Vol. 67, No. 7 JULY 1962 Sixpence m - Editorial Locke on Liberty and Toleration Maurice Cranston Arnold Bennett Richard Clements A Short History of Austrian Freethought Otto Wolfgang Divine Propagandist Denis Cohen Christian and Humanist P. B. Smith Conway Discussions South Place News Society's Other Activities SOUTH PLACE ETHICAL SOCIETY SUNDAY MORNING MEETINGS AT ELEVEN O'CLOCK July 1—R. STEPHEN SCHENK, B.Sc. Character and Conformity Piano solos by JOYCE LANGLEY July 8—DR. J. A. C. BROWN The Pursuit of Happiness Soprano solos by DAPHNE SHANDLEY The Sunday morning meetings will be resumed on October 7. South Place Sunday Concerts South Place Sunday Evening Concerts (1962-63) will open on October 7, 1962. 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 75. 6d.). Life membership £13 2s. 6d. Associates are not eligible to vote or hold office. Enquiries should be made to the Registrar to whom subscriptions should be paid. The Monthly Record is posted free to Members and Associates. The Annual charge to subscribers is 8s. Matter for publication in the August-September issue should reach the Editor, G. C. Dowman, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, W.C.1, by August 6. We wish to inform readers that the General Committee have decided not to publish a Monthly Record fOr the month of August. August and September will appear as one issue. Officers Secretary: J. HUTTON HYND Han. Treasurer: A. FervroN Hon. Registrar: Mrs. T. C. LINDSAY Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, W.C.I Asst. Hon. Registrar: Miss W. L. GEORGE Executive Secretary: Miss E. PALMER The MONTHLY RECORD Vol. 67, No. 7 JULY 1962 Sixpence CONTENTS EDITORIAL .. 3 LOCKEON LIBERTYAND TOLERATION, by Maurice Cranston .. 5 ARNOLDBENNETT, by Richard Clements .. 8 A SHORTHISTORY OF AUSTRIANFREETHOUGHT, by Otto Wolfgang .. 10 A DIVINE PROPAGANDIST,by Denis CabeI! 12 CHRISTIANAND HUMANIST, by P. B. Smith 13 CorAY DISCUSSIONS 15 'SOUTHPLACE NEWS .. 19 SOCIETYS OTHER ACTIVITIES 19 ,The views.expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the Society. EDITORIAL THE CONCERT GIVEN ON May 19 at the Royal Fegtival Hall to celebrate Earl Russell's ninetieth birthday was, indeed, a memorable occasion. Adulation lavished on him by a huge audience profoundly moved the man who had been so accustomed to obloquy during most of his long life. The Lon'don Symphony Orchestra under the conductorship of Colin.Davis provided "exquisite 'music, exquisitely played". Lord Russell's favourite , composers were performedStravinsky and Mozart. Mozart's Piano Con- certo in C minor played by Lili Kraus was, in itself, an act of homage made by a fervent admirer, and how brilliantly it was performed! After the Concert Lord Russell himself was brought to the platform to receive •a number of gifts and with him were the Duke of Bedford, actress Vanessa Redgrave and Victor Purcell, the latter is perhaps better known as Myra Buttle author of the clever satire, The Bitches Brew, or the plot against Bertrand Russell. The Duke of Bedford, giving him a copy of the programme of the concert said : "1 think, Cousin Bertie. that this is the proudest moment of my life, I realise that the reason for my being here is that I happen to be • the head of the Russell family. But as a family we have always stuck our feet in, and fought for what we believe." 3 A healthy-looking figure, Lord Russell-showed promise of quite a few more years to come. He was presented with a copy of The History of the World in Epitome in nineteen rords Whieh, it was said, he had written for history classes in Martian junior. schools. The epitome read : /-"Since Adam and Eve ate the apple, Man has:never refrained from 'any folly of which he is capable.- ' . , . The Tributes Lord Russell listened quietlY while his American secretary, Mr. Ralph Schoenman, read out a good, many of over a hundred tributes sent by individuals and organisations throughout the world. Tributes to the man -who has done so much -for humanity, most of which may not be recognised or many years to come. The leader of Canadian Nuclear. Disarinament movement, came in person to add to these tributes. When Lord Russell had mastered an excusable emotion he said : "My deepest thanks for this exquisite music, exquisitely played. I have a simple creed: that life, joy and beauty are better than dusty death. When we listen to such music, we must feel that the capacity to play such music and to hear such music are worth preserving.", Nuts in May - The concert given at the Royal Albert Hall on May. 28 was' quite a different affair. It followed the tradition set by the late Gerard Hoffnung and others in its clever merging of.,music. and humour. The programme described the concert as "an up-the-pole Musical parody and satirc devised as a tonic for tired music lovers by Fritz Spiegl". Antony Hopkins introduced the items in a .cultured voice' and •With the wealth of satire demanded by the occasion. We hesitate to- say ,that it was a prostiiution of goad music, althOugh we may say ihat most of the huge 'audience were, at times, prostratewith- mirth. - - - - - The concert was not without interest to -members of S.P.E.S.,'as -the Hon. -Secretary- and the assistant Hon: -Secretary- of the -South -Place -Sunday Concerts, Mr. and Mrs. George Hutchinson, had their place in Fritz Spiegl's orchestra, as did also Mr. Frank' Hawkins: It was noticed in the list of acknowledgements to the organiaers Mr.'Hawkins was featured "as organis- ing almost everything else".. A RiototFun • • . We hal're not the space ta- itemise the whole concert yet We tc-iay be per- mitted .to note that Lord and Lady Montagu took pate in°,a- motdr-car concerto Sinfonia AhtOmoVilistica"; "The Barbdr Of Secrilld"gfies jo the 'Devil:" 'Wind P the'Handel's HOI-," "A Lisit-Wagher Twigi". Perhaps the piece-de-fesistance was R'ossini's overture: Serairamide for.eight Piarios, sixteen players, thirty-two hands. ,The•immacula:cy of -ihe pla:ying of this wonderful group of first-class pianists 'conveyed the sound effedt of a full orchestra and the precision of the performance was nearly incredible. We must congratulate Frank Hawkins for his imporlant :part in a Wonder- ful show. -- - • Religion . There have . often been discussions at Conway Hall regarding .that debatable word "religion-, therefore it is mot surprising to find the Dean of St. Paul's in a dilemma when writing of it in his Saturday article in , The Daily Telegraph on- May 26. He quotes St. James: "To visit the father- less and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world." 4 -This does not completely satisfy the Dean, for.he says: "We eannot quote St. James as authorising us to sweep away all doctrine and theology together with all study of liturgy and the modes of Christian worship. This does not imply that his dictum on pure religion has no revelance to Christian thought." We think it safe to say that Conway Hall would support St. James rather than the accretions of theology and doctrine which have been attached to "pure religion" by the Church. However, it should be borne in mind that religion is a word which has'been commandeered by the Church over many centuries and, in this context, cannot now be divorced from the minds of ordinary men. DAVID LOW • Given our system of government, it was a happy decision for a knight- hood to have been conferred upon David Low. It was public recognition given at one and the same time to the art of the cartoonist and a man of great artistic ability, humanity and charm. The pencil of such men as Low or the ebullient Vicki -adds a subtle sense of life and gaiety to such brilliantly edited newspapers and periodicals as the Evening Standard, the Guardian and the New Statesman. The cartooniSt delineates for us, in clear and arresting pictorial form, an idea, a trend in feeling or fashion, or the traits of the public figures of the day. It is as if the artist lent us sight and vision to glimpse a •hitherto unperCeived world of interest and beauty lying at our door. Low is orie of the greatest political cartoonists of his'age. For example, when the-Evening Standard (2.6.62) reproduced his cartoon'All.Behind You, Winston, drawn at the time when Churchill became Prime Minister; it brought to life again, in the minds of all who saw it, the work and sacrifices, the miseHes and the splendours;-of the years of the Second World War. Then; in lighter vein, who amongst us can forget Colonel Blimp or dear old Nellie, the T.U.C. horse? New Zealand-born, Low elected to work in this country and, as The Guardian said recently, "he perfected his style and forged his most killing weapons- during his twenty-three years on the Evening Standard. Be Was at the height of-his influence'in the thirties, when he was indeed a political power in the land. He is remembered and honoured today in Britain bbth as a man and as an artist. - RICHARD CLEMENTS Locke on Liberty and Toleration . MAURICE CRANSTON, M.A., BLitt. LOCKE WAS NOT QUITE- what he appeared to be. The portraits Greenhill, Kneller and Verelst all depict a -face not only handsome but romantic, indulgent, patrician: the face of a connoisseur.