h im self. C onw ay e q u ally
believed in th e pow er o f -the d ra m a in fu lfillin g the w ork th a t he h ad in
view. H e fe lt th a t th e d ra m a could do m uch th at, p erh ap s, eloquence
could not do. T hen a g a in we re a lise w ith w hat app reciativ en ess o f the
A rts Conw ay w as endow ed, w h at p ra c tic a l w ork he d id in su p p o rt o f the
m agnificent efforts m ade h ere to prom ote the cause o f m usic. South P lace
stan d s celebrated fo r its b e a u tifu l m usic, a n d M r. W a llis M ansford w rote to
500th C o n certemem
a tte n d in ?
his fa m ily the
A nother w ell-know n figure a t these concerts w as, o f course, M iss E m ily
Josephine T ro u p , a m ost accom plished m usician who took an im m ense
in te rest in o ur m usic and movem ent, an d w rote m usic to poetrv
She w ill
be recalled as a g ifte d p ia n ist, a n d she became, in C onw ay’s tim e w hat the
b low er sisters h ad been in th e d a y s of Fox.
’
. , l. fea.r th is survey, so incom plete, does scant ju stic e to the id ea th a t T
h ad in m in d . I m ust, how ever, conclude it.
1 should ju s t like, before I b rin g these rem arks to a close, to ask •
W hat do the th in g s I have been try in g to say su g g est? W h a t ’does this
a ssociation between th e cause o f A rt an d the cause of F re e th o u e h t real Iv
m ean to us? Does it not m ean, frie n d s, th a t the cause o f R atio n alism and
M o rality h as been prom oted as m uch by the c u ltu re of the em otions and the
elevation o f the fe elin g s as by the developm ent o f the in te lle c t? Does it
not m ean th a t to th in k rig h tly you m ust le a rn to feel rig h tly ? Does it
not m ean th at if you a re to h a v e elevated th o u g h ts, you m ust begin to have
th at q u a lity o f fe e lin g w hich w ill enable the m ind to grow and develop 5
It is q u ite tru e we R a tio n a lists talk of R elig io n as need in I X
s e a rc h lig h t o f honest th o u g h t, a g e n u in e ly e th ic al basis. W e no less need
in our R elig io n a m ore ad equate sense o f B eauty. W hereas people a re
d riv e n out o f the churches, not only by the bare, u n in te lle c tu a l appeal of
the dogm as but by th e hideousness o f the o ld fa ith , it has been the p riv ile g e
o f those w ho have m in istered h ere to present, not o n ly a more in te lle c tu a lly
s a tis fy in g fa ith , but in every w ay a m ore b e a u tifu l fa ith , a m ore livelV
fa ith , a m ore joyous fa ith
How m uch the w orld owes to the labours of
those w ho have striv en in th is place, anim ated by the a n g el h e a rt of m an to
make m en not o n ly m ore th o u g h tfu l and m ore sincere, but to m ake them m ore
responsive to th e ap p eal o f B eauty. T r u ly you have h ad w ith you here
men who have re alised th is need men who are a w a re th a t sw eetness as
w ell as lig h t is necessary fo r m an ’s life .
You a re lea v in g th is c h ap e l, but, rem em ber, the s p irit o f poetry w ill
en ab le you to re-create y o u r life , to m ake it rich e r, to m ake it better to
make it m ore b e a u tifu l, if only you c a rr y w ith you th is th o u g h t o f poetic
B eauty u n ite d w ith T ru th , a n d you know th a t the soul o f S outh P la ce
is not in c ru m b lin g w a lls but in th e ric h endeavour, th e h e a rtfe lt, sincere
lives o f those who a re p riv ile g e d to w ork together as M em bers o f such a
com m unity.
OF
SOUTH
PLACE
CHAPEL.
19
M r. F en to n then re ad th e fo llo w in g m essage from M r C. D e l i s l e
B u r n s , M .A ., who, th ro u g h illn e ss, w as u n a b le to a tte n d :
T H E NEW SO U TH PLACE.
T o p la n th e a ctiv ities o f the Society in its new b u ild in g seems
lik e g iv in g it p re -n a tal e x is te n c e ; fo r the Society w ill c e rta in ly have
a new b irth w hen it is e stab lish ed in R ed L io n S q u are. I t w ill be
m uch m ore in the p u b lic eye. Its tra d itio n w ill th ere fo re m ake a new
a p p ea l, a n d w ill be in te rp re te d in term s of the need o f a new g eneration.
T h e rig h t to reason o u t fo r ourselves w hatever solution is possible
o f the fu n d a m e n ta l problem s o f lif e has been secured.
C h ristia n
doctrines have been subm itted to c ritic ism even by those w ho profess
C h ris tia n ity ; a n d no sane m an w ould now deny th a t reason is th e test,
as it h as a lw a y s in fa ct been th e source, o f tru e belief. We do n6t
stan d fo r a n y p a rtic u la r conclusions. W e sta n d fo r the m ethod an d
a ttitu d e of reason, w hich governs conduct as it g u id es th o u g h t. W e
a re free now to reason an d to act upon th e re su lts of re aso n in g , in a
w ay in w hich ou r fo re fa th e rs w ere not free.
T he new South P lace m ust show w hat can be m ade of such freedom ,
l t m ust be the c en tre o f in sp ira tio n fo r a new a n d finer type of
c iv ilis a tio n th a n th a t supported by the C hurches. T he c iv ilis a tio n of
th e W est, w hich is som etim es called C h ristia n , is do m in an t in L ondon
a n d E n g la n d to -d a y ; but its c ritic s a re m any an d its d efen d e rs a re
in fu ll re tre at.
W hether its c h ie f defects a re du e to the d e cre p it
form s o f a n cien t re lig io n or to the m ere em ptiness o f th e a p p e tite fo r
w ealth an d pow er, c iv ilised lif e seems to lack th a t sp o n tan eity and
h a p p in e ss w hich e a rlie r c iv ilisa tio n s had.
T h ere a re tw o c h a ra c te ristic s o f the new s p irit w hich is now ris in g
up a g a in st th e d o m inant creeds a n d custom s. F ir s t, in te llig e n ce a n d
in te lle c tu a l v ita lity a re given a place w hich they w ere denied by
C h ristia n ity . I do not see w hy we should “ suffer fools g la d ly .” T h e
fools have never reciprocated th a t treatm en t. T h ere w ill a lw a y s be,
o f course, people who a re looking about for som ething foolish to believe.
L et us tell them to go aw ay a n d p la y an d leave the a rts , the sciences,
re lig io n , a n d p o litics -to us. I do not mean th a t we a re m ore in te llig e n t
th a n o ther people—o nly th a t we v a lu e in te llig e n ce m ore. Am ong the
m ost g la rin g om issions o f th e B ible and the d o c trin e of th e C h u rch
is the om ission to m ention the d u ty of each m an to th in k for h im self.
A second c h a ra c te ris tic o f the new s p ir it is a fra n k a tten tio n to
“ e x te rn a ls .” I a t a n y ra te have had enough of s p irits w ith o u t bodies.
W e w a n t co lo u r an d lig h t an d sound. T he g race o f form an d the
rh y th m o f b o d ily lif e go to the m ake of the new re lig io n w hich is,
th ere fo re, i f one m ay use a m isused w ord, “ p a g a n .” T h e new South
P la ce m ust be a c en tre for the a rts as w ell as fo r th e sciences. In
ex p erim en tal p ractice we m ust work out th e so rt of su rro u n d in g s and
th e sort o f in te lle ctu a l atm osphere in w hich the m ind can feel rejoiced
to be free.
T h e C h a i r m a n , before c a llin g on M r. W a llis M a nsford, m entioned h o w
m uch the Society owed to him , an d said th a t he h a d taken endless tro u b le
in m aking the m an ifo ld a rra n g e m e n ts needed for th a t n ig h t’s c elebration.
M r . W a l l i s M a n s f o r d . —I th an k the C h a irm a n fo r h is g ra c e fu l w ords,
a n d w ill o nly say in re p ly , th a t m y w ork in connection w ith the C en ten ary
C elebration is only one m ore lab o u r o f love fo r the Society to w hich I am
so m uch indebted, a n d to whom I owe m ore th a n I can ever repay.
It is m y p lea sin g d u ty to record, on b e h a lf o f the C om m ittee an d the
au d ien ce, our very h e a rty a p p re c ia tio n to o u r C h a irm a n , the R ead ers an d
Speakers fo r th e ir very h e lp fu l an d in s p irin g co n trib u tio n to o ur C en ten ary
C elebration.
I w ould rem ind you th a t ou r program m e in connection w ith the
C elebration o f the C en ten ary o f South P la c e C hapel does not end w ith
to -n ig h t’s fu n c tio n . On S u n d a y m o rn in g next o u r C h a irm a n w ill give
the C e n te n ary C elebration D iscourse : “ A C en tu ry of R elig io u s E v o lu tio n ,”
�20
CENTENARY
CELE B R A T IO N
SO U V E N IR
and the w ords an d m usic o f the hym ns and an th em s w ill be associated
w ith the nam es o f W . J. Fox, D r. C onw ay, a n d th e sisters F low er
In
the evening th ere w ill be a C oncert, c o n sistin g o f M usic com posed or
p u b lish ed in the y e ar 1824. A C en ten ary S ouvenir is in p re p ara tio n a n d
in M atch next P ro fe sso r G rah am W a lla s w ill give the C onw ay M em orial
L ecture, tak in g fo r h is subject : “ A stu d y o f W . J. F o x .”
B ut th a t is not the end, fo r five an d tw en ty years ago, w hen a ctin g
as S ecretary a t a n o th e r fu n c tio n o rg a n ise d fo r the purpose o f fre e in g the
B u ild in g from its M ortgage Debt, m y old frie n d an d teacher. M oncure
C onw ay, then re sid in g in P a ris , w rote me as follow s : “ P eople w ill say
to you ‘ W hy take so m uch tro u b le over som ething th a t w ill only last a
sh o rt t im e ? ’ Persevere in y o u r task. Remember w h at Goethe said to the
la d y who w ondered w hether it w as r ig h t to bestow so m uch tim e an d p a in s
oft a d in n e r p a rty w hich is so soon ended. ‘ M ad am e,’ sa id the poet ‘ a
b e a u tifu l th in g never ends !
I f th is can be sa id o f a d in n e r p a rty
how m uch m ore w ill it a p p ly to o u r C en ten ary C elebration, w hich, we
hope, w ill live in your h e arts a n d m inds fo r a long tim e to come.
T he C h a i r m a n , in re p ly , sa id .— I t rem ain s fo r me, in the nam e of
m yself, an d o f a ll the R eaders a n d Speakers, to th an k you fo r your very
kind Vote o f T h an k s, an d to express the recip ro cal p lea su re w ith w hich
they have atten d ed th is evening.
The following Cables were received from :
M rs. M IL D R E D CO N W A Y SA W Y ER , New York.
Love a n d best w ishes.
Mr. F E L IX A D L E R , N ew York.
T he A m erican E th ic a l Societies send c o rd ia l g re etin g s and
sincerest fra te rn a l w ishes fo r y o u r c o n tin u ed grow th a n d power.
and the following Letters fro m :
M r. W IL L IA M A R C H E R .
I am a f ra id I cannot speak a t the c eleb ratio n on F e b ru a ry 1
F o r one th in g , I sh a ll very pro b ab ly be abroad. A nd, fo r an o th er
th in g , even i f I am in E n g la n d , th e re is n o th in g I can say th a t
w ould not be better covered by some other speaker. I am so rry
M r. H E N R Y W . N E V IN S O N .
So m any th an k s fo r y our in v ita tio n to the celeb ratio n on
F e b ru a ry 1. I should lik e to come, but it is so u n c ertain w hether
I s h a ll be in L ondon th a t you m ust not count on me nlease to
speak.
’ K
’
P rofessor G IL B E R T M U RRA Y .
I f I w ere a little m ore free, I should g re a tly like to take p a rt
in th e c eleb ratio n of th e C entenary o f the South P lace C hapel, but
I am a f ra id I am th ic k ly en g ag ed a ll th ro u g h th is S p rin g , a n d
m ust not tak e on a n y m ore speeches.
P ro fesso r K A R L P E A R S O N .
I m ust th an k the a u th o ritie s o f the South P lace E th ic a l Society
fo r th e ir very k in d suggestion th a t I should tak e p a rt in the
c elebration on F e b ru a ry 1. I re g re t very m uch th a t it is not
possible now fo r me to do so.
I very m uch a p p re c ia te m y old connection w ith South P lace,
w h e re I gave one o f m y e a rlie s t pu b lic lectures in 1880, a m eeting
w hich w as m ore m em orable for th e speech of a young red -h a ired
Irish m a n , la te r know n as G. B. S., ra th e r th a n fo r the lec tu re I
gave.
W ith th e best w ishes th a t the South P lace E th ic a l Society m ay
su rv iv e a n o th er cen ten ary .
OF
SOUTH
PLACE
M r. E D W D . C A R P E N T E R .
I take the Society’s k in d
but m y s tre n g th a n d h e a lth
me to accept the proposal.
C en ten ary celeb ratio n . W ith
CHAPEL.
21
in v ita tio n to speak as a com plim ent,
now adays a re too u n c e rta in to allow
I w ish, how ever, a ll success to the
k in d re g a rd s.
S ir F R A N K R. B E N S O N .
I take i t a s a g re a t com plim ent th a t you sh o u ld ask me to
a d d ress you. I s h a ll u n fo rtu n a te ly be ju s t com m encing inji
d ra m a tic to u r in the provinces on th e day you nam e, so th a t I sh a ll
be u n a b le to have the honour a n d the p lea su re of speaking to you.
A ll good w ishes.
M r. E U S T A C E CO N W A Y , New York
Both m y sister an d I a re very interested in both of y o u r p rojects
(C entenary C elebration a n d th e N ew South P lace), a n d w ill do
w h at w e can to assist, but it does not seem th a t th ere is m uch th a t
we can do on th is side of the w ater beyond se n d in g our good w ishes
an d thanks.
M r. P E R C IV A L C H U B B , St. L cuis.
Y our letter o f Decem ber 2 ju s t to h a n d ; an d I h asten to say
th a t I sh a ll be g la d to do w h a t I can to send y o u r w ay a n y o u t
s ta n d in g A m erican w ith in m y reach who m ay h ap p en to be in
L ondon on F e b ru a ry 1, w hen you a re to celebrate y our c en ten n ia l.
O f course, th a t event w ill in te rest a ll of us—m yself in p a rtic u la r.
W h ile it is not tru e th a t I w as a c tu a lly a m em ber of th e South
P la ce Society m yself, it w as fo r some tim e m y S und ay -m o rn in g
place o f p ilg rim a g e , a n d I s till have m y old hym n-book a n d one
or tw o pam phlets.
I am su re our Societies w ill c are to send you g re etin g s, a n d I
w ill take steps a t once to th a t end. M eantim e, w ith a ll seasonable
good w ishes.
D r. H E N R Y N E U M A N N , B rooklyn, N .Y .
M r. C hubb h a s to ld u s th a t y o u r Society is to celebrate its
one h u n d re d th a n n iv e rsa ry in F e b ru a ry .
M ay I express to you, fo r th e B oard o f T rustees of the B rooklyn
E th ic a l Society, o u r g ra tifica tio n a t th is fa c t? Y our Society has
h a d a n honoured h i s t o r y ; an d it is our w ish th at its tra d itio n of
service m ay be ever ric h e r a s th e years go by. N u m e ric ally o ur
Societies a re sm all. O u r w ork, how ever, is needed in the w o r l d ;
a n d i f w e make it o u r m ain concern th a t the seed we sow be o f the
r ig h t sort, we can go fo rw a rd , a s I am su re South P la ce C hapel
w ill, w ith renew ed stre n g th . O u r w arm est good w ishes go out
to you !
M r. G E O R G E H A V E N P U T N A M , N ew York.
M y frie n d , M rs. M ild red Conw ay Saw yer, whom I have know n
since she w as a little g irl in h e r fa th e r’s household, asked me
y esterd a y w hether I m ig h t p ossibly be ab le to be in L ondon in
F e b ru a ry a t a tim e w hen, she rep o rts, a m eeting is to be h e ld in
h onour o f the m em ory a n d th e w ork o f m y good frie n d , M oncure D .
C onw ay.
I am going to L ondon, D .v., in A p ril next. I to ld M rs. Saw yer
th a t I co u ld not possibly a rra n g e to m ake th e jo u rn ey in F e b ru a ry .
I should h a v e been very g la d to have the p riv ile g e of sa y in g a
w ord in re g a rd to the notew orthy services ren d ered by D r. C onw ay
to th in k in g a n d reverent citizen s on both sides o f the A tlan tic.
I f D r. C onw ay’s w ork co u ld have been c a rrie d into th e 20th
C e n tu ry , it w ould have been better understood an d w ould have
secured a p p rec ia tio n from a very m uch la rg e r c irc le o f th in k in g
h e are rs a n d re ad e rs. H e w as a sch o lar w ith a re a l reverence fo r
the th in g s o f th e s p irit. I t w as h is co ntention th a t the influence
o f e sse n tia l tr u th w as in te rfe re d w ith by th e legend w hich had
�22
CENTENARY
C E LE BRA T IO N
SO U V EN IR
been accepted as dogm as an d w hich, even in these la te r years, were
s till h a m p e rin g w ith the s p irit a n d the action o f m ankind.
I tru s t th a t C onw ay’s w ork is being c a rrie d on by o th er lead ers
w ho possess some m easure, a t least, of h is co u rag e an d in te lle ctu a l
force.
I am w ith best wishes for the success of the Commemoration
M eeting.
M r. W . S. G O D F R E Y , B ournem outh.
D ear M r s. F letch er
S m it h ,
I d u ly received the notice of next F r id a y ’s C elebration, but being
i ll an d aw ay from tow n, I s h a ll, m uch to m y re g re t, be u n ab le to
a tte n d . I sh o u ld like, how ever, to be allow ed to semi a w ord of
g re etin g , w ith m y very best w ishes fo r a successful m eeting an d for a
second c e n tu ry fo r th e Society o f even g re ater p rogress a n d p ro sp e rity
th an the first.
J
My association w ith South P lace dates back to D r. M oncure
C onw ay’s days, so th a t I m ay claim to be one o f its o ld er frie n d s. I
alw ays th in k of it w ith p lea su re an d w ith g ra titu d e , fo r I have listened
to m ore w isdom discoursed from its p la tfo rm —often to th in but a lw a y s
in terested c o n g reg a tio n s—th an I have h e ard in a n y o th er C hapel or
C hurch I ever en tered . M ay the new b u ild in g soon a rise, an d w orthy
successors come alo n g to fill the places o f those w ho th ro u g h the past
100 y e ars have so sp le n d id ly h eld a lo ft the torch of reason in a
ben ig h ted w o rld . I am p roud to have occupied occasionally the South
P la ce p latfo rm . M y last p u b lic utterance, a n d w h at w ill probably
prove to be the la s t o f m y life , w as d elivered th ere in Septem ber 1921
1 am so g la d to see th a t y o u are to take p a r t in the proceedings ori
F rid a y , an d to g a th e r from th is th a t you are s till in good h e a lth
I
am a d d re ssin g th is letter to you, because your nam e has been associated
w ith S outh P la c e ever since I first knew it. W ith kindest re g a rd s
—Y ours very sin cerely ,
W . S. G o d f r e y
QF
SOUTH
PLACE
CHAPEL.
23
A CENTURY OF
RELIGIOUS EVOLUTION
A D iscourse D elivered at South P lace Institute by
The Right Hon. J. M . R O B E R T SO N
on Sunday, 3rd February, 1924.
W h at F u lle r c a lle d “ c en ten a ry so le m n itie s,” a t a p erio d w hen
“ s o le m n ” h a d n o t yet come to m ean “ som bre,” a re not m erely in te restin g
b ut p o te n tia lly profitable experiences. I f we w ill take the tro u b le to re a lis e
them , they h elp us to re a lis e th e n a tu re o f th e process o f th in g s. In the
m odern p a st o f o u r own c o u n try , im m une from v iolent social ch an g e,
th o u g h a g re a t w ar can p ro fo u n d ly a lte r ro u tin e fo r the tim e, no two
successive days, b ro a d ly speaking, have p e rce p tib ly differed a s re g a rd s the
to ta lity o f th e ir be lie fs, th e ir theory o f life , th e ir use o f la n g u a g e a n d
lite ra tu re , th e ir p h y sic al environm ent. A nd yet, a fte r a c en tu ry o f y ears,
o ur natio n has passed from a ris to c ra tic ru le to p o p u la r G overnm ent, from
a p ersecu tin g orthodoxy to a state o f opinion in w hich orthodoxy professes
to fe a r p e rsec u tio n ; from th e lif e of stage-coaches to th e life o f ra ilw a y s
a n d u n d e rg ro u n d tubes a n d w ireless b ro a d ca stin g a n d th e om nipresenl
autom obile.
In w h at we m ay c a ll th e social process, on its m ental side, th e re is
f a r less o f su d d e n a n d v ita l ch an g e th an in the lif e o f th e in d iv id u a l. H e
m ay in a few weeks or m onths give up h is in h e rite d creed , em brace a new
id ea l, m ake a new frie n d who influences a ll h is th in k in g : h e m ay suffer
a bereavem ent w hich m ay p ro fo u n d ly a lte r the lig h tin g o f h is life , an
illn e ss or a n accident w hich leaves him a c h an g e d m an. B ut th e to ta lity
is not, as such, so affected. T he a g g re g a te undergoes no tra n sfig u ra tio n ,
no sudden o r sw ift conversion, no a n a lo g y to bereavem ent. I t changes
insen sib ly .
A nd yet, a f te r a h u n d re d y ears, th e a g g re g a te is less like
its form er se lf th a n m any a n in d iv id u a l m ay be to a n in d iv id u a l ten
decades back. T h e South P la c e S ociety is one of th e w itnesses, an d one
o f the illu stra tio n s.
In 1824, South P la ce C hapel, n ew ly b u ilt, w as opened on F e b ru a ry .1
a s a U n ita ria n place o f w o rsh ip by th e fam ous o ra to r, p re ac h er, a n d p o li
tic ia n , W illia m Johnson F o x ; a n d a lre a d y both the p reach er a n d the
Society w hich stood by h im h a d und erg o n e a ra th e r ra p id re lig io u s ev o lu :
tion. T he Society h a d taken form as e a rly as 1793 u n d e r th e m in istra tio n s
o f the A m erican B a p tist p re ac h er, E lh a n a n W in ch ester, w ho c u t across
orthodoxy by re n o u n cin g a n d a ssa ilin g th e d o c trin e o f E te rn a l H e ll, th u s
fo u n d in g or h e lp in g to sp read th e creed, so-called, o f U n iv e rsalism , w hich
th en m eant sim p ly “ U n iv e rsal S alvation in C h ris t.” In h is n a tiv e la n d
W inchester h a d in h is yo u th been an orthodox B a p tist p re ac h er, being
b ro u g h t u p sound in the C a lv in istic fa ith . O ne day, (t) tra v e llin g in New
E n g la n d , he met a young wom an w ho re tu rn e d to h is doctrin e o f fu tu re
dam n atio n fo r the non-elect th e answ er th a t a ll m ust be saved : she “ be
h eld infinite fu ln ess in C h rist fo r a ll m a n k in d .”
W inchester re fu te d
h e r w ith texts, a n d they w ent th e ir several w ays, never to m eet a g a in .
B u t he w as then o n ly tw en ty y e ars old ; a n d th e d o ctrin e o f u n iv ersal
salv atio n (perhaps because it cam e from a m a id e n ’s m outh) took root in h is
h e a rt, an d soon converted him .
H e w as the e ld est son o f a m echanic n e ar B oston, w ho nam ed h is
fifteen c h ild re n out o f th e B ible— th e boys out o f the O ld , th e g irls out of
1 See the account by M oncure C onw ay in h is C entenary H is to r y o f the
S o u th P lace S o c ie ty, 1894, ch. 1. T h e re is a n A m erican b io g ra p h y of
W inchester by E . M. Stone, 1836.
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the N ew T estam ent—a n d he h a d become the le a d in g B a p tist preacher in
P h ila d e lp h ia . T h a t post he h a d to renounce w hen he tu rn e d U n iv e r s a lis t;
a n d in 1787 he cam e to m ake a new care er in E n g la n d . A lre a d y the w ound
of th e R evolution W ar w as so fa r healed th a t his n a tio n a lity caused him
no tro u b le ; an d he set about d e liv e rin g m en from the fe a r of hell-fire.
A fter five o r six y e ars o f m iscellaneous p re a c h in g h is U n iv e rsa list
a d h ere n ts in L ondon b u ilt or p u rch ased for him the P a rlia m e n t C ourt
C h a p el, in A rtille ry L ane, a n d th u s found ed the Society w hich, a fte r
vario u s in te rn a l vicissitu d es, settled in South P la c e C hapel th irty y ears
la te r, u n d e r W . J . Fox.
T hose e a rly U n iv e rsa lists c a lle d .themselves “ P h ila d e lp h ia n s ” —not
a fte r the c ity o f W in c h este r’s fo rm er pasto rate, but a f te r a text in th e
A pocalypse. T h ey w ere not, u n d e r W inchester, U n ita ria n s . H e w as so
fa r fro m m e d d lin g w ith b elief in God th a t he never m ade a n y tro u b le
about the T rin ity . H is g re at task in life w as, so to speak, to u nderm ine
b elief in the D e v il; an d th a t w as then q u ite a s h a rd an u n d e rta k in g as it
h as ever been since to w ean m en from T heism . W e have, indeed, h is
in d iv id u a l testim ony to th e effect th a t he found Jo h n W esley stro n g ly
in clin ed , in p riv a te conversation, t< the U n iv e rsa list v iew ; but W esley
5
never p u b lish ed a n y such a v o w a l; an d w hen he d ied , in 1791, it was
W inchester’s fu n c tio n to defen d the g re a t sect-founder a g a in s t the
theological m alice o f the zealots of the E stab lish m en t w ho p roclaim ed th a t
he h a d “ passed in to th e lake o f fire .” W e m ay note th a t th u s, from the
first, th e Society is identified w ith the s p ir it o f T olerance. N ever has it
lacked, an d never, let us hope, w ill it lack speakers to bear w itness a g a in s t
b ig o try a n d a ll th e w orks thereof.
W inchester h ad to re tu rn in 1794 to A m erica, a n d w as expected to come
a g a in .to E n g la n d , b u t d ied in h is n ativ e la n d in 1797, w h e rea fter h is place
w as filled by the Rev. W illia m V id ler, a n o th e r ex -B ap tist, who had been
converted to U n iv e rsalism by W inchester. E d itin g “ T he U n iv e rsa list
M iscellany, or P h ila n th ro p is t’s M useum , intended chiefly a s an A ntidote
A gainst th e A n ti-C h ristia n D o ctrin e o f E n d less M isery ” (1797-1801), he
w as T ed in to d iale ctic exercise w ith the re su lt o f becom ing, a fte r m uch
h e sita tio n , a U n i t a r i a n ; a n d a t once th ere w as m ade c le a r the fa ct th a t
fo r m ost U n iv e rsa lists U n iv e rsalism h a d th en but one dim ension. T he
c o n g reg a tio n m e lte d ; a n d as C onw ay p u t it, “ D en ial o f th e T rin ity cost
th is Society £320 per a n n u m .” A new com m unity o f U n ita ria n s h a d to
be b u ilt up , w hich su b stitu te d an “ open com m union ” for th e so-called
“ close c o m m u n io n ” th a t h a d subsisted on B a p tist lin e s in the P h i l a
d e lp h ia n b o d y ; a n d th a t nam e w as now abandoned. V id le r, like W in
chester, h a d th e g ift o f eloquence, a n d w hen he died in 1816 he had won a
h ig h sta tu s in th e U n ita ria n body. I t is w orth rem em bering th a t he
fram e d a v in d ic a tio n o f Ju d a s Isc a rio t on lines w hich have been taken to
be q tiite new in o ur own d a y —re p re se n tin g th a t m ythical personage as
having- aim ed not a t b e tra y in g but a t fo rcin g h is M aster to p u t fo rth h is
power. L ik e W in ch ester, V id le r h a d spent h is life w o rth ily , as C onw ay
p u t it, “ in m erely c le a rin g a w ay the dogm atic rubbish for th e fo u n d a tio n
o f a ra tio n a l tem ple ” — a statem ent in w hich, tw o generations la te r, O liv er
W endell H olm es acquiesced as a description o f th e re lig io u s h isto ry of
h im self an d m any o f h is personal frie n d s. “ E lh a n a n W in c h e ste r,” w rites
C onw ay, “ w as even a m an of genius, yet no p a m p h le t of h is h a s now any
re lig io u s value, so c oncentrated w as he on th e then vast discovery th a t
d iv in e nun ish m en t is not e te r n a l.”
Tt is an o th er w ay o f rem inding^ us th a t those steps in conjoint or
c o n g reg a tio n a l e v olution w ere n ece ssa rily m ade on em otional as d istin g u ish e d
from p h ilo so p h ical pro m p tin g s. W inchester w as converted by a voung
lay-w om an : a n d he, a feeler ra th e r th a n a th in k e r, converted in V id le r a
k in d re d s p irit, th o u g h V id le r w as p ra ise d as a close reasoner. T h ere is
no trac e am ong th e ir a d h e re n ts o f an v one w ho saw the in te lle c tu a l
a b su rd ity or the scientific lu n ac y of the d o ctrine o f e te rn al torm ent. Such
th in k e rs th ere m ust have b e e n : but they stayed aw ay from c h u rch and
ch ap e l, o r, i f for p ru d e n tia l reasons they w ent th ith e r, h e ld th e ir tongues
about th e ir beliefs. Robert B u rn s, in W in c h este r’s gen eratio n , c le a rly lean t
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to W in c h este r’s view , b e g in n in g w ith a hum orous tolerance to w ard s S atan
h im self w hich p e rh ap s tended to c o u n te rv ail fo r a tim e th e poet’s
beneficient influence in the w ay o f u n d e rm in in g b ig o try in Scotland. B ut
B u rn s rem ained a c onventional D e is t; a n d w rote th a t “ An a th e ist
la u g h ’s a poor e x ch a n g e F o r D e ity o ffended,” w h ich m ust have done m uch
to p u t him r ig h t w ith a ll who m ade th e ir God in th e ir own im age,
H um ane em otion m ade th e U n iv e rsa lists revolt a g a in st the d o ctrin e of
E te rn a l T o rm e n t; a s tirrin g o f p u re reason developed U n ita ria n is m , from
roots o f th eistic th o u g h t (lab elled A ria n an d Socinian) in the old. theo
lo g ical w o rld , p a rtly fe rtilis e d by the a ir s an d dew s of e ig h te e n th c en tu ry
D eism , a n d perm itted to grow by the p o litic a l accident w hich en ab led a
num ber of h e retic a l P re sb y te ria n c o n g reg a tio n s to subsist u n d e r T ru s t
D eeds, subsidised by the w ill o f L a d y H ew ley in 1710.
In the y e a r a fte r the o pening o f S outh P la ce C h ap el, th ere w as
fo rm a lly established a U n ita ria n A ssociation. T h is w as m ade possible by
the rep eal in 1813 o f the old pen al law s a g a in st a n ti-T rin ita ria n is m , a
concession m ade by the a u th o ritie s to a form o f heterodoxy w hich w as
c a re fu l not o n ly to protest its e n tire devotion to the m onarchy but its
d etestation of the activ e deism w hich h a d taken on a new p o p u la r lif e a fte r
the F re n c h R evolution u n d e r the vigorous im petus of T hom as P a in e.
T h u s w hen, in 1819, R ic h a rd C a rlisle w as sentenced to th re e y e a rs’ im
prisonm ent, a n d j£l,500 fine, fo r p u b lis h in g P a in e ’s “ A ge o f R eason,”
it w as a U n ita ria n who conducted the prosecution. A nd th en it w as th a t
W. J. F ox show ed the m etal he w as m ade of by d e liv e rin g a discourse
w hich, in th e w ords o f C onw ay, “ sh in e s as th e one re lig io u s c a n d le in
th a t d ark tim e .” A lone, I th in k , o f th e reverends o f the tim e, h e denounced
a ll persecution o f w h a t w as term ed “ u n b e lie f.” “ T here is no m edium
in p rin c ip le ,” he d e clare d , “ betw een th e lib e rty o f a ll a n d the ty ra n n y
o f a p a rtic u la r sect. C h ristia n s, you k in d le a flame in w h ich yourselves
m ay p e ris h .” T h e n a rro w er U n ita ria n s a n g rily p ro te s te d ; b u t F o x ’s
c o n g reg a tio n on th e fo llo w in g d a y passed a reso lu tio n e x p ressin g “ the
h ig h degree o f sa tisfac tio n w ith w hich they h e a rd th e m an ly , en erg etic,
a n d a rg u m e n ta tiv e discourse d eliv ered by h im la s t e vening on th e d u tie s
o f C h ristia n s to w ard s D eists, a n d e a rn e stly re q u e stin g him to p u b lish the
sam e.”
Such w as the m oral a n d in te lle c tu a l q u a lity o f th e m an w ho in a u g u
ra te d S outh P la c e C h ap el, a n d o f those w ho follow ed h is teach in g .
A lre ad y , by h is eloquence a n d h is fe rv o u r a n d fa c u lty , he w as b e g in n in g
to be a pow er, a n d on th e d a y a f te r h is in a u g u ra l discourse it w as a n
nounced a t th e com m em orative d in n e r a t th e L ondon T a v e rn th a t every
seat in S outh P la ce C h ap el w as e n g ag e d . T h u s fa r, F ox w as q u ite
orthodox as to the B ible, w hich m akes h is stan d fo r tolerance th e m ore
la u d a b le . B ro u g h t up a n o rthodox D issenter, s ta rtin g in lif e as a w eaver boy a t N orw ich, a n d tra in e d a t th e P ro te sta n t D issen tin g C ollege a t
H om erton, he h ad taken y ears to reach th e U n ita ria n position, an d h a d ,
lik e h is tw o im m ediate predecessors, to p a rt w ith h is orthodox c o n g re g a
tio n w hen he in v ite d them to follow him , as E m erson h a d to p a r t w ith h is
U n ita ria n co n g reg atio n w hen he in v ite d them to su b stitu te a ra tio n a l fo r
a theological view o f the C h ristia n sacram ent. F ox in th e end tra v e lle d
p e rh ap s fu rth e r th a n E m erson d id ; a n d yet th e re is n o th in g to show th a t,
a p a rt from the dissensions over h is m anagem ent of h is dom estic tro u b les,
he h a d a n y difficulty in c a rr y in g th e m ass o f h is co n g reg a tio n w ith him .
H e an d th ey th u s p lay e d a re p resen tativ e p a rt, as h is an d th e ir successors
have done since h is tim e, in th a t g ra d u a l a d v an ce w hich h a s in te rp en e trated
la rg e sections o f re lig io u s life in E n g la n d w ith th e s p ir it o f c ritic a l reason,
to th e p o in t a t w hich th is p la tfo rm h a s become u n re stric te d by a n y dogm a,
or a n y tra d itio n save those o f sane decorum an d a m en ity an d h u m an ity .
B u ild in g s, lik e books a n d m en, have th e ir d estinies.
W hen we Tecall the social, p o litic a l, a n d in te lle c tu a l aspects o f E n g lis h
lif e a h u n d re d years ago, the tran sm u ta tio n becomes im pressive. S tirrin g s
o f new lif e th ere w ere in m an y directio n s. A ggressive free th o u g h t w as
g u aran tee d a g a in st o b sc u rity by c h ro n ic prosecutions, prom oted by W ilb erforce an d h is pious a sso c ia te s; R obert O w en, th e m ost benevolent o f a ll
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SO U V EN IR
ag g ressiv es, w as re ac h in g the w orking m asses on a la rg e r scale th a n even
P a in e had d o n e ; a n d in very different c irc le s a m ore p hilosophic im pulse
was p re p a rin g m in d s like Jo h n S tu a rt M ill a n d G eorge G rote fo r th e ir
tasks. B u t s till the m ass even o f th e ed u cated w ere w holly docile to
o rth o d o x y ; an d w h a t figured as new re lig io u s influences were new
C h ristia n fo rm u la tio n s. E d w a rd Irv in g was fo r the m om ent th e o u tsta n d
in g figure in th a t o rd e r o f in n o v a to rs; though I rv in g sat a t th e feet o f
C o lerid g e, whom he revered. A nd fo r m ore th an tw enty y ears to come
the new sensations in E n g lish lif e w ere those of re lig io u s conflict, v a ria
tions o f dogm atic belief, oppositions o f sect, a n d se c ta ria n p olitics.
T he C ath o lic A ssociation in Ire la n d w as form ed in 1823 an d suppressed
by la w in 1825 fo r a term o f th ree years.
T h e C ath o lic R e lie f B ills
o f 1821, 1822, 1823, a n d 1825 w ere a ll c a rrie d in the H ouse o f Commons
a n d rejected in _the L o rd s, by no g re a t m ajo rities. In 1829 the m easure
w as a t len g th c a rrie d th ro u g h ; but the re lig io u s m alice w hich h a d so
o b stin ately d elayed it rem ained un ap p eased , a n d th e I r is h p o litic a l tra g e d y
w ent on its w eary w ay.
W hen, then, the so-called T ra c ta ria n m ovem ent, a ris in g out o f th e
R om ew ard tendencies of Jo h n H e n ry N ew m an an d h is c o ad ju to rs, p ro
g ressiv ely convulsed th e E n g lis h ecclesiastical w o rld , it d id so because the
an ta g o n ism between P ro te stan t an d C ath o lic a n im u s w as a m ain elem ent in
th e n a tio n a l life . T h e m ental difference between then an d now m ay be
m easured a t th is po in t by try in g to im agine a n y storm of o pinion over an y
in d iv id u a l’s choice betw een A n g lica n ism a n d R om anism in our day, w hen
th e C hurches a re se rio u sly p a rle y in g a b o u t R eunion, th o u g h even coy
c o n fa b u la tio n s betw een A n g lica n a n d C ath o lic d ig n ita rie s to th a t end evoke
w a rn in g s th a t it w ould break up th e E stab lish m en t. I t is no lo n g er a
m atter o f w arm n a tio n a l concern, save in th a t aspect.
A h u n d re d y e ars ago, E n g la n d w as in the m ain dog m a-rid d en . H ig h
C h u rc h a n d Low C h u rch , E v an g e lic alism in sid e a n d outside the E sta b lish
m ent, p ietistic p ro p a g a n d a o f a ll kin d s, m issio n ary e n te rp rise, C h ristia n
E vidences an d C h ristia n E d u ca tio n — these w ere everyw here o u tstan d in g
them es. U n ita ria n is m w as the position o f advance w ith in the re lig io u s
field occupied by a sm all a n d re la tiv e ly th o u g h tfu l an d c u ltu re d m in o rity .
T h e g re at reactio n a g a in s t th e F re n c h R evolution h a d ostensibly revived
belief : c e rta in ly it h a d revived re lig io sity an d th e p re stig e of orthodoxy.
O f the D eism w h ich h a d been m ore or less fa sh io n ab le from the d ay o f
G eorge th e F ir s t dow n to 1790 th ere w as le ft, indeed, a co n sid era b le
rem n an t, now b ro a d ly frin g e d by th e new dem ocratic and defin itely antiB ib lic al D eism so p o w e rfu lly p ro p a g ated by T hom as P a in e. B ut th e
p re v a ilin g aspect, the ascendant pow er, w as th a t o f p iety an d b ig o try .
Yet a ll the elem ents o f a new pro g ressio n , a new d ilu tio n o f t r a d i
tio n a ry b e lie f, w ere present. E ven in belles leltres, there w ere th e u su a l
sig n s o f in s ta b ility o f fa ith am ong the poets—a fe a tu re o f o u r lite r a rv
h isto ry from C haucer onw ards. S helley h a d sc a n d alised in tu rn the
u n iv e rsity an d the lite ra r y w orld. Even W ordsw orth, a fte r h is re n u n c ia
tio n of h is y o u th fu l re v o lu tio n ary id ea ls, rem ained v isib ly m uch o f a
p a n th e is t; C oleridge, a fte r m any ch an g es, in c lu d in g a sw in g to U n ita ria n
ism , satisfied o n ly a m in o rity as to h is G erm anic o rth o d o x y ; K eats, then
little re g a rd e d , w as c e rta in ly no devout C h ris tia n ; S a ra C o lerid g e
sa id o f him la te r th a t h e h a d no r e li g i o n ; B yron w as know n to
he skeptical. In a w ork pu b lish ed in 1830 by Jam es K ennedy, a n a rm v
doctor, e n title d “ C onversations on R e lig io n w ith L ord B yron a n d O th e rs,”
w e find B yron on the isla n d o f C ep h alo n ia in 1823, liste n in g , am ong others,
w ith an a sto n ish in g patien ce to the e x h o rtatio n s an d d eh o rtatio n s o f an
ex trem ely satisfied and extrem ely tiresom e exponent o f C h ristia n E vidences,
who m odestly dem anded to be listen ed to for tw elve hours w ith o u t c h a lle n g e
o r in te rru p tio n .
T h e com pany seem to h av e been m a in ly D eists, lik e
B y ro n ; and n e ith e r th e ir com p laisan ce no r h is w as q u ite e q u al to the
stra in , though h e rem ain ed on v e ry frie n d ly term s w ith h is m entor. T h e
o u tsta n d in g facts are th a t B vron avow edly w ished to believe in B ible
C h ristia n ity , but found irrem ovable difficulties in so d o i n g ; and th a t th e
cham pion o f the fa ith cla im e d to prove h is case by “ the most rig id lo g ic a l
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d e m o n stra tio n ,” the t r u th o f th e S c rip tu re s b eing in h is o pinion t r as su s
ceptible o f d em onstration a s a n y p roposition in E u c lid .”
I t is sa fe to say th a t no d e fen d e r o f the fa ith in o u r ow n d a y w ho had
ed u ca tio n e nough to know h is E u c lid w ould dream o f ta k in g up su c h a
position.
L ong since, th e defence has fa lle n back upon a p p e a ls to
em otional assent, to “ s p ir itu a l e x p erien c e ,” a n d to a g en eral a lle g a tio n
th a t C h ris tia n ity is v in d icated by its influence on c iv ilis a tio n . T h is stress
on the evidence fo r C h ris tia n ity in its a d a p ta tio n to s p ir itu a l needs had
been la id by C o lerid g e a s e a rly as 1824. B u t a t th a t p eriod, p robably,
even th e U n ita ria n s in g en eral stood upon m ira c le s; th o u g h the influence
o f P rie stle y , to nam e no o th er, h ad tended to set up a belief in u n iv e rsa l
cau satio n , w h ich w ent so f a r as to p u t w h a t w as c a lle d th e “ n e cessarian ”
aspect on a ll hu m an actions as w ell as upon a ll n a tu r a l processes. W e see
th is a ttitu d e in the M a rtin e au fa m ily , Jam es a n d H a rrie t h a v in g a lik e
been b ro u g h t up in it, th o u g h H a rrie t in h e r y o u th h e ld by h e r S abba
ta ria n is m a t the sam e tim e.
Jam es M a rtin e a u ’s la te r w ith d ra w a l from the necessarian p osition is
one o f the m any p roofs th a t the course of tr u e p h ilo so p h y no m ore ru n s
sm ooth th a n th a t o f tru e love.
O n the one h a n d , N ecessarianism , oi
D eterm inism a s we now c a ll it, is a lw ay s troublesom e to h um ane T heism ,
tho u g h L u th e r a n d C a lv in , lik e A u g u stin e, h a d no difficulty in reconciling
it w ith 'theirs. T h u s we find L ucy A ikin, w r itin g in 1831 to D r. C h a n n in g ,
c o n fessin g th a t th o u g h she h a d long before fo u n d th e d e te rm in ist a r g u
m ent irre fu ta b le , she w as u n h a p p y about it. “ I now begin to fe e l a g a in st
i t , ” she w rite s ; a n d she goes on, very m uch in the m anner of Ix>rd B a l
fo u r in o u r ow n g e n era tio n , to protest th a t “ W e can n o t well believe in
God w ith o u t exp ectin g th a t H e w ill som etim es come, as it w ere, to an
e x p la n a tio n w ith u s .” B efore th a t tem per philo so p h y h as sm a ll chance.
Jam es M a rtin e au lean t m ore on e th ical g ro u n d s; b u t w e m ay b ro a d ly say
o f h is recoil from d eterm in ism th a t it stood for an in a b ility to see th a t, as
h eld by those w ho u n d e rsta n d it, it in no w ay affects the spontaneous p la y
o f w ill, choice, m oral ju d g m e n t, inasm uch as th e ra tio n a l d e te rm in ist
re g a rd s h is reasoned choice an d p referen ce as, for h im , e q u a lly the latest
fu lfilm en t o f the Cosm ic m ovem ent w ith a ll the o th er processes o f N a tu re.
B y ex erc isin g o u r reasoned w ill, so to say, we p u ll o u r w eig h t in th e
u n iv e rs e ; a n d the scientific reco g n itio n th a t we a re co nditioned by th e
p a st a n d present is no m ore fru stra tio n o f our m oral action th a n is o u r
know ledge th a t we move u n d e r the law of g ra v ity a p a ra ly s in g
o f our
c a p a c ity o r o u r d esire to move.
B ut th a t can h a r d ly be reckoned a common p h ilo so p h ic perception in
o u r own d a y ; a n d in L ucy A ik in ’s it m ust have been m uch less com m on
s till. O n ly let us rem em ber th a t she w as s u b s ta n tia lly a t th e sta n d p o in t
o f L o rd B a lfo u r, a s w hen she w rites : “ C ould th ere ever have been a good
m an w ith o u t a M aker of M an in fin itely su p erio r in goodness? ” —never
d re am in g th a t the a rg u m e n t involved th e c o ro lla ry : “ C ould th ere ever
have been a bad m an w ith o u t a M aker in fin itely su p e rio r in b a d n e s s ? ”
a n d tha resolution o f the dilem m a in th e ph ilo so p h ic conclusion th a t good
ness a n d badness a lik e a re not p re d ic ab le of th e Infinite. In fine, w e have
h ere one o f the m any cases o f id e n tity of a ttitu d e in in d iv id u a ls sep arated
by a h u n d re d years of a n evolution w hich has so a lte re d th e sta n d p o in t o f
m u ltitu d e s o f others th a t th eirs co nstitutes an o u tstan d in g fe a tu re o f d iffer
ence between the two ages.
A nd th is g ra d u a l a n d g en eral s h iftin g o f th e b alance is w h a t h a s taken
place over the w hole field of re lig io u s o p in io n , philo so p h ic an d nonp h ilosophic a lik e . T he sm all m in o ritie s of a c en tu ry a g o h a v e become th e
la rg e m in o ritie s o r th e m a jo rities o f to-day.
I t is re a lly h a r d to say
w hether th e m a jo rity o f so-called ed ucated people to-day do or do not
believe in m iracles. A ll th a t is c ertain is th a t an im m ensely la r g e r p e r
c en tag e now disbelieve in them . And so w ith th s b e lie fs in sa lv atio n by
blood and by fa ith , in s c rip tu ra l in sp ira tio n , in a b o d ily re su rrec tio n , in a
p h y sic al h e ll a n d heaven, in the d iv in ity o f Jesus, in th e sin fu ln e ss o f
u n b e lie f, in th e dam n atio n o f the h eath en , in in h e rite d d e p ra v ity , in
th eo cratic election, in a g overning P rovidence, in a P e rso n a l God, in
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an g els a n d dev ils, in p ra y e r a n d fa stin g , in the A postolic succession of
bishops, in the d u ty o f th e S tate to p u n ish blasphem y so-called in th e
(d iv in e a n d p u n itiv e purposes of earth q u ak e s, storm s, pestilences w ars
a n d in d iv id u a l accidents, a n d a ll the rest of th e stra n g e m ass of ig n o ra n t
affirm ation c o n cern in g the unknow n w hich ou r ancestors b u ilt up for them
selves o r h a d b u ilt up fo r them , a n d sought to la y upon the sh o u ld ers o f
posterity .
E very one o f these b eliefs is s till held by m u ltitu d e s in our own
co u n try as elsew here. W hat has c h an g ed is the balance of in te lle c tu a l and
social p restig e.
F o r ev ery ra tio n a lis t of a c e n tu ry ag o th ere a re a
h u n d re d , p erh ap s a thousand, to-day.
B ig o try has become im potent to
persecute by c rim in a l procedure, save in police cases in w hich indecency
is in d icted as b lasp h em y ; th o u g h beyond question th e avow al of ra tio n a lism
c a n s till be a g rave d isa d v an tag e to a m an, in some environm ents, both
so c ially an d com m ercially. Am ong educated people, a c tin g as such, it is
no lo n g er a lik e ly experience to h e a r a n y one contem ned as an “ infidel ” ;
an d in a n y ed ucated com pany, even o f churchm en, th ere a re p re tty su re to
be d isbelievers in m any i f not in a ll o f the lis t of doctrin es I have given
as once p a rt o f orthodox C h ristia n ity . A nd of th is process of tra n s m u ta
tion every stage, every aspect, has been e ith e r recognised or prom oted by
teach in g d e liv e re d from th is p la tfo rm d u rin g the cen ten a ry period we a re
c o n sid erin g .
T o estim ate the re la tiv e influence of a ll the facto rs a t w ork w ould be an
u n d e rta k in g beyond .the pow er o f o u r im m atu re sociology. B ut by com
mon consent the developm ent of th e n a tu ra l sciences h as counted fo r m uch
in the tra n sfo rm a tio n . It m ig h t have been supposed th a t the eighteenth
c e n tu ry expansion of astronom y w ould alone have had a checking effect on
an th ro p o m o rp h ic re lig io n ; but it seems ra th e r to have encouraged reso rt to
the D esign A rgum ent. “ T h e undevout astronom er is m ad ” w as a m uch
a p p la u d e d lin e . T o-day, ta k in g “ devout ” in the sense o f believ in g in a
personal God, in a p h y sical heaven, it w ould be m ore p la u sib le to say th a t
th e devout astronom er is m ad. I t is p re tty c le a r, how ever, th a t the m ere
m u ltip lic a tio n o f scientific stu d ies h a d the sam e tendency to prom ote
ra tio n a l th in k in g about a ll c au satio n as th e stu d y an d p ra ctic e of m edicine
had p ro v e rb ia lly done even in ages in w hich m edicine w as but feebly
scientific.
A nd w hereas in 1834 we find a trea tise on C h ristia n E vidences, by the
E a r l o f Rosse, se ttin g o u t by d e n y in g the e te rn ity o f the univ erse, it w ould
be h a rd to find even an E a rl to-day a t th a t sta n d p o in t. T h e pious E a rl
e v id e n tly fe lt th a t the conception of u n lim ite d p h y sical c o n tin u ity , tho u g h
held by A risto tle alo n g w ith a b elief in D eity, w as lo g ic a lly ’in im ica l
to the C h ristia n fa ith . A nd, a t th a t stage, to asc rib e e te rn a l d u ra tio n to
a w o rld v isib ly in process o f c h an g e m ay have seemed to some as u n p lau sible as others found the d o ctrine o f c rea tio n . B ut the balance o f opinion
began to s h if t h e a v ily an d ste a d ily as soon as th e d o ctrin e o f E volution
began to find w ide a c c e p ta n c e ; w hich it d id as soon as D a rw in m ade h is
m em orable open in g w ith h is O rig in o f Species. T he conception is to be
trac ed to G erm an a n d F re n c h specu latio n o f a previous gen eratio n , in w hich
G erm any a t least e x h ib ited a m ore progressive in te lle ctu a l life th an th at
o f E n g la n d . B ut it is o n ly a fte r D a rw in ’s p roduction o f a concrete doctrin e
o f the e v olution o f Species th a t the id ea takes firm an d la s tin g h old o f
th in k in g people in g e n era l a n d n a tu ra lis ts in p a r tic u la r ; w ith the re su lt
th a t the long ra tio n a lis tic attack on th e H ebrew cosm ogony c a rrie s th e day.
T h en c efo rth the doctrin e o f th e F a ll, w ith the super-im posed doctrin es of
S a lv atio n an d D am nation, have o n ly a d w in d lin g statu s even fo r c h u rc h
m en.
B y th e tim e o f th e advent o f D arw in ism , Fox h a d become ra th e r a
p o litic ia n th a n a p re ac h er, th o u g h he never w ho lly abandoned h is w ork
as a lec tu re r on re lig io u s h isto ry an d on m orals. F ox w as a w hole m an,
in a m easure by reason o f the b ra cin g a n d to u g h en in g experience o f h is
y outh, but also in v irtu e o f the n a tiv e sin c erity w hich m ade him m aster o f
a sty le a t once n a tu r a l an d s k ilfu l, the self-expression o f a lettered m an not
m agnetised by lite r a ry tra d itio n . I f o n ly he h ad com pleted the A uto
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b io g rap h y o f w h ich he le ft a frag m e n t, it w ould, I fan cy , have been
fo u n d a t least e q u ip o llen t w ith th a t of N ew m an. As it w as, h is fun ctio n
th ro u g h o u t h is connection w ith th is place w as to g u a rd h is h e are rs v ig il
a n tly a g a in st a ll m an n er o f n arrow ness, to keep th e ir m in d s open to new
tr u th w hencesoever it cam e, a n d to see it th a t th e bias o f re lig io n should
never be allo w ed to m ake G od-w orship a b a rrie r to hum an sym pathies, as
he saw it often to be a ro u n d him , even in h is own denom ination.
I t is sound h isto ric a l m ethod to note these influences of in d iv id u a ls on
th e ir tim e. An in co n sid e rate asseveration o f the a ll-im p o rtan c e o f g re at
men by one-idead id e a lis ts led B uckle, a n d h a s led m any since, to insist
th a t th e influence o f the pro m in en t in d iv id u a l is i llu s o r y ; th a t he leads
by fo llo w in g ; th a t it is the g en eral m ovem ent th a t oounts. B ut m ovem ents
are m ade by m e n ; a n d th ere a re the fu rth e re rs, the in sp ire rs, a s th e re are
the passive p a rtic ip a to rs . T h a t is how we know m ovem ents : th ere is no
m ore ju stic e in c a n c e llin g out the prom oters th an in c a n c e llin g out the m ass
who, as such, give effect to the le a d in g given them . In a ll the th o u g h t
m ovem ents o f th e p a st c en tu ry fo rc e fu l m en have been v isib le forces
T hom as P a in e, the two M ills, B entham , Fox, H olyoake, B ra d la u g h
Colenso, D a rw in , H u x le y , T y n d a ll, A rn o ld , S tra u ss, R enan, a n d a ho st of
less em inent but energetic m en, m ade opin io n am ong the m ass, am ong the
th in k e rs, am ong th e sp ecialists, am ong th e students, on the lin es o f th eir
sp ecial pow er of a p p e a l; a n d th ere resu lted a p rogressive m u tatio n o f
belief in a ll classes alik e. E ven in h is p u lp it p e rio d , w hen h is a u d ien ce
w as, as he sa id , a re stric te d one, F ox w as a c en tre from w hich lib e ra l
th o u g h t ra d ia te d in m any d irections.
A fte r a n in te rv a l o f y ears, in w hich th e ap p ea l o f a sa lie n t p e rso n a lity
w as lac k in g , a n d its p re stig e g re a tly d w in d led , to a po in t a t w hich absolute
stoppage w as co ntem plated, th e re cam e to F o x ’s place a n o th e r A m erican
p ilg rim , M oncure D a n iel C onw ay, w ho h a d a lre a d y , in h is own person,
m ade the advance from o rthodoxy to heterodoxy, an d w ho h a d the same
r a d ic a l bias in respect o f a v ita l in te rest in p u b lic affairs. T h e young
p reach er who in h is n ativ e la n d h a d seen sla v ery b uttressed by B iblical
texts a n d d octrines w as com m itted a t once to fin d in g hu m an san ctio n s for
m orals, an d to seeing in a ll re lig io n s a lik e th e w orkm anship o f m an.
T h u s it cam e a bout th a t ev ery a d v an ce in sc h o la rly o r scientific sc ru tin y of
the problem s on w hich orth o d o x y la id dow n its law found in C onw ay an
e a g e rly receptive stu d e n t an d in te rp re te r; a n d th e persuasive c h arm w hich
w as h is in a special degree, a c h arm com pounded o f fe e lin g , hum our,
sy m pathy, know ledge a n d lite r a r y s k ill, m ade h is influence as dynam ic s's
h a d been th a t o f Fox.
A fte r seven y e a rs’ te n u re o f th is p la tfo rm , he sum m ed u p h is course
in the book e n title d T h e E a rth w a rd P ilg rim a g e , a p h ra se w hich te lls at
once of h is personal experience a n d o f th a t of h is age. T h e prologue is
headed : “ H ow I L e ft the W o rld to Come fo r T h a t w hich I s .” I t w as a
record o f a s h iftin g o f v alues, a g ra d u a l discovery th a t sound ethic is
hom ocentric, not th eo c en tric; a n d th a t th e re lig io n s h e ld as revealed from
the skies are no less the w ork o f m en’s h a n d s th an those d isc ard e d an d
contem ned on th a t very plea. F o x ’s hym n : " M ake us a God, said Man-,”
gives tb c cue fo r th e w hole tra n s itio n . A nd fo r C onw ay, as for F ox, there
w as no in d isso lu b le dogm a, n o u n m odifiable doctrin e save th e law of
lo y a lty to tr u th a n d to the good o f h u m a n ity ; th o u g h F ox rem ained a lw ay s
n o m in a lly a T h eist, w hereas C onw ay a t le n g th abandoned th e b e lie f in a
c o n tro llin g M oral P rovidence.
T o-day the num ber of liste n e rs in th is place w ho w ere ta u g h t by C on
w ay is s till, I am g lad to th in k , c o n sid e ra b le ; b u t we, too, a re o f the
p a ssin g g e n e ra tio n ; an d in th e 26 y ears since h e fin a lly w ith d rew from
th e p la tfo rm th e process o f change in opinion h a s been continuous as before,
tho u g h less s trik in g to the o u ts id e r’s eye. P e rh a p s the decade o f m axim um
d istu rb an c e o f orthodox opinion in E n g la n d in o ur tim e w as th a t o f the
seventies, w h ich opened w ith C onw ay’s E a rth w a rd P ilg r im a g e ; a n d a lre a d y
in th a t decade the influence o f C onw ay b ro u g h t to h is p la tfo rm avowed
free th in k e rs, avowed ath eists. W hen once the E a rth w a rd P ilg rim a g e h as
been re a lise d fo r w h at it is, a ll serious th o u g h t is on a new fo oting o f
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in tercom m unication fo r those who have gone even p a rt of the w a y ; a n d
differences of o pinion come to be fe lt as but differences of tem per tow ards
the past. : N e ith e r F ox nor C onw ay ever approved of D isestablishm ent, and
both fram e d good arg u m e n ts a g a in st it. T heism , a g a in , survives ’as a
sentim ent w ith some who have rejected it as a dogm a. A nd w hereas the
controversies o f la st c e n tu ry ro u n d the nam e o f C h rist were b ro a d ly between
those who affirm ed h is d iv in ity an d those who affirm ed his h u m an ity , the
open controversy is la tte rly over the question o f h is h isto ric ity .
It is
p ro b ab ly tru e th a t the U n ita ria n sta n d p o in t is now w id e ly h e ld in the
ch u rch es w hich are n o m in a lly T rin ita ria n . T o m y know ledge, the la tte r
in clu d e a few a t lea st who have aban d o n ed even the b e lie f in the h isto ric a l
a c tu a lity o f Jesus. B ut the bulk o f op in io n is pro b ab ly now a t th e six ty
y e a rs ’ o ld sta n d p o in t of R e n a n ’s L ife of J e s u s ; an d a n y advance from th a t
to , a c h allen g e of the h isto ric existence is s till com m only view ed w ith m ore
confident derisio n th a n R enan h im self bestowed upon it. Yet th ere, too,
“ it m o v es” ; a n d a t a tim e w hen le a d in g U n ita ria n s affirm th a t the view
is “ com pletely e x p lo d e d ,” it is fin d in g new sc h o la rly exponents.
P ro g re ss in these fields o f o p in io n is never o therw ise th a n th a t of a
slow tid e .
In 1839, L ucy A ikin w rote to C h a n n in g : “ A lea rn ed but
h e retic a l C am b rid g e d iv in e tells me : ‘ T h is gen eratio n o f us th in k , the next
w ill speak. ’ ” T h a t p re d ic tio n w as h a rd ly fu lfille d to the le tte r ; but it
has been la rg e ly fu lfille d in o u r ow n tim e. C oncerning the a u th o rsh ip of
the F o u rth G ospel, P ro fesso r R obertson S m ith, w r itin g about 1890, sum m ed
up th a t “ In th e perio d of th ir ty y e ars e n d in g 1860, o f the fifty g re at
au th o ritie s in th is lin e , fo u r to one w ere in fav o u r of the Jo h a n n in e a u th o r
sh ip . O f these, N
one q u a rte r, an d c e rta in ly the very g re atest, fin ally
ch an g e d th e ir position to th e side of a la te r date a n d n o n -Jo h a n n in e a u th o r
sh ip . O f th e new c ritic s, tw o -th ird s re je ct the tr a d itio n a l th eo ry w holly
or very la r g e ly .” S till m ore com plete, o f recent years, has been the r e
versal, la rg e ly th ro u g h R obertson S m ith ’s own w ork, of the tra d itio n a l
view o f the a u th o rs h ip o f the books o f the O ld T estam ent.
A nd w hen some professed ra tio n a lists a re fo u n d confidently an d even
v io le n tly re je c tin g o th er in n o v atin g view s, we do w ell to re ca ll how in the
h isto ry o f B ib lic a l sc h o larsh ip it has re p ea te d ly happened th a t professed
ra tio n a lists resisted c ritic a l advances w hich w ere b eing m ade by professed
su p e rn a tu ra lists.
Some of th e old ra tio n a lists fo u g h t for the P a u lin e
a u th o rs h ip o f th e E p is tle to . the H ebrew s a n d o f the E p istle to T im o th y ,
when e v an g e lic als declared th a t it could not be m ain tain ed ; a n d stood for
the M osaic a u th o rs h ip o f the P en tateu ch w hen otherw ise orthodox scholars
h a d disproved it.
I t is not s u rp ris in g , then, to find professed r a tio n
a lis ts in o u r own d a y scouting V an M an en ’s th esis o f the spuriousness of
a ll the P a u lin e E p istle s, an d o th er ra d ic a l theories, w hich even some
chu rch m en su p p o rt.
B ut, a g a in , let us rem em ber, the in n o v atin g theory
is not as such n ece ssa rily tru e : confidence in these m atters is a fr u it o f
slow g ro w th ; a n d th e w ise ra tio n a lis t w ill doubt g u a rd e d ly , an d keep a ll
views open to revision.
T h e v ita l th in g is ju s t openness o f m in d , the rejection o f dogm atic
c ertitu d e s on m atters o f in fere n ce from p a rtia lly d o u b tfu l d a ta ; the r e a d i
ness to a d m it th a t doubt ra tio n a lly a rises when cause is show n ; the avow al
th a t o ur w isest m ental state is a consciousness th a t we are seeking for
tru th , not th a t we have fin a lly found it in an u n a lte ra b le guise. W h at we
c a ll tru th is its e lf lik e every other aspect o f th e cosmos, in a state of
e te rn a l developm ent. Science, so-called, modifies u n d e r o ur e y e s ; an d so
it is w ith ou r science o f h u m an th in g s.
It is, I believe, the h o n o u rab le d istin c tio n o f th is In stitu te th a t it has
kept such view s of tr u th before its m em bers d u rin g the h u n d re d years th at
have now elapsed since its ODening. Step by step, it h a s m odified its
fo rm al creed, d e n u d in g its e lf o f dogm a, g iv in g a h e a r in g to a ll new
th o u g h t c o n sid era te ly expressed, e x p ressly se ttin g ethics above creeds, con
sta n tly ta k in g account o f a ll serious discussion o f social a n d n a tio n a l
problem s, c a rin g above a ll th in g s fo r freedom of th e s p irit in th e stu d v
o f them . And as betw een th is place a n d th e vast m a jo rity o f p laces o f
w orship so-called, the d istin c tio n is still notable, m uch as th e ir p ra ctic e
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has la tte rly m odified in th e d irec tio n o f a m ore to le ra n t discussion of
in n o v atin g view s.
I f the In stitu te is in a n y o th er respect less conspicuous th a n it w as
w hen F ox a n d w hen C onw ay w ere its teachers, it is a ssu re d ly not d u e to
an y recovery of in te lle c tu a l p re stig e by the creeds w hich they p u t aside.
I f the old fo rm u la ab o u t “ the re lig io n of a ll sensible m en ” w ere to be
reduced to a n y p ra c tic a l specification, it w ould pro b ab ly be fo u n d to come
n e a re r the p re v a ilin g view s of th is place th a n to th a t of an y c reed -lim ited
c h u rch . W hen, tw enty y e ars ago, M r. H a rd y w rote in th e p re fa c e to h is
D yn a sts th a t “ the a bandonm ent of th e m ascu lin e pronoun in a llu sio n s to
the F ir s t o r F u n d a m e n ta l E n e rg y seemed a necessary a n d lo g ical conse
quence o f th e long abandonm ent by th in k e rs o f th e a n th ro p o m o rp h ic con
ception of the sam e,” th e re w as no such sc a n d al as w as evoked w hen, th ir ty
ye ars e a r lie r, M orley in h is book on V o ltaire sp elt “ God ” w ith a sm all
“ g .”
W ith in the C h u rch o f E n g la n d its e lf th ere h a s grow n up an
o rg a n isatio n avow edly a im in g a t the rejection from its creed of a ll B ib lic a l
elem ents reco g n isab le as h isto ric a lly a n d scien tifically fa lse. T h e difficulty
fo r those refo rm ers is to say w here th e lin e is to be d ra w n , a n d w hat
p crtio n s o f the C h ristia n creed w ill be le ft. An old Scotch d iv in e , h ’ g h ly
a n d w id ely a n d ju s tly esteem ed in h is d ay , avow ed to me not m any y e ars
ago th a t he an d a n old schoolfellow , a lso a m an of h ig h e cc lesiastical
repute, h a d recen tly surveyed together th e chan g es th a t h a d taken place
in th e theology a n d b e lie f of th e ir tim e, a n d h a d d e clare d th a t th e w hole
aspect o f th in g s h a d so v ita lly a lte re d th a t they fe lt them selves in another
w o rld th a n th a t of th e ir youth. A ll the old lan d m a rk s, he d e clare d , w ere
gone. I f th a t w ere tru e o f S co tlan d , it m ust be tru e to a la rg e extent of
E n g la n d , how ever the South m ay la g behind th e N o rth in lo g ic a lity .
A nd p e rh ap s one of the m ost sig n ifican t re su lts o f the tra n sfo rm a tio n
is ju s t the re la tiv e la tte r-d a y lack of in te rest in re lig io u s problem s in
ge n era l. W h at has em erged, say some shrew d observers, is not so m uch
un b e lie f as indifference.
A nd indifference is perchance a m ore serious
d a n g e r to p rogressive th a n to retro g ressiv e th o u g h t. F o r th e re tro g ra d e
creed c an go on su b sistin g by reason of its h o ld on the m ass o f u n e n
lig h te n ed m in d s, a s does a ll su p e rstitio n in a ll backw ard races an d p la c e s ;
an d if in the m eantim e m en tu rn aw ay from th e task o f m a in ta in in g the
c o n tra ry p ro p a g a n d a , h o ld in g it not w orth w hile, the u n e n lig h te n e d fa ith
m ay recover g round, as h a s h ap p en ed m any tim es in hu m an h isto ry .
R eal hum an service then, to m y th in k in g , is being done by a ll w ho re a lise
th a t the general w e lfa re o f m an k in d depends upon the vigorous a c tiv ity o f
the w hole lif e o f the m in d , an d is not to be secured by a m ere gospel o f
b re ad -a n d -b u tte r, h o u sin g a n d com fort, m inim um w ages a n d easier w ork,
w ith only a v a g u ely conceived e d u ca tio n w h ich is not h eld to in clu d e
in stru ctio n on th e g e n era l problem s set u p by th e creeds.
Some o f us c an v iv id ly rem em ber how , th ir ty a n d fo rty y ears ago, we
w ere to ld by professed social re fo rm e rs w ho p roclaim ed them selves o f a
new school th a t w o rk in g m en need not be tro u b led about the a u th o rsh ip
o f the P en tateu ch o r the tru th o f the B ib le ; th a t w h at concerned them w as
sim p ly b etter w ages a n d w o rk in g co n d itio n s. W e have none o f us, I hope,
ever c a p itu la te d to th a t view o f th in g s. T o-day th e lea d ers o f the L abour
P a rty u n a n im o u sly assu re the p ertu rb e d B ritish W e e k ly th a t it is qu ite a
m istake to re g a rd them as a n y m ore affected by irre lig io u s view s th a n the
p a rty w hich in clu d ed L o rd M orley. A nd it is but f a ir to say th a t th ey
show no tendency to d e p a rt from the av erage o rthodoxy o f th e E n g lis h
N onconform ist churches. T h e m ore need th a t th e m ental l if e should be
kept going and gro w in g by those w ho feel its v alue, an d w ho see th a t it
is f a r from being f u lly catered fo r in e ith e r o u r schools o r o u r u n iv ersities.
Com m onplace reaction is easy o f grow th i f th ere be none to do w eeding
work. And th e retrospect o f th e re lig io u s evolution o f a c e n tu ry is no
w eak m onition to a co n tin u an ce o f the w ork w hich fu rth e re d it w ith in these
w a lls.
W e do w ell, then, a t such a tim e to say : “ Come now, le t u s p ra is e
fam ous men a n d our fa th e rs w ho begat u s ” —ou r s p iritu a l fa th e rs, th a t is,
who tro d a p a th a n d c le are d a field fo r us, an d b u t fo r whose w ork o u r lot
�327
centenary
c e l e b r a t io n
s o u v e n ir
had been d a rk e r a n d poorer. Th© debt, indeed, goes fa r beyond a c en tu ry .
B efore South P la ce opened its doors, brave a n d strenuous w ork h ad been
done fo r the e m a n cip a tio n o f the m odern m ind from th e ty ra n n ie s o f creeds
a n d a u th o ritie s. Men to whom , p robably, even th e g e n ia l W inchester and
V id ler p a id sm all trib u te , h a d m ade possible th e ir m easure o f freedom an d
en lig h ten m en t. T w o h u n d re d years before W inchester, th e fre e th in k in g
M arlow e h a d sp re ad the th o u g h t th a t H eaven a n d H e ll w ere not places but
states o f m in d . B ut none the less w as th e ir m erit in striv in g , in an age o f
v iolent reaction a n d persecution, a g a in st a darkened theology w hich was
f r u i tf u l in c ru e lty . A nd to th e m ore h ig h ly c u ltu re d an d endow ed teachers
who in the succeeding g enerations c a rrie d on th e ir w ork in th is place by
m ed ia tin g u n w e a rie d ly fo r a ll new tru th , sta n d in g b ra v ely by the d a rin g
s p irits w ho took the spears o f b ig o try in th e ir breasts o u tsid e o f a ll such
sh e lte r a s w as given by these w a lls—to them “ re so lu te ,” in the w ords
spoken by Goethe a h u n d re d y e ars ago, “ to liv e in th e W hole, the Good,
the B e a u tifu l ” —to them we p a y to-day a g ra te fu l an d affectionate trib u te ,
a s to men who loved h u m a n ity n ot u n d e r su p e rn a tu ra l com m and but in v irtu e
o f the greatness o f th e ir own h e arts.
��OF THE
Celebration o f the 150th
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SOUTH PLACE ETHICAL SOCIETY
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February 14
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1943
�SOUTH PLACE ETHICAL SOCIETY
Conway Hall, Red Lion Square
London, W.C.i
T h e C elebration o f th e
150th A n n iversa ry o f S o u th Place
E th ic a l S o ciety
Sunday, February 14, 1943
com m em oration o f the establishm ent o f a congregation o f religious
dissenters, under Elhanan W inchester, at Parliam ent Court C hapel, Artillery
Lane, Bishopsgate, L ondon, on February 14, 1793, from w hich South Place
Ethical Society has directly descended.
T he C elebration took place at C onw ay Hall. T he Right H on. Lord
Snell, P.C., C.B.E., L L .D ., took the chair at 11 a.m., a large com pany being
present. He began by reading letters from a number o f distinguished friends
o f the Society w ho were unable to bc present, and from kindred Societies in
the U nited States o f A m erica. T hese appear elsew here in this pamphlet.
Lord Snell then delivered the follow in g address :—
Ladies and G entlem en.— For more than tw elve generations the South
Place Ethical Society has been the loyal servant o f great ideals, lt has fought
the good light and it has kept the faith. W e cannot accurately m easure its
influence on those w ho knew its work and w ho loved what they knew , but
throughout its career it has been a w holesom e corrective and an ever-constant
help to people in times o f m ental indecision. We are met this m orning to
celebrate its past and gratefully acknow ledge our indebtedness to it. Let us
all praise fam ous men w hose spirit hath begat us. T here are som e w ho have
left a name behind, and those who have left no m em orial save in the wider
know ledge and tolerance o f our time. T h ey are part o f that power in the
U niverse which works and plans for better days.
T h e Society has been served by a long line o f distinguished men whose
erudition was associated with the enthusiasm o f their time, and w ho in times
o f gloom and stress alw ays kept their teaching alive with hope. Such leaders
o f the Society were both liberators and prophets. T hey were courageous in
outlook, but never negative; their enthusiasm s were restrained, but rarely
timid or evasive. We have, therefore, a goodly heritage to sustain. In the
course o f its work the Society attracted m any distinguished visitors. J. S.
M ill, T. H. H uxley, Herbert Spencer certainly knew and respected the work
that it was doing. H ere, L ongfellow heard for the first time his “ Psalm o f
Life ” used as a congregational hym n.
»
Let not the Society be ovcrproud o f this record. It has been criticized.
lt has been accused o f being too consciously high-brow and too iself-assured.
N o r have the audiences escaped a certain am ount o f criticism . It has been
said that they cam e not to receive inspiration from the speaker but to find out
how much he knew about his subject, and it is said that the audience would
m ore readily tolerate a false moral pronouncem ent than a flaw in logic. A s a
hopelessly low -brow person m yself I can neither confirm nor deny these
accusations. W e are here to applaud the Society's contributions to the needs
o f past generations and to our ow n. H ow much there has been that calls for
praise and thanksgiving! In an age o f unw holesom e superstition the Society
was an antiseptic, lt destroyed and it healed, lt practised alm ost alone the
religion o f the open mind and kept its feet firmly on the ground. E m otion
separated from reason it distrusted.
W ith quiet, calm deliberation it
disentangled every knot. T he Society has had a progressive outlook on all
the great issues o f the day, and it has never been afraid to let an unaccepted
Iii
THE OBJECTS O F THE SOCIETY
are the study and dissemination o f ethical principles,
and the cultivation o f a rational religious sentim ent.
�view be stated from its platform . If a man had an unpopular cause to
advocate the Society gave him the right to be heard. F or m any years it was
the only practising C atholic Church It judged both tradition and prophecy
by the searching test o f know ledge. W as a thing true? If so let it be
accepted w hoever m ight reject it. W as it false? Then let it be denounced
whatever the consequences. T he prestige o f antiquity o f a belief or a
prejudice gave it no relief from criticism. T he Society was thorough in its
rejections and its acceptances.
It was more nonconform ing than the
N oncon form ists. It aim ed to reform the R eform ation. It took itself for
better or for w orse and said “ here is where w e stand and on the solid rock o f
fact and reason we will build our C hurch.” It did not reject the ancient
philosophers and teachers because they were not m odern, but it required them
to prove their case even if they were old. It has been said that when Oliver
W endell H olm es, afterwards the great Am erican judge, was about to begin his
studies at Harvard he called on Emerson to receive his blessing and pay his
respects. E m erson in effect said to him : “ Y ou are entering on a great
experience and I wish you well. Y ou will be subjected to the influence o f the
ancient philosophers, but do not allow you rself to be over-aw ed by them.
Say to P lato: ‘ L ook here, you have been pleasing m en for more than two
thousand years, now see if you can please m e.’ ” In giving this advice
Emerson sought to influence the young student not autom atically to accept
the conclusions o f a great teacher, but to subject them to the test o f his ow n
experience and to the facts o f the modern world. St. Paul probably had that
need in mind when he s a id : “ Prove all things, and hold fast to that which is
go o d .”
T he influence o f a highly specialized group such as South Place Ethical
Society can not be estim ated with precision. T hat influence is not alw ays
ob vious or m easurable, but it is w ithout doubt real and w holesom e. S om e
tim es it show s itself in re-shaped hum an lives, and som etim es its transform ing
and energizing pow er passes into the purposes and achievem ents o f society.
In how m any cases has the Society liberated and enriched the individual,
given him direction and purpose, and changed what was a mere unit o f a
population into a creative personality? H ow m any have found in its teaching
and fellow ship that which satisfied the mind, consoled the heart and aroused
in them a m uch-needed reform ing zeal? T he influence that the Society has
had on the thought and practice o f the nation is not so obvious, but it has
been both considerable and com m endable. M inorities such as it represents
are the essential instrum ents o f collective progress. W ise advancem ent and
helpful readjustment rarely, if ever, com e spontaneously from the multitude.
T he m ass is generally conservative in instinct and habit; it holds fast to what
it know s, and distrusts adventure in unexplored fields. T he challenge to the
outw orn, the call to march forward usually com e from lonely men with
courage and prophetic insight w ho seeing the approaching daw n, strike their
tents and journey towards the sunrise. T he crow d will accept only what the
pioneer has m ade fam iliar to it, and it has often stoned the prophets. Its
attitude is illustrated by the railway traveller w ho prefers to sit with his back
to the engine because, while he does not much care where he is going, he likes
to see where he has been.
T h e South Place Ethical Society has not lacked leadership o f an inspiring
type. It has been guided by m en w h o “ not having received the prom ises, but
having seen them afar off, were persuaded o f them .” Such m en gave to
the land freedom o f speech, free printing and freedom o f assem bly and
w orship. W hat they w on is entrusted to us for safe-keeping, and we shall
not betray our trust.
T h e list o f subjects considered on this platform reveals that it has been
both catholic and tolerant. N o lim itation or test has ever been im posed upon
i'ts speakers. T h e o n ly thing dem anded o f them has been that they should
2
speak the truth as th ey knew it. It has been in the highest sense a Society o f
Free Thinkers. M y ow n m em ories o f it cover m ore than 50 years, and 1 have
know n m ost o f those w h o have served it during that time either as individual
M inisters or as mem bers o f that appointed Trinity o f O racles w ho instruct
and guide us from this platform upon which I too have been accorded the
privilege o f m aking an occasional appearance.
F inally I remem ber that on the Sunday when he took h is first leave o f the
Society (M ay 17, 1885) D r. C onw ay ch ose for his them e “ A charge to be kept
at South Place.” M y cop y o f that discourse, together with the rest o f m y
household effects w as destroyed by G erm an K u ltu r, but I remember that it
laid upon us the charge to keep aloft the standard raised by our fathers. T hat
we have tried to do, and today w e rededicate ourselves to its service. It is
good to have know n the Society, a privilege to have served it. W ith gratitude
and pride w e salute its past and we com m end its future to the gallant youth o f
our time.
Mr. J. M cC abe
I was invited to speak today on the them e o f South Place and freethought.
That, I presum e, w ould m ake m any o f you fear that I w ould
pursue a favourite line o f w hich you have heard very often but I am taking
the word “ free-thought ” in the broad sense in which Lord Snell referred
to it. W e are com m em orating today not m erely1 the fact that this Society
has lasted 150 years, but that during that tim e it has courageously and with
m agnificent effect adjusted itself to every truth that men have discovered
in that time. Em erson once said or w rote that consistency is the virtue o f
a coward. T his Society has developed from a small U niversalist congregation
o f ex-B aptists under Elhanan W inchester w hich, under V idler, later adopted
U nitarianism . It was a sm all and obscure section o f a small and obscure
sect. By the end o f the 19th Century it was taking a m ost useful part in
the public life o f this country. Som eon e once said that man is his own
Prom etheus. T hat was one o f the greatest discoveries o f the last century.
M an discovered that w hatever power, w hatever goodness, w hatever truth,
w hatever beauty exists com es from hum anity itself. T hat applies particularly
in ethics. T h e doctrine o f eternal punishm ent 150 years ago was the basis
o f ethical teaching throughout this country. F ox had already discarded that
dogm a w hen he took up his ministry. But the Society began with it in a
m odified form . Even F o x believed that the Bible w as inspired and must
have a kind o f w orship and adoration which no one except certain very
backward bodies give it today. F o x was a great man. Year by year he
looked upon this changing England and said that we o f South Place must
teach what is true and sound. A ll other churches were struggling with the
old bonds.
But those tw o great m en. Fox and C on w ay, w ho led this
congregation never troubled for a single m om ent to invent new phrases.
O nce it was plain that m an had taken the sacred fire from heaven and that
hum anism w as the goal, South Place becam e hum anist. In so doing, it
follow ed the creed o f the majority in this country. W e understand from
the figures com piled by the Church o f England that on Sundays nine out
o f ten o f the people o f this C ity com e under no kind o f Christian influence
w hatever. T hey neither go to Church nor read the Bible. T o m any it will
seem strange that the average conduct o f this country continues as high
as it d oes in such a state o f things. There was a critic o f the last century,
W. H. M allock, w ho said, “ Y ou will go on for som e tim e because you are
burning the oil that you stole from the sanctuary when you left it.” But
F ox and C onw ay knew better. T hey burned a new oil w hen the old w as
found faulty. One dogm a sufficed, that man shall inspire his ow n power,
that all pow er com es from him , and that there is alm ost an indefinite advance
3
�in front o f us for that power. It was said o f F o x that he m ade U nitarianism
respectable, but C on w ay m ade hum anism respectable.
I cam e into the Society 47 years ago w ondering, as I cam e out o f the
gloom and isolation o f the cloister, w hether I w as alone in the U niverse.
W ithin tw o m onths I found that there was at least one Society w hich held
those ideals w hich I had built up in my ow n mind during a year or tw o ot
trouble. T hen alm ost to the surprise o f m ost o f us w e found ourselves in
accord w ith the view o f the m odern w orld. If w e cast our thoughts back
to the norm al world before the war, w e see that the m ajority o f p eop le in
the country hold the position w e hold today. T hey m ay not like the
phraseology and rationality o f the ethical creed but the majority o f educated
people stand in the position to w hich C on w ay brought this Society cwei
70 years ago. T here were m any w ho predicted ruin as, they said, the old
doctrines held together the fabric o f an old civilization. Som ehow the world
has im proved. D o n ’t rem ind m e that there is a war on. It proves the
ethical case. W hat is it that the w orld is saying tod ay o f the arch-crim inal
but a condem nation in our language. Cruel, greedy, savage, selfish—
C onw ay’s language, w hich has becom e the dogm a o f South Place. W hat he
said and laid dow n as the fundam ental principle o f th is Society we see no
reason to change.
M oral law is hum an law.
T here is no hell fo i the
transgressor. T here is no need o f hell beyond this w orld. Y ou shall pay
in this world for all transgressions. Som e o f us have an unbreakable
confidence in the future o f m ankind.
W hen evil-m inded men defied the
m oral law , there arose at on ce a volum e o f m oral indignation justifying our
principles.’ W e face a grave and delicate future. T here is going to be a
time requiring very great courage and discrim ination. .South Place m ust hold
on to those principles that it has represented lor the last sixty or seventy
years. There w ill be a cry for excessive reprisals. There w ill be a cry for
action w hich will disturb indefinitely the future o f this planet. W e hold on
to our principles. I remem ber standing on this plattorm , or rather at South
Place C hapel at the beginning o f the century. W hat confidence w e had.
T h e m iddle ages w ere over, we were entering upon the age o f indefinite
progress. N o one then foresaw the horrors through which the world was
to pass I rem em ber arguing with J. M . R obertson as to w hether w e should
totally disarm or partially disarm. Our confidence has n ot been justified.
But that progress will be sustained and we shall enter upon the path o f
indefinite im provem ent we are certain; it depends on character. Som e years
ago friends o f m ine in various countries said the ethical issue was out-dated
and that the econ om ic issue alone was w hat matters to m ankind. W here
are those friends today? Trodden into the blood-sodden mud that is Europe
today. That is a vindication o f the principles w hich C on w ay gave us at the
chapel. A nd w e w ill hope that in another fifty years it w ill be fou n d not
on ly faithful to these principles but to have regained that influence on the
life o f the com m unity w hich it had and which it has exercised to the
advantage o f the world.
JL/r*
V « 1j« !“■ JUrtll
y
«
T he C hairm an and Mr. M cC abe have dealt tor the m ost part with the
past o f the Society. I wish to say a word about its future, and I am taking
for my text (if 1 m ay use that expression) that declaration o f belief in the
duty o f free inquiry and the rights o f religious liberty m ade by W. J. F o x
on his appointm ent as M inister o f the old Parliam ent Court Chapel,
Bishopsgate, in 1817. T he C hairm an had this declaration in mind when he
spoke o f the R eligion o f the Open M ind. T hat was the type o f religion
w hich has lasted am ong us for the past 150 years and which will, I hope,
continue to exist— and flourish— in the near future. T he duty of t i ee
4
inquiry and the right o f religious liberty seem to m e to go together. They
are based both upon philosophical reasons and upon political reasons. I shall
glance at the philosophical reasons first.
H ow little we know o f the universe in which w c live : 1 ventured, in a
recent discourse here, to point out that, in a very real sense, the m ore we
know the m ore w e becom e aware o f our real ignorance. W hat we know
is like a little lighted patch in an area o f surrounding darkness; the m ore
we increase the size o f the illum inated patch, the m ore we increase the
length o f the circum ference, increase, therefore, its area o f contact with the
unknow n— the m ore, that is to say, we becom e aware o f the environing
darkness.
T hat this is so is becom ing plain, even in Science w hich, 50 or 100
years ago was confidently and bravely exploring the dark places o f the world.
Science is a m atch which m ankind has just set alight. F or a tim e we thought
we were in a room and that our light w ould be reflected from and display
walls inscribed with w onderful secrets and pillars carved with divine
m essages, lt is disconcerting, n ow that the prelim inary splutter is over and
the flam e burns clear, to see our hands and just a glim pse o f ourselves and
the patch o f ground upon which we stand, and around us, in place o f all
that com fort and beauty and friendliness and m eaning we expected, darkness
still.
T his being the case, one w ould have thought that free inquiry and
religious liberty w ould bc m ore than ever cardinal virtues, but this to-day is
far from being the fact. M ankind has alw ays been, and still is, under the
dom ination o f two great fallacies. T he first is that there is som ething
m orally good in believin g— irrespective o f w hat it is that one believes. M en
like to be told w hat they ought to do and w hat they ough t to think—-witness
the popularity o f the Church and the A rm y— and as alw ays m ake a virtue of
what they like.
1 cannot share that delusion. It seem s to m e that it is m uch m ore
important that a man should m ake up his mind for him self as to what he
ought to do, and w hat he ought to think. If current beliefs appear to you to
be unw orthy o f belief, then he ought to accept the duty o f free inquiry, with
a view to substituting worthier beliefs.
T h e second fallacy is that it is right or virtuous to share the beliefs ol
others. A ttem pts are being m ade everyw here, in realms where know ledge is
hazy or incom plete, to im plant particular dogm as, and then to in^*
on m aking the world u ncom fortable for all w ho do not accept them.
e
are living in an age o f increasing dogm atism s. Their spread is part ot the
disease which threatens to overrun our world. C om pare this situationi with
the optim ism that existed at the beginning o f the century. Then (in 191 j),
Professor J. B. Bury, in A H isto ry o f F reedom o f T h ou gh t, w rote :
“ T h e struggle o f reason against authority has ended in what
appears now to be a decisive and perm anent victory for liberty.”
and John Stuart M ill, in L ib e rty , (1859) w rote :
“ It is too m uch to profess to be afraid lest barbarism after having
been fairly got under, should revive and conquer civilization.”
W e have travelled far since then. A huge gulf lies between their world
„nH that o f the present-day G erm any, a land in w hich w hatever is not
com pulsory is verb o ten . Only last Sunday it fell to m y lot to visit that vast
R om an C atholic sem inary at M aynooth in Eire. W ithin its w alls are six
hundred voung celibate m ales for w hom all vital questions are closed for
w hom all necessary know ledge is provided, and to w hom even a free
in a iii rer such as I believe m yself to be appears m the light o f an infidel.
Or consider the pow er o f advertisem ent in the m odern world as an
instrum ent for the m anufacture o f m ass opinion. I believe that if every
hoarding In the country were covered with announcem ents to the effect that
�C. E. M . Joad was the m ost m odest man alive, supported by a myriad
leaflets and a brass band, it w ould soon becom e a received opinion that I
was consum ed by an abnorm al shrinking from publicity.
G row ing up around us is a vast number o f different creeds and religions
which are springing into existence because, presum ably, they satisfy som e
instinctive and repressed need o f m an’s m ind— or m an’s soul. I see a world
in w hich A strology, Spiritualism , R osicrucianism , Buchm anism and British
Iraelitism (to nam e on ly a few ) are appealing to m any, not w ithout c o n
siderable success. T hese aspirins for the sick headache o f m odern hum anity
all purport to furnish positive answers to questions on which the truth is
not know n. Such bodies are the greatest enem ies o f the cause for w hich
this Society stands.
T h e duty o f this Society is to get the people freely to inquire, and to
keep the spirit o f doubt and scepticism active. T here has never been any
thing more disastrous to society than, w hat W illiam Jam es called, “ T h e
W ill to B elieve.” For “ T he W ill to B e lie v e ” I w ould substitute “ T he W ish
to F ind O ut,” and (in the absence o f discovery) “ T he D uty o f D o u b t.”
I know no better way.
We m ust rem em ber that a great war is alw ays follow ed by reaction.
We shall be invaded by nfew creeds, cults and dogm as, and the probable
results o f such invasions o f the m inds o f men will be intolerance and the
persecution o f people like ourselves w ho exist to prom ote free inquiry and
free thought. T he duty this Society has responded to so adm irably for the
last 150 years presses upon us now even m ore fully. We can hardly
discharge it m ore faithfully than by em ulating the high exam ples the Society
itself has set us.
I should like to end by a quotation from G ilbert M urray's S to ic,
C hristian an d H u m a n is t:
“ M an is surrounded by unknow n forces o f infinite extent and
alm ost infinite power. It is m an’s consciousness o f these forces, or,
shall we say, o f the infinite extent o f the unknow n com pared with the
sm all sphere o f know ledge in which we live, that constitutes the
attitude towards life which w e call a religious attitude. A m an w ho
never thinks at all about the unknow n but is confident that outside his
approved range o f know ledge there is nothing, or at least nothing that
m atters, is clearly w ithout R eligion; I conclude therefore that he is
equally w ithout religion w hether his approved range is the E n cyclo p a ed ia
B ritannica or the dogm as o f som e infallible Church. T o be cocksure
is to be w ithout religion. T he essence o f religion is the consciousness
o f a vast unknow n. Call it F aith or call it D o u b t : they are tw o sides
o f the sam e m edal.”
Professor J. C. Flugel (w ho kindly took Professor K eeto n ’s place at very
short n otice);
A n A nniversary like this is alw ays heartening if for no other reason than
that w e feel ourselves bound closely to those o f the past. W e have heard
a great deal o f the very heartening past o f this Society. Som e o f you present
on this platform have m ade m e blush for m y seem ing ignorance o f it. Y ou
have know n som ething o f this Society for one-third o f its existence. I have
not know n o f it for so long as I should have liked. I have know n it for
about ten years and during that period, observing its activities, som etim es
from the body o f the hall, som etim es from the platform , a few things have
alw ays im pressed me. F or instance, how ever different the conditions under
which one has met one can alw ays rely on a goodly number o f people being
here. First I cam e in the winter, and then in sum mer, and there were still
about the sam e number. T here have been different speakers on different
topics, but little difference in the audience. W hen war cam e with its sirens,
again very little difference, lt is astonishing, too, with what skill the audience
6
adapt them selves to the occasion and console them selves for their disappoint
ments. O nce when I w as unexpectedly deputizing for a colleagu e only fou
people got up to le a v e — Y ou have already heard that South Place has not
lacked courage so that they were clearly not afraid to leave T his occasion
w as rather a fresh opportunity to stim ulate their w its, and discover whether
I w as wrong.
,
T h e Society has great traditions, and one can prophesy for it a vigorous
future though, no doubt, it will have to adapt itself to changed conditions
and circum stances. W e m ay remind ourselves that this m eeting on St.
V alentine’s D a y m ay have som e significance. L ove is m ore im portant than
hate. W e have to consider the ram ifications o f love and hate, but particularly
o f love
T here are a great m any topics w hich will be raised. It w ould
be interesting to have particulars o f the subjects. On the w hole there has
been a decreasing em phasis on m etaphysical matters and an increase o f
attention to econom ical and p sychological topics. T his will be carried further.
B iology will occupy an im portant place in the future as w ell as politics.
In so far as the Society transfers its activities to these spheres it w ill only
be carrying on its work as the interests that found expression in the religious
controversies o f the past have, to a large extent, becom e attached to
econ om ics so cio lo g y and politics. W e have to advance. Progress, how ever,
involves an increased length o f com m unications, and there will be a great
growth o f sinister influences w hich w ill threaten our com m unications. T hese
old fields o f m etaphysics w ith
w hich w e have been concerned in the past w ill
Still have to occupy us. W e look forward to those w ho will address us 150
years hence. W e do not know their subjects, but w e feel confident that this
Society w hich has survived tw o great wars, the N ap oleon ic and the first
W orld War, and is in process o f surviving a third, w ill continue to con front
the difficult problem s which w ill com e before us. L ooking both before
and after w e realize that we are standing
linked in a long chain, on e end
stretching to the past, one held out to the future. W e rejoice in the
stim ulating influence o f both past and future. W e greet the past and look
hop efu lly towards the future.
M r. S. K . R atcliffe
O n this anniversary we think o f the age and continuity o f the South
Place Society. E ngland is com m on ly thought o f as a land o f close tradition,
m ore favourable than any other to the grow th o f voluntary associations. Y et,
if we except som e fam ous academ ic foundations, there are not m any existing
societies w hich have endured into the second century, and it is interesting
that those w hich have d on e so are m ostly linked with philanthropic and
ethical purposes. South P lace is o f this small number, in no less activity than
at anv earlier stage. A s today we look back to the beginning, w e m ay note in
Particular tw o points. First, that the parent Society was form ed within
four vears o f the outbreak o f the French R evolution. T he -initial im pact o f
that crashing event w as already over. It had drawn a line betw een the old
F iirone and the unknow n. W ordsw orth w as recalling its first flush w hen he
w rote •• Bliss was ii in thal daw n lo be alive." In 1793 the Terror and war
w ith E ngland w ere im pending. T h e repercussions on our side o f the C hannel
w ere m any. T h e hopes and activities brought ou t by the R evolution
nrovoked m easures o f repression, but L ondon in the last decade o f the 18th
S n tu r v was a stim ulating city. M en and w om en were thinking about the
fundam entals o f life and society w ith a new freedom and intensity S econdly,
there is the fact that A m erica w as beginning to m ake itself felt in .E n ja n d .
R e n fa m in Franklin had appeared in L ondon, and had been recognized as he
first o T i n a A m erican. It w as not unfitting that the first m inister o f the
first orig nat a
becom e South P lace should have com e from
still that t h e second o f th e fam ous
leaders w ho shaped the character o f the Society should be A m erican, a
�friend o f those poets and teachers in the U n ited States w ho were looked upon
in the m iddle o f the 19th century with especial adm iration from our side.
T h ey were fresh and inspiriting, and they sounded a fine equalitarian note,
the best o f all tonics for V ictorian E ngland. E m erson’s early essays cam e
over w hile W. J. F o x was still in charge, and when M oncure C onw ay arrived
Em erson's lecture tour in England (1847) was a recent m em ory. South
Place w as on e o f the cradles o f the English-speaking Entente upon which so
great a m easure o f our hopes now depends.
T here is no portion o f the S o ciety ’s heritage o f higher value than the
wide hospitality o f its platform . T h e roll o f visiting speakers is m ost
remarkable— such em inent V ictorians as H u xley and T yndall and M ax
M uller, dow n to later contem poraries like Bernard Shaw, G ilbert M urray,
and the gallant H enry N ev in so n so lately lost to us.
T he appointm ent o f a quartet o f lecturers after Dr. C onw ay's
retirement was a distinctive arrangem ent. There has been nothing in London
at all similar. It m eant am ong other things that, in the interval between the
Boer War and the first W orld W ar every conspicuous public question was
reviewed at South Place by the regular speakers. T h ey were com plem entary
to one another. H erbert Burrows w as a picturesque and rather mystical
rationalist. Joseph M cC abe we have with us still; he has fetched a wider
com pass than any in his spiritual pilgrim age. J. M. R obertson, a two-fisted
fighter, seem ed in his earlier stage to have a positive genius for identifying
him self with unpopular causes.
Y et he proved h im self an effective
parliam entarian and was th e first o f our com p an y to attain the distinction o f
m inisterial responsibility. H is range o f know ledge was im m ense; he was one
o f the tw o or three m ost w idely-read men on e h as know n. Our honoured
J. A. H ob son , the third m em ber o f the quartet to go, holds h is unique place.
W e shall not cease to be grateful for his creative thinking, the constant play
o f his kindly and satiric hum our, and to recall that lean, slight figure, fam iliar
over so long a period in L ondon assem blies, the em bodim ent o f a spirit that
was alert, courageous, and w h olly incorruptible. N or do we forget D elisle
Burns, w ho had the training and all the gifts for an ideal ethical teacher,
lacking on ly the health w hich w ould have enabled him to fulfil his calling.
H is loss to the S ociety w as not to b e estim ated.
South Place began in the French R evolution, the opening crisis o f the
m odern age. It has carried on through a century and a half to the ultimate
agony o f our civilized world. “ Our present business is the general w oe,”
says one in K ing Lear; and that w oe is o f im m easurable depth and extent,
going infinitely beyond all previous experience. W e cannot doubt the truth
o f Dr. Joad’s forecast that there are still grimmer d ays ahead. Our people,
it w ould seem , are in danger o f being misled by the miracle o f England, by
the m arvellous resistance o f our people in the Battle o f Britain and the
recent victories w hich, as w e believe, proclaim oyr island to be as o f old
invulnerable. T he events o f the past two years have left us singularly detached
from the continent o f ruin and anguish, so that m any am ong us cannot feel
that the structure is destroyed. Y et the truth is th e r e ; the historic E urope o f
2,000 years has gon e and can never be restored. T h e other day we listened
to A lexander W erth speaking over the air from a point in the desolation
that w as Stalingrad. T h at great m odern industrial centre is wiped out. And
so it must be through the continent as the tides sw eep over the vast theatres o f
war. T h e conqueror destroys in his march forward. T he resisting arm y
destroys as it flings the invader back. T he retreating enem y com pletes the
hideou s work. V ictory for the U nited N ation s cannot be separated from
material ruin. T h e structure o f that w on d rou s Europe lies in the dust. And
yet there must and will be recovery, for m ankind is indestructible. W e were
glad to hear from D r. Joad so clear a reaffirmation o f that central South
8
P lace principle, the duty ol frej:
chaUe^ge1o f ^ u r terrib le tim e falls
rem nant o f the faithful
, nositive duty o f proclaim ing the values
w ith especial force, the kindred ; nd p
a
a ,ues 0 [ lc a son and conscience,
that c a n never be rem oved or s h a k e n - t h e values or r e a so n ,^ ^
bclicvc
o f intelligence and hum anity, o:f tollera e ^ ^
through the recovery of
S e L the ^ n d a l nT h e r e S no other path by w hich w e can return.
is
This,
how ever we name it, is the one and o n ly road.
I ; “
rather severe that you
the particularly m o™ f ,
° b o n ' ] am not responsible for it, so you
that was going to toe th e
* id ‘tbere w as a tendency in our people to
have to put up with it. Dr. Joad said t
■ because that is all I know
refer to the past. I
a lon g tim e, and thinking o f the exhibits
anything o f really. T o go b a c k quite a 1 g
^
^ QUt Y bear in mind
in the Small H all w hich M r. H erbe
Jt is lh e certificate o f my
one relic in m y possession ^ h ich I.treasv^r
^
by M r c h a rles
m em bership o f the N ationa
w m
e t ^ jtb which South Place has
Bradlaugh, for it » a m em en to o f t h f ^ e m e
wilderness for a tim e and
been intim ately connected. ^ fter l ™ t 1 w as
y ^
QUr ch a irm a n
' \ j r then I joined the/S©trth L ondon Eth
Society 1 have not forgotten. T
w hose work fo r 7the Central London^^ ^ 1 Society ^ ^
.n
went there m any tim es and our Chairm an w
rr.nnection T hen, notw ithtogether a very difficult
for “ Superior Persons' Ethical
standing that T had read that. . . ■ b
t0 tafce on airs m yself and
K
W
i S
M
t°
S.P.E™.' there
is hope.
So. in ,9 1 2 . I ,o,n ed
this Society.
B ut m y d u ty is to rise o n b e h a lf
frien d s to thank our C h a ir m a n ,
for their very v a lu a b le su p p or 1
relig io u s and eth ica l m o v e m e n t
ccjebration o f th e 150th an n iversary o f a
th ro u g h v a r io u s r ev o lu tio n a r y p h ases
e x isten ce. I c a n n o t d o b etter than
has pursued a con t.n u ou s and vsgorou^extstenc^
quote a passage from our C h a u m a n s ,
For one hundred and f i y y
thoughts andW ealSS iiT h at
“
_
H c sajd:
has been (he
o f great
w h a t w p were we are and shall
certain hc is,\,h en gratitude on
remain.
lecturers for their inspiration in carrying on the lt e
our part t dueMo our lecut, e r s ^ ^ ^
tQ pay tribute to tiur
present lecturers w h o are so w ell represented o n our p a
thought and
• i r e doing yeom an service in m aintaining the principles o
Their
sp eech a ^ i n upholding the integrity o f —
m a n d ethtcal v a l u « ., T h e,r
le a d e rs h ip ^ ° ld | usto g e th e T jn fa c e ^ o P th e ^ s o r^ tr^ ^ ^
^
^
w ho
S s
o f our lecturers’ g ood work I am sure this m eeting joins w ith me in heartily
thanking Lord Snell and his fellow -lecturers here.
9
�P rofessor G . W. K eeton, w ho was prevented by illness from being present,
subsequently sent the fo llo w in g :
A hundred and fifty years is a long span in the life o f any institution, even
in a coun try such as this where institutions are proverbially long-lived. It is
therefore not in any sense surprising that in the course o f its lon g career our
Society should have had its ups and dow ns, and that its developm ent, though
it m ight seem at tim es im perceptible, has been continuous and in the
aggregate considerable. T od ay it is w ith peculiar satisfaction that w e see
within our m idst evidences o f particular vitality, even during a total war
w hich has involved a far greater dislocation o f the national life, and a greater
drain upon the efforts o f those w ho are not directly serving in 'the Forces, as
our young men and w om en are d oing, than has ever been required before.
Perhaps when this S o ciety celebrates its tw o-hundredth anniversary in
th© year 1993, som e o f the major issues o f our time will have been solved.
Perhaps w e shall have social security; perhaps even we shall have abolished
war. C ertain it is that if w e have n ot d one these things we shall have seen
drastic and far-reaching changes, not on ly within our country, but in the
world at large. But o f o n e thing I am quite certain; that is, that w hether the
problem s w hich agitate us today are solved or not there will be in 1993 a
number o f problem s aw aiting solution o f w hich w e are as yet ignorant. That
necessarily m eans that the n eed for Societies such as ours, and for a platform
such as C onw ay H all, will be even greater then than it is tod ay. Let us hope
that at that tim e our strength to face that problem will be proportionately
the greater, that our efforts m ay not pass unremarked by people at large (as
they som etim es appear to do at present), and that our principles, tested by the
■criticism and the experience o f another half-century, will be even more
clearly apprehended and firmly professed than they are today.
It is interesting to reflect upon the conditions prevailing when the Society
w as founded in Bishopsgate in 1793, and to com pare and contrast them with
the cond itions existing today. T hen, as now, a w orld-w ide struggle w as in
progress, although at that tim e the sinister genius o f N a p oleon had not yet
revealed itself behind the m ounting terror o f the French R evolution. I have
no doubt w hatever that our first M inisters were regarded with som e anxiety
by those w ho watched over the destinies o f this country at that critical period.
Inevitably, they were deeply interested in the progress o f events in France.
Inevitably too, they must have felt sym pathy with the efforts o f the first
reform ers, for if there is one thread which runs through the work o f our
successive M inisters and Lecturers, it is their abiding interest in the problem s
o f social justice, augm ented in som e cases by very practical efforts to achieve
it. Our first M inisters lived at a time when full religious .toleration had been
by n o means achieved, before the passing o f the first F actory A ct or the first
R eform Bill, and when the governm ent o f the day w as headed by a
remarkable statesm an, w ho in his early Parliamentary career had shared som e
o f the idealism o f his yet greater father, but w ho as the struggle with France
progressed was com pelled steadily to abandon one by one his liberal plans
and to resort ultim ately to m achinery o f repression in a trem endous and
successful effort to ensure the survival o f this country and em pire. In those
days, when society was much less com plex than it is today, the em ergence o f
a free pulpit within the confines o f the C ity o f L ondon must have been the
subject o f num erous confidential reports by governm ent agents, and it w as
no doubt watched w ith som e care, but it would foe an interesting study to trace
the association betw een the Society in its early d ays and that undaunted body
o f liberal thinkers w h o refused to foe silent even in the grim m est days o f the
great struggle w hich lasted from 1792 to 1815.
N evertheless, in spite o f the stern nature o f .the times, the Society
survived as it is d oin g today, and the period follow in g the con clu sion o f the
N ap oleon ic W ars was on e o f the periods o f its greatest usefulness, lt was an
10
eventful and an exciting age. C laim s for social and P ° | * i c a l L ^ t h
denied were steadily grow ing in volum e, until in the m iddle o f the nineteenth
century the tide flow ed with irresistible force. T he period too w as on e w hen a
strong dem and for increased educational facilities m anifested dself and if
one studies the ministry o f F o x , o n e finds that h e spared no effort to discharge
his obligations in respect o f it. M any o f his addresses h ave an astonishingly
m o^er n r ing? al th ou gh I suspect that one or tw o o f them o n s u c h top ics as
“ War ” and “ Im perialism ” m ight possibly result in a period o f ^ t e n t i o n i
delivered today. One finds that F ox was n ot content sim ply to de ^ T Sund ^
addresses H e developed discussion classes on the problem s of the day, and
held public d isp u ta fio K with leaders o f public thought. At alm ost precisely
f h e s a C m om ent other groups with similar ideals, though unconnected with
anv religious organization, were slow ly establishing them selves as e uca 10 a
forces ancT corporations, to form the nucleus from w hich the great and
intricate U niversity o f L ondon has since grow n. A short time aS ° ’
som e o f the addresses w hich F o x had given to his assem blies o fw o r k in g m e n ,
and was greatly impressed by their sincerity and foy the range o f his interests.
N o doubt when
were responsible for
though gradual is
problem s o f the day
the Society celebrated its centenary in 1893 those w ho
its destinies shared the general im pression that Progress
continuous, that the major social and m tem ationa
were well on their w ay to s o iu t io n a n d t h a t the nano
ssr» sags*
test by which social and political system s m ay be judged.
Y
S t T k our business to seek, if only to a lim ited degree, to assist this spirit
r
Cis.h .M reason that I confidently expect our Society to grow
it
for that
in streng
as the years pass.
T h e follow ing letters were received fro n t:
D r. G eorge Catlin
I offer m y congratulations to the South P lace Ethical Society on its
hundred and fiftieth anniversary, and wish it m any happy centenaries
Instead o f lim iting itself to a m erely secularist rationalism
flavoured by
the last century, it has kept abreast o f the times. It has em phasized not
on ly the ethical in life and society but what I w ould like (coining a new word)
to call “ reasonablism
too rare these days— and so has kept true to the
great hum anist tradition, o f liberty, tolerance and taste
T hanks t o t h i s ,
in the best sense, liberal spirit, it continues, in its forum , to Iead
fo u g h t
o f its generation instead o f being led by it. lt has alw ays fo
Platonic injunction to “ set sail and go w hithersoever the argum ent m ay
lead ’’ It perform s a unique and invaluable function in stim ulating grey
beards, abashing adolescents and giving philosophers, popular and unpopular,
a hearing. L ong m ay it flourish.
M r. W . B. Curry (D artington School, T otnes)
* T ereatlv regret m y inability to attend anniversary m eeting. Please
c o n v e y 8 m y
fervent hope that the good work o f the Society for R eason,
H um anity and T olerance will lon g continue. (Telegram .)
^
�M r. Laurence H ousm an
T hough I am a m em ber o f a Christian C om m unity, I w elcom e the 150th
anniversary o f your Society as a p roof that the Ethical M ovem ent is still
going strong. It has, in the past, done m uch to lessen the hold w hich bigotry,
intolerance and superstition have had on the religious w orld in general; and
even on theologians its influence has been w h olly for good.
C hristians d o not sufficiently realize h ow m uch they ow e to the
H um anist m ovem ent for the lessening o f religious persecution in their
various societies, and for its rem oval lrom legislation. T h e m ore we are
Freethinkers the better shall w e be qualified to discover what is worth
believing. For what is true R eligion but right relation to Reality?
D r. Julian S. H uxley
I am sorry that 1 can n ot possibly be present on the occasion you
m ention, but send a brief m essage :
“ T he South Place E thical Society has in its 150 years o f life done a
great deal to foster that com bination o f rationalism and the religious spirit
w hich is so necessary for the future o f Society. I w ish it equal success in
the future.”
M rs. E. H o lyoa k e M arsh (daughter o f G eorge Jacob H olyoak c)
M y father joined South Place in or about 1858 and our fam ily have
belonged ever since. I am sorry ow ing to the strenuous tim es and m y age
that I cannot join in. South Place has such a grand record and has enabled
m any unorthodox men and w om en to get an audience and in that way has
helped the cause o f religious freedom and progress. Best w ishes for its
continued success.
D r. G ilbert M urray
I w arm ly congratulate the South Place Ethical Society on its hundred
and fifty years o f valuable and inspiring activity. T he present state o f the
w orld, in w hich m en o f the m ost diverse religious beliefs are united in a
com m on struggle against evil things, is a testim ony to the truth o f M oncure
C onw ay’s position . M en are divided by their various religious dogm as but
united by their com m on recognition o f R ight and W rong. I w ish I could
be with you today.
P rofessor T . H . Pear (M anchester U niversity)
I am very sorry war conditions m ake it im possible for m e to give
m yself the pleasure o f attending your 150th anniversary on Sunday. Had
I been there I should have liked very m uch to say h ow deeply T admire the
aim s o f the Society and no less the w ay in w hich they are carried out in spite
o f all difficulties. I w ish that during the happy years I spent in L on d on I had
know n about your Sunday m eetings. T hey w ould have been a source o f
great help to me. M ay I wish the Society at least another 150 years o f
useful work?
P rofessor L. Susan Stebbing
I m uch regret that I am unable to be present on this occasion. The
foundation o f this Society 150 years ago was an event w hose im portance has
been show n in the developm ent and influence o f this Society. T hrough your
work som e ordinary m en and w om en are helped to think freely about what
m ost concerns them as persons and as citizens. For this w e have reason
to be grateful.
D r. R . H . T houless
I feel honoured to be allow ed to congratulate the E thical Society on
the attainm ent o f its 150th anniversary. M ore than ever at the present time,
12
th e re
is an im portant function to be fulfilled by a Society devoted to
is the only attitude that is w holly sane.
lon g rem ain such a centre.
I hope that the E thical Society m ay
T he A m erican E thical U n ion (M r. G eorge E . O 'D ell, Secretary)
T he Officers and E xecutive Board o f the A m erican E thical 1
Union wish
me to extend to the South Place Ethical Society their m ost cordial greetings
on the occasion o f the 150th anniversary o f the founding o f the Society.
T he long record o f the South Place Society for freedom o f
m
matters o f religion and ethics and its eventual identification with the E thical
M ovem ent give it a unique place in the history o f the M ovem ent, a p
l i p u £ and on e w hich w e in Am erica greatly respect an d admire
In these days o f international conflict and the clou ding o f the life c
m ankind it is a special solicitude on the part o f Soctettes such as ou ts that
they shall d raw together in devotion to the com m on cau se o f human
'nliohtenm ent W c w ish to feel our nearness to you, as yours to us.
a c c e p t our heartfelt sym pathy with you in your great share tn our com m on
troubles! and our expression o f hope that before long your Society wtll be
able to face its w ork unencum bered by the exigencies o f war.
B rooklyn Society fo r E thical C ulture (D r. Henry N eu m ann Leader)
It is a pleasure to transm it to you in the nam e o f the Broo y
for E thical Culture the congratulations o l our Society on t
d tand
fiftieth anniversary o f the founding o f your fellow ship. W e c a n understand
I S
-
o n - C any r e .ig iL w hatever
is its contribution to the ethical life o f m ankind.
M ay your light continue to shine!
Fthical Society o f St. L ouis, M issouri (M r. H . V . Putzel)
A s d S J m a n o f the Board o f Trustees o f the E thical Society o f Saint
L ouis it is m y great privilege and distinct pleasure to send to the South
Place Ethical Society the cordial greetings ol our m e m b e r s,a n d _ o
to the m em bers o f your Society, on the occasion o f its sesqm centenm al, our
hearTheren g hats * been5' a rem arkable m utuality betw een the British and
American Societies
T he success o f the E thical M ovem ent in the U nited
States is in no sm all m easure due to those E nglishm en w ho have labored
and happily are still laboring so ardently in the field o f hum anism a n d eth.es.
A m erica ow es much to H enry J. G old in g, H orace J. Bridges, G eorge E
O 'D ell and W . E dw in C ollier; and the St. L ouis Society in pai
ever be in the debt o f Percival C hubb and J. H utton H ynd
L ord Snell,
too to w hom w e w ould send special greetings, has ever b
<
■
fnr
g u e s t in Saint L ouis, and w e hope that before lon g it m ay be possible for
him to resum e his visits to A m erica.
. .
„
Ait in the past the U nited States and G reat Britain have earned on an
exchange o f Ethical Society Leaders, to the great benefit o f each country,
?t is o u r sincere hope that our close fellow ship will continue to be sustained
by constant interchange o f such services as m ay strengthen our com m on
mime to the benefit o f the w orld at large.
I t h i n k it was Bism arck w ho said that it w a s .o f the m ost m om entous
U- ♦ • Ihm ifirnnce that G reat Britain and A m erica spoke E nglish. M ay
it 'b e 'o f e v e n greater significance that in both countries they also speak the
�language o f H um anism and Ethics; and m ay the voices o f our great Leaders
be heard and heeded in the Peace to com e.
W ith sincere congratulations and cordial greetings.
Mr. J. H utton H ynd (Ethical Society o f St. L ouis, Leader)
T o the greetings w hich Mr. H. V. Putzel will send you in the nam e o f
the E thical Society o f Saint L ouis I w ish to add my ow n personal greetings
and congratulations :
Because I feel that I ow e a special debt o f gratitude to the m em bers
o f the South Place Ethical Society w ho, as far back as 1793 and on into the
T w entieth Century, responded to the appeal o f their A m erican and British
m inisters and leaders, thus d oing so much to raise the religious life to a
m ore rational and ethical level. Their response, so courageous in the face
o f so m uch bitter m isunderstanding o f m otive and aim , m ade it ever so
m uch easier for those w ho, in a later tim e, were to seek the greater freedom
and joy o f a m ore rational and ethical religion. A nd as one o f the seekers
w ho found a spiritual hom e in the E thical Societies in the City o f L ondon
I wish to record m y sincere gratitude.
It was one o f your distinguished ministers, Dr. Stanton C oit, w ho
introduced m e to the Ethical Societies in L ondon; and it was m y special
privilege and great honor to assist him for four or five years in the Ethical
Church in Bayswater, and to be his understudy. N ever for a m om ent have
I regretted the step w hich, by my confidence in him and his belief in m e,
led m e from the Christian ministry to the Ethical M o v e m e n t: and it is my
sincere hope that the Ethical Societies will never com prom ise their position
o f leadership in the m ore rational and natural interpretations o f ethics and
religion. T h e earlier leaders o f the South Place E thical Society obeyed their
vision and took the risks o f ob edience, and with their exam ple before us,
on this occasion o f the sesquicentennial, we m ay obey the vision as it appears
to us, and take the risks o f obedience as they com e to us, in our ow n day—
and thus be faithful to the great and glorious tradition that is ours.
Philadelphia E thical Society (M r. W. Edwin C ollier)
On this 150th anniversary o f the foundation o f your Society, it might
interest you to know that your history is at the m om ent m ore fam iliar to
the average m em ber o f our Philadelphia Society than it has ever been.
It has becom e m eaningful and even helpful to us in tw o connections.
In the A m erican branch o f our com m on M ovem enf, it happens that the
Societies on the Eastern seaboard contain m any m em bers o f Jewish back
ground. C onsequently those adm inistering the Selective Service A ct have
som etim es brought pressure on our m em bers to state their religion as
“ Jew ish.” In order to dispel the con fu sion thus revealed as existing in the
public m ind, we have issued a brief historical pam phlet in w hich, inter alia,
the unbroken descent o f your Society from a U niversalist Baptist establish
m ent is outlined and stressed.
Second ly, as an essay in self-education, mutual understanding and
religious “ good-neighbourliness,” the R eligion and E thics (Study) G roup
o f our Society this season invited representatives o f tw enty-one den om in a
tions to give us first-hand accounts o f their beliefs. Included were the
U nitarians and U niversalists. Our historical linkage w ith these d en om in a
tions was brought out and in each case it was your Society particularly w hich
was involved. " On the one hand, your form er M inister, Stanton C oit, has
m ade it his lifew ork to actualize Em erson's vision o f “ a church founded
on m oral science ” ; on the other hand, you and the U niversalists share a
com m on descent from Elhanan W inchester.
So your nam e and origin is a household word in our far-off Society
today.
lt
T h e Trustees o f the Philadelphia Ethical Society, by unanim ous
resolution, desire to associate them selves w ith m e m greeting you o n this
happy occasion. T h e E nglish Ethical M ovem ent hke the nationi o f w hich
it is a part, has gallantly endured the years o f
sweat and tears , m ay it
prove now to be on the eve o f flowering into true prosperity and everincreasing effectiveness.
The Society fo r E thical C ulture in the City o f N ew Y ork (D avid S. M uzzey,
Chairm an o f the Board o f Leaders)
.
T h e Leaders and Trustees o f the N ew Y ork Society for Ethical Culture
thank you for your letter o f N ovem b er 5, inform ing them o f the 150th
Anniversary Services to be held on Sunday, February 14, and congratula e
you that you have Lord Snell to preside at the M eeting.
U n fortu n ately, none o f our m em bers w ill be in the neighbourhood to
accept your kind invitation to participate in the m eeting, but w e are w ishing
you every good fortune and a continuance o f the work o f your Society.
T he L uncheon M eeting
A bout 300 people were present at the m orning m eeting. M any o f them,
dispersed b y the war, had m ade a special effort to attend, and when the
speeches from the platform were finished, there were reunions in the
vestibule and m any greetings to be exchanged. A t length, about a hundred
m em bers and guests adjourned to the “ Jupiter's Pillars R estaurant, 3_ Great
Q u e e n Street, K ingsw ay, w here lunch had been arranged.
Lord Snell again presided, supported by the speakers o f the m orning and
by the guests w h o had been on the platform with him. A f per lunch. Lord
Snell on behalf o f the C om m ittee, w elcom ed Mr. Y u su f Ali o f the Ethical
U n ion Mr. R. O. Prowse o f the Ethical C hurch, M iss L. Gerard o f the
H am pstead Ethical Society, Mr. H . T om pkin s o f the E nglish Positivist
C om m ittee, and Mr. C. Bradlaugh Bonner o f the R ationalist Press A ssocia
tion, also Mr. H ow ell Sm ith, Mr. R ennie Sm ith, Mrs. G . L ong and Mr. John
K atz. H e then called on M rs. F lorence H aw kins o f the G eneral C om m ittee
to address the com pany.
||.|
| jp
|
It is my great honour to w elcom e you today and I thank especially the
guests and lecturers fo r this opportunity o f m eeting them .
. t
1 w ould like to m ake a very b rief reference to the sim ilarity o f events 151)
vears ago when our Society was founded, and those o f today. Then there was
a w ould-be world conqueror, N ap oleon , and today Hitler follow s the same
oath Our Society runs as a thin red line from one great period to the other.
I w ould like to speak o f the m em bers w ho today carry on the tradition.
O f the Trustees responsible for the Trust D eed , w e have with us Mr Andrew
W atson, w ho was Treasurer o f the C oncert C om m ittee for over 10 Y ^ rs,
Mr C. J. Pollard, a form er Secretary o f the Society and a past Lditor
T h e M o n th ly R eco rd ; Mr. Percy D ixon with his charm ing f a m d ^ M n C . E.
Lister, w h o is still our Treasurer; Mr. E. J. Fairhall, w h o frequently acts as
C h a irm a n o f the G eneral C om m ittee, and m yself.
a a \c r,n*A
O f the G eneral C om m ittee, a great number o f us are m id d le-a|ed
w om en W e feel the w ar is m aking great dem ands on us but w e are carrying
o n orateful that w e have not had to put up with the offending presence o f the
G erm an A rm y and know the agony o f our sisters in the occupied coun ries
Wh° o T o u r O f f i c e r s ' 6 m ^ y T n ie n tio n Mr. S. G. G reen, w h o over a period o f
I
Ar,n \
deal to develop the business o f letting C onw ay
m i l ^ M r F G . G ou ld edits The M o n th ly R eco rd and also cultivates a
,Hal 1_ finwrvr-s from which often decorate our H all. Then there is
Mrs! Lindsay, our faithful Registrar.
I must m ention Mr. H erbert M ansford,
�our architect, w ho w as m aking prelim inary drawings for C onw ay H all forty
years ago. H e is today in charge o f the interesting co llection o f old records of
the S ociety show n in the Sm all H all. T he w ork o f his brother, Mr. W allis
M ansford, for our Society extending for a period o f over fifty years, is
gratefully recognized. I have already m entioned Mr. Lister as Treasurer and
Trustee; I take this opportunity o f referring to the heroic manner in w hich
he and Mrs. Lister rem ained in residence at C onw ay Hall during the period
o f the air-raids on L ondon, and especially on the night in M ay, 1941, when
R ed L ion Square w as a blaze o f fire. 1 w ould like to nam e our vocalist,
Mr. G . C. D ow m an , w ho sings regularly at our Sunday m eetings, and
also M iss E lla lvim cy, mem ber o f a w ell-know n m usical fam ily, our
accom panist and pianist w ho was at one time accom panist to M adam e
M elba. I w ould refer also to the late Mr. A. J. C lem ents, w ho put the name
o f South Place on the map o f the world of m usic. T he annual cham ber
music com petitions arranged .in his m em ory still keep us in touch w ith the
m usical life o f the country. Mrs. C lem ents is happily present today.
M r. Charles Bradlaugh Bonner
It is m y lot to speak for the G uests on this remarkable occasion. I find
m yself to be a sort o f Trinity, for in the first place I represent the R ationalist
Press A ssociation w hose activities are som ew hat allied to those o f South
Place E thical Society. We endeavour to provide m aterial for private study
w hich you study sociably together. I am also the sole available m em ber of
the E xecutive o f the W orld U n ion o f Free Thinkers. T he Belgian President
and Secretary were alive eighteen m onths ago, but I have not heard from
them since. A year before the war we held an International C ongress in
C onw ay H all and a very successful gathering it was.
M y third interest
is personal. Birthdays like this one co m e so rarely in the history o f
societies particularly those w hich have intellectual and ethical reasons for
their being in days like these w hen reason and ethics are rather overlooked.
M v personal and hereditary interest lies first o f all in M oncure Daniel
C onw ay w ho when m y grandfather was fighting Parliam ent, gave a series
o f addresses in his support w hich he very m uch appreciated. One o f my
very early m em ories as a sm all boy was o f being taken to listen to D r.
C onw ay Perhaps this was to counterbalance a visit w ith m y Baptist relatives
to Church w here I was given a book to keep m e quiet during the serm on.
I visited C onw ay in Paris, and saw one o f the earliest colour photographs
w hich was a portrait o f him. I also rem em ber the addresses given by my
mother (H ypatia Bradlaugh Bonner) to children gathered at South Place.
It is in the light o f these recollections that I should like to add m y w ords
to those which have gone before, not only to express the thanks and
appreciation o f m y fello w G uests, but to give you our birthday w ishes
for m any 150th birthdays. W e look forward, for the spirit o f yo u th is here
even if Mrs. H aw kins does com plain o f m iddle age. W e m ust look forward
to the time that is com in g, for the determ ination to enquire w hat is good
that m arks all the deliberations o f this Society will be required greatly m
the com in g years, and I hope that the future will evok e m ost valuable
inspiration for you and w hat you stand for.
Let m e end by quoting from a poem written by Jam es T hom son (B.V .)
to com m em orate the inauguration o f the Leicester Secular H all in 1881:
“ W e n ow dare,
T aught by m illenium s o f barren prayer,
O f m utual scorn and late and b lo o d y strife
With which these dream s have poisoned our poor life.
T o build o u r T em p les o n another plan.
D evotin g them to G o d ’s creator, M an .”
16
Our debt to the past has this m orning been acknow ledged Our debt t
the future has yet to be paid, and before the m eeting dissolves I w ant to
set our m inds to the thought that w e can n ot live on m em ories. W e can ^
progress with veterans alone. W e have got som eh ow to d.rect m any young
people to our ranks. 1 do not know w hat your ou tlook on life is, but in
spite o f pessim istic remarks som e m ay have to m ake. 1 have faith in the
future
At the end o f m y life I remain as hopeful in outlook as w hen I
was a ’boy but I hope for a number o f people to pursue the path w e have
blazed
W e have the satisfaction o f know ing that you ng people w ill no
have to go through the agony o f outliving an ancient faith. AU their mental
eneray w ill be free for reconstruction. Let us give them our blessing a
us salute the com ing days. I now call upon our final speaker to sum up.
Mrs G . L on g (M iss M arjorie Bow en)
lt is ob viou sly im possible to m ake even the b n eiest sum m ary o
the beautiful speeches w e have listened to. I ow e a personal debt to South
Place E thical Society. I used to go to its m eetings w hen 1 w as a sm all child.
1 am the descendant o f a grim Scottish N on con form ist One o f P rovidence s
worst decrees is that no w om an seem s able to contribute to philosophy,
know the best when 1 see it. 1 feel now as then that there can be nothing
better than reason and ethics. W hy this should be so I have never been
able to explain satisfactorily. But w e m ust have reason and ethics and hold
fast to them
In them only lies our salvation. It w as not altogether that
strip o f water o f the E nglish C hannel, it w as also our non-conform ist relusal
to know when we were beaten that saved us after Dunkirk. O ne appeal
would m ake to the distinguished m en w e have heard today, and that is to
influence w om en and children. T hus w e cut a G ordian knot. N oth in g is
easier than to persuade a child before it is five years old. 1 hat is ol primary
im portance, lt is distressing to hear there may be once m ore an outllow
of superstition and m ysticism . T hat can lead now here. W e m ust have
reason and that is one o f the m ain objects in the education ol the young.
W e m ust try to leave the m inds o f children free so that they can apply
rationalism and ethics to w hatever brand o f religion they m ay choose.
1 thank you for asking m e here today. I am extrem ely gratetul.
The A ftern oon M eeting
T he Chairm an on bringing the proceedings at this stage to a close,
invited the com pany to return to C onw ay H all tor tea
M any aid so and
ihev were ioined there by num erous m em bers and friends w ho could not be
present at ?he luncheon
A group o f ladies had been at m uch pains to
provide refreshm ents especially rem arkable for variety and delicacy, a tim e
o f war. Som e self-sacrifice had obviously been involved. Mrs. H o renee
H aw kins as hostess w elcom ed new com ers.
Later in th® . a tl®rJ?°°J!
V eronica M ansfield (m ezzo-contralto) accom panied by M iss EUa Ivim ey,
delighted the audience w ith a recital o f songs by Bach, M ichael Head a
Balfour G ardiner. M iss M ansfield w as born at Perth, W estern A ustralia.
She was chosen by D am e N ellie M elba for a scholarship at the oya
o» ege
o f M usic, L ondon. She is w ell-know n in oratorio and in B.B.C. program m es.
Thus was the Society’s w ell-know n interest in good m usic reflected on this
con clu sion , Mr. John K atz m ade a short and heartily applauded
speech in w hich he voiced the thanks o f all to Mr. S. G . G reen (Secretary),
and his helpers for w hat they had d on e to m ake the anniversary celebrations
so successful.
17
�T H E E X H IB IT IO N IN T H E SM A L L H A L L
In the Sm all H all w as a collection o f the S ociety's R ecords and R elics
covering the past century and a half. R elating to the original chapel in
Parliam ent C ourt, B ishopsgate, there w as an external view , portraits o f
Elhanan W inchester and W illiam V idler, the pewter com m u n ion plate, and
M inute and A ccou n t books. T his chapel becam e a synagogue and w as
standing at the end o f the nineteenth century. T h e salaries and expenses
seem to us now quite trivial except for candles, w hich w ere probably the on ly
source o f illum ination. T he earliest exhibit in con n ection w ith the second
chapel (South Place, Finsbury) w as the draft inscription for the foundation
stone written by W. J. F ox. T here was a h andsom ely bound list o f subscribers
to the building, and volu m es o f The M o n th ly R e p o sito ry , a m agazine started
by F o x in 1829 and edited by him for several years.
V arious w orks o f Dr. C on w ay were sh ow n , together w ith som e o f the
S ociety’s ow n publications, nam ely, R eligiou s S ystem s o f the W orld and
N a tio n a l L ife and T h ou gh t. T hese were Sunday A ftern oon F ree Lectures
extending over several years, m ostly given by recognized authorities. A
“ M onthly List ” o f July, 1891, gave som e idea o f the S ociety’s varied activities
even at a time when its m em bership and incom e had declined. T he Saturday
afternoon R am bles were started in 1887 and from these developed co-op era
tive holidays at Easter and W hitsun. T he M onthly Soirdes som etim es took
the form o f T ableau x V iva n ts and Spelling Bees then fashionable, or dram atic
perform ances in w hich Mrs. T h eod ore W right, M iss A thene Seyler and the
F entons frequently appeared. One season the Soirees had particular evenings
to w hich m em bers were invited to bring specim ens o f special interest relating
to G eo lo g y , B otany, P hotography, Printing, etc., short papers being read by
m em bers and others relating to the subject for the evening. Mrs. Cock burn
lent a collection o f Soiree program m es extending over ab ou t 30 years. A
printed catalogue o f b ook s referred to the L ending Library started in 1886
w hen public lending libraries were very scarce in L ondon. In 1889 a Club
for W orking G irls was started in South Street, in one room , and mem bers
volunteered to give lessons in music, painting, etc. T hree years later it was
rem oved to R owland H ouse, E ldon Street, its closen ess to the Chapel enabled
the four rented room s to be used for D iscussion M eetings and the Sunday
School. T he C lub was later rem oved to H om erton (C hesterton H ouse), and
then to Mare Street, H ackney, where it functioned until the outbreak o f the
present war. G roup photos o f garden parties and dramatic perform ances
were exhibited.
In connection with the Sunday S chool there was an
autograph letter from M aurice M aeterlinck to W allis M ansford, w ho c o n
ducted the A nnual C hildren’s Service in 1891. T h e poet also sent to each
child a signed illustration o f h is hom e in W andrille A bbey.
,
In the S ociety ’s N ew scutting Books Mr. R atcliffe discovered his ow n
/F e < 0 lengthy report for th e / H ttily N t *ws, dated June 28, 1897, o f Dr. C onw ay's
Farewell D iscourse. A s he put his autograph to the cutting he remarked that
he had not seen Dr. C on w ay previously. T here w as an alm ost com plete
series o f portraits o f the Society's m inisters and regular lecturers, and an
album included photographs o f various m em bers w ho had held office or
otherw ise helped in the work o f the Society. A religious cartoon published
about 50 years ago was exhibited in which Dr. C on w ay w as depicted declaim
ing from a roofless South Place C hapel. It bore the inscription: “ M oncure
C onway'* Free and Airy T abernacle.”
18
T H E SO C IE T Y 'S M IN IS T E R S A N D L E C T U R E R S
F ro m
R ev. Elhanan W inchester
R ev. W illiam V idler
R ev. W illiam Johnson F o x , M .P.
A s s is t a n t s
to
Mr.
To
Feb. 14, 1793— M ay, 1794
1794— A ug. 23, 1816
April 2, 1817— Jan. 29, 1853
(last discourse F eb. 8, 1852)
F ox
R ev. Philip H arw ood
R ev. N . Travers
R ev. H enry Icrson
R ev. Henry Icrson
R ev. H . N . Barnclt
Dr. M oneure D . C onway
D r. Stanton C oit
Dr. M oncure D . C onw ay
Feb.
Feb.
Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
27, 1840— Sept. 23, 1841
1849— D ec. 1850
1851— Jan. 1853
30, 1853— April 26, 1857
31, 1858— June 21, 1863
Jan. 31, 1864— July 27, 1884
Sept. 2, 1888— D ec. 31, 1891
Oct. 2, 1892— June 27, 1897
A successor was not appointed.
T he platform was supplied by
Lecturers invited by the C om m ittee, m ost frequent am ong w hom were the
first four nam ed below . In M ay, 1907, the R ules were altered to provide
G eneral M eeting o f a Lecturer or
for the appointm ent by the A nn
r this R ule the follow in g appointm ents
Lecturers in place o f a M inister. Ui
have been m ade :
F rom
Mr. Herbert Burrows
M r. John A . H ob son
Rt. H on . J. M . R obertson
To
M ay 1907— D ec. 1922
„ — April 1, 1940
„ — Jan. 5, 1933
M r. Joseph M cC abe
M r. S. K . Ratcliffe
D r. C. D clisle Burns
„
„
1915—
1918— Jan. 22, 1942
D r. C. E . M . Joad
P rofessor G . W . K eeton
„
1941—
—
T H E SO C IE T Y 'S M E E T IN G PLA C ES
Parliam ent Court Chapel, Bishopsgate. From February 14, 1793.
South Place C hapel, Finsbury. F rom February 1, 1824 to M arch 31, 1927.
L on d on Institution, Finsbury Circus, used until
C on w ay H all w as occupied on Septem ber 1, 1929.
19
�T H E S O C IE T Y ’S N A M E S
T he congregation w hich assem bled in support o f Elhanan W inchester, the
Am erican Baptist preacher, at Parliament C ourt Chapel in 1793, called
them selves Philadelphians.
W inchester had cut across orthodoxy by
& announcing and assailing the doctrine o f Eternal H ell, thus helping
C&to spread the creed, so-called, o f U n iversalism w hich then meant
sim ply “ U niversal Salvation in C hrist.” H e had converted V idler, his
successor, to U niversalism , and V idler, in turn, converted him self in 1802 to
U nitarianism . By this change his congregation was much reduced. There
was, how ever a Baptist connection w hich lasted long after the Society had
becom e actively associated with the U nitarian body. W. J. F ox had stiuggled
from a severe C alvinism to U nitarianism , w hich stage o f developm ent he had
reached several years before becom ing the M inistei at Parliament C on 1 1
Chapel in 1817. H is aim before taking up that post had been to form a
congregation on a com prehensive principle w ith V irtue and n o t Faith for the
bond o f union. T h e subscriptions invited for building South Place Chapel
were for a new U nitarian C hapel. Mr. F o x took an active part in founding
the British and Foreign U nitarian A ssociation in 1825, and he was its first
F oreign Secretary.
H is heterodox op in ion s were not, how ever, viewed
favourably, and in 1837 the Society was excluded from the Unitarian
A ssociation, becom ing thenceforth its ow n denom ination as it remains to this
day. T he Trust D eed drawn up in 1825 introduces the term “ Society or
C ongregation o f Protestant D issenters.” T his term is used in a copy o f the
Rules in use in 1857. U p till 1852 the term “ F o x ’s Chapel ” was probably in
popular use. T he A nnual R eport for 1871 on ly uses the w ords
“ South Place C hapel.” In 1873 the title adopted w as “ South Place
Chapel and Institute,” thus referring to the Society's other activities.
For the A nnual R eport o f 1879 the heading is “ South Place R eligious
S ociety.” T his was changed to “ South Place Ethical S o c ie ty ” in 1888.
N o alteration in the principles o f the Society was involved. T he book
by Dr. C onw ay, published in 1894, is entitled “ Centenary H istory
o f the South Place S ociety.” T he older mem bers will no doubt continue to
speak o f “ South P lace,” but in time this term will give way com pletely to
“ C onw ay H all.” So m any other organizations now hire the S ociety's
prem ises that som e danger to the identity o f the Society is threatened. It is
for the m em bership to see that in years to com e predom inant use o f C onw ay
H all is made by South Place Ethical Society.
T his S ouvenir of the 150th A nniversary C elebration has been p repared for the G eneral
C om m ittee by the E d ito r o f T he M o n th ly R eco rd .
T he E d ito r th an k s M r. T . H . E lstob
an d M iss D o ris P artington fo r w riting d ra ft reports o f som e o f the speeches, M r. H erbert
M an sfo rd for the description o f the E xhibits, an d all the speakers for correcting d rafts
o r p ro o fs.
H e also th an k s the Secretary fo r suggestions, info rm atio n and advice.
Farleigh Press Ltd. (T .U .), B eechw ood W orks, B eechw ood Rise, W atford Herts
T H E U N IV E R SA L 1ST C H U R C H
(An apoeal for help). B v Arthur I eacocK.
U niversalist Press, 57 C avendish R oad. L ondon, S.W .12. 4d.
By a rem arkable coinciden ce the year 1943 in w hich has
celebrate
the 150th A nniversary o f the found ing o f the congregation o f U niversalis s
, which developed into South Place Ethical Society, is the 300th A n n iv ersa ry
o f the U niversalist C hurch, for within the building in C avendish R oad.
C lapham C om m on , know n as the South London U niversalist Church, is
preserved the shrine o f Gerrard W instanley, the leader o f the C om m on
w ealth d ays w ho held fast to U niversalist teachings. It bears the date 164j
In days lon g past the distinctive doctrine o f U niversal Salvation was preached
from within the A nglican Church but its advocates were persecuted so that
they established congregations o f their ow n. Their influence spread to the
M ethodists, and this incurred the displeasure o f John W esley that st^ .n
upholder o f the doctrine o f H ell Fire— w ho described the U niversalists of his
tim e as “ w retches w ho called them selves M ethodists.
A m ong these
“ w re tc h e s” w as John M urray w ho wearied with the suffering caused by the
hostility to his w ork, sought refuge in the U nited States where he tounded
the first A m erican U niversalist Church in 1774. lt m ay be assum ed that
Elhanan W inchester cam e under its influence, for, seceding from the Baptists
am on g w hom he w as a leadingg preacher, he turned U niversalist, and com ing
to England in 1787 w as appointed in 1793 M inister o f Parliament Court
Chapel by a congregation o f his follow ers. T he Am erican Church flourished,
but that in E ngland has d e c lin e d : in fact, it w ould appear that the sole
surviving congregation is that which m eets at C lapham under the leadership
o f the Rev. W . Arthur Peacock.
*
T he pam phlet under notice contains a reference to the loss sullered by
U niversalism when the original trust deed o f South Place C hapel was
abandoned, w hen “ the broader view o f C hristianity was forsaken that the
hum anist position m ight be em braced.” There is no bitterness, and w e on
our part regard with affectionate sym pathy those from w hose w idening
b eliefs our ow n have em erged. W e m ust, how ever, remark that the rea
aw ay from U niversalism took place in Mr. V idler’s tim e long betore
w hen our original Trust D eed w as drawn up, and that the subsequent
m odifications o f the Deed to con form w ith the Society s objects was m ade
in -the present century.
In Mr. Peacock's pam phlet w e r e a d : —
“ T he U n iversalist Church rises above all credal assertions. T he spirit
o f its faith is expressed in its ideals o f b elief: —
“ We believe in O ne Great all C reative and all Pervading Potentiality;
in the Sacredness o f all Life; in the vision that is deepened and w idened by
K now ledge; in the excellence o f W isdom ; In the Brotherhood and H um anity
o f Jesus; In the Faith that is W edded to R eason; in the O neness o f all
R eligiou s Ideals; In a L ife, a Justice, and a Truth that are Eternal; and in the
D utiful R everence to all that is N o b lest and Best in M ankind
W e o f South Place m ay have no wish to criticize these ideals. \ \ e arc
inform ed that they were accepted in their present form by the Church in this
country som e fifty years ago. W e recognize in them m uch that we still
cherish T here m ay even be som e am ong us w ho having read the pam phlet
m ay care to respond to the appeal for financial help that the w ork o f the
Church m ay be continued.
T hey
K e p t T he F a it h .
���
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Architecture and Place
Creator
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Humanist Library and Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Description
An account of the resource
A collection of digitised items from the Humanist Library and Archives telling the story of buildings and spaces occupied by the Conway Hall Ethical Society (formerly the South Place Ethical Society). Also includes several born digital items.
Publisher
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
Subject
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Architecture
Conway Hall (London, England)
South Place Chapel, Finsbury
Mansford, Frederick Herbert (1871-1946)
Language
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English
Text
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Original Format
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Pamphlet
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Souvenirs of South Place Ethical Society
Description
An account of the resource
South Place Ethical Society Souvenirs presented to SG Green, Secretary of South Place Ethical Society. Volume commemorates 100 years since the opening of the Chapel at South Place, (1824-1924), and 150 years of South Place Ethical Society, (1793-1943). Includes the South Place Ethical Society book plate and an illustration of South Place Chapel.
Creator
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South Place Ethical Society (London, England)
Contributor
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Gould, F. G.
Mansford, Frederick Herbert
Pollard, C. J.
Publisher
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South Place Ethical Society (London, England)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1924
1943
Rights
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<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/"><img style="border-width:0;" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/4.0/88x31.png" alt="Creative Commons License" /></a><br />This work by <span>Conway Hall Ethical Society</span> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.
Identifier
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SPES/6/3/11
Subject
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Chapels
South Place Ethical Society
Format
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application/pdf
Type
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Text
Language
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English
Commemorations
Green, S. G.
South Place Chapel, Finsbury