what I had trying to do what I'm going to try and do today quite briefly is to
make a few comments designed to provide a context and a platform for Brian
it was speak more specifically about Charles Bradlaugh is struggle to enter
parliament and the water Sicard portrait we celebrate today what
I have to say will fall into three parts first of all I want to say a few words
about the significance of this particular day the 9th of September 2017
second I want to explain why I think it
I want to explain why a city where I don't live but did Lee for 10 years and
dying I have a passion for Manchester I have to come back occasionally get a fix
and it's a great city and thirdly and finally I want to talk about one small
artifact this gavel and when it tells us about grammar the National Secular
society and the British free thinking radical or skeptical tradition so first
of all today today is the one first birthday of the National cepting
Society precisely on the dot and hips it does mark on the not the end of the
150th anniversary Jack day year it's a bit of a coincidence but they were on
the night to September 18 66 Bravo published the provisional program and
principles of the National Secular society in his newspaper the national
report and proclaimed himself acting president painting and National
Conference the National Conference Judy took place the next year in Bradford so
congratulations and happy birthday to the National Secular society 1866 of two
other radical campaigning organizations the Howard Lee and the Fawcett Society I
don't know maybe that's just coincidence of the three of the marvelously all
three still exists today and they're still doing their work I think it's
something of an honor that the National Secular society can share its birthday
with them but I think it's probably worth adding that the National Secular
society certainly took quite recently perhaps post Second World War was a
little different so and that it was primarily a
working-class organization that's where it's ruins membership and its strength
frog and so I think again the National Secular society is particularly
interesting because it represents some of the first attacks took organize a
monkey working with us now the second section about Manchester I need to put
in a health warning I don't get in that Chester and I hope I've got these bits
and pieces right and I say that the sign harm unaware of how strong feeling is
about the city and please don't savage me if I miss important points or get it
slightly wrong the fact of the matter is that the Manchester are arch of the
National Assembly of society was probably the biggest and most important
branch outside London and of course in this city of liberty and freedom
secularism had very deep roots so that is important in itself I had absolutely
no success in the painting any sort of branch history I have tried my best from
a distance with john rylands library and i've tried my best with the central and
i agree i would say to a friend earlier today i think what would the ability to
do is can manage we can start going through local history
girls things like that perhaps I will find something but he developed Elia
that no one has tried to write this up systematically but there are a few
fragments and here we go first of all the branch was active 1966 1930 always
schisms interest and of course a huge skittling gravels so I was this that was
the difference of opinion over his publication of birth control literature
in 1977 that defied a most still does divided some extent today or the legacy
of the National Secular society first they brought the Manchester branch first
occupied premises 123 Grove the street true of non-network but in 1981 it
purchased a home a former Chapel in Rushmore Street which could seat over
500 the whole purchase was partly funded from the proceeds of three Charles
Bradlaugh lectures that he donated to society and it was here that the
portrait had his first heart to annual conferences of the National Secular
society were held in Manchester in 1876 and in 1890 the 1891 is the 1891 perhaps
particularly significant in the toothless the first conference after
brambles resignation 84 Halley was an important
manchester name a way was a trustee of the russian wall street all we know he
was involved with the secularist movement hegwood was a celebrated
manchester radical Chartist publisher and bookseller of Oldham Street once
imprisoned I understand house he was fine refused
to pay falling and went to prison he was twice mayor of Manchester was
instrumental in the building of the Manchester Town Hall and was male and he
opened in 1877 Queen Victoria declined an invitation to attend the opening
ceremony a reason is nebula but it's assumed she had not wish to be the party
of men and it's also perhaps worth noting that 1877 was the year when
spread or published roots of philosophy his time at the pioneering birth control
tract so it was in the news Brava himself is a decline Chester frequently
as with all the northern cities for example in 1871 he addressed a pact free
trade hold on the topic the impeachment of the house at Brunswick his speech was
later published a pamphlet became something of a radical republican
manifesto to keep you a flavour here's a closing generation of the printed
version I know with these small German breasts the star wonderous whose only
merit is there nothing hatred one another in their online they measure
takes noticed here we pay him hide into
maddening and perpetuate a pauper Prince Rus if they do nothing they are good if
they do ill loyalty builds device until it looks like virtue
thank goodness since different today
finally finally very marked the Manchester branch only painted for the
city it was definitive history of ISM in the 19th century he this 32 secular
societies and neither ship in the 1880s from time to time these strategies for
regional sectarian unions as well
places like Stockport files worth Abbot until late all have their own secular
societies as did although all need parts house I move on to my third and final
section the gap
deep in the bowels of the Conway hole in Holborn that's London are the NSS
offices and in a cupboard they keep the gallery and I hope they take good care
of it on the 16th of February 1889 a special NSS conference was called an
Anglican Brad wall now overburdened with parliamentary work
that made his decision to resign as president and to propose George freedom
books as his successor when the moment came he presented this gavel this very
well to put and said this I Tendo the only emblem of office we have this
hamath presented to us by the widow of James Watson was used in the old Rotonda
in days when such freedom as we now enjoy was impossible Carlisle often used
it I give it to you joyfully foot and trust your hand it to your successor and
it's got some names inscribed on earth just on the metal Eames here the first
owner was Richard Carlisle who spent more than 10 years his crime was to
publish and sell the works of tons of pen
during the early 19th century of years of repression it's impossible to give a
starting point to the radical freezing in tradition but we can't ignore
significance of Thomas Paine writings such as the Rights of Man and the age of
reason which popularized secularist ideas not that they call secular instead
pain for governments were there to benefits ordinary people not at the
convenience of monix
he called scorn on the idea of the design MySpace regarding reveal revealed
religion as a prop to authoritarian rule these writings were published in
sulphide Colorado together with revolutions in France and North America
both of which pain was active in this struck terror into the heart of the
British establishment and triggered a wave of repressive legislation generally
known as 6ax organics I need to mention I think this is quite important but
there's new tracing link between Manchester MacDonald Carlisle attended
the mass meeting that sub Peters feels on the 16th of August 1890 that you're
going to be celebrating shortly and he was standing on the hustings with the
main act orator in recant with McGovern recharged Carlisle's due to speak art
art after the after the event he returned to London and published the
first issue of a new journal called the Republican the Republican recorded was
the first journal to record the but some Petersfield some people says
because I've actually been through first issues for a time but some people claim
the turkeys certainly Rick was the first to record the event a second name of the
Gavin is James Watson like Karla a publisher took Sara
freethinker and London Chartist who work closely with William Dowd the leading
moral force Chartist he also known of you inside mountains Jones
other names include Brad warzone and those of his successor presidents GW
Fuchs and Chapman cover both of whom serve as principles for a long long time
currently serving what I'm suggesting is that this camera simpler that symbolizes
a radical free thinking tradition and leaks the Society of today all the way
back to Thomas had and I think that's pretty strong
Bravo was magnificent and Bryan turned out magnificent in an environment
Brian was magnificent Brad walk right
rather magnificent but he was thoughtful traditional he didn't come from female
he was just his generations principle standard bearer for a tradition of a
long and continuing history in conclusion I would suggest to you that
popular history is inclined to be established history and ignores or worse
takes a credit for the work is sacrifices and trials of those generally
poor people his struggle to change some of us and I'm not for sale next day I'm
troubled actually but this morning I wrote amel Manchester which the people's
history is it it's not one nation or consistency not a single mention paying
just about vaccinations the secularists tradition doesn't get to mentioned I
think that's reasons for this but this would take a long while to expand upon
but it's troubling so some of us have to keep these traditions alive Brian
Midlands highly readable biography of Brad North does just that
so thank you very much