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Socialist Sunday Schools in Britain, 1892–1939

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2008

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Recent interest in the social conditions which underlay the emergence in Britain of independent labour politics in the last decade of the nineteenth century has thrown a good deal of light on the Labour Church movement. Dr. E. J. Hobsbawm, in a characteristically stimulating chapter of his Primitive Rebels, set the Labour Churches within the context of the “labour sects” which he isolates as a phenomenon of nineteenth century Britain and defines as “proletarian organisations and aspirations of a sort expressed through traditional religious ideology”. The concentration of academic attention on the Labour Church has given rise to the mention of a little known phenomenon of the British working-class movement, Socialist Sunday Schools which, it is usually suggested, were little more than a fringe activity of the Labour Churches. It is the object of this paper to give some account of the history of Socialist Sunday Schools in Britain until 1939 and to suggest that they too constitute a “labour sect” cognate with the Labour Church but organisationally and geographically distinct from it and therefore representing an extension of the working-class sectarian tradition beyond the limits of the nineteenth century within which Hobsbawn seems to confine it.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis 1966

References

page 18 note 1 The most comprehensive survey of the Labour Church movement in Britain is to be found in an unpublished Ph. D. thesis by D. F. Summers, The Labour Churches and Allied Movements in the Late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries (The University of Edinburgh, 1959). For recent published accounts of the movement see Pelling, H., Origins of the Labour Party, 1880–1900, 2nd. ed. (Oxford, 1965), pp. 125 ff.Google Scholar; Inglis, K. S., Churches and the Working Classes in Victorian England (1963), Chapter VI.Google Scholar

page 18 note 2 Hobsbawm, E. J., Primitive Rebels (Manchester, 1959), pp. 7, 126 ff.Google Scholar

page 18 note 3 Pelling, op. cit., pp. 136, 138; Inglis, op.cit., p. 244.

page 18 note 4 Dr. Hobsbawm does not actually say that the phenomenon of the labour sect came to an end with the nineteenth century, but he suggests by implication that the Labour Churches were the last manifestation of the phenomenon and does not mention by name the Socialist Sunday School movement. Cf. Hobsbawm, op. cit., pp. 144 ff.

page 18 note 5 The Social Democratic Federation (founded 1883) and the Socialist League which seceded from the Federation in 1884. Cf. H. Pelling, op.cit., pp. 13 ff.

page 19 note 1 For a discussion of Trevor's theology and its relation to the Labour Church movement see Pierson, S., “John Trevor and the Labour Church Movement”, in: Church History, XXIX (1960), pp. 460477.Google Scholar

page 20 note 1 Two sources provide an account of Mary Grey and her work in Battersea: 1) A biographical sketch published in the Young Socialist, Apr., 1903. 2) A Ms. account dated 1952 of an interview with Mary Grey obtained in 1935 by Alfred Blackburn for the National Council of British Socialist Sunday Schools. The latter source is in the possession of Mr. J. Simmons, Sheffield, ex-President of the National Council. Henceforth, the Young Socialist is cited as YS.

page 21 note 1 YS, Apr., 1903.Google Scholar

page 21 note 2 Ibid.

page 21 note 3 Ibid. The Blackburn Ms. states that Mary Grey's two daughters and a boy were present.

page 21 note 4 YS, Apr., 1903.Google Scholar

page 21 note 5 Labour Leader, Feb., Oct., 1896.

page 22 note 1 Summers, The Labour Churches and Allied Movements.

page 22 note 2 Cf. Stewart, W., Keir Hardie, J.; A Biography (1923), pp. 7, 18Google Scholar. Stewart, however, does not consider the relevance of the Temperance movement to Hardie's development.

page 23 note 1 Labour Leader, Apr., 1893. I am grateful to Mr. J. Simmons for this and other references to the Labour Leader.

page 23 note 2 Labour Leader, May, 1893.

page 23 note 3 Ibid., July, 1895.

page 23 note 4 See article by Glasier, L. in YS, Jan., 1906.Google Scholar

page 23 note 5 Ibid. For the details of McArthur's early life mentioned in this article I have relied on the recollections supplied to me by an early acquaintance, Mr. D. Jarvis, of New York. For Gossip, cf. Harrison, S., Alex Gossip (1962), especially ch. I.Google Scholar

page 23 note 6 Labour Leader, 25 May, 1895Google Scholar. Cf. YS, Jan. 1906.Google Scholar

page 24 note 1 Ibid.

page 24 note 2 For Caroline Martyn see biographical notes in YS, Jan., 1906 and July, 1926. Cf. Labour Annual, 1896.

page 24 note 3 YS, Aug. 1903.

page 24 note 4 D. Lowe, Souvenirs of Scottish Labour (Glasgow, 1919), pp. 97ff.

page 24 note 5 YS, Aug., 1903.

page 24 note 6 A. McArthur, Farewell Address to Central S.S.S. (1900, Ms. in library of Glasgow and District Union of Socialist Sunday Schools).

page 25 note 1 A. McArthur, Lectures Delivered to the Young Socialist Guild. Ms. in library of Glasgow and District Union of Socialist Sunday Schools.

page 25 note 2 Ibid.

page 25 note 3 YS, March, 1901.Google Scholar

page 26 note 1 ”Chats with Crusaders”, in: Labour Leader, March, 1897.Google Scholar

page 26 note 2 Labour Leader, Sep., 1900.Google Scholar

page 27 note 1 Independent Labour Party, Annual Conference, 1919, Souvenir Programme (Huddersfield, 1919).

page 27 note 2 YS, Feb., 1906.Google Scholar

page 27 note 3 Ibid., Feb., 1907.

page 27 note 4 Harrison, Alex Gossip; Glasier, G. Bruce, A Child's Socialist Reader (1902)Google Scholar; YS, June, 1902.Google Scholar

page 27 note 5 YS, Sep., 1902.Google Scholar

page 28 note 1 For the campaign to evict the Sunday Schools see YS, Apr.-May, 1907Google Scholar. For the debate in LCC see The Times, 12 June, 1907.

page 28 note 2 The Times, 20 July, 1907.Google Scholar

page 28 note 3 YS, Jan., 1904.Google Scholar

page 29 note 1 YS, Nov., 1905.Google Scholar

page 29 note 2 For a report of the inaugural conference see YS, June, 1909Google Scholar; also a summary of the constitution.

page 29 note 3 YS, July-Aug., 1910 for an account of the formation of a rival Children's Social Sunday Union by members of London high societyGoogle Scholar. Cf. ibid., Oct., 1910 for attacks in Huddersfield.

page 30 note 1 Ibid., Apr., 1912. The list given here was said to be incomplete.

page 30 note 2 Sunday Schools in Yorshire were founded by Labour Churches, but the anti-religious influence of Blatchford does not seem to have had as much effect upon them as upon those in Lancashire.

page 31 note 1 YS, Jan., 1905.Google Scholar

page 31 note 2 Socialist Sunday School Hymn Book, No. 12.

page 31 note 3 Ibid.

page 31 note 4 From the beginning a prominent Socialist such as Keir Hardie would give the lesson on a special occasion. Quite early, the practice of inviting members from other Sunday Schools was initiated.

page 31 note 5 YS, Jan.-Feb., 1905.Google Scholar

page 32 note 1 See Appendix I.

page 32 note 2 In an interview with Mr. Allan Ireland, Glasgow, I obtained reminiscences of Glasgow Socialist Sunday Schools at the turn of the century which lend colour to the evidence of printed sources as to the sectarian character of the movement.

page 33 note 1 See Appendix II.

page 33 note 2 YS, Aug., 1908.Google Scholar

page 33 note 3 Ibid., May, 1906.

page 33 note 4 Little is to be learned of the split or of the secession movement. According to Mr. A. Ireland the occasion of the split was a trivial matter of personalities. Proletarian Sunday Schools survived here and there to horrify right-wing opinion. A former member of a Proletarian Sunday School in Glasgow in the 1930s told the present writer that she was taught to sing abusively anti-clerical songs. This would seem to corroborate some of the allegations made in a debate in the House of Commons on Socialist Sunday Schools, Hansard, IIth March, 1927, where some of the more hostile Conservatives obviously confused Socialist and Proletarian Sunday Schools.

page 34 note 1 YS. Nov., 1901.Google Scholar

page 34 note 2 On the SDF in Lancashire see Bealey, F. and Pelling, H., Labour and Politics, 1900–1906 (1958), pp. 3fGoogle Scholar. On the development of Blatchford see Cole, G. D. H., The Second International, 1 (1956), pp. 163ff.Google Scholar

page 34 note 3 For a full description of Hyde SSS see Whitehead, G. M., Education in Socialist Sunday Schools; A Contribution (Hyde, 1910).Google Scholar

page 35 note 1 Ibid.

page 35 note 2 This lay in the failure to show why Socialist education was necessary. If social attitudes were determined by the environment, why should it be important to try to foster an understanding of social relationships? This could be of importance only if intended to influence individual decisions.

page 35 note 3 Glasier, L., A Reply to the Sabbath school teacher's Magazine (Glasgow, 1907).Google Scholar

page 35 note 4 Walford, D., Socialist Sunday Schools; Their Aims, Value and Future (Huddersfield, 1908).Google Scholar

page 35 note 5 YS, June, 1909.Google Scholar

page 35 note 6 Ibid.

page 36 note 1 Ibid.

page 36 note 2 YS, Apr., 1911.Google Scholar

page 36 note 3 YS, Aug., 1912.Google Scholar

page 36 note 4 Ibid., Oct., 1912.

page 37 note 1 Gould, F. J., Life Story of a Humanist (1923), pp. 83f.Google Scholar

page 37 note 2 His articles were collected and printed in Pages for Young Socialists (1913) with a fore word by H. M. Hyndman.

page 37 note 3 Socialist Sunday Schools; Their Aims, Objects and Organisation (1914).

page 37 note 4 Ibid.

page 38 note 1 YS, June, 1914.Google Scholar

page 38 note 2 YS, May, 1915.Google Scholar

page 39 note 1 Cf. Marwick, A. J. B., “The Independent Labour Party in the 1920s”, in: BIHR, XXXV, pp. 6274.Google Scholar

page 39 note 2 YS, Jan., 1922.Google Scholar

page 40 note 1 These weie: London, Lancashire and Cheshire, North-East Lancashire, Yorkshire, Tyneside, South Wales, Ayrshire, Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow. Cf. YS, May, 1920.Google Scholar

page 40 note 2 Ibid.

page 40 note 3 Log Book of the National Council of British Socialist Sunday Schools, Ms. in the possession of Mr. J. Simmons.

page 40 note 4 Minutes of Annual Conferences of the National Council of British Socialist Sunday Schools, 1923. Typescript in the possession of Mr. J. Daly, Glasgow.

page 41 note 1 Ibid., 1928.

page 41 note 2 YS, Aug., 1925Google Scholar. Another propaganda campaign was carried out with similar support and little success in 1927. Conference Minutes, 1927.

page 41 note 3 This Bill appeared annually in Parliamentary Papers (Public Bills) from 1922.

page 41 note 4 Hansard, , 11th March, 1927.Google Scholar

page 41 note 5 Socialist Sunday Schools; A Manual (1923).Google Scholar

page 42 note 1 College SSS, Glasgow, Syllabus (1929).Google Scholar

page 42 note 2 Conference Minutes, 1927.Google Scholar

page 42 note 3 Ibid., 1926.

page 42 note 4 Ibid., 1924.

page 42 note 5 Ibid., 1928.

page 42 note 6 Ibid., 1930.

page 43 note 1 Log Book of College S.S.S., Glasgow, Ms. in College SSS library.

page 43 note 2 Conference Minutes, 1933.Google Scholar

page 43 note 3 Constitution of the National Council of British Socialist Sunday Schools (1932).Google Scholar

page 43 note 4 Log Book of College S.S.S.

page 44 note 1 YS, July, 1929.Google Scholar

page 44 note 2 Conference Minutes, 1932.Google Scholar

page 44 note 3 Ibid., 1935.

page 44 note 4 YS, Winter, 1964, contains a directory of seventeen Socialist Sunday Schools, nine of them in the Glasgow area.Google Scholar