Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History

Book

Open Original Text

 in strict conformity with English law."

Two other polemical encounters arose directly out of the Wigan
lectures; these were both held with the Rev. Woodville Woodman, a
Swedenborgian divine. The first, at Wigan, upon the "Existence of God,"
continued over four nights; the second, upon the "Divine Revelation
of the Bible," also a four nights' debate, was held at Ashton in the
autumn of the same year.

Mr Bradlaugh held quite a number of theological discussions about
this time. In addition to those I have already mentioned with the
Rev. Brewin Grant, Dr Brindley, Dr Baylee, Mr Hutchings, and the Rev.
Woodville Woodman, a controversial correspondence between himself and
the Rev. Thomas Lawson, a Baptist minister of Bacup, arose out of some
lectures delivered by Mr Bradlaugh in Newchurch in October 1860. It was
originally intended to hold a set debate upon the subject "Has Man a
Soul?" but no hall could be obtained in Bacup for the purposes of the
discussion. The correspondence was therefore published in the _National
Reformer_ during the spring of the following year. Then a debate upon
the credibility of the Gospels was arranged between Mr Bradlaugh and
the Rev. J. H. Rutherford, and was held in Liverpool in October 1860;
another upon "What does the Bible teach about God?" was held with Mr
Mackie in Warrington in April 1861; and a few months later my father
also debated for two nights at Birmingham with Mr Robert Mahalm, a
representative of the Irish Church Mission in that town.

In the middle of July (1860) he was lecturing for the first time in
Norwich. St Andrew's Hall was taken, and the proceeds of the lecture
were to go to Garibaldi; but this was one of the places where religious
prejudice was strong, and where therefore the receipts did not equal
the expenditure. On the second evening Mr Bradlaugh delivered an
open-air address at Chapel Field, when "yells, hisses, abuse, a
little mud, and a few stones formed the chorus and finale of the
entertainment." Nothing daunted, in September he went to Norwich again,
and the orderly behaviour of his audience formed a marked contrast to
their previous conduct. By November, when he once more visited Norwich,
the Freethinkers there had found themselves strong enough to hire a
commodious chapel for the winter months, substituting a piano for the
communion table. From Norwich his steps turned naturally to Yarmouth,
where he was much amused by hearing the town crier follow up his "Oyez!
Oyez!" by the announcement that "the cel-e-bra-ted I-con-o-clast" had
arrived.

Only a few weeks elapsed before Mr Bradlaugh again went to Norwich and
Yarmouth. He went the week immediately before Christmas, and had an
eight hours' journey to get there, with the driving snow coming through
"the Eastern Counties Railway Company's patent [3rd class] ventilating
carriages," which seemed constructed with the express object of making
"perfectly clear to the unfortunate passengers the criminality of their
poverty." This, his fourth visit to Norwich, was a great success, and
the lectures at Yarmouth were also more favourably listened to. By
January he found his audiences increasing at Norwich, and the interest
perceptibly growing, but at Yarmouth he received a check. There had
been much commotion in the local official circles at the repeated
visits of the Atheist lecturer, and pressure was used on all sides, so
that only a small sale room in a back street could be hired for the
lectures. The room was soon overcrowded; Mr Bradlaugh had to be his own
chairman, and on going home walked to the music of yells and hootings.
This display of intolerance roused up some of the more thoughtful
inhabitants, and the theatre was obtained for the following night,
when, despite the necessarily brief notice, a large audience--including
many ladies--assembled to hear the lecture. A Mr Fletcher was elected
to the chair, the proceedings were orderly throughout, and Mr Bradlaugh
walked home unmolested.

The matter, however, was not to end here. Both the Yarmouth clergy (or
at least _one_ Yarmouth clergyman, the Rev. E. Neville) and magistrates
expressed their determination that the lectures must be put down,
and so Mr Bradlaugh received information that proceedings were to be
taken against him for blasphemy. The _Norfolk News_ and _Yarmouth
Independent_ for March 23rd reported a meeting of magistrates at which
the subject of "Iconoclast's" visits was under discussion, the letting
of the theatre to him was severely commented upon, and the persons
responsible for the letting held up to public odium. Not one of the
nine or ten magistrates present could be found to say a word on behalf
of the Atheist; and the speeches of the Mayor, Mr S. Nightingale, and
one other of the magistrates, Mr Hammond, from which I quote, are
typical of the attitude of the rest:--

 "He [the Mayor] had attended the bench that morning (Tuesday, March
 19) because he had observed bills circulated in the town setting forth
 that 'that wretched man calling himself "Iconoclast"'[57] intended to
 give lectures again at the theatre. He really thought 'Iconoclast' was
 doing a great deal of mischief in the minds of the younger part of the
 community, and he thought they ought to take some steps to prevent
 it. He some time ago called the attention of their clerk to the
 subject, who had proceeded to look into the law of the case. It seemed
 monstrous to him that a man should be allowed to utter blasphemy as
 'Iconoclast' was doing and for them not to interfere.... He wished the
 magistrates to take some steps for putting a stop to these lectures."

[Footnote 57: The Mayor's exact words.]

The Mayor found an ardent supporter in Mr Hammond, who

 "thought the thanks of the town were due to His Worship for bringing
 the subject before the notice of the bench. He had thought of it
 yesterday himself, and spoken to one or two of the magistrates on
 the matter, and he also intended to call on the Mayor about it, had
 he not gone into it. It was evident that Mr Sidney [the lessee of
 the theatre]--at least he (Mr Hammond) thought--could not know what
 he was letting the theatre for. He (Mr Hammond) was part proprietor
 of the theatre himself; but rather than take any part of the profits
 arising out of such a purpose, he would sooner see it shut up for
 twenty years. If no other magistrate would do it, he would move that
 Mr Sidney be refused his licence next year, should these diabolical
 practices be allowed at the theatre. He perceived from the large
 bill issued that the front boxes were to be 6d., the upper boxes
 4d., the pit 3d., and the gallery 2d.; and it must be evident to the
 magistrates that the thing must be disreputable indeed to have a place
 like the theatre let in that way--to have the public mind poisoned
 by a repetition of these lectures, perhaps by-and-by at 2d. each, as
 an inducement to lead the young away that they might hear the Holy
 Scriptures set at nought. He felt very sensitive on the 

Previous Next