Secularism, Art and Freedom

The Secular movement in Victorian England was dedicated to the proposition that human fellowship - fraternity - was superior to conventional religious principles as an organizing moral principle. This study closely examines the movement and its members in provincial England during its time of greatest success. The author traces the growth of the movement from its roots in Owen's utopian socialism to the period when provincial secular societies were leading organizers and providers of welfare, education and leisure in many of England's industrial and commercial cities. "Secularism, Art and Freedom" is primarily concerned with the ways in which ideas and principles were developed by largely self-taught aspiring members of the new middle class, and how these ideas were put into action by the rank and file of the secularists in schools, clubs and societies, and eventually, political parties. A particular strength of David Nash's study is the detailed profile he has created of the ordinary membership - what their jobs were, why they joined, what they did for, and because of, secularism.