H ... -Member. ean obtain this publication from the Secretary, poet free 2/- p ... annum.

SEPTEMBER, 1932.

The Monthly Record of

South Place Ethical Society, CONWAY HALL, RED LION SQUARE, W.C.I.

Telephone: CHANCERY 8032

eBJEeTS t'?F THE Se>eIETY. 11 The Objects of the Society are the study and disseminatioD of ethical principle. aDd the cultivation of a rational reli~ious leDtimen t."

SUNDAY MORNING SERVICES. The followin& DISCOURSES will be delivered, the Senicea begin.ine at

ELEVEN O·CLOCK.

September 4.-JOHN MURPHY.-Relioion and Politics in Ireland . Bass Solo--Linden Lea ... ... Vaughan Williams

MR. G. C. DowMAN. Soprano Solos- (a) Die Vogel Schubert

(b) Wohin ... ... Schubert MISS GWEN CATLEY.

o. 16. 0 help th prophet to be bold. Hymns No. 207. Men! whose boast it is that ye. (No. 10.)

September 11·-S_ K. RATCLlFFE.-Rebuildinu a Community. Bass Solo--The Pilgrim 's Song Tschaikowsky

MR. G. C. DOWMAN. Soprnno Solos- (a) Ruhe Sanft Mozart

(b) The first primrose ... . .. Grieg MISS GWEN CATLEY.

No. 41. Sow in the morn thy seed. Hymns No. 50. Do not crouch to-day and worship.

September 18.-C. DELlSLE BURNS, M.A., D.Lit.-What I saw in Germany. onata in D Minor, Op. 23, No. 3, for Pianoforte and Violin ... Hauptmann

I. Allegro. Il. Andante. Ill. Allegro. MR. WILLIAM Bu CH and MR. ISIDonE SOHWILLER.

No. 224. Oh sweeter than the sweetest flower. Hymns No. 155. O'er silent fields and lonely lawn.

September 25.-C. DElISlE BURNS, M.A., D.Lit.-A new Social Order. Pianoforte Solos-Six ongs Without Words ... Mendelssohn

Mn. Wn.LIAM BusoH. H No. 92. 0 beautiful, my country.

ymns No. 66. All common things, each day's events. The Committee request the audience to re/min from applause.

Pianist: MR. WILLIAM BUSCH. !l Hymn Pmctice to which all pe1'sons desirous 0/ improving the hymn singing

are tnvited, is held at the close 0/ each Service. A Oollection is made at each Service, to enable those p1'esenf to contrib1tte to the

expenses of the Society. VISITORS WELCOME. OFFICIAL CAR PARK-Opposite Main Entrance.

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MEMBERSHIV.

Any person in sympathy with the Objects of the Society is cordially invited to become a MEMllER. The amount of subscription is optIOnal, but it is hoped that members will subscribe as generously as possible. The minimum is 2s. 6d. per qu~rter, or 10s. per annum. Any perso~ interested in the Society's wo.r~, but not WIshing to become a member, may Jom as an ASSOCIATE, the mInImum subscription being 5s. per annum. Full-time students at universities and secondary schools are invited to become Associates for a subscription of 2s. 6d. per annum . Further particulars may be obtained before and after the Sunday Services or on application to the Hon. RegIstrar, Miss R. HALLS, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, W .C.I.

R~Nt!)R1tRY E)FFH~ERS.

Trea3urer C. E. LI8TER, 17, Chureton Maneione, W.C.I. Sunday Lecture Secretary F. W . READ, 65, Harley Road, Harlesden, N.W.lO lI1imLtes Secretary Mis8 E. PALMER, 14, Woodville Road, Morden, Surrey Registrar of M embe7's and J Miss R. HALLS, 121, Studdridge Street, Par8on~

Associates ... . .. ! Green, S.W.6. Editor of MONTHLY RECORD J. B. COATB8, 5, King's Garth, S.E.21l. L 'b . r Mrs. T. LINDSAY, 02, Grove Park Gardens, W.4.

t rartans ... . .. 1 F. STUTTIG, 2, Durand Gardens, 8tockwell, S. W.9

The General Committee will meet on Wednesday, eptember 7, at 6.30 p.m., at Con way Hall. Correspondence dealing with matters for consideration should be torwarded to the ecretary, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, W.C,] , at the earliest possible moment. All matters relating to finance should be addressed to the l' reasurer .

Secretaries of SUb-Committees are requested to note that any matter which they wish to insert in the MONTHLY RECORD should be in the hands of the Editor, J. B. COATES, 5, King's Garth, S.E.23, as early in the month as possible.

FUNERAL SERVICES can be arranged by the Society. Application should be made to the Secretary, Conway Hall, Bed Lion Square, W.C.I. (Telephone: Chancery 8032.)

MEMBERS INCAPACITATED.-Will any reader who hears of a member of the Society incapacitated through sickness kindly inform the General Secretary. Oonway Hall, or communicate WIth any other officer of the Society.

The Societ?1 does not hold itself responsible for views eX1J7'essed or 7'eported 111 the" RECORD."

F. M. OVERY. Frank Overy's tragic end moves us all to feelings of the deepest sympathy with

Mrs. Overy and his daughter, and his other relatives and friends' and I pen this small tribute to his memory as an expression of our respect and affection, and also in the hope that it may be some little solace to his nearest ones in their grief. It is not intended in any way as a record of his flctiyities in the Society. The writer has always felt the greatest sympathy for sufferers from nerve troubles. Such complaiuts are far more difficult to cure than physical ailments, because of the little knowledge we have of how to treat them. The patient may be normal for the greater part of the day, but a nerve storm may overwhelm him, and in a brief interlude he may act in a way that in his stronger moments he would avoid. Frank's health began to worry him acutely nearly a year ago, and last January he consulted Dr. Bernard Hollander, who warned him that he was threatened with a nervous hreakdown, and fldvised him that a prolonged rest and ('hange held out the best hope of recovery. Frank, as long as I have known him-over twenty years­has always had an active brain and led a very hnsy life. Lethargy of either mind or body was foreign to his temperament, and the field of his activities was the Ethical and the Labour movements. These two movements were his hobhies; therefore, Dr. Hollander's advice was particularly distasteful. as well as being most difficult to follow. He continued his duties at Oonway Hall under severe strain for some time longer, but eventually was obliged to go into a nursing home, where he stayed a few weeks, and later he was about three months in the J.,.C'.C'. Mnuc1sley Hospital.

He appeared to be gradually getting a little better, and as late as the beginning of August his doctor reported him as in good health generally, and said that he would be fit to resume work after a holiday . His old friend and fellow-member, Julian Roney, generously took him to Brighton and the tragedy happened a week later. Frank left a letter indicating a clear understanding of the apparent ingrati­tude of his action, but defending it on the ground that his manhood could not face the degradation of living on as a burden to his wife and daughter and his friends. A most pathetic and, in a sense, noble message.

Frank Overy joined t~e Society in October, 1901; before that time he was a mem­ber of South London Ethlcal SOClety. In August, 1913, he became Honorary Secre­tary, which office he occupied until his death (he recently became the Official Secre­tary of the Society and Manager of Conway Hall), except for a few years from June, 1914, when the writer and the late W. '1.'. Harvey were successively Honorary Sec­retaries; and during the far greater part of this time Mrs. C. Fletcher Smith was Joint Hon. Sec. Apart from home and business and his work in the Labour move­ment, it may be said that the welfare of South Place Ethical ociety was the whole of his life for the past 20 to 30 years. • 0 activity was too small, no question of policy too large, for his enthusiastic $)onsideration. He has talked over with me many of the problems that have arisen, and although sometimes we differed very strongly, we were always able to heal 0 1r differences amicably.

We shall all miss him tremendously, but there will exist in our minds the memory of a good fellow, a str.ong fighter for the causes he supported and a man who would joyously have devoted many more years of his life to useful work, if he had not been overtaken by the nervous disorder that led to his untimely end.

C. J . P.

The sad, tragic, and unexpected death of Frank M. Overy came as a severe shock, not only to the members of his family, but to everyone associated with South Place.

In his earlier years he had taken an active part in the work of the South London Ethical Society, but for the past twenty-five years or more he had been a member of South Place j at first taking an interest in the subsidiary work, afterwards he became a member of the General Committee, and threw his whole energy into the idea of selling the Society's freehold site in the City and rebuilding in the West Central District.

When after protracted negotiations, during which his enthusiasm and support never flagged, Conway Hall was opened in September, 1929, Frank Overy, as Resident Secretary, acting on behalf of the Committee, had to take the main responsibility for the numerous detail decisions attendant on such a removal.

He threw himself whole-heartedly into the various new activities which quickl! grouped themselves round the new and more commodious home of the Society, and was most active and successful in raising the income from lettings to a figure which placed the finances of the Society on a sound and effective basis.

He was later appointed Manager as well as Secretary; then, to the regret of everyone, his health began to cause ~rave anxiety, ultlmately necessit/l.ting his having to leave his duties to others, whlch preyed upon his mind.

After treatment of various kinds, none of which seemed to restore him to heaIth~ strength, or peace of mind, his close friend, Mr. Julian Roney, kindly ana. courageously took him to the seaside in the hope that a change of scene, with congenial companionship, would benefit him in mind and body, but alas I the depression and suffering which were his became accentuated into despair, and led up to the tragic event which took him from us.

Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to those nearest and dearest to him in their bereavement. In the passing of Frank M. Overy the Society has lost an energetic helper and a dev{lted servant who worked arduously early and late, never sparing himself where its'mterests were concerned.

Hi!> name will ever be worthily associ!Lted. not only with the successful opening and running of Conway Hall, but also WIth the" Cause" we stand for, to uphold which he gave of his best-his whole-hearted energy, his constructive thought, and his life's strength. WALLIS MANSFORD.

[The following is an address delivered by F. J. Gould at the funeral service ~ F. M. Overy at the Brigbton Crematorium on Wednesday, August 17. It was preceded and followed by the reading of passages from F. J. GonId's "Funeral Services Without Theology."]

The l!!.st day of the life of our dear friend, Frank Mannington Overy, was one of a full summer August sunshine. And it was in the full summer ot his career

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as an ethical worker that he passed away. We looked forward to a long period of hIS further serVICe and devotion.. At O<:>nway Hall, in May a large assembly of members of the South Place EthIcal SocIety eagerly assented: whell the Ohairman (0. J. Pollard) warmly paid tribute to the great amount of work Frank Overy had don~, and expressed the hope that he would soon regain health and be with us agaIn. But the grey shadow of weakness grew darker, and we are whispering farewell. If only the farewell could have waited until his friends could have praised him in the 'yay that he ,Praised a colleague, aged 72, who fulfilled a lengthy record for o~r SOCIety, and dIed two years ago, namely, Frank A. Hawkins I When HawkIns passed, Overy burst into a noble and genial declaration of gratitude to the man. who had made ou;r Hall rE;lsound wit? fine music. ~ut, though Overy's own serVICe was broken off ill the mIdway of hIS powers and hIS hopes, we owe him a most ample measure of thankfulness.

Frank Overy and his future wife had joined the bright and energetic ranks of the South London Ethical Society, and then found their way to the fellowship of South Place. One who has known him well from his boyhood years and his early We~lE;lyanism, affirms that his nature was very religious. AD;d so} while travelling deCISIvely beyond Wesleyan and all other theology, he kept alIve, In the Rationalist and Humanist circle, the fire of enthusiasm, of propaganda, of aspiration. But that E;lnthusiasm needs machiD;ery . . As he watched the institution at the old South Place

l Its lectures, concerts, dIScusslons and the rest, he supported the general socia purpose of it with all his heart, and was more and more moved to assist its machinery-that is, its committee work, its planning, its organisation. He joined the Oommittee in 1907. At first-in 1913-in collaboration and later with com­plete responsibility as Manager, he carried out the secr~tariai duties. The opening of the new era of the Society at Oonway Hall in 1929 was the opening of a new era for himself and his wife, and the new centre was the new home, for whose dreams and responsibilities all else was laid aside. There were sometimes little intervals when, with sister or friends} he would joyously ramble on green downs remote from London; but the native SOlI of his activity and his broad human interest was in Oonway Hall and its vivacious social environment. We felt he was perfectly fitted to the temple of ethical vision and of rational religion-the religion of the practical betterment of mankind. When the menace of failing health, not long ago, withdrew him from the much-loved tasks and duties, he all the time turned his face towards Oonway Hall, as exiled citizens look in love to the Motherland. Deep in his temperament was marked the regret for loved comrades who had faded away before him from the comfany of workers, thinkers, pioneers; and he would murmur Omar Khayyam's wistfu memorial of them: -

Lo! some we loved-the loveliest and the best That time and fate of all their vintage pressed­Have drunk their cup a round or two before, And, one by one, crept silently to rest.

Frank Overy drank the cup of social fellowship and the progressive and evolu­tionary passionJLnd joy, but paused all too soon. We grieve as the inexorable door closes upon his fraternal personality, his smile

l his busy hands, his untiring zeal.

Yet we rejoice to think how a Society, founded m 1793, and so remarkably unfolded to larger ideas ana influence by a succession of ethical leaders, has planted itself afresh in the throbbing and significant life of West Oentral London, and how it has owed its first three years of happy and increasing achievement, in great measure, to Frank Overy's w'hole-heartedness, organising ability, concentration of thought, and forthright sincerity. We may well feel strengthened in our faith in our move­ment of sOClal and ethical construction and reconstruction when we see how it calls out, and triumphantly utilises, the splendid devotion of such ,men as Frank Overy.

OR. C. OELISLE BURNS ON " THE STATUS OF WOMEN."

The lecturer said that he proposed to speak of the status of women rather than of women themselves-firstly, because the subject was more interesting, and secondly because he knew more about it. His purpose was to examine what is commonly thought in m.odern society of what. women do: He found in the, status 9f women still further eVIdence that we are ill the mam SOCIally barbarIC. ThIS barbarism is to be discovered by looking at both our practice and our standards, although some small changes can be observed which point to a raising of our standards.

His intention was to examine women, not ladies, who are abnormal phenomena. He was concerned with the vast majority of women who have to earn their own

,

r I

...

.....

5

living, whether in the home or in other ways. Moreover he was not concerned with the few who have revolted against the standards we have inherited. Lastly, his analysis would be, in the main, of the sta"&us of women in the modern world.

In considering the status of women in relation to their occupations he found that the occupations usually filled by women are not very highly honoured. Women are, in the main, occupied in household work or as servants, or as te:lIo.-tile workers, or as persons dependent upon those holding administrative functions. On the other hand, the occupations of men are held in high honour. Nevertheless, changes are taking place. As, owing to the development of modern scientific methods, the need for muscular strength declines and the need for skill increases\ the status of women will change because the character of much of the world's worlt will change. Two things may occur; first, owing to changes in our social standards, our views about honour may change, which may seriously affect our view of the status of women; secondly, the occupations of which women are capable may increase. If we change our views of the connection between cash and honour, that will also change the status of women.

In relation to politics great changes have already occurred. In the 19th century it was believed that political power depended upon voting. A great many attempts were made to capture the citadel of political power by means of an extension of the franchise. When at la.st the citadel was attained it was found to be empty. Nevertheless, in the struggle women obtained the vote, which they have in most countr~es to-day. So women have that amount of political power which goes with the vote, and also th.e power derived from the various women's organisa­tions. In law the status of women is still largely medimval-they are still regarded as property. In political affairs generally the position of women is ambiguous; theoretically they have the same rights as men, yet they have no power. But this may be the fault of women themselves.

The third aspect of the status of women is with respect to culture, by which is meant religion, art, and so on. With regard to religion, one of the forces which keep the attitude of the modern world barbarous is the orthodox religious view of the relations of men and women. Many people, while rejecting the theology of obsolete religion.. still retain its moral code. In other spheres of culture we may note more hoperul signs. Even in England, for instance, there is a tendency to give women the same intellectual advantages in education as men. A very sig­nificant fact is that women can now play games; this will do much to give them a new status. All these phenomena point to the fact that we are approaching a vast change in our civilisation, similar to the great changes of the past--namely, a world change in social standards. Anyone of us can do somethmg to hasten or retard this change. for social standards are the results of the acts of individuals. One of the great aangers is the claim of women for attention for pure1y irrelevant reasons. For example, there are women in political organisations who demand attention merely because they are women. The status for which we should aim is one in which women will be valued for what they can do, not for their sex.

H.F.J.

OR. C. DELISLE BURNS ON "CIVILISATION AND THE LEISURED CLASS. to

A social revolution is occurring which is far more important than any political or economic change which is now taking place. It is the disappearance of the leisured class in their function as directors and forerunners of progress. Clive Bell, in his book, "Civilisation," argues that civilisation and the existence of a leisured class are interdependent. To be completely civilised, manifestly ~ a man must have security and leisure and to obtain these in the past a man hao. to be maintained by the productive iabour of others. It does not, however, follow that because civilisatIOn up to date has been dependent upon a leisured class, the civilisation of the future must so depend. The great tradition of social theory which we have inherited from the Greek system of thought and from the Christian Middle Ages contains fundamental fallacies. Plato said that because man thinks, acts and digests food, and because the state is man writ large, there must be within the state three classes of men-the thinker l the soldier and the worker. But man functions as a unit and cannot be diVlded into bits. The early Christians also made the mistake of separating the soul from the body. There is a fundamental fallacy in the idea that you can divide men into classes and give to some functions of a more lofty kind than others.

It is true that the leisured class has performed a valuable function in civilisa­tion. It has fostered philosophy, science and the fine arts. Ordinary people ha.ve

6

b~en too preoccupied with earning a livelihood to appreciate these things. Their leIsure. has been slaves' leisure, which is simply a rest between intervals of work. The leIsured class has in earlier civilisations also devoted itself to public affairs. :According to Aristotle, only a man belonging to the leisured class could be called In the full sense a citizen, because the others had neither the time nor the energy to consider anything apart from their own interests.

We are passing into a civilisation in which the functions hitherto performed by the leisured class can be performed bY'persons who are not in a segregated class. This is because the character of leisure has changed, and persons who have to work for a living now have enough leisure to expend energy in other directions. In the early industrial period the workers were exhausted by the mere effort to get a bare living, and, to some extent, we still adhere to the old 19th century view that~ in order to get value, as much as possible must be extracted from each individual worker.

We have, however, moved forward. Partly by law and partly by custom, hours of work have been shortened, and the surplus ener~ of the worker is greater than ever before. This is due to the gradual decline In the industrial system and to the decline in the birth rate, and also to the fact that greater numbers of persons are earning in the modern world than earned in the 19th century. We are obsessed by the problem of the amount of unemployment existing at present, but we must remember that there are more people actually at work in Great Britain than there were before the war. The lecturer questioned whether it was necessary to increase the amount of work if no more work was needed for the maintenance of civilised life; should we not rather extend the leisured classes into other spheres? The tragedy of the moment is the unemployment of those between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five. There are 250,000 boys and girls between those ages who have never done any work, but who have been educated as though they were going into work, and in consequence do not know what to do with their time. The lecturer suggested that the Universities should open their halls in the evenings to these young people. The spiritual power in society has not grasped its opportunity; once again the Church is missing its opportunity, just as, in the early industrial period, it talked about the Virgin Birth and not about poverty and wealth. Unemployment is partly due to a primitive organisation of labour (in which some work too much and some do not work at all), and partly to the fact that production to-day depends upon the motive of private profit.

To-day those who work have energy to spare to take over the functions which in earlier times were performed by the leisured class. Hitherto pUblic affairs have been controlled by the leisured class, using as their instruments the necessary labour that makes up civilisation. We have to reverse all that and to create a community of persons with the spare time to be citizens in the fullest sense, bringing in from their experience as railwaymen, doctors; charwomen and lecturers that vision of the community which people can only get oy actual contact with the work that has to be done.

Civilisation has suffered from the fact that both 'public affairs and the arts have been dominated by the leisured class. The experIence of the leisured class is definitely and inevitably narrow and limited. The strength of humanity lies in its contact with the common earth. We still retain the assumptions of leisured-class civilisations, and our arts are, in consequence, devitalised. They are only survivals of earlier times and lack the vitality of ordinary human nature, which IS the true source of the inspiration of civilisation.

The fact that the leisured class is passing, and that its functions will in the future be performed by common folk, must alter the whole of future civilisation, the transformation of which is in our hands. Even leisure is misrepresented by persons who think that the whole of life .can be leisur~, ~nd in modern civilisation we are redeeming not only work, but leIsure, and bUIldIng up a new standard of human excellence. E . F.

THE STUDY CIRCLE. MR. J. B. CO.ATES ON J. MIDDLE TON MURRY'S "THE NECESSITY OF

COMMUNISM. " .At the Study Circle on Friday, June 24, Mr. J. B. Coates opened the discussion

with a paper on J. Middleton Murry's book, "The Necessity of Communism." Mr. Middleton Murry maintains that the great spiritual issue being fought out

in the world to-day is between Christianity and Marxism. Both Christianity and Marxism have the same root, in the passion of disinterested sympathy. But the Christian Church has turned Christianity into a religion, not of disinterestedness, but of personal salvationism. Furthermore, in so far as the Christian Church

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provides a channel for the ethical passion of modern people, it discharges it into useless and irrelevant activities, into courses of action which have no relation to the true needs of the modern world.

11r. Murry regards Marx as primarily the prophet of disinterestedness, his great mission being to put an end, once for all, to the waste of the ethical passio~ of disinterestedness. His doctrine of historical materialism was put forward wlth this end in view. Marx taught that ethical disinterestedness can only become effective in the modern world by being allied with intellectual disinterestedness, which is the attitude which leads us to face objectively the true facts as to the nature of the historical process and, in particular, of the cardinal process of modern history.

Ethical passion is bound to be wasted if we do not understand the way in which the economic system of society works, and the forces that control its development. If a system exists which by its very nature must create, on a large scale, sordid poverty, any ethicl1J passion not directed towards a change of the system is Inevitably wasted. Marx maintained that the capitalist system is such a system. Owing to the nature of the capitalist system the ethical passion of Protestant Christianity became the instrument of the most inhuman oppression the world has ever known, the massacre of the workers under early Enghsh industrialism. Under capitalism the employe~ is virt~ally forced to treat the workers, not as human beIngs, but as elements In a costIng process.

Th~ remedy put forward ):>y Marx is to relate ethical passion to the demands of hlstoric reality. Ethical passion, says Middleton Murry, interpreting Marx, must express itself in activity which is discrepant with the objective social situa­tion. Marx's view of the social situation is the same thing as his view of the capitalist system. He held that there is a contradiction inherent in the nature of competitive capitalism which must inevitably bring it to an end. Capitalism contains in itself the germ of an incurable disease, so that a crucial moment must arrive in the history of capitalism when the system will destroy itself or be destroyed by a system constructed on an opposed principle. The cause of the disease of capitahsm is that the production and distribution of commodities under capitalism depends on the motive of private profitJ and that as capitalism develops in the direction of large scale production, ana as the expanding market on which it depends ceases to be available, it becomes increasingly less profitable to the owners of capital to :produce and distribute what is necessary to satisfy human needs, so that we find In highly developed capitalist societies immense potential powers of production combined with great scarcity and distress.

The remedy is the supersession of economic individualism, but Marx was too much of a realist to imagine that that would come about through a change of heart in the masses of the people. He taught that the force which would bring about Communism was the class-consciousness of the proletariat, the property-less class; he taught in fact, the doctrine of the class war. While accepting in general the Marxian diagnosis, Middleton Murry points out that there is a leaven within the \!ourgeois class of men and' women who are ethically and intellectually disinterested, and whose disinterestedness causes them to ally themselves with the proletariat for the overthrow of capitalism. Marx was such a man ~}o-day many of the intellectual leaders of the Socialist movement are such men. M.iddleton Murry appeals to all intellectuals to realise the nature of the fundamental problem of the modern world; to realise that intellectually, spiritually, ethically, the choice before the conscious EJ).glishman is to be a Communist or to be nothing. The question of whether Communism is brought about in this country by constitutional means or by violent revolution largely depends upon the degree to which intelligent men of the bourgeois class dedicate themselves to the interests of the proletariat; upon the degree to which disinterested men of all classes devote themselves to the ldeal of a classless society.

Our special need in England is that the Labour movement should become revolu.tionary once more. that it should realise the error of the. revision~st policy of men hke MacDonald and Snowden, who seek, without attemptmg to brmg about a radical change in our economic system, to fasten on it parasitic accretions in the form of social s!,lrvices, unemployment insurance, and so forth, which prevent it from functioning. The hope of the situation is that capitalism can only continue to exist by continual attacks on the standard of life and on the social services. These attacks will bring about a reaction which, if the propaganda of the Labour Party has been zealously and intelligently carried on, will give Labour a majority over all other parties in the House. It will then be possible to bring about a Socialist revo­lu~i0D: without bloodshed. Whether this comparatively painless end to our economic mlsenes comes about or not largely depends upon the number of men who realise that the only live religion to-day is the religlOn of Communism and who devote themselves wholeheartedly to its service.

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MR. ARCHlBALD ROBERTSON ON " THE VICIOUS CIRCLE OF REACTION."

At the Study Circle on July 1st, Mr. Archibald Robertson opened the discussion with a paper on " The Vicious Circle of Reaction."

It is now a hundred and forty years since there began to be a popular free­thought movement in England. Partly owing to this movement and partly to other causes, we are to-day confronted with an admitted decay of religious belief. We may doubt whether churchgoers of to-day number more than five per cent. of the whole population. Contrasted with this, we find religion as strongly entrenched, politically and socially, as ever. Secular education is farther off to-day than it was thirty years ago . 'l'he Blasphemy Laws remain unrepealed. The disestablishment and disendowment of the Church of England is to-day not even heard of, and there is no body of politicians which advocates it. Christianity to-day is supported in England not for intellectual, but for soc-ial and economic reasons.

We are constantly told that freethought is non-political, but this is only true in theory. The fact that the defeat of the Bill for the repeal of the Blasphemy Laws was due to the opposition of one particular party is a scathing commentary on the pretence of very many rationalists that the rationalist movement can be non-politi­cal. The rationalist is up against the instinctive identification, by the majorItyhof atheism with subversive socialism; he is up against a brick wall in the shape of t at identification. Similarly, the Socialist propagandist is frequently faced with the objection of the man in the street to socialism as meaning atheism. Just as the rationalist on his side has so far tried the plausible but ineffectual policy of denying the identification, so; too, has the Socialist attempted to deny that identification. The Socialist Party nas been busy for twenty years emasculatmg its programme in order to catch the religious voter, and its success has enabled it to return to power two minority Labour Governments, condemned in advance to inaction.

The capitalist, or the man who forms his ideas from the capitalist newspapers, supports Christianity as "opium for the people" while the Christian supports capItalism because it is "the Church's one foundation." There is an historical linkage between left-wingism in politics, between Socialism, or Comlllumsm, and left-wingism in religion, or rationalism. If all belief in a future state and in rewards and punishments beyond the grave is renounced, there is removed a most powerful motive to induce the man who is poor to put up with his situation. The spread (,f atheism does spell an approach towards the levelling of incomes.

Then, with regard to sex, there is a general belief among advanced people that the whole of our statute law, so far as it governs the relations of the sexes, needs drastically overhauling. The movement for such overhauling is, however, impeded b~ religious opposition. Yet prominent sex reformers thiDk they can cure sex obscurantism while leaving religion intact, and, on the other hand, the rationalist movement officially leaves the question of sex untouched, as though you could d(} 8\\ ay with the belief in divine rewards and punishments without exposing the­B3stem of ethics based upon it.

Further, the achievement of permanent peace between the peoples of the world )s hampered by certain economic interests, and in particular by vested interests in the manufacture of armaments. Yet pacifists devote themselves to ethical prop a­~anda and to dwelling on the horrors of modern war instead of facing the economic Issue.

Therefore, we have the established religion and the established economic order eupporting each other; we have armaments and war bound up with the established economic order, and we have questions of sex bound up with religion . The forces. which are reactionary on one issue are in very large measure reactionary on all the others. On the other hand, the forces that make for liberation, instead of being concentrated, are at present dispersed in a vast number of tiny, ineffective societies, the members of which fail to see that their separate causes are really a.. common cause. Can it he wondered at that the great feudal men of reaction despise us?

We must realise that the world in which we live is one world, that all its activities are interlinked, not only in theory, but in practice. We must strive t(} bring into being an organisation which will stand for an all-round advance against all the forces of established privilege and obscurantism. Such an organisation would have in it an element of strength, in that it would be based on a coherent philosophy of life and would have something to say on all the major problems of our time. In this way it would be a driving force, equal in quality, If not at first in quantity, to the driving force behind established religion. Although its influence would be small at first and it might not be in a position to prevent the seemingly steady march of civilisation over the precipice, it would constitute a small nucleus round which, in the world that is to follow after the inevitable crash, any new forces of reconstruction mi ght arise. E. F.

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REVIEWS. " London jor Heretics," by William Kent. Watts and Co. 144 pp. 2s. 6d. The object of this book is "to show that, here and there, men who boldly

disavowed the creeds of the Churches are commemorated by 'storied urn or animated bust'; that in their honour monuments are occasionally reared, and the houses in which they resided preserved."

Mr. Kent's book not only provides an invaluable guide to the dwelling-places and memorials of the famous rationalists of the past, but also contain.s an inais­pensable brief history of and guide to existing free thought institutions in London. Members of the South Place Ethical Society will find in It an interesting outline of the history of the Society, and some very appreciative paragraphs about the men who have given their lives to its service.

Every member of the S.P.E.S. and of other ethical and rationalist bodies should possess a copy of this inexpensive little book. The writer is not only a mine of information about London antiquities, but is an enthusiastic rationalist who shows in the handling of his theme a.real veneration for the great men and women who have devoted their lives to the cause of reason, of freedom, and of humanity.

Mr. Kent is a member both of the R.P.A. and of South Place, and is also on the Committee of the S.L.E.S.

" The Recording Angel," by J. A. Hobson. .Allen and Unwin. 126 pp. 3s. 6d . .All who enjoyed Mr. Hobson's lectures on the above theme in Conway Hall will

be glad to know that they have now ap{>eared in book form. Mr. Hobson needs no recommendatlOn to members of the South Place Ethical

Society. His reputation not only as an economist, but as a seer, is steadily increas­ing. It is coming more and more to be recognised that in the economic disputes of the last few decades Mr. Hobson has been consistently right and our orthodox economists consistently wrong. It is to his credit that he, like Mr. Tawney and Bernard Shaw, has always insisted that economic questions cannot be separated from moral questions.

Nothin~ could be more discerning than Mr. Hobson's diagnosis of our" present discontents.' He sees that the new and special cause of the {>resent breakdown is great increase of production accompanied by no comparable mcrease in consump­tion. He realises that no proposed remedy will have any lasting value if it does not bring about a more equitable distribution of the product of industry. He sees also that the day of "laisser faire " has gone for ever, and that " only by bringing reason and goodwill into a planned world economy can security and prosperity be won."

Mr. Hobs on writes wisely, not only on economics, but on eugelllcs, education, and many: other matters. There is, finally, a leaven of humour in his book which removes It very far from the category of the dull and heavy economic or philosophic treatise.

RAMBLES. Sunday/ September 4.-Green Line trip to HODDEsDoN to join the Union of

Ethical Socleties' Conference at High Leigh, starting from Poland Street, 1 p.m. Return, 2s. 6d. Tea at High Leigh, 4 p.m.

Saturday, September 10.-Bathing ramble to RmsLIP REsERvom. Non-swim­mers welcome. Train., Baker Street, 1.45. Cheap return Ruislip, Is. 6d. Tea at Dorothy Tea Gardens, Reservoir Road. Walk after t<> PARK WOOD. Leader, Mrs. JAMES.

Saturday, September 17.-GmEA PARK, Havering, Lambourne, Chigwell Row, to LOUGIrToN. Leader, Mr. B. O. WARWICK. Take walking tour tick t. No. 74, Gidea Park, returning from Loughton, Is. Sd. Meet at Liverpool Street, 2.15.

Saturday, September 24.-EDGWARE to SHENT,EY. Cheap day return to Edg­ware, 9d., from most London sub-stations. Meet Edgware Station, 2.15 p.m. Tea at Mansfield's Tea Gardens, Shenley. Leader, Mr. F. JAMES.

Hon. t:Jecretary, G. JAMES.

MONTHLY DANCES. We wish to make known to new members the increasing popularity of the

Monthly Dance. This is held in the Large Hall, on the first Saturday in each of the winter montlls, commencing October I, at 7.30 p.m.

Tickets (3s .. including refresllments) may be obtained from Conway Hall, or from Mrs. JA1IES, 302, Dalston TJane, E.S.

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CONW A Y MEMORIAL LECTURE. The Conway Memorial Lectures! which are delivered annually in March, were

inaugurated in 1908, as a Memoria to Dr. Moncure Conway. The Committee i. not yet in possession of the necessary capital for the permanelJ,t endowment of th& Lectureship, and in the meantime it makes an earnest appeal to all readers of the MONTHLY REOORD either for subscriptions or donations, to ensure the continuance of the lectures. These should be sent to the Hon. Treasurer, Mrs. COOlOJURN, Peradeniya, 18, Northampton Road, Croydon.

Twenty-three lectures have been given, and copies of these can be purchased at the book stall. Hon. Secretar'JI, ERNEST CARR, "Lyndall," Essendon Road, Sanderlltead, Surrey.

CLUB ROOM FOR MEMBERS. A room is available every week-day, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., for the use of

Members of the Society. Special tickets are issued, which can be obtained from Miss R. HALLS, Hon. Registrar. It will be necessary for Members to show their tickets at the entrance if they wish to use the room provided. It should be under­stood that, in view of certain commitments, it will not be always possible to use a particular room, but usually either the Library or the Club Room will be available.

ANNUAL REUNION SOIREE. Tbe Annual Reunion Soiree of the Ethical Movement and Kindred Societies will

be beld on Sunday evening, September 25, from 6 to 9.30, when Mr. S. K. RatcIif1e will speak on "Which Road for England." Miss Mercia Stotesbury and Miss Dorothy Treseder will contribute musical items.

ANNOUNCEMENTS. THE STUDY CmCLE will meet on the first and third Fridays of each month at

7.30 p.m. On Friday, September 2, the discussion will be opened by Mr. E. P. Hart

on D. H. Lawrence's" Apocalypse." On Friday, September 16, Mr. Chas. Esam will give a paper on " Our Duty

to the Unborn." Questions and discussions follow the paper at each meeting. All Members,

Associates ana their friends are invited. Hon. Secretary: Mr. A. M. S. FERNANDES, Ringwood, Farm Way, Worcester Park, Surrey.

PLAY-READING CIRCLE.-This Circle will commence its third season on Thurs­day, October 6 at 7 p.m. The meetings will continue every first and third Thursdays unti! April, 1933 and are held in the Library at Conway Hall. The Plays read are usually modern, and are chosen for their literary and artistic merit. Membership is open to all Members and Associates. Subscription, 2s. 6d. for the season. Visitors are very welcome to all readings. The Honorary Secre­tary will be glad to welcome all last season's Members and hopes to have applica­tions from any other Members interested. Will those intending to ioin please write by September 30 to the Hon. Sec., Mrs. HINOHLIFF, ~3, Russell Gardens, Golders Green, London, N.W.n. /,'

Mr. H. B. Ritchie should have been included in the list of the Play Read-'ing Circle Sub-Committee published last month.

AT HOME.-An informal" At Home" will be held in the Library on Sunday, September 18, at 6.30 p.m., under the auspices of the Committee of the Poetry Circle. A programme of costume recitals in both poetry and prose from the works of Shakespeare, Omar Khayyam" Tennyson, Kipling and others, is being arranged. Mr. Ronald Gill has kindlY consented to sing selections from his repertoire. Light refreshments will be served, and a nominal charge of 6d. will be made, and plans for the autumn and winter will be discussed. All Members. and Associates are invited to be present. I!'urther particulars from the Hon. Secretary, Mrs. M.uU.\NNE IDIENS, 85, Windsor Road, N.7.

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COUNTRY DANCE GROUP.-The autumn season of the Country Dance Group commences on Monday, September 19, at 7 p.m., in the Library, when there will be an enrolment of the Members, followed by a general practice. The first lesson will take place on September 26, at 7 p.m., under the direction of our able instructress, Miss A. Gloyn.

The entrance fee is 2s. 6d., with an additional charge of Is. per lesson; or 109. down for the season, payable to the Hon. Treasurer, Mrs. T. LINDSAY.

Those desiring to join the group should communicate with the Hon. Secre­tary-, Miss P. M. OVEnY. The group is limited to Memhers and Associates of the Society.

REOEeeRllTl{")NS.

On reassembling, Members will notice that some necessary re-decorations have been carried out during the recess, paz;ticularly in the Library, Club Room, Artists' and Lecturers' Rooms. This has entailed the re-hanging of the pictures. and some changes have taken place, the principal being the assembly of the larger photo­graphs of former lecturers and offici:~)s in the Small Hall, thus leaving the upper portion of the walls in the Library to be mainly occupied by the oil portraits. The bust of Holyoake, formerly over the Library fireplace, was recently fixed on the landing of the staircase to make way for the large oil painting of Dr. Conway recently presented by his daughter, Mrs. Conway Sawyer.

F. H. yr.

CONWAY HALL LETTINGS The Halls and Rooms of this Building are admirably adapted for

ME ET IN GS, CONCERTS,

DRAMATIC PERFORMANCES,

ART EXHIBITIONS, and similar purposes.

The accommodation consists of a Large and a Small H al\,

a Library suitable for Company meetings and similar purpose~,

and various rooms for small meetings and committees.

A Pamphlet containing full particulars 0/ terms and accommodation,

together with a plan 0/ the Hall and a map 0/ the district, may be

obtained from the Secretary, Con war; Hall, Red Lion Square, w.e.,.

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SenJTH 9LIH~E SUNDay et!)NeERT SeeIETY. Sunday I'opular eoncerts (ehamber Music).

The FORTY- EVENTH 'EA 'UN will beglll on SUNDAY, October 2, 1932, with the 113Bth Concert. .

Doors open at 6.10. Concert at 6.30. Further particulars, with Report of the Forty-Sixth Season, will be issued in

'eptember.

"THE STORY OF A THOUSAND CONCERTS," by W. S. Meadmore, illus. trated with portraits of the Artists and two Drawings, together with a List 01 Works, Number of Performances, Names of Artists, etc. Sixpence net. Post free Bd. from the Hon. Treasurer.

Hon. Treasurer: ANDREW E. WATSON, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, W.C.1. Hon. Sec7'etary: ALFRED J. CLEMENTS, B, Finchley Way, N.3 . Hon. Assistant Secretary: Mrs. D. M. CLEMENTS, B, Finchley Way, N.3.

FRaNK 11. HlIWKINS eHAMBER MUSle LIBRaRY.

This Library contains over 2,000 works for all chamber music combinations. For terms and conditions of borrowing see special folders obtainable in the entrance hall.

Secretaries of Sub-eommittees. Concert ALFRED J. CLEMENTS, B, Finchley Way~ Finchley, N.3.

MISS OVERY, Conway Hall, Red Lion I::iquare, W .C.I. MRS. JAMES, 302, Dalston Lane, E .B.

Country Dances Dances Orchestra ... Play Reading Poetry Circle Rambles

E. J. FAmHALL, 1B, Golden Manor, Hanwell, W.7. MRS. HINCHLIFF, 23, Russell Gardens, Golders Green. MRs. MARIANNE IDIENS, B5, Windsor Road, E.7. MRS. JAMES, 302, Dalston Lane, E.B.

Social { MAJOR GAMBLE, 43, Woodland Gardens, N.10. ... MRS. G. CATHERALL, 49, Cecile Park, N.S.

StUdy Circle J A. M. S. FERNANDES, "Ringwood," Farm Way, Worcester ... I Park, Surrey.

A. J . CLEMENTS. J. B. COATES. E. F. ERRINGTON. A. M. S. FERNANDES. W. FISH. F. G. GOULD. S. G. GREEN.

et!)MMITTEE. Mrs. F. M. HAWKIN8. Mrs. HINCHLIFF. H. LIDsToNE. Mrs. T. C. LINDSAY. J. MURPHY. Mrs. E. RIcHARDs. F. A. RICHARDs.

Miss F. J. SIMONS. E. SNELLING. Mrs. V. STUTTIG. F. STUTTIG. A. S. TOMS. Mrs. W ATSON . A. E. WATSON.

ebange of address r Miss L. R. WILD, lOa, Hillfield Park, N.lO.

Deaths:

2 4 4

7 to

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Mr. F. M. OVERY, ecretary and Manager, August 15, 1932, at Brighton. Mrs. DALLOW (nee Mary Crowder), in Australia, on May 30, 1932.

DllIRV F(,)R Study Circle 7.30 p.m. Service 11 a.m. Ramble: Hoddesdon (see

page 9) General Committee 6.30 p.m. Ramble' Ruislip (see

page l<) Service 11 am. Study Circle 7.30 pm.

SEPTEMBER. 17 Ramble: Gidea Park, etc

(see page 9) 18 Service 18 At Home 19 Country Dances 25 Service 25 Ramble: Edgware to

Shenley (SI: page 11) 25 Annual Reunion Soiree ... 26 Country Dances ...

II a.m. 6.30 p.m.

7 p.m 11 a .m

6 p.m. 7 p.m .

Printed and Publislled by THE UTOPIA PRESS. LTD., 44, Worship Street, E.C.2.