A Life of Bradlaugh – John D. Stewart
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1971

President Charles Bradlaugh MP
David Tribe (Elek Books £4)

Every educated person may remember the day when it dawned upon him that the "Holy Bible" is not only consistently inconsistent but frequently self contradictory. Once germinated, the seed of truth grows and flourishes. It grows evident that the ferocious excesses of warring sects of Christians, ranging from the fires of the Spanish Inquisition, long ago and far away, to the fires of Bombay Street, recent, and close at hand and a thousand other cruel atrocities, all can find biblical godfather. The "Holy Bible" serves equally the ruffian Paisley and the saintly Ramsay. It recommends, as well as love and charity, murder, rape, arson and torture. 'Search and ye shall find' biblical backing for any crime you have a mind to commit — with the solitary exception of that most prevalent of all crimes, apple stealing.

Charles Bradlaugh's day of enlightenment dawned in 1840 when, as a young lad, he was conscientiously researching the good book to compile a pious and orthodix essay on the Thirtynine Articles. It was not in him to suffer his doubts in silence, so he made them known to his clergyman. That charitarian straightway told his employers and young Charles got the sack. From that day on he was a martyr for the truth and a scourge of orthodox establishment, He was too early in time, perhaps, for his own good, but his struggles and sufferings stand to the benefit of succeeding generations. But for Bradlaugh and those who followed him we might still be fined a shilling for absenting ourselves from official devotions (and what a harvest that would reap for the Chancellor of the Exchequer today) — and forced to mouth archaic and offensive oaths before our word could be trusted.

Mr. Tribe's large and scholarly book takes its title from Bradlaugh's republicanism, which was one of his many radical ideals. In his prime Queen Victoria, widowed, had completely absented herself from all semblance of public duty, yet she made frequent demands for public money to settle on her numerous brood of children and even on her relatives. Bradlaugh, and others, considered this bad value, for it came to a pass when one seventieth part of the National Budget was passed into the Queen's private hands. Further, her heir apparent seemed to spend much of his time skirting sexual and pecuniary scandal, so that the Monarchy seemed sure to pass out of the frying pan into the fire.

The English Republican movement came to nothing, but it is interesting to note, given these times in Ireland, that it existed and flourished for a while. Words like 'republican,' 'anarchist,' and even 'nationalist's are used in Ulster as terms of abuse, yet English nationalists abound and are not, so far as one can see, badly esteemed — certainly not by themselves or their Ulster adherents. Such is my cast of thought and, reading Bradlaugh, I can see how much my habits owe to him. Charles Bradlaugh, whose life spanned much of his century, might be considered the definitive man of his times. He was just reaching his full stature in 1850, so soon after the world shake-up of 1848. His contempories were Darwin and his ilk, the scientists who made us all think again. But they retired from the abuse of the orthodox, whereas Bradlaugh stood up and bared his breast and fought them to the end. "He preached atheism, republicanism and family planning," said a French wit, "to a nation that was pious, royalist and prolific." He questioned every established value.'", In earlier times he might have been put to death; as it was he was persecuted and threatened; But, thanks to his example, his intelligence and his eloquence, there were always enough supporters for his golden heresy of truth, and he triumphed in the end.

The generous English people gave him a memorable funeral — almost a state occasion. The "Yorkshire Evening Post," which had clobbered him often in his battling life, wrote in his obituary: 'His place in the history of the nineteenth century will be very distinct, more distinct, perhaps, than that of any single figure to be met with in its annals." This book has a special interest for Ireland, for Bradlaugh was here as a young soldier and ever after remained sympathetic to Irish aspirations. For the same reason, he campaigned all his days for justice for India. Indeed, there is interest in it for any modern man, for he will find in Bradlaugh's campaigns the seeds of battles hard won in Britain since his death in 1891 and, in some cases, scarcely joined yet in John Bull's backyard. David Tribe, leading Humanist and executive member of the Council for Civil Liberties, has done a thorough and loving job on his hero.