Prisoner for Blasphemy

hinker, with the avowed object of waging "relentless war against Su

y the resources of Science, Scholarship, Philosophy and Ethics against the claims of the Bible as a Divine Revelation," and that it woul

amazing rapidity. True, this was largely due to the fact that the Freethought party had immensely increased in numbers; but much of it was also due to the policy of the paper, which supplied, as the advertising gentry say, "a long-felt want." Although the first clause of its original programme was never wholly forgotten, we gradually paid the greatest attention to the second, indulging more and more in Ridicule and Sarcasm, and more and more cultivating

the period of combat was ended, that the liberty of platform and press was finally won, that Supernaturalism was hopelessly scotched although obviously not slain, and that Freethinkers should now devote themselves to cultivating the fields they had won instead of raiding into the enemy's

ton's advice, Do not

al conflicts against

background of resour

enemy, and the peace

he evil in dispute nea

by guaranteeing the

ffence more difficul

on to wrong

d Divine Revelatio

kind, which has wasted in the chase of chimeras very much of the world's best intellect, fatally perverted our moral sentiments, fomented discord and division, supported all the tyranny of privilege a

sclose. Although not ostensibly, it was actually, the first of those Comic Bible Sketches for which the Freethinker afterwards became famous; and from that date, with the exception of occasional intervals due to difficulties there is no need to explain, my little paper was regularly illustrated. During the whole twelve months of my imprisonment the illustrations were discontinued by my express order. I was not averse to th

La Bible Amusante," issued by the Anti-Clerical publishing house in the Rue des Ecol

attacking Christiani

ethinkers. They rega

s questions in a sp

e who know that iron

their faith. Supersti

er. Nimble and far-

than the slow dull

ists and wits of th

ead and sweeten its

hers from Aris

Comic Histories, C

a Comic Bible would

mble would stand agh

rror. But Bumble and

in France, and so t

what we are unable t

ders, and, if possible, we shall reproduce in the Freethinker some of the raciest plates. We

ladly avow that he showed no hesitation; on the contrary, he heartily fell in with the project. He frankly left the editorial conduct of our paper in my hands, despised the accusation of Blasphemy, and defied its law. His half-pr

to my literary ventures, and those who ever turn over a file of the Secularist or the Liberal will see with what activity he wielded his trenchant pen. When he became my paid sub-editor, our relations remained un

of the regular staff. It also referred to the policy of the Freethinker, and to another subject of the gravest interest-namely, the threats of

t journal has none?)

e Christians, disguste

ilure. The wish was f

ets were just as false

our indisputable suc

ance, mutter somethin

rom our evil ways. On

sh, have threatened t

w. We defy them to d

martyr, but we shoul

onster of persecution

s. As the Freethinker was intended to be a

aise. We mean to inc

th superstition shou

and we shal

d to encounter the di

ant omelettes witho

hout shedding of bl

o say that twice two

atement that twice t

a half a very fair

th, and therefore t

by the half-hearted

and shun paltering

, can dispense with

to personal slander

tenderness or mercy.

t potent weapon aga

scruple

the peculiar policy of the Freethinker was not adopted in a moment of levity, but was from the first deli

est defamation; and containing, as it did, garbled extracts from Mr. Bradlaugh's writings, and artfully-manipulated quotations from books he had never written or published, it undoubtedly did him a serious injury. The new circular was worthy of the author of the first. It was addressed "To the Members of the House of Commons," and was "for private circulation only." The indignant butcher, for that is his trade, wished "to submit to their notice the horrible blasphemies that are appended, and quoted from a new weekly publication issued from the office where Mr. Bradlaugh's weekly journal,

rikes at Freethinkers with a poisoned dagger. More than once he has flooded Northampton with the foulest libels on Mr. Bradlaugh, invariably issued without the printer's name, in open violation of the law. He is liable for a fine of f

embled in February, Mr. C. K. Freshfield, member for Dover, asked the Ho

court gave the

my attention has be

the Freethinker, publ

ing can be more perni

e than publications

k it has been the v

responsible in thes

is produced to publi

es of this kind. (H

to the reprobation

all decent members

to "public morals" and "decent members of society" are further evidence in the same direction. The Freethinker was accused of blasphemy, but until Sir William Harcourt gave the cue not even its worst enemies

Freethinker if you tried. The martyr spirit of Freethought is not dead, and the men who suffered imprisonment for liberty of speech a generation ago have not left degenerate s

ily suppress newspapers which they considered pernicious to public morals; and, if so, why that power was not exercised in the case of the Freethinker and other papers now published and circulate

of the vehicles that brought people to Holloway Gaol to welcome me on the morning of my release. The total population of New Ross, including men, women and children, is less than seven thousand; a number that fell far sho

e police, who refused to interfere. Finally the police called on all the local bill-posters and warned them against exhibiting the Society's placards. Stung by these disgraceful tactics, Mr. Seymour issued a jocular programme of an evening's entertainment at the Society's hall, one profane sentence of which, while it in no way disturbed the peace or serenity of the town, aroused intense indignation in the breasts of the professional guardians of religion and morality. They therefore cit

r of the Freethought party, and I challenged them to attack its leaders before they assailed the rank and file. This challenge was cited against