Part 6 (1/2)
Bradlaugh a few days after our first , and the suinea, for national reformers are always poor--was a very welcome addition to my resources My first contribution appeared in the nunature of ”Ajax,” and I wrote in it regularly until Mr Bradlaugh died; from 1877 until his death I sub-edited it, so as to free hi of copy, and for part of this period was also co-editor I wrote at first under a _no for Mr Scott would have been prejudiced had my name appeared in the columns of the terrible _National Reformer_, and until this work--commenced and paid for--was concluded I did not feel at liberty to use ned my _National Reformer_ articles, and the tracts written for Mr
Scott appeared anonyested by the faht,” a cast of which may be seen in the centre walk by any visitor to the Crystal Palace, Sydenhaht should bring destruction, was one that awoke the keenest sympathy of response froht, and let us die!”
To see, to know, to understand, even though the seeing blind, though the knowledge sadden, though the understanding shatter the dearest hopes--such has ever been the craving of the upward-striving ard it as a weakness, as a folly, but I aly in some of the noblest of our race; that fro the burden of ignorance fro world has gone out , iht ht none the less, and we can see
And now the tiift of speech which I had discovered in Sibsey Church that I possessed, and to use it to lish land In 1874, tentatively, and in 1875 definitely, I took up this keen weapon, and have used it ever since My first attearden party, in a brief informal debate, and I found that words came readily and smoothly: the second in a discussion at the Liberal Social Union on the opening of iven at the Co-operative Institute, 55, Castle Street, Oxford Street, on August 25, 1874 Mr Greening--then, I think, the secretary--had invited me to read a paper before the society, and had left me the choice of the subject I resolved that my first public lecture should be on behalf of my own sex, so I selected for my theme, ”The Political Status of Women,” and wrote thereon a paper But it was a very nervous person who presented herself at the Co-operative Institute on that August evening When a visit to the dentist isto run away ere the neat little boy in buttons opens the door and beams on one with a smile of compassionate superiority and ie blunder But all such feelings are poor and weak as co of the knees which seize upon the unhappy lecturer as he advances towards his first audience, and as before his eyes rises a ghastly vision of a tongue-tied would-be lecturer, facing rows of listening faces, listening to--silence But tovanished theat the faces before me I felt no tremor of nervousness fro out over the attentive listeners I was conscious of power and of pleasure, not of fear And from that day to this my experience has been the saviolently, and sometimes overcome by deadly sickness Once on my feet, I feel perfectly at my ease, ruler of the crowd, master of myself I often jeer atand fearful, knowing that when I stand up I shall be all right, and yet I cannot conquer the physical terror and tre, illusory as I know theo on the platforht, and I often fancy that the more miserably nervous I am in the ante-room, the better I speak when once on the platform My second lecture was delivered on September 27th, at Mr Moncure D Conway's Chapel, in St Paul's Road, Camden Town, and redelivered a feeeks later at a Unitarian Chapel, where the Rev Peter Dean was minister
This was on the ”True Basis of Morality,” and was later printed as a pamphlet, which attained a wide circulation This was all I did in the way of speaking in 1874, but I took silent part in an electioneering struggle at Northampton, where a seat for the House of Commons had fallen vacant by the death of Mr Charles Gilpin Mr Bradlaugh had contested the borough as a Radical in 1868, obtaining 1,086 votes, and again in February, 1874, when he received 1,653; of these no less than 1,060 were plumpers, while his four opponents had only 113, 64, 21 and 12 plumpers respectively; this band for which was to win the seat for its chief in 1880, after twelve years of steady struggle, and to return hi contest which followed his election, and which ended in his final triuiance to ”our Charlie,” but stood by hiood report, when he was outcast as when he was triu him with a deep, passionate devotion, as honourable to them as it was precious to him I have seen him cry like a child at evidences of their love for hier could daunt, and as never seen to blench before hatred nor change his stern immobility in the face of his foes Iron to en as steel to pressure, he was ductile as wax to love John Stuart Mill had the insight in 1868 to see his value, and the courage to recognise it He strongly supported his candidature, and sent a donation to his election expenses In his ”Autobiography”
he wrote (pp 311, 312):--
”He had the support of the working classes; having heard him speak I knew him to be a man of ability, and he had proved that he was the reverse of a de opposition to the prevailing opinion of the Democratic party on two such important subjects as Malthusianism and Proportional Representation Men of this sort, hile sharing the dee political questions for thee to assert their individual convictions against popular opposition, were needed, as it seemed to h's anti-religious opinions (even though he had been inteht to exclude him”
It has been said that Mr Mill's support of Mr Bradlaugh's candidature at Northampton cost hiotry at that time that the statement is very likely to be true On this, Mr Mill hi to do, and if the election were yet to take place, I would do it again”
At this election of Septeeneral election had taken place in the February, and Mr Bradlaugh had been put up and defeated during his absence in A incidents for the _National Reforle The Whig party was h than was the Tory Strenuous efforts were made to procure a Liberal candidate, ould be able at least to prevent Mr Bradlaugh's return, and, by dividing the Liberal and Radical party, should let in a Tory rather than the detested Radical Messrs Bell and James and Dr Pearce caht and Mr Arnold Morley were vainly suggested Mr Ayrton's name hispered Major Lumley was recommended by Mr Bernal Osborne Dr
Kenealy proclais
Mr Tillett, of Norwich, Mr cox, of Belper, were invited, but neither would consent to oppose a good Radical who had fought two elections at Northampton and had been the chosen of the Radical workers for six years At last Mr Willia over the representation of a Liberal and Radical borough to a Tory, and duly succeeded in giving the seat to Mr Mereweather, a very reputable Tory lawyer Mr Bradlaugh polled 1,766, thus adding another 133 voters to those who had polled for hiaveThe violent abuse levelled against Mr Bradlaugh by the Whigs, and the foul and wicked slanders circulated against hiered almost to madness those who knew and loved hi devices had triuiven over the borough to a Tory, the fury broke out into open violence One illustration iven as a type of these cruel slanders It was known that Mr Bradlaugh was separated fro an Atheist, and, (therefore!) an opponent of e, he had deserted his wife and children, and left them to the workhouse The cause of the separation was known to very few, for Mr Bradlaugh was chivalrously honourable to woood name at the cost of that of the wife of his youth and thechild has, in devotion to her father's ave way to drink; that for long years he bore with her and did all that man could do to save her; that finally, hopeless of cure, he broke up his home, and placed his wife in the care of her parents in the country, leaving her daughters with her, while he worked for their support No enerously and wisely under these cruel circu to an extreme of Quixotism, that he concealed the real state of the case, and let the public blame him as it would
His Northampton followers did not know the facts, but they knew hiht, noble man, and these brutal attacks on his personal character drove the the election over these slanders, and, defeated by such foul weapons, the people lost control of their passions As Mr Bradlaugh was sitting well-nigh exhausted in the hotel, after the declaration of the poll, the landlord rushed in, crying to hio out and try to stop the people, or there would be murder done at the ”Paling the door, and the ere being broken with showers of stones Weary as he was, Mr
Bradlaugh sprang to his feet, and swiftly ned and defeated hi himself before the doorway, from which the door had just been battered down, he knocked down one or two of the ued and scolded them into quietness, and finally dispersed them
But at nine o'clock he had to leave Northampton to catch the mail steamer for America at Queenstown, and after he had left, ent round that he had gone, and the riot he had quelled broke out afresh
The Riot Act was at last read, the soldiers were called out, stones flew freely, heads and ere broken, but no very serious har-office of the _Mercury_, the Whig organ, were the principal sufferers; doors and s disappearing somewhat completely The day after the election I returned hoestion of the lungs Soon after my recovery I left Norwood and settled in a house in Westbourne Terrace, Bayswater, where I re January (1875), after ive andist work, as a Freethinker and a Social Reforle I counted the cost ere I detere the feelings of such new friends as I had already irl I knew that an Atheist was outside the law, obnoxious to its penalties, but deprived of its protection, and that the step I conteht be lost and nothing could be gained But the desire to spread liberty and truer thought aotry and superstition, to make the world freer and better than I found it--all this impelled me with a force that would not be denied I see over the battlefield: ”Who will go? Who will speak forforith passionate enthusiasm, with resolute cry: ”Here aretted for one hour that resolution, co life of men, to devote to that sacred cause every power of brain and tongue that I possessed Very sole forth in Press and on platfor thousands of readers and hearers year after year No weighter responsibility can any take, no e The written and the spoken word start forces nonebrain after brain, influence nuood or for evil all down the streareatness of the career, the soleed my word then to the cause I loved that no effort on my part should be wanted to render e of service that I took; that I would read and study, and would train every faculty that I had; that I would polish e; and this, at least, I may say, that if I have written and spoken iven to ”
This same year (1875) that saw ht, saw also the founding of the Theosophical Society to which ht with pleasure that at the very tiland, HP Blavatsky was at work in the United States, preparing the foundation on which in November, 1875, the Theosophical Society was to be raised And with deeper pleasure yet have I found her writing of what she called the noble work against superstition done by Charles Bradlaugh and anda of Theosophy far more practicable and safer than it would otherwise have been The fight soon began, and with some queer little skirmishes I was a ht a discussion arose as to the admissibility of Atheists to the Society Dr Zerffi declared that he would not remain a member if avowed Atheists were admitted I promptly declared that I was an Atheist, and that the basis of the union was liberty of opinion The result was that I found myself cold-shouldered, and those that had been warmly cordial to me merely as a non-Christian looked askance at me when I had avowed that ious thought”
The Liberal Social Union soon knew me no more, but in the wider field of work open before me, the narrow-mindedness of this petty clique troubledwork at South Place Chapel in January, 1875, Mr Moncure D Conway presiding for me, and I find in the _National Reformer_ for January 17th, the announcement that ”Mrs
Annie Besant ('Ajax') will lecture at South Place Chapel, Finsbury, on 'Civil and Religious Liberty'” Thus I threw off my pseudonym, and rode into the field of battle with uplifted visor The identification led to an odd little exhibition of bigotry I had been invited by the Dialectical Society to read a paper, and had selected for subject, ”The Existence of God” (Itstudents and speakers always select the most tremendous subjects for their discourses One advances in hteen years of platfor as toin any sense adequately with the problems of life) The Dialectical Society had for sos in a room in Adam Street, rented froathered as usual on February 17th, the door was found to be locked, and they had to gather on the stairs; they found that ”Ajax's” as yet undelivered paper was too much for Social Science nerves, and that entrance to their ordinary -room was then and thenceforth denied the Cross Hotel, and speculated otry
On February 12th I started onat Birkenhead that evening went on by the night oing on, and very unpleasant wereon the platform Some Birkenhead friends had secured an toopen by a porter, and a man was thrust in who half tumbled on to the seat As he slowly recovered he stood up, and as his uely at it, I saw to my horror that he was drunk The position was not pleasant, for the train was an express, and was not timed to stop for a considerable tier spent so after his scattered coins; then he slowly gathered himself up and presently became conscious of my presence He studied me for some time, and then proposed to shut theI assented quietly, not wanting to discuss a trifle and feeling in deadly terror--alone at night in an express with a h to be helpless, but too drunk to be controlled Never before nor since have I felt so thoroughly frightened I can see hi as he stood, with eyes bleared and pendulous lips--but I sat there quiet and outwardly uner till I see so a penknife in my pocket, with a desperate resolve to use my feeble weapon as soon as the need arose Thenoise was heard and the train began to slacken