Humanist and Writer Richard Clements
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Vol. 63 No. 11 NOVEMBER 1958 Sixpence Notes of the Month Custos S.P.E.S. Presents ... John Morley: Humanist and Writer Richard Clements The Issue is Survival Archibald Robertson The Social Roots of Art Otto Wolfgang F. Matthias Alexander Conway Discussions Correspondence South Place News Activities of Kindred Societies Society's Other Activities • • SOUTH PLACE ETHICAL SOCIETY SUNDAY MORNING MEETINGS AT ELEVEN O'CLOCK November 2—GEORGE VON HILSHEIMER, BA. (Former Director of Re- ligious Education, Ethiral Society of St. Louis). Religious Education in America Oboe Solo by JOHN COWDY Sonata .. Saint - Saens Hymn: No. 76 November 9—W. E. SWIN'I'ON, Ph.D., F.RS.E. Memory Hold the Door That Time of Year G. C. Dowinan The Lads in their hundreds Somerrell Hymn: No. 64 November 16—JOHN LEWIS, Ph.D. The Modem Threat to the Individual Piano Solos by JOYCE LANGLEY - Nocturne in F sharp .. Chopin Waltz in A flat .. Chopin 'Hymn : No. 163 November 23—F. IL A. MICKLEWRIGIIT, M.A. What the Bishops said at Lambeth 0 Mistress Mine .. Roger Quitter Eleanore .. Coleridge Taylor Tenor Solos by STANLEY GERRARD Hymn: No. 226 November 30—Mrs. DOROTHY PICKLES, MA. Black Africa, the Fifth Republic and Britain Soprano Solos by JUDITH Louis Feast of Lanterns Bantock The Fields are full Armstrong Gibbs Hymn: No. 25 SOUTH PLACE SUNDAY CONCERTS, 68th SEASON Concerts 6.30 p.m. (Doors open 6 p.m.) Admission 2s. November 2—LONDON STRING TRIO, EMANUEL HURWITZ, WATSON FORBES, VIVIAN JOSEPH. CHRISTOPHER BUNTING. Bach, The Art of Fugue. November 9—ALLEGRI STRING QUARTET. ELI GOREN, JAMES BARTON, PATRICK IRELAND, WILLIAM PI FETH Mozart in E flat, K428; Britten No. I: Dvorak in E flat, Op. 51. November 16—AMIC1 STRING QUARTET, Haydn in B flat, Op. 76, No. 4; Bartok No. 2; Beethoven in F, Op. 135. November 23—AEOLIAN STRING QUARTET. SYDNEY IIUMPHREVS, TREVOR WILLIAMS, WATSON FORBES, DEREK SIMPSON. Mozart in 0 mi., K421; Sibelius. PETER WALLFISCH. Brahms Piano Quintet. November 30—ILSE WOLF, MARTIN ISEPP. Schubert Lieder, with GERVASE DE PEYER, Schubert "Der Hirt Auf Dem Felsen". GERVASE DE PEYER, CECIL ARONOWITZ, LAMAR CROW- SON. Mozart and Uhl Trios for Clarinet. Viola and Piano. December 7—HARRY ISAACS PIANO TRIO. Mozart in C. K548; Beethoven in B flat, Op. 97; Brahms in C minor, Op. 101. The Monthly Record is posted free to members and Associates. The Annual charge to subscribers is 8s. Matter for publication in the December issue should reach the Editor, G. C. Dowman, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, W.C.I, by _November 5.. The Objects of the Society are the study and dissemination of ethical principles and the cultivation of a rational religious sentiment. Any person in sympathy with these objects is cordially invited to become a Member (minimum annual subscription is 12s. 6d.), or Associate (minimum annual subscription 7s. 6d.). Life membership i13 2s. 6d. Associates arc not eligible to vote *or hold office. Enquiries should be made of the Registrar to whom subscriptions should be paid. The MONTHLY RECORD Vol. 63 No. 11. NOVEMBER 1958 Sixpence CONTENTS NOTES OF THE MONTH, Custos 3 S.P.E.S.PRESENTS . 5 JOHN MORLEY: HUMANIST AND WRITER, Richard Clernents 6 THE ISSUE IS SURVIVAL, Archibald Robertson .. 7 THE SOCIAL ROOTS OF ART, Otto Wolfgang .. 10 F. MATTHIAS ALEXANDER ("A POET UNSUNG") .. 13 CONWAY DISCUSSIONS 14 CORRESPONDENCE .. 17 SOUTH PLACE NEWS 19 ACTIVITIES OF KINDRED SOCIETIES SOCIETY'S OTHER ACTIVITIES .. 20 The views expressed in this journal amnot necessarily those of the Society Notes of the Month A MOST SUCCESSFUL Annual Reunion of this Society and kindred bodies took place .at Conway Hall on September 28. Mr. Hutton made an efficient Chairman' and introduced those of the Society's lecturers who were present, after which Mr: Archibald Robertson replied, paying a sympathetic tribute to the late S. K. Ratcliffe who was for so long one of our best loved speakers. Dr. W. E. Swinton then introduced the guest of honour, Sir Julian Huxley, who was present with Lady Huxley. Dr. Swinton paid tribute to Sir Julian1s great scientific achievements and to his activities in the cause of ethics, also to his continuance of the great work done by his grandfather, T. H. Huxley. In his reply Sir Julian covered a good deal of ground in a short time. He made acknowledgment to the South Place Ethical Society for their endeavours in maintaining a rationalist platform during difficult times and was confident that their work would eventually bear abundant fruit. He laid particular stress on the International Humanist and Ethical Union Conference held at Conway Hall in 1957. This conference he felt to have 3 been of the utmost importance in that it• united several countries in the maintenance of sanity in a world of varying supernatural religions. Whilst unity was present among Humanists, other religions in their variety of outlook, showed disunity. in-many ways. Between the speeches, Mr. Frederic Jackson upheld the high standard of South Place music when he played some attractive piano pieces; Beethoven's ever popular Moonlight Sonata was enthusiastically received. The Bible in Plain English An English parson was told by a young Londoner that he couldn't understand the Epistle to the Colossians. "This epistle, guy; we can't understand what it's all about; it reads all funny like". Prebendary John Phillips was then inspired to write his own translation of the New Testament from the Greek texts. Reading one of his translations we fear he will not be without his critics. St. Paul's beautiful and poetic passage in the Corinthians beginning "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels- becomes "If I were to speak with the combined eloquence of men and angels I should stir men like a fanfare of trumpets or the crashing of cymbals". Your translation, guy, reads all funny like. But being published at 45s. and in danger of becoming a best seller, we think that perhaps it may be worth it. Published in the United States on September 15, more than 65,000 copies were bought by booksellers before publication. "Vision" of the Future We have read a good deal recently of the impact of television on the home. A news item coming from the north of England serves to underline the facts. A survey of 200 houses in a Yorkshire town showed that only three had baths, six had hot water and four with separate w.c.s. Yet 125 of these houses revealed the inevitable march of civilisation; they were equipped with TV sets. A public health inspector commented, ironically we can assume, "We have heard recently about rockets going up 100 miles and of the trip from Hong Kong to London taking less than twenty-four hours, yet although w.c.s were first invented in 1724, it seems we have to wait for over 200 years for one w.c. for one family." Further comment is unnecessary. Religion and Superstition Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Dr. W. R. Matthews, Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, made the astonishing admission that the two words "Religion" and "Superstition" were closely related. This Society has recognised such for nearly a century, but it reveals a change of heart for Dr. Matthews to say so. Remembering the late Dean Inge, of course it might be thought that these sentiments should be expected from the Dean of St. Paul's. "It is curiously difficult to define the meaning of superstition," says the Dean. We find it more difficult to define the meaning of religion, or to put it more definitely, the religion of the churches. We can understand better Tom Paine's dictum : "The world is my country. To do good is my religion." 1.11.E.11. Bulletin The October Information Bulletin of I.H.E.U. has reports of the Annual Conferences of both the R.P.A. and the Ethical Union, and of the Annual Reunion at Conway Hall. The Obituary of S. K. Ratcliffe receives sympathetic notice: "His un- 4 faltering eloquence and firm grasp of affairs, which made- him invaluable to the Society, make him irreplaceable." This is a very acute summing-up of our late beloved lecturer. The Pope The Monthly Record offers every sympathy for the death of an individual, yet we find it difficult to explain the hysterical emotion engendered by the passing of the head of a concern which had been disavowed by Britain over 400 years ago; although the immediate reasons were somewhat discreditable, we do not forget that this body had a long and unsavoury history of torture, murder and suppression of freedom. Moreover, during the past war, this man of peace, as the Press has described him, wavered between the Allies and the Nazis, the latter having revealed an excess of cruelty comparable to that of the Inquisition, and had not shown finally whose side he favoured until he was confident who were to be the ultimate victors. This fact could label him as a man of peace, but there are less flattering descriptions that could fit him equally well. CUSTOS S.P.E.S. Presents ... Sunday Morning Meetings—I l a.m. Large Hall. A YOUNG MAN in his middle twenties will address us on November 2—Mr. George Hilsheimer, who is in Germany at present with the American forces. When the call-up for National Service came he was Director of Religious Education in the Ethical Society of St. Louis, and assistant to the Leader, Mr. J. F. Hornback (Mr. Hutton Hynd's successor there). The speaker will describe a "religious education" situation so different from our own; and he will give us an outline of the definite programme of ethical and religious instructicin sponsored by Ethical Societies and Humanist.Groups in U.S.A.— under the title "Religious Education in America".