A50

SOUTH PLACE ETHICAL SOCIETY

OFFICERS :General Secretary: Peter Cadogan

Lettings SecretarylHall Manager: Margaret Pearce Hon Registrar: H. G. Knight

Hon. Treasurer: Jeremy Thompson Editor, "The Ethical Record": Eric Willoughby

Address: Conway Hall Humanist CentreRed Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL. (Tel.: 01-242 8032)

Coming at Conway Hall

Wednesday, September 137 p.m.—Therapy Group in the Library (fortnightly)

Saturday, September 163 p.m.—Country Dancing (jointly with Progressive League)

Sunday, September 1710 a.mcCoach Outing (see South Place News)6 p.m.—Bridge Practice in the Library (weekly)

Friday, September 226.30 p.m.—Yoga Group (weekly) in the Library

Sunday, September 243 p.m.—Annual Reunion (see South Place News)

Sunday, October 111a.m. — S.P.E.S. Lecture: T. F. EVANS on The James Brothers—

William and Henry11a.m. — Children's Group in the Club Room (weekly)

Tuesday, October 37 p.m.—Discussion: The Scope of Psychology

Thursday, October 57.15 p.m.—Play Reading

Sunday, October 811a.m. — S.P.E.S. Lecture:3 p.m.—Humanist Forum: The Rich and Poor Countries—What

Price World Development? with Chen Chimutenwengde andothers

Tuesday, October 107 p.m.—Discussion: Post-school Educational Psychology with David

Warren PiperFriday, October 13

8 p.m.—Party. Guest of Honour: Arthur DooleySunday, October 15

11 a.m.—S.P.E.S. Lecture: RICHARD CLEMENTS, 0.B.E., on JohnStuart Mill and the Humanist Tradition

3 p.m.—Sunday Social: Speaker, Mrs. Burns on The History of theCity of London

Cominued on inside back cover

THE ETHICAL RECORDVol. 77, No. 8 SEPTEMBER 1972

The views expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the Society

EDITORIALLet's be friendsAS THE holiday season draws to a close, no doubt the slides and photo-graphs will soon be coming out in the autumn evenings, and theadventures and the landscapes will be relived. The holiday memories ofnew views, new foods, new experiences and new friends will pass throughour minds once more, and our hope is that the memories will continue.It would be nice to think that the memories of those people we met atsuch and such a place, or on that ship, train or whatever, will alsoremain with us, but it is usually not so. The British are good friend-makers but poor friend-keepers.

Although the Eastern European countries are gaining popularitywith tourists, it is by and large those countries with social systemsmuch the same as our own where we British tend to take our foreignholidays, and the chances are there not only to compare the way of lifewith our own, but also to meet many of the people who live within it,and to build individual friendships.

As a nation, we can justly be accused of being too inward-lookingfor our own good, and friendships with people from other countries canhelp to overcome this. In foreign affairs we are dependent on diplomats,highly-paid officials and so-called experts—all countries work the sameway in this—and all too many of these people have in the past proved tobe untrustworthy. In any case, this is putting a great burden on a fewpeople to handle. our international relationships.

And who more than we, who claim to be so concerned about ourfellow-men as to join an ethical society, should wish to foster inter-national friendship? It is to be hoped, therefore, that those of us who goabroad for holidays, and make friends in the countries visited, do ourbest to maintain those friendships. Starting them is easy; most countriesoperate a homes visiting scheme, whereby families volunteer to entertainoverseas visitors for an evening or so, in their own homes, in exchangefor some small recompense from their governments. Such families, withwhom tourist bureaus can put visitors in touch at a couple of days'notice, will always speak the laneuage of the visitor, and will be wellversed in national affairs questions. This •is an excellent way not only tolearn about the countries visited, but also to make friends.

The value of building such friendships cannot be over-estimated. Ifevery British person had one overseas friend, far greater internationalunderstanding would be enjoyed by more than 100,000,000 people!Countries would then become representative of individual persons toeach other rather than areas on a alobe. And, in the view of many people,friendship is the only assurance of world peace in today's governmentalsystems of international jealousy and one-upmanship.

3

The Logic of ExperienceBY

PROFESSOR H. LEVY

THIS =rune is not about Logic as a finished academic subject, its axioms,its definitions and its syllogisms, but about the way we think, cope withevents, and anticipate the outcome. It is about thoughtful behaviour, theinteraction between ourselves and our environment. Newton dealt withsomething quite different, an imaginary world in which everything was "outthere" ; lifeless, inert, non-feeling matter, that obeyed unchangeable laws.We were outcast onlookers. His predictions about distant planets weretherefore wonderfully precise. Had there been a Divine Being in actualaction, He would have been an Error, since He would have interfered withNatural Law. Newton's Universe was a vast cosmic Unfeeling, UnthinkingMachine, out of which the man, whose imagination gave birth to it, hadbeen elbowed. Nowhere did Newton appear in his own equations. Thislecture is not about such a disembodied logic, but about the logic of ourexperience. We are aware of ourselves, part of our immediate environment,and dimly aware of remoter parts. We are aware that we are aware, thatis to say we are conscious and self-conscious ; but elephants, dogs, spar-rows. butterflies, and worms, do not appear to possess anything like ourlevel of self-awareness.

Experience is a word for growth of awareness, and it is on this that wefocus our attention, seeking a pattern to expose to our mental eye. Noticethe metaphoric language we use — growth, focus, pattern, expose, mentaleye. Try to describe what we are about to do without using words drawnfrom the physical world in our immediate environment. If I close myeyes, and try to imagine any situation, I furnish it with bits of the world1 inhabit. My imagery, and the associated words I use, are interwoven—another metaphor—with the world I inhabit. They may never have beenpieced together before in the way I am doing—as in a novel, or any otherwork of art. Mentally I can defy the "Laws of Nature". I can jump overa cliff, and orbit through the nothingness we call space, but we are notdeluded. We know the difference between imagining, and thinking realisti-cally. I have never simply gone out of existence in one place, and suddenlyreappeared somewhere else. I have never died and come back to life, orwalked on the water ; although I can also imagine that the latter twomight be possible later but only in a physically realistic and scientific way.We are so limited in our range of awareness that we are surrounded withunexplained events. To call them miraculous or magical is a linguisticdodge. No explanation can be based on the unexplained. A rational answerto a query must be couched in terms that describe how the world actuallybehaves. Again speaking metaphorically, words, thinking, and behaving,must be reflections of each other—three in one! A feeling of expectationis evoked when we recognise a pattern of physical events. The Logic ofExperience is the disclosure of systematic pattern in the medley of eventswe call the Universe of Change.

A Breath of ...

But we can't know everything. Vorster at this moment does not knowwhether he isn't breathing air that has just been belched up by an African.The whole truth, and nothing but the truth, is nonsensical talk. Everytruth not only exposes a falsehood, but awakens us to an unexpected ignor-ance. A statement therefore can be both true and false. This is not thetrivial verbal contradiction it seems, but reflects our changing awareness of

4

a changing world. We are induced to ask, "When is it true, and when is itfalse?" and already we are pressing forward our logic. "Speak louder. Ican't hear properly." Then, "Don't speak so loud. I can't hear pro-perly." Again, "More light please. I can't see." Then, "Not so much light,please. I can't see." Intensify the quality in a situation, and the latter mayhave its function negated. The simple truth, "The more light the better I cansee" can become a simple falsehood. Throw a stone f onward and it fallsto Earth. Throw it faster, and it doesn't. It orbits the Earth. Throw itfaster still, and it orbits the Moon ; faster and it can reach Mars. .

Science is a practice that seeks regularities that can be expressed aslaws. A good experiment can be repeated. A better experiment exposeswhen the previous breaks down. A stone falls down under gravity. Thispaper floats down under the air resistence. Bring the two laws together, andI can so control the situation that with a parachute I float down gracefullyto Earth. Newton could not control the motion of the planets. The activelogic of man shows itself in imaginative inventiveness with the control ofthese laws. The machine symbolises this triumph of mind over matter. Thecomputer goes further. It performs the systematised and recurrent patternsof thought, leaving the mind free for greater creativeness and moreeffective control.

But in the real world none of this occurs in a social vacuum, not eventhe abstract logic of Euclid and Newton. The motor car revolutionisedtravel. In a profit-making society, more and more of these, designed forhigh speed, race along the highways, drive the walker from the roads,killing and maiming expensively educated human beings, and finally so jamthe centres of all cities, that it is quicker to walk. The process has negateditself. A blessing has become a social curse. Again, harness science to warand the H-Bomb, Poison Gas, and Bacteria become its weapons. Thequality of war changes ; Great Powers dare not risk a show-down, and waris waged at second hand . . Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East.

The Mechanics of SocietyAgain take the machine, the brain-child of man, the begetter of the

Industrial Revolution that is transforming the face of the world. It canmultiply the productivity of the manual worker a thousandfold, if neces-sary. Its extension can churn out the routine calculations of the ordinarymortal a million times faster than he. Forget the structure of society, andin our imagination we can see a riot of plenty replacing forgotten eras ofscarcity, hunger and famine. But in a profit-seeking society mechanicaloperations are more efficient than mere manipulative "hands", and so theoutcome is redundancy. The machine creates the leisure, but fills it with anew quality—fear, and insecurity. Again with rising unemployment a socialblessing is becoming a social curse, and the elaborate financial superstruc-ture that has emerged from it, trembles in crisis. The qualities of socialliving are changing drastically. Is saving a social good or a social evil?Is money which, once a medium of exchange and then later symbolisedwealth, now in danger of becoming mere pieces of paper?

But a similar logic underlies processes we have all passed throughalmost without noticing. At school we learnt that certain shapes calledletters had sounds associated with them. Certain of these brought togetheraroused images of things. They were words. Groups of these words des-cribed situations—A Fat Cat Sat on a Mat—. These were sentences. Atthis stage the individuality of the separate letters had almost disappeared,the words were emerging as entities, and soon also the whole sentences inthe paragraphs. We were visualising, thinking, imagining the content of thestory, or speaking to ourselves with the voice of the poet. We had evenforgotten who wrote it. A new quality of thought, imagination, and social

5

communication had been brought into existence. The later impact of aninflationary society on the price of books, on the publication of poetry,and on thought provoking literature, that can bring little profit either toauthor or publisher I leave to you. It can be foreseen via the Logic ofExperience.

(Summary of a lecture given on March 19)

Man as Myth MakerBY

H. J. BLACKHAM

MYTHS, LEGENDS, folk-tales, fables: children's stuff now, left over fromthe childhood of the race. The common idea that this material is suitablefor children today and was childish in character at the time of its originis largely mistaken. Of course some of the stories do go down well withchildren, say, Joseph and his brothers or Robin Hood; and folk-tales likeproverbs have an earthy wisdom and a homely interest which make themimmediately acceptable. But some, particularly the myths, have littlemodern relevance and are recondite, problematic even to specialists.

The systematic study of myths is modern, beginning with E. B. Tylorwhose Primitive Culture (1871) was a pioneer work, followed up by JamesFrazer whose celebrated studies The Golden Bough, published in thefirst decade of the century, are now severely criticized. The latest theoristis Claude Levi-Strauss whose elaborate structuralist thesis is in presentdebate. Freud and Jung in their exploration of dreams and the uncon-scious contributed a new dimension to the study. The upshot is a recog-nition of the variety and complexity of the material, and the implausibilityof any single theory. Myths apparently served several different purposesin early societies: they were descriptive of the cosmos, they provided acharter for institutions, they reflected and rationalized immemorial rites;and in all such purposes they were age-old and constantly revised andre-worked: for example, Greek tragedy is a final sophisticated re-workingof ancient myths.

All in the Mind

It is relatively easy to collect and list the common themes, and it is tobe expected that many of them are close to permanent human interests.Fertility is a continuing anxiety and a main preoccupation, whether human,animal, or agricultural: it is the all-important renewal of life. There arethe great polarities or contradictions, which according to Levi-Strauss'stheory are mediated by the structural relationships of the narrativeelements in the myth; nature v culture (the 'raw and the cooked', thejungle and the village) or man v animal—and there is ambivalence, love-hate, in regard to each pole. There is inevitable death and the underworld,with the related themes of the gods and fate. There is the dream of a goldenage, and a rationalization of the evils and diseases of the human lot—with perhaps a woman (Pandora) as a source of evil in which all wouldrejoice. There are the attempts of the gods to destroy man, by fire, plague,war, flood. There is the intercourse of men and gods. There are contestsand quests. There is family stress and the violence that ensues. Myth-ology provided a conceptual language in which to discuss and come toterms with the cosmos and human society at a time of frightening ignor-

6

ance and insecurity. In the case of Greece a precocious rationalism under-mined belief in the myths, and they ceased to be dominant in Greekliterature.

Greek InfluenceEuropean civilization has made great use of Greek myths in its own

literature, particularly by allusion, but has been dominated by the Christianmyth and the collection in the Bible. In Milton the developed mythappears intact: a three-tier universe, heaven, earth, hell, in which Godand his angels are ranged against Satan and his demons. The theme isliberation from enslavement after the Fall, through the Incarnation deathand Resurrection of the Redeemer, to be consummated in a Last Judge-ment and the Reign of God. Since this myth is no longer either credibleor intelligible to modern man, some theologians, to avoid the less honestalternative of forgetting it, have boldly undertaken to 'de-mythologize'the message. Bultmann, the German theologian who is identified with thisenterprise, wants to keep the myth as evidence of an act of God, whichit nevertheless misrepresents by interpreting God as acting in humanterms. Modern man is justified in dismissing the body of the myth, butshould recognize its soul, man's dependence on the Transcendent, God.Anthropomorphism is out of place today; an agnostic faith is not. Butthe answer must be: no anthropomorphism, no mythology—and no theol-ogy. In Wittgenstein's words: 'Whereof one cannot speak, thereof onemust be silent'.

Still Going StrongHowever, myth-making is not simply a thing of the far past when man

was ignorant and helpless, for it can be seen going on around us todayin many different contexts and forms. Freud and Jung have not onlycontributed to an understanding of early myths, but also to the makingof modern myths: the 'Oedipus complex', the 'primal horde', the licl';the 'archetypes' and a collective unconscious. Modern political revolutions,pre-eminently Mao's revolution, sustain their impetus in myths and ritualswhich impose credence and invest in daily practices a sacred force. Popidols and cults, with James Dean as the classical case, reproduce ancientthemes: the eternal adolescent, quest for the absolute (in speed), the pactwith death. Science fiction employs the imagination with a free rein ininvention of the future; and this speculative fantasy is in contrast withthe serious modern fables that prophesy the wreck of hopes and paintthe dreaded shape of things to come. Even the ecological doom warningswhich have jumped to the headlines, though they were in the small printtwenty years ago, serious as they are, echo ancient eschatological myths.

Greek rationalism destroyed the credibility of Greek myths, and modernrationalism works the same way. But the function of myths is fundamentaland mutiple, and man remains the same human animal, needing enter-tainment, needing to project his fears and hopes, collectively generatingintense feeling that will express itself. So that myths will continue to comeand go, whether as theology, or in pop culture or popular politics, oreven in the sciences themselves. Rationalism is more readily taken asmedicine than as diet.

(Summary of a lecture given on April 16)

Common sense is the most widely shared commodity in the world, forevery man is convinced he is supplied with it—Descartes.

7

Meet the Movement

Margaret Pearce—

South Place's

younger influence

Interviewed by the Editor

Q Although you are Conway Hall's manager, I'm really relying on you to represent the youth part of the movement. Could you say in a few words what maintains your enthusiasm for participating in the Humanist cause?A First of all, Eric, I must emphasise that I'm not really qualified tospeak for anyone else but myself—but I'll try and answer—there are somany different points of view that it would be impossible. I suppose themain reason for my continued interest in the Humanist cause is that wetry to avoid all dogmas and to examine truths in every field. Also we standagainst the more oppressive elements that are present in any society andwhich lead to a great deal of unhappiness. It means for me that it is pos-sible to follow a code of ethics and way of life that is not based on theChristian religion. I find this very satisfying. I know that I'm much youngerthan most of the people who read the ER but one of the things that Ishall always want to do is keep an open mind about things and to examinef undamental causes and universal truths. My definition of becoming oldis that one's attitudes have hardened to ill-based opinions and beliefsthat one holds on to no matter what. Philosophers have done most ofthe donkey work in humanism and it's fascinating not only to try andunderstand the written word, but the person behind it all.

Q You have tended to avoid the limelight, I feel, but you have puteffort into your work for the movement, and last year you had thedistinction of being the chairman of London Young Humanists. Did youenjoy your term of office, and was it hard work?

A It is because I try never to speak on behalf of others (especially ifthey've not been consulted) that I suppose I'm not well known. I am cer-tainly no public speaker but prefer exchanging views on a one-to-one basis.This is just as important in the imparting and changing of ideas at largepublic meetings. Another reason is that in organisations such as LYH itis very important that as many people as possible participate in the run-ning of it and that it is not the pawn of one dictator, or in the hands ofa dedicated few. Yes, I did enjoy being chairman. It did not involve hardwork as such but an attitude of responsibility for the functions and makingsure that events were properly co-ordinated—it took time and patience!

8

How long have you been involved with Humanism, and what arousedyour interest initially?

A About three years 'officially'. I remember one of Margaret Knight'sbooks that I had been encouraged to read, and found what a weight ofdogma and myths was removed from my mind—it was quite remarkablealthough for years I had 'seen through' the Christian mythology but didnot know of anything that replaced it or tried to answer the same questionsfrom a different viewpoint.

Do you feel it has important work today, or do you feel the oldbattles are won in the minds of most young people? I find that someregard me as a crank for taking conventional concepts of God and relig-ion seriously enough to disagree with them.A I think most young people are bored by the battles of the older gen-erations. Today, young people are by-passing the old battles, and findingnew ideas, new ways of living and relating to each other. I don't thinkyou're a crank, Eric, don't you agree with me that all our concepts abouteverything should be examined? We should always look for truths and useour discriminatory senses in the problems that confront us. If each gen-eration tried to do this, it would get rid of much wrong thinking and badideas.

Is social reform best left to political pressure groups, in your view,or is there a place for organisations like ours to be active?

A A difficult question which most of us would need a book to give theanswer. We've seen the healthy rise of many well-organised pressuregroups who do some excellent work, but it is a pity that, so of ten, ideo-logical polarity impinges on them. Everyone gets entrenched in their ownideas and won't budge an inch, even though the opposition may haveexcellent ideas too. We are too afraid to truly co-operate with one another.We have lost trust in each other, especially in large organisations. SPEScannot engage in political issues, and many of the reforms that do comeabout are made into political issues in order to make the necessary changes.Some pressure groups are excellent and do a tremendous amount of good.Others I find very offensive because they seek to convert people to mud-dled ideas, and often do this by subtle and sophisticated methods.

Is your contact with friends and young folk mostly within the move-ment, or do you have many other interests?A Many of my friends are within the movement—one always likes tomeet people with the same ideas, it's comfortable—but it is more interes-ting to meet people from many different walks of life. My social life israther a mixture, which I like.

Are you a "Women's Libber"? Do you think women really are sub-ordinated today, or do men rely on women even more in the tensions ofmodern life?

A Yes and no. I'm more for peoples' liberation—people should be ableto free themselves from the conventions in which they were brought up.I think if we looked at ourselves as human beings first, and men or womensecond, then many entrenched ideas would go and we would be morehumane to each other. (I could go on for ages as this is one of my petsubjects). The so-called tensions of 'modern' life I'm sure have always beenwith us and are not just post-war phenomen. It is the outward. causes

9

in our lives which change and which we blame. First though, we shouldlook within ourselves for the real causes of tensions and learn how tocope with them.

Do you agree with the conventional ideas of marriage and the family,or do you think marriage is out-dated?

A For the reasons I gave to your last question about tolerating otherways of living etc. I am neither for nor against marriage. It is up to theindividual concerned. I do dislike the pressures there are for young peo-ple to make a conventional marriage. It is a real stumbling block to beingable to make up one's mind about the life style that one would like tolead.

You have served Conway Hall as manager and lettings secretary nowfor two years, and you were the youngest officer ever to be appointed bythe Society. Do you find the job satisfying?

A Yes, I could not work for an organisation whose basic ideas I disa-greed with. Being happy in one's work is very important and contributesas much in terms of happiness for the person concerned as the financialrewards. After all work is a part of life, not just the means to the end.

Do you find that close involvement with a particular unit of the move-ment as a whole tends to increase your interest, or does so much contactwith the subject make it routine and less "urgent" for you?

A A bit of both. Familiarity often breeds boredom and staleness. Oneneeds to experience different things (which is why you don't see me atmany SPES meetings—I like to get away from work). One needs to ex-perience the many things the world has to offer and not those just labelledfor the 'Humanist'. In my ideas about basic truths, etc, I find that myinterests have been connected with poetry. For me, a good poem can sayso much more than a lengthy article about the same topic. Most of thepoetry that endures has that extra quality about it.

Have•you any heroes or heroines within the movement's ancestry,people whose lives and experiences you draw upon?

A No, I don't have—I suppose it shows how few biographies I've _readrecently.

A big question—what are the biggest problems which face youth to-day, and can our movement minimise or alleviate them?

A Indifference seems to be one main enemy. We seem to have a growinglack of concern, for instance, with our environment. I suppose the shortanswer is education—bringing children up to have a discerning aware-ness and loving concern for all that exists on this earth.

How can we draw more young people to Conway Hall?

A Peter and I are continually discussing this perennial problem. I don'tknow the answer. I hope that Lindsey Harris will come up with someideas. What young people need who attend lectures and discussions issome cohesive framework, so that they will be glad to return to more meet-ings because they know there will be others there like themselves. Also, weare trying other ideas like play readings, yoga classes, parties and poetryevenings.

10

Q Do you foresee more young people taking part in the running of affairsin the movement in future, or will it continue to be run by 'elder states-men'?

A Young people today, on the whole, dislike committees and paperwork. In small organisations such as LYH, this is very easy, but withSPES it is much more difficult. The rule that one has to be a member forone year before standing for the General Committee, whilst leading tostability integrity of its members, does tend to kill enthusiasm.

Q It is often said that youth today needs more 'spirituar—we could per-haps say ethical—guidance than ever. Do you think modern youth isdevoid of purpose?

A Young people today need just as much ethical guidance as ever—butthey are seeking it in unconventional ways—which may not be the sameas those who wish to guide them, so of course there is some conflict. Onebig problem that faces all young people today, more than ever before,is the apparent ease of the mass media in manipulating ideas. This is verydangerous and leads to shallow and inaccurate thinking. Each generationhas to seek and find its own purposes for living and conducting lives.

Margaret Pearce, thank you.

For the RecordBY

THE GENERAL SECRETARY

Ethics, Aesthetics and Science

Some time ago I was asked to lecture to the Progressive League at aweek-end school devoted to the subject of 'Science' and as a part of thepreparation I read the book by Dr. Ravetz that was reviewed recently forThe Ethical Record by Dr. Lovecy. At the same time I was engaged in dis-cussing the nature of art with artists in the Society and re-reading White-head's thoughts on art that appear in the chapters on 'Civilisation' in hisAdventures of Ideas. It came home to me very forcibly that there was amarked similarity about the essentials of science and art and that they metin the territory of ethics.

The definition of art that follows might also be a definition of science.You can try it out for yourself by replacing the word 'are with the word'science' wherever it appears and seeing if the transposition makes com-parable sense:

When we demonstrate our deepest sensibilities in a medium that we havemade our own, that is the beginning of art. When we find a way of doingit that communicates to others in depth and lastingly, that is the end of art.

Since it takes more than one to constitute communication the individualartist cannot consummate his work alone. Thus, given that one is not themere projection of the other, it takes two to make an artist. In this sensethe artist cannot be separated from his time.

The artist is also inseparable from his time in the sense that he like therest of homo sapiens is born of communication. Ritual, language and designare of his very nature.

11

It follows that if a given society is hostile to communication in depth(the accepted norms being so shallow as to prevent it) art has to struggleto be born and will not necessarily succeed in that struggle. This means thatthe artist and the social change-agent are one and the same and that this isso whether or not the artist is aware of it. It arises out of the very natureof his activity.

The Differences Between Art and ScienceIf the above is a substantially fair statement of the case the difference

between art and science lies in the end product. The scientist produces ascientific paper using the language of mathematics and the tools of analysisand computation (which the technologist can then turn into hardware)whereas the artist produces a work of art using the symbolic forms of sound,colour, line and language. Both have solved problems set by data andquestions found at the frontiers of knowledge and experience. And personalstyle is equally characteristic of each, although it will usually be much morereadily apparent in the work of art.

The ethical part of art and science lies in the climate of values in whichthe artist and the scientist first approach their act of conception. What dothey feel is important? What standards do they bring to bear, consciouslyor unconsciously, upon their own compulsions? What do their friends andcolleagues think? What are likely to be the direct and indirect consequencesof what they do and how are they to be assessed? These are the ethicalquestions and they all occur at the beginning. If a mistake is made then itwill not be possible to put it right later, for what happens then is post-ethical i.e. a series of exercises in craftsmanship, abstraction, execution anddel ivery.

Thus whether a work of art or science is good, bad or indifferent maystem from bad ethical judgement in the first place. Verdicts as to merit willbe made by those who first see the finished product, but final judgement willawait the verdicts of many observers over a period, for recognition, liketruth, is the daughter of time.

Any comments on this?

The Makers and the Making of HumanismWe are all familiar with the adoption of a theme for our Tuesday meet-

ings. It is very successful because it enables us to spend four or five weekslooking at different aspects of a subject with the resultant greater insight.For 1972/3 we are going to try something similar, in principle at least, onSunday mornings—not a theme for a month but a theme for intermittentuse throughout the whole year. It is "The Makers and the Making ofHumanism". It began quite co-incidentally with Mr. W. H. Liddell's lectureon 'Renaissance Humanism in England' last July and will be taken up byTom Evans in the first lecture of the new season, October 1st, "The JamesBrothers—William and Henry" and by Richard Clements on "John StuartMill and the Humanist Tradition" on October 15th.

The theme for Tuesday in October is 'The Scope of Psychology" and Ishall be writing about the speakers and subjects in the October Record—all I will say at this stage is that it looks very promising at the moment (atthe time of writing the programme it is not quite complete) and psychology,like education, is a deservedly popular subject at South Place.

Last year's experience is that young people will come in some strength onTuesdays but are much less likely to do so on Sundays. I don't think weproperly understand this but it is certainly a fact and we might as wellmake the most of it! Getting the South Place habit can start at any point12

in our compass . . . I just mention this in case you have any opportunityto push our meetings with young people. It is personal contact, above all,that gets us new contacts and members.

The Very Young and Their ParentsOur experiment with a children's group begins on October 1. This means

that any parents with children between the ages of 3 and 13 (those ages notbeing rigidly defined) will be very welcome to come to Sunday morninglectures in the sure knowledge that their children will be very well lookedafter in the Children's Group run by Lindsey Harris in the Club Roomwhich is at the top, of the staircase behind the stage. Will you put the wordabout?

The group will function for all the five Sundays of October regardlessof the scale of response and then we shall see how things stand when wehave October's experience to work from. We could have a permanent andvaluable group in the making. Success may depend upon letting the wholeHumanist movement, within travelling distance of Conway Hall, know whatis afoot. Young parents may well respond if they know about the prospectin the first place.

September at South PlaceOn Wednesday September 13 the Therapy Group run by Harry Knight

starts to meet again-7.0 to 9.0 p.m. in the Library. From relaxation tocommunication—an important art: there is much more to it than onerealises. The group meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of everymonth.

On Sunday September 17 the Coach Outing to Guildford and Wisleystarts from Conway Hall at 10.0 a.m. The cost is £1.50 exclusive of teaand a packed lunch should be taken. It should be a lovely day out. Will youring or write if you plan to go?

On Friday September 22 at 6.30 p.m. the Yoga Group led by Paul Kamalstarts to meet again every Friday. It is intended for people who arewilling and able to come regularly because the idea is to make progresson the strength of work done. Newcomers are welcome nevertheless.There is a charge of 10p per session, light clothing should be worn and arug brought.

On Sunday September 24—the Annual Reunion at 3.0 p.m. The Guestof Honour will be Richard Clements and the music will be provided by thoseregular favourites of ours: Harvey Kesselman and Jean Aird. The festivetea will follow. The Annual Reunion is not an exclusive South Placefunction. At it we like to make all our friends welcome so we hope you willmake it known to others who might like to come.

On Saturday September 16 the country dancing will recommence. In thiswe are associated with the Progressive League. It begins at 3.0 p.m.

There will be no play-reading in September, that will start again on thefirst Thursday in October i.e. October 5 at 7.15 p.m.

Late News—and Good NewsJust as I was about to send this off I heard from Edmund Leach, the

distinguished anthropologist and Provost of King's College, Cambridge.He has agreed to give the Conway Memorial Lecture for 1972. The dateis Tuesday November 28 and his subject: Humanity and Animality".

Also Arthur Dooley, the remarkable Liverpool sculptor, has agreed to beour Guest of Honour at the first party of the new season. It will be at8.0 p.m. on Friday October 13. His 50 minute TV film will by that timehave been shown.

PETER CADOGAN

13

HUMANIST FORUM

Immigration and Our SchoolsJOCELYN BARROW, a West Indian Lecturer in Education for many yearsresident in this country and General Secretary of CARD, opened theForum on Immigration and our Schools on Sunday, 30th April. Shepointed out that in an important sense the advent of black children inour schools was a blessing and a challenge. This was particularly trueof Pakistani children who had to learn English from scratch. As a con-sequence of wrestling with this problem, English teachers had for the firsttime come to look at the problems of reading and language in depth.The result promised to be of enormous benefit to all school children.

In all sorts of ways immigration highlighted and intensified existingproblems in our schools. We had to look, for example, at the teaching ofHistory. It was hardly possible now to teach Indian Imperial History asit has been of old on the basis of such things as the Black Hole of Calcuttaand the Indian Mutiny.

She pointed out that many children from the West Indies came frombroken homes to meet an unfamiliar parent, half-brothers and sistersin unfamiliar surroundings. It was no wonder therefore that they under-achieved themselves without being educationally subnormal, and their com-pensatory boisterous behaviour came to constitute a major problem.Whereas English children would be naturally aware of social limits therewould be, in the nature of things, no comparable awareness in the mindsof West Indian children. One sad result of this disastrous situation wasthat a large proportion of children classified as ESN (educationally sub-normal) were West Indians and only 7 per cent were re-assessed in thecourse of their school careers.

Common MisconceptionsPart of our trouble lay in regarding the situation as a problem to be

remedied by immigration laws. This attitude was quite mistaken. Onlythree Jamaicans applied for and secured entry into Britian in 1971. The prob-lem,. therefore, was here and on the ground. It does not help immigrantswhen they read, see and hear themselves discussed as a problem. Theyarrive in Britain simply as people and the circumstances are such thatthey are then taught to regard themselves as a problem. That is why someof the impressionable young among them get chips on their shoulders.

The Asian children don't give rise to any overt behaviour problemsin schools. They come to this country with their language, culture andreligion intact and all-of-a-piece. Faced with problems, they can and dowithdraw into themselves.

Miss Barrow itemized a number of things that might be done towardsremedying existing problems. Firstly, Colleges and Institutions of Educa-tion, schools, should recognise language-teaching for all age groups inschools as a subject of major concern and cease to regard it as a functionof the first years of the Primary School. Secondly, there should be a majorassault on the problem of non-readers in secondary schools where thefigure might be as high as 20 per cent. Thirdly, we should examine allsubjects in the curricula to bring them up to date in the light of thechanged classroom situation. Fourthly, we should recognise we •haveneglected Nursery education for the child of the man-in-the-street andspent quite disproportionately on secondary and higher education. Fifthly.we need to recognise the purpose of education as self-realisation and not14

examinations geared to the requirements of the top 20 per cent. Sixthly,we should look again at the question of dialect, since although the averageprovincial child will recognise standard English when he hears it, thisis not the case of the West Indian child speaking the dialect of theCreole. Teachers are divided about this question and it seems we have toface the facts of accepting two kinds of English for many years to come.

Finally, on the subject of immigration itself it is very desirable thatthis country, like the USA, has only one immigration policy with aquota system. The UK, by way of contrast, appears to have one law,but does not in fact accept people equally. Admission to this country isaccorded by the system of work permits and this is a means of exercisingunjust discrimination. We should bear in mind our historic position andout debt to the peoples of those lands that were our colonies, and admitand refuse immigrants on a principled basis regardless of colour. P.C.

(Report of a Humanist Forum held on April 30)

BOOK REVIEW

The Collected Stories of Bertrand Russell. Edited by Barry Feinberg.George Allen and Unwin: £4.50.

WHEN A man accomplishes his seventy years, and then lives on for anotherquarter of a century, reason and humanity alike persuade us not to weighthe work of the latter period against that which was done formerly.

Almost everything in this volume was written long after Russell'sseventieth year (1942), most of it in fact after he had gained the Nobel

prize for literature (1950). This being so, readers who, already hold in highesteem his major achievements, namely in philosophy and as a leader ofhumanistic belief and action, need feel no surprise or disappointment ifhis ventures into satire and fiction rank below those of Swift or R. L.Stevenson. (Incidentally, the latter is mentioned on p.288 as "Stephenson,"and there are other careless errors: delete b from "unbending calm," p.30;also c from "irradicates," p.38; alter "fool" to "food," p.252, and so on).

This collection begins with The Perplexities of John Forstice, writtensome thirty years earlier than the rest and hitherto unpublished. Its skeletalplot is simply an excuse for half a dozen brief sketches of various attitudesto life and perhaps it is the most serious (in intention) of all the stories.Although it sheds no fresh light on Russell's ideas, this story seems tomark the opening up of his concern with mundane anxieties and politicalrealities, which enventually took precedence over philosophy and becamehis main activity.

Viewed simply as amusing yarns, Satan in the Suburbs which happensto be the longest also seems the best ; and they are intended to be takenin this way. These are not stories with a moral, any more than the racywhodunits turned out by other fertile intellectuals ; either kind may in factsharpen up your moral insights, as an aperitif taken for enjoyment mayalso aid your appetite.

The same applies to the rest of the book: the dozen Nightmaresimagined for persons ranging from a Metaphysician to Stalin ; theParables; the oddly-illustrated Alphabet (Erroneous=capable of being

oved true ; the Maxims; and the peculiar Anecdotes. In among these,he alludes to "two occasions . . . when I thought I was on the track of agood story but found . . . that I was not"—and of course, the reader willfind that two is a woeful underestimate!

15

Accepting this collection in the spirit intended, it adds touches of colourto our vision of the author "in his slippers" so to speak ; and the unobstru-sive work of the editor in his preface and in re-grouping the items is veryhelpful to our enjoyment. Perhaps such a publication of minor workscarries the risk that we, the many who never have truly grasped Russell'sphilosophical work, may range ourselves closer to those who never canunderstand it. Familiarity gained from these casual frivolities may lessenour awareness of the great debt we owe him for his part in releasing liberalthought from its age-old treadmills, and for his moral courage in con-fronting powerful authorities and timid public with a personal, sceptical,rational form of dissent from the outworn assumptions and tarnishedtraditions of popular belief.

The remedy is obvious—enjoy this volume of Bertie in his lighter vein,read the Letters (reviewed in E.R. May 1970), dip into the three volumesof Autobiography (published 1968-9). Even if you don't go further, at leastyou will sense the nature of this exceptional man, as much at home withthe absurd (or boring) family joke as with the abstractions of Categories,Description, Meaning, and Truth. "In private life he showed none of theacerbity which marred his writings" he tells us in his wry Auto-obituary.And for those who aspire to great wisdom: "It matters little what youbelieve, as long as you don't altogether believe it . . . Vagueness is therebellion of truth against intellect."

DR. A. LOVECY

Introduction to a ViewOne of our members, Mr. Victor Rose, asked if we would like to feature

a vast canvas that he had recently spent no less than two years completing.It is now hanging in Conway Hall and Members and friends are cordiallyinvited to have a look at it. Mr. Rose has written this account of theorigin and character of the work—P.C.

WITH THE disintegration of the CND in Bromley, Kent, after the Cubanaffair. I found myself friendless. Having taken an active part in publicaffairs for some years, it was strange to find myself wth nothing to doand nowhere to go.

Among my CND friends was a man who painted. I was not happy aboutthe pictures he painted; I had taken some interest in art but only in afleeting way as one might do as one passes through a busy life, but I didnot feel I had sufficient knowledge to criticise his work. However, itoccured to me that I might join an Appreciation of Art class and learnsomething about the subject.

I sat at the feet of John Mansbridge at Goldsmiths College and listenedto his lectures on the great "Masters."From there on I began to draw copies of Cezanne, Scurat and Rubenspictures which took my fancy, dependent upon which painting the lec-turer was pleased to analyse.I showed him my work and he suggested I might draw in earth colours.I painted two small pictures of a French and an Italian village, andintended to leave the matter there.But John Mansbridge encouraged me to go on even to attempt a

composition of my own, of the Minac theatre in Cornwall. He assuredme that I had achieved a high standard and my friends flattered me intheir enjoyment of this work.16

Could I turn this new skill to something worthwhile, could I paint apicture of some consequence? I had copied a painting by Beard, thc"Goldcoast Slaves," which had some effect on the legislation of the anti-slave laws and was used on TV in the "British Empire" series. The originalhangs at Wilberforce Institute Hall.

Could I paint such a picture? I might try. My lecturer was a littleuncertain at so ambitious a project, but he encouraged me to make theattempt.

War was the subject. How I hated that scourge of mankind that blockedthe road towards a happy civilisation for Humanity!

Picasso had done it, in his abstract way with his painting "Guernica."I am not Picasso! I I paint in the conventional idiom. This is considered"Old Hat." Even so, people would more readily understand the conven-tional. Taking up the maxim—"To thine own self be true," I accepted thechallenge and created the painting. Whither? Wherefore? Why? How wasit to be done?

I had seen thousands of pictures thrown up on the screen but neverone that had attempted to cross the field of European history. It must bea large painting—landscape with mountains, rivers, valleys, lakes, and sea,which would break up the historic events and parade them in a pictorialform upon the canvas. Where to begin? What to select? What are thestumbling blocks of mankind? Are they not creed, greed and power?

I started with the Greek gods, who seemed to be the most human ofthe gods, who from time to time dabbled in human affairs, influencing thedestinies of mankind, at their pleasure. The hunting goddess Diana, thenZeus, the father of the gods and Apollo with his chariot and four horses.

A mock-up of Athens seemed the natural thing to follow up with—its ideas and ideals which still echo down the centuries. The struggles andcounter-struggles for domination of the known world is illustrated byHannibal's army moving over the mountains.

Next comes the archaeological digout of "Massada" the last stand of theJews against the Roman conquest of Judea lead by Titus, who becameEmperor of Rome. He had a close friendship with Flavius Josephus, thefirst historian who influenced the laws of Rome, which in turn affectedthe legal set-up throughout Europe. Next I portray a small walled villagewith the crucified Christ, indicating the coming of christianity to theEuropean scene.

Rome 100 AD is drawn with its Forum, Colosseum, Basilica, flats andhouses. This is followed by a Spanish Trystian Monastry to mark theonly places of learning in the dark ages. I selected the invasion of Englandby William the Conqueror, and the English and their armies' marchedacross Europe after its unification, on the Crusades. I portray the encamp-ment.

The thirteenth century is marked by a motif on Magna Carta, thebeginning of constitutional government.

The fourteenth century motif is a mock-up of the Golden Horn, withits Great Church of Sophia, and indicates the end of the Roman Empire.

The ships of Columbus and the Pilgrim Fathers sail away to the newworld, and the seventeenth century is illustrated by Newton working outthe law of gravity, the beginning of the modern world. Napoleon indicatesthe period of the French revolution, the downfall of the monarchies ofEurope and the coming of capitalist society. A smoky industrial town depictsthe industrial revolution, and the present century is portrayed by themonument of the Menine Gate and a 1914-1918 graveyard.

The second world war is represented by the little ships of Dunkirk.I finish my story with a modern skyscraper city, a moonshot, an atomic

plant and an atomic explosion.It is a quiet picture, painted in earth colours plus blue. There is no

17

violence shown ; the carnage underlies the story, except for the finalexplosion, which should put a full stop to this vale of tears.

The picture is on display in Conway Hall—I hope you like it.VICTOR S. ROSE

Committee Membership (convenors in italics)Executive CommitteeChairman, Vice-Chairman, General Secretary, Treasurer, Registrar, Editor,Lettings Secretary.

General CommitteeMr. C. E. Barralet (Chairman), Mr. W. H. Brown, Miss Rose Bush,Mr. Peter Cadogan (General Secretary), Mrs. J. Camp, Mr. Stewart Cook,Mrs. Tina Delius, Mr. G. Dowman, Mrs. C. Dowman, Mr. L. J. Fischer,Mr. J. Hargreaves, Miss Lindsey Harris, Mr. F. V. Hawkins, Mr. W. Home(Vice-Chairman), Mr. H. G. Knight (Registrar), Mr. Michael Lines, Mrs.R. Lovecy, Miss Margaret Pearce (Lettings Secretary), Mr. L. Ross, Mrs. M.Sinha, Mr. P. F. C. Sowter, Mr. J. Thompson (Treasurer), Mrs. C. Wash-brook, Mr. E. R. Willoughby (Editor).

TrusteesMr. C. E. Barralet, Mrs L. L. Booker, Miss Rose Bush, Mr J. L. Green,Mr. F. V. Hawkins, Mr. W. Home, Mr. G. Hutchinson, Mr. G. N. Salmon,Mr. B. 0. Warwick,

Finance CommitteeMr. C. E. Barralet (Chairman), Mr. J. Thompson (Treasurer), Mr. PeterCadogan, Miss M. Pearce, Mr. W. Home, Mr. L. J. Fischer, Mrs. L. L.Booker, Mr. J. M. Alexander, Mr. Stewart Cook.

Lectures, Discussions and Publicity CommitteeDr. Lovecy, Mrs. Lovecy, Mr. Cadogan, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Willoughby,Miss Palmer, Miss Smoker, Mr. Jaeger, Mr. R. Hall, Mrs. Sinha, Mr.Western, Mr. D. Campbell.

Editorial BoardMr. Willoughby (Editor), Mr. Cadogan, Mrs. Delius, Mrs. Dowman, Mr.Alexander, Mr. Knight, Mr. J. Stewart Cook.

Building CommitteeMr. Home, Mr. Barralet, Mr . Cadogan, Miss Pearce, Mr. Fischer, Mr.Salmon, Mr. J. D. Brown.

Decor and House CommitteeMiss Pearce, Mrs. Washbrook, Miss la Bouchardiere, Mrs. Salmon, Mrs.Males, Dr. Lovecy, Miss Barbara Britton, Miss Lindsey Harris.

Social CommitteeMiss Rose Bush, Mrs. Altmann-Gold, Mr. Alexander, Mrs. Burns, Mrs.Delius, Mr. and Mrs. Dowman, Miss C. Davis, Mr. Hargreaves, Mrs. Ross,Miss Pearce, Miss Palmer, Miss Snelling, Mrs. Sinha, Mrs. Lovecy, Mr.Cadogan (Chairman).Note: The Rambles Committee has been merged with the Social Committee.

Library CommitteeMrs. Altmann-Gold (Librarian), Mr. Brown, Mrs. Delius, Miss Pearce,Mr. Hargreaves, Mr. Cadogan, Mr. J. Stewart Cook, Mrs. Jo Camp.

Bookstall CommitteeMr. Hargreaves, Miss Palmer, Mr. Brown, Miss Pearce, Miss Bush, Dr.Lovecy.

18

Sunday Morning Music CommitteeMr. Dowman, Mr. Western, Miss Harris, Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Knight, Mr.Ross.

Concerts CommitteeMr. Hawkins, Mr. P. F. C. Sowter, Mr. Michael Lines, Mr. C. E. Barralet,Mr. C. Brown, Mrs. J. and Mr. P. Costello, Miss V. Hassid„ Mrs. N. andMr. 0. Hooper, Mrs. J. and Mr. G. Hutchinson, Mr. M. Goldesgeyme, Mr.M. and Mrs. M. Lince, Miss S. Sowter.

Hawkins Chamber Music LibraryMrs. M. and Mr. M. Lince, Mr. G. Hutchinson.

Clements Memorial Prize CommitteeMr. Hawkins, Mr. G. Hutchinson, Mr. M. Lince, Mr. C. E. Barralet.

Your ViewpointApartheid attitudes

Fair is fair. When Lord Brockway argues that apartheid arose becauseof the attitude of the Dutch Reformed Church—July/August Ethical Record—he is in error. Apartheid, also known with an even more cutting irony,as 'separate development' is a late-comer to the South African scene.The exploiting of a multi-racial set-up by an astute politician for purelypolitical gain is the time-honoured practice, the world over, of divideand rule—only the slogans differ. To blame this on the 'national' churchof the descendants of the boat-load of people who landed at the Cape inJuly 1652, not as conquerors, not even to colonise, •but merely to start arefreshment station for the ships of the Dutch East India Company onthe long haul from Holland to the East, would be the same as blamingthe Church of England here for the abuses of democracy that occur orthe idiocies perpetrated by members of political parties, in or out of power.If the truth be told, a better case for the `success' of apartheid could bemade out against the British who brought with them the twin prejudiceof class and colour. The Cape Dutch-Afrikaners have an Old Testamenttradition of an egalitarian society, i.e. all, regardless of colour, position,wealth, are equal in the eyes of God. This persists in present-day Hollandwith her unselfconscious way of dealing with her immigrant population,as people, not problems.

Through a twist of fate and fortune I live here, now, in England andenjoy rights and privileges I did not fight for. I take up valuable space inthe Ethical Record to say 'thank you' to my host country, as well as speakup for the many lonely men and women who, because of their very Afrika-ansness and Dutch Reformedness, continue to obey the dictates of theirconscience, live and act in the best traditions of their forebears.London, N.W.3 TINA DELIUS

Lord Brockway replies:0 Tina Delius is correct in saying that apartheid did not arise from theattitude of the Dutch Reform Church. It did, however, develop from theattitude of the Afrikaners of Dutch descent and unhappily it has had thesupport of the Dutch Reform Church with very few exceptions. I amnot suggesting that the whites in South Africa of British descent areblameless in this matter. They have supported the principle of racial seg-regation. But they were more liberal on arrival than the Dutch, whowere already at the Cape and who went northward, partly because they ob-jected to the concessions made by the British. LORD BROCKWAY

19

The Shape of Things to ComeI was saddened by much of what I heard during the General

Secretary's Report at the last A.G.M., and my misgivings have been con-firmed on reading the text in The Ethical Record for July/August.

Mr. Cadogan states, "We should beware of blinkered Humanism. Thereare still people who today are fighting the battles of 50 years ago. They dous a disservice." Point taken ; but is not Mr. Cadogan himself trying to putthe South Place "clock" even further back? We have seen the evolution ofSouth Place through its interesting history from Protestant orthodoxy toUnitarianism, from supernaturalism to naturalism, from revealed religionto the present and self-contradictory archaism, "rational religious sentiment."One would have thought that the next step in this sequence would be theeclipse of "religious" altogether, not, as Peter Cadogan clearly intends, itsre-vamping with the naive intention of enticing the Charity Commissioners.

The General Secretary would clearly like the term "religious" expandedto cover the meaning already adequately expressed by "ideology", "philos-ophy" and "world view" and is dissatisfied with the constitutional lawdefinition of the word. Whilst there is much to criticise in the existing(charity) laws, their understanding of the term religious does, in fact, reflectthe meaning of the man-in-the-street. So to please Mr. Cadogan and giveSouth Place charity status everybody has to change the meaning of words(shades of Alice in Wonderland!).

We should indeed beware of "blinkered Humanism"; and also of thedilettante and pseudo-intellectual trendism that is preoccupied with theephemeral and the peripheral at the expense of the urgent and the straight-forward ; of those agnostic mystics who combine the bigotry of traditionalreligion with none of the virtues of old-fashioned rationalism. I find it sig-nificant that Peter Cadogan should single out Freud for the sin of "sterility" ;Freud, were he alive to-day, would probably describe Mr. Cadogan's"religious humanism" as humbug:

Philosophers stretch the meaning of words until they retain scarcelyanything of their original sense . . . Critics persist in describing as"deeply religious" anyone who admits to a sense of man's insignificanceor impotence in the face of the universe, although what constitutesthe essence of the religious attitude is not this feeling but only the nextstep after it, the reaction to it which seeks a remedy for it. The manwho goes no further, but humbly acquiesces in the small part whichhuman beings play in the great world—such a man is, on the contrary,irreligious in the truest sense of the word.(Freud, The Future of An Illusion)

—If Freud and his attitude to religion are to be drummed out of Mr.Cadogan's new-style "religious" South Place, then I shall consider it aprivilege to walk out with them.

NIGEL SINNOTTLondon W.5.

A Reply from The General Secretary: I am glad that Nigel has raised thispoint. It helps to clarify things.

If it was as he suggests, and that my use of the word 'religious' or`religion' arises out of the needs of our case for charitable status then itwould be serious ; worse, it would be a case of sheer duplicity. In fact myuse of these words has nothing whatsoever to do with that case. It turnsupon matters of original substance.

We are up against the limitations of. the English language. What singlecompendious word can we use to sigmfy not 'philosophy', not 'ideology',not 'world view' but personal experience in depth?

What word do .we have to cover the experiences of love, friendship, con-20

cern, the feelings we have for truth, goodness and beauty and the senses ofwonder and belonging?

I have spent a long time searching for the right word and have had toconclude that there is no other alternative but to use the word 'religious'.Blake and D. H. Lawrence used it in this sense and Whitehead, in hisreversion to .the original Greek meaning of terms, used it in much the same.way. Furthermore the most advanced 'Christian' opinion has clearly movedin the same direction.

It is right and perfectly possible, therefore, to use the word 'religious',as South Place has always done, to describe the human experience at itsgreatest depth without any necessary reference to revealed Christianity.From a reading of the history of the Society this was, it seems clear, thedirection in which Fox and Conway moved and all we are doing is carryingon in the same tradition. There is no break in continuity. (If this helps ourlegal case them well and good, but that is a secondary matter).

It strikes me that it would be a good thing for the Humanist movementas a whole, not just for South Place, to face this situation and not hide behindevasions and shallow alternatives.

About Freud . . . Iris Murdoch, quite rightly I think, says that Freud'steaching starts from 'the fat relentless ego' and takes a fundamentallypessimistic view of human nature. This, and his horrific views on the infer-iority of women, date him. Freud started something of immense value buthe is now best left behind by us as he has been by all his most distinguishedf oll owers.

Getting beyond Freud in psychology, like getting beyond Marx in politicaleconomy, is critically important to our own thinking if we are not to behung up by inert ideas. Peter Cadogan

South Place NewsNew Members

We are pleased to welcome the following new members: Mrs. J. Cadogan,Cambridge; Mr. Ralph A. Champion, NW3: Hartley Davies, Edgware; Mr.G. Lema, Bromley, Kent; Naomi Lewis, WCI; Oriana 0. Sangster, NW9and Enid Hutchinson, SE5.

Social September

This month is one for social events within the society. On September 17the coach outing takes place. Those who have booked—there may stillbe time—meet at Conway Hall at 10 a.m., when the coach will leavefor Guildford and the Wisley Botanical Gardens. It is expected that thecoach will return at about 7 p.m. Tickets cost £1.50 and anyone wishingto book now should contact Conway Hall.

Then comes our Annual Reunion, when one of our own appointed lec-turers, Richard Clements, 0.B.E., will be the guest of honour. This isalways a pleasant social occasion, and we look forward to another largeattendance.

Reminder

Members are again asked to notify the office promptly when changingaddresses. Notice should be given at least one month in advance if pos-sible, otherwise copies of this journal cannot be readdressed in time. TheHon. Registrar's records are also simplified by prompt notice of removal.

Recruitment

Those South Place members who are students, at universities and col-leges, and who are resuming studies with the new term, can serve the

21

society by helping to increase membership. Any such person who wouldbe willing to take some leaflets etc. and who would be keen to give infor-mation about the society to fellow-students, should contact the GeneralSecretary at Conway Hall.

Kindred organisationsA visit to Pennington Manor, the latest property acquired by Humanist

Housing Association, has been arranged for September 10. The buildingis in Southborough, near Tunbridge Wells, and will be used in the associ-ation's flats scheme for elderly persons. The coach leaves Conway Hallat 10.30 a.m., and calls at Rose Bush Court. It leaves there at 11 p.m.for Southborough. The fare is 60p. A packed lunch should be taken, andtea will be arranged in Tunbridge Wells. Those wishing to join the partyshould contact Lindsay Burnet, 12 Kemplay Road, London, NW3, (tel.435 8946).

The London Secular Group has published a pamphlet to mark the 150thanniversary of the death of Shelley. The pamphlet contains Shelley's workLife, Death and Immortality, and a letter on superstition written by WilliamPitt. The price of the pamphlet is 10p. It is available from 11 Glengall Road,London, NW6.

The first meeting of the Sutton Humanist Group will be held on Sep-tember 21, when there will be a talk about the work of a factory inspec-tor.

A leaflet, Jesus Christ, Supershani, has been published by the NationalSecular Society. The leaflet is an onslaught against the "Jesus Movement"and contains factual fundamental arguments and an attack on the con-ventional portrayals of the character of Jesus. Free copies can be obtainedfrom the general secretary, 103 Borough High Street, London, SE1.

Two pamphlets relating to education have been published by BritishHumanist Association, 13 Prince of Wales Terrace, London, W8 5PG.The first is Wider Horizons, written by teachers, and suggests materialwhich could be used in place of religious assemblies. It costs 30p. Thesecond booklet describes the development of childhood thinking, and isintended as a guide for parents and others responsible for children. Theprice of the booklet is 15p, and its title is Honest to Our Children.

CURRENT SPES PUBLICATIONS

THE SECULAR RESPONSIBILITYMarghanita Laski 10p.

THE ALTERNATIVE SOCIETYJames Hemming 10p.

THE BREAKDOWN OF GREAT BRITAINLeopold Kohr 10p.

MAN AND THE SHADOWLaurens van der Post 10p.

WHAT ARE EUROPEANS?G. K. Young, CB, CMG, MBE 10p.

3p postage for one — 6p for two or more

22

Coming at Conway Hall

Continued from inside front cover

Tuesday, October 177 p.m.—Discussion: Industrial Psychology with Peter Spink

Sunday, October 2211 a.m.— S.P.E.S. Lecture3 p.m.—Humanist Forum: Humanism and Ireland and F.O.R. Ex-

hibitionTuesday, October 24

7 p.m.—Discussion: Social PsychologyFriday, October 27

7.30 p.m.— Thomas Paine Memorial Lecture: Edward Thompson (ontape— jointly with the Thomas Paine Society)

Sunday, October 2911 a.m.—S.P.E.S. Lecture: DR. JOHN LEWIS on East Germany

1924/34/72—A Personal ViewTuesday, October 31

7 p.m.—Discussion: Psychology and Ethics with John HeronSunday, November 5

11 a.m.—S.P.E.S. Lecture: Prof. C. E. CARRINGTON on RudyardKipling and the Victorian Tradition.

CONCERNED ABOUT EDUCATION?

"EDUCATION FORTHE OPEN SOCIETY"a BHA bookletprice 25p plus 6p postage and packing

Write today for your copy or for membership details to:

BRITISH HUMANIST ASSOCIATION(Dept. ERF/3) 13 Prince of Wales Terrace, London W8 5PG

23

South Place Ethical SocietyFOUNDED in 1793, the Society is a progressive movement which today advocates anethical humanism, the study and dissemination of ethical principles based onhumanism, and the cultivation of a rational religious sentiment free from alltheological dogma.

We invite to membership all those who reject supernatural creeds and findthemselves in sympathy with our views.

At Conway Hall there are opportunities for participation in many kinds ofcultural activities, including discussions, lectures, concerts, dances, rambles andsocials. A comprehensive reference and lending library is available, and allMembers and Associates receive the Society's journal, The Ethical Record, free.The Sunday Evening Chamber Music Concerts founded in 1887 have achievedinternational renown.

Services available to members include Naming Ceremony of Welcome toChildren, the Solemnisation of Marriage, and Memorial and Funeral Services.

The Story of South Place, by S, K. Ratcliffe, is a history of the Society and itsinteresting development within liberal thought

Minimum subscriptions: are Members, 75p p.a.; Life Members, £15.75p (Lifemembership is available only to members of at least one year's standing). It isof help to the Society's officers if members pay their subscriptions by Bankers'Order, and it is of further financial benefit to the Society if Deeds of Covenantare entered into. Members are urged to pay more than the minimum subscriptionwhenever possible, as the present amount is not sufficient to cover the cost ofthis journal.

A suitable form of bequest for those wishing to benefit the Society by theirwills is to be found in the Annual Report

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM

To Tim HON. REGISTRAR, SOUTH PLACE ETHICAL SOCIETY,CONWAY HALL HUMANIST CENTRE, RED LION SQUARE, LONDON, WC1R 4RL

Being in sympathy with the aims of South Place Ethical Society, I desire tobecome a Member and I enclose as my annual subscription the sum of

(minimum 75p) entitling me (according to the Rules of the Society)to membership for one year from the date of enrolment.

NAME(BLOCK LETTERS PLEASE)

ADDRESS

OCCUPATION (disclosure optional)

How DID YOU HEMt OP THE SOCIETY?

DATE SIGNATURE

The Ethical Record is posted free to members. The annual charge to subscribersis 75p. Matter for publication should reach the Editor, Eric Willoughby,46 Springfield Road, London, E.I7, by the 5th of the preceding month.

sie David Neil & Company. Dorking. Surrey