The ISSN 001 4-1 690

Ethical RecordVol. 90 No. 3

EDITORIALS

Society Members—World CitizensTHE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGonce again approaches* andthoughts can turn, not only to anassessment of what has beenachieved in the past year, but to aconsideration of the ways in whichthe South Place Ethical Societyfulfils its aims and the require-ments of its members.

In the hustle of the month-to-month and week-to-week activitiesof those who participate in thework of the numerous committees—overseeing the . Society, itsfinances, its possible future deve-lopment (or rather that of itscentral London property), its lec-tures and publications—it is notalways so easy to take the broaderview.

Members can, if they take thetrouble, be the stimulus to andsource of the necessary assessmentsof the direction and effectivenessof what we do; admittedly difficult

* Sunday, May 19,1985at 3.00 pm.

MARCH 1985

in the present world and localeconomic, environmental, politicaland social situation; and in view ofour somewhat privileged position,among voluntary bodies—namelythat we generate from the lettingof the halls.and rooms at ConwayHall an income many times thatsubscribed by members, with whichwe can continue the activities weengage in throughout the year.

Not in any sense of criticism ofwhat we achieve—and the con-tinuous series of lectures on a wide-ranging series of important topicsis obviously our most importantcontribution to people's ability todevelop an understanding to pro-mote our aims, and not that pro-viding the facilities for othergroups and organisations to meetis necessarily unimportant—we cannevertheless ask ourselves whetheror not we are doing the best thingsin the most effective way. So, itwould be useful if members andthose interested in the develop-ment of the Society to fulfil its

Concluded on page 17

CONTENTSComingtoConwayHall: PeterCadogan,Christopher

Hampton, Peter Heales, Ellis Hillman, Peter Hunot, IL

McDonagh, Professor Richard Scorer, Barbara Smoker. 2Sharing Love Not Hatred: Nicholas Hyman. •• 3Issues in Kenyan Development: Bryan Cunningham .. .6Ethiopia: Sam Beer.... 6The House of Lords—Reformation or Abolition? Lord

Hugh Jenkins 7Viewpoints: David Berman, George Walford, Colin Mills,

Barbara Smoker, Cynthia Blezard, George E. Swade. 11Some Further Contributions from Sam Beer and his aliases 15Details of the Coming Annual General Meeting. 19

The views expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the Society. Microfilm and reprints available—details on request.

PUBLISHED BY THE SOUTH PLACE ETHICAL SOCIETYCONWAY HALL, RED LION SQUARE, LONDON WC1R 4RL

Telephone: 01-242 8032 (Answering machine out of hours)

teth

SOIPTH PLACE ETHICAL SOCIETY

Appointed Lecturers: H. J. Blackharn, Lord Brockway, Richard Clements, OBE, T. F. Evans, Peter Heales,

Harry Stopes-Roe, Nicolas Walter Hall Manager: Geoffrey Austin (tel. 01-242 8032)

Secretary: Jean Bayliss (Wed-Fri, tel. 01-242 8033) Honorary Representative: Ray Lovecy

Chairman General Committee: Fanny Cockerell Deputy Chairman: Betty Beer

Honorary Registrar: John Brown Honorary Treasurer: Ben Roston

Honorary Librarian: Editor, The Ethical Record : Peter Hunot

COMING TO CONWAY HALL

Sunday Morning LECTURES at 11.00 am in the LibraryMarch 3. CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON. The Necessity of Dissent.March 10. Professor RICHARD SCORER.The Ethics of Aid.March 17. ELLIS HILLMAN.Nietzsche, Rosenberg and Nazi Myth.March 24. PETER CADOGAN.Rousseau, Blake and the Green Revolution.March 31. PETER HEALES.Philosophy in Action: the Life of Frank-Dicken- '

son. (See note at foot of page 3).

Sunday FORUMS at 3.00 pm in the LibraryMarch 10. D. MCDONAGH.The Radical Ideas of Joseph Priestley.March 24. BARBARA SMOKER.Miraculous Cures!!!March 31. To be advised.

Sunday SOCIAL at 3.00 pm in the Library. Tea at 4.30 pmMarch 17. PETER HIJNOT will supply: An Entertainment of Pictures (Slide

show of his photographs and others).

There are no meetings on Sunday April 7Next meetings on Sunday April 14—see the April issue.

SEES March Chamber Music ConcertsSunday, March 3. In aid of The Musicians' Benevolent Fund. Fitzwilliam

String Quartet. BORODIN, BEETHOVEN, TCHAIKOVSKY.Sunday, March 10. Coull String Quartet. HAYDN, SHOSTAKOV1CH, BEETHOVEN.Sunday, March 17. Amici String Quartet. HAYDN, BARTOK, BEETHOVEN.Sunday, March 24. Chilingirian String Quartet. HAYDN, BARTOK,

MENDELSSOHN.Sunday, March 31. Endellion String Quartet. HAYDN, MOZART, SMETANA.Sunday, April 7. No Concert.

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Sharing Love Not Hatred—Through the Minefield of International Relations

to a Reciprocal and Peaceful Planet

By NICHOLAS HYMAN

Summary of the Lecture at Conway Hall on January 20, 1985

"I WAS BORN TO SHARE LOVE, NOT HATRED" claimed Antigone to the tyrantCreon, in the drama of slave-owning Athenians two and a half thousandyears ago. The ethical springs of just political action, and in some societiesof refusal to act, are consistent, though there is an "expanding circle" 1 weidentify with in terms of rights and obligations. The assumptions of univer-sality and of reciprocity operate in the real world of depression and theimminent and totally destructive threat posed by the nuclear winter.2Enlightened and meticulously charted maps of the future must contendwith materially more powerful forces, recognisably of Creon's or Goneril'sstamp, now possessed of the literal power to end all life on vulnerable Terra.

The assumption of universality allows for the personal as political, forstates of mind which are life-enhancing as proper guides to civic or collec-tive action in public questions. Montaigne built on Marcus Aurelius'srealisation that "outward show is a wonderful perverter of the reason".aBut a serene curiosity about other individuals in other societies was humaneand intrinsically anti-despotic in its affirmation of shared priorities forsurvival and growth with all men and women.

In Soweto today, we may yet feel the calm insights of past universaliststearing ffi oppression's glib mask, which in our post-Creon day is anointedwith 'the unguents of public relations and television skills. Take, as illustra-tion of this abiding and unshaken world of insights, Alexander vonHumboldt in 1845: "In maintaining the unity of the human race we alsoreject, the disagreeable assumption of superior and inferior peoples. Somepeoples are more pliable, more highly educated and ennobled by intellectualculture, but there are no races which are more noble than others. All are

International AffairsThe London University Extra-Mural Course—held from 7.00 to 9.00 pm on

Tuesdays—will soon be completed, but you may still attend. It is held inthe Library and the tutor is Nicholas Hyman. Subject :Zones of Tension and Hope on a Shared Planet 1945-1984.

Frank Dickinson—The Lecture on March 31Peter Heales writes: as the name of Frank Dickinson will be unknown

to most members, the following brief explanation may be of value.• "Frank Dickinson was born in poverty and lived a long and essentiallyprivate life. In early manhood he learned to appreciate the leading thinkersand artists of his day: Morris, Ruskin, Darwin, Huxley, Watts, amongothers. From that time he enriched his own life and the lives of others byhis dedication to humanistic principles. The depth of his•conviction, and theextent of his creativity came•to light only after his death when his houseWas opened to the public."

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equally entitled to freedom: to freedom which in the state of nature belongsto the individual and which in civilisation belongs as a right to the entirecitizenry through political institutions" 4

Linked to universality as a working assumption is the movement "towardsa world language" 5 in poetry, fiction and, what is less effectively, often abland soup of nominally acceded human rights which are in practice inoper-able. The re-evaluation of dialects and of smaller focuses for nationalsolidarity is entirely compatible with the aspiration of world thought andworld language, with a world republic of letters far preceding a worldcommonwealth or state.

Humboldt's abhorrence of racist oppressive structures is twinned in ourcentury by the recognition and then the ending of sexist norms, whoseessence is a lack of universality, reciprocity and self-knowledge. Out ofgenerous yet informed premises regarding the individual's potential andactual qualities, we move in international power politics away from anyunbalanced notion of Pax Americana (or Sovietica) to a polycentric world,and then to a developed/industrialising planet whose states and peoplesconceive of each other reciprocally.

Detente between "the West"—a misleading monolithic category whichwould be better replaced by specific national and class combinations, if weseek to understand the shifting balance of world power which may yet liftour planet from the self-imposed shadow of nuclear destruction—andMoscow can be built up by transnational and interpersonal initiatives, aswell as threatened by hate-filled bigots in high places. Neutralism may turn

I See Peter Singer, The Expanding Circle: Ethics and Sociology (1981 OxfordUniversity Press paperback 1983).

2 Ambio staff of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ed., Nuclear War: TheAftermath (Pergamon 1983); Anne Ehrlich, "Nuclear Winter' Bulletin of theAtomic Scientists 1984 (40, 4); Carl Sagan, "Frozen in the Heat of Battle"(Guardian 9 August 1984); "No thaw after atom winter—scientists: Ultra-violet radiation 'will kill all life' " (Morning Star 19 May 1984).Was N. Shute a more perceptive prophet than G. Orwell? See Shute, On theBeach (1958).

3 Cited Peter Burke, Montaigne (Oxford University Press 1981).Cited Philip S. Foner, "Alexander von Humboldt on Slavery in America (Science and Society 1983 (XLVII, 3)); Humboldt, Cosmos: Sketch of a Physical Description of the Universe Vol I (London ed., Longmans and- John Murray1846).-

2. "Towards a World language" was the stated direction of Hugh MacDiamid,In Memoriam James Joyce (MacClellan (Glasgow) 1955). See also HarveyOxenhorn, Elemental Things: The Poetry of Hugh MacDiamid (EdinburghUniversity Press 1984); Anthony Barnett, "Salman Rushdit : a review article"(Race & Class 1985 (XXVI, 8)).Ulrich Albrecht, "Western European Neutralism in Mary Kaldor and DanSmith cds, Disarming Europe (Merlin Press 1982).

7 Nigel Calder, Timescale: An Atlas of the Fourth Dimension (Chatto & Windus,• The Hogarth Press 1984); Jamal N. Islam. The ultimate fate of the universe

(Cambridge University Press 1983).8 Johan Galtung, -There are Alternatives! Four Roads to Peace and Security

(Spokesman 1984).9 But see on "Problems of Fairness", David Lyons, Forms and Limits of Utili-

tarianism (Oxford University Press 1965). According to Fred Hirsch, SocialLimits of Growth (Routledge and Kegan Paul (1977), p. 147) Reliance . onsocialised norms alone—on individuals directing themselves to do what thecommunity dxpects of them—would be extremely infficient as well asoppressive".

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out to be a popular and rational goal for Britain: certainly, this option ofa larger Sweden in a world divested of nuclear weapons merits seriousconsideration.° .

Britain especially, like Galdos's Madrid and Kraus's Vienna, finds theadjustment from imperialist bathos and delusions painful and puncturing ofself-esteeml The vulnerability of one waking from deception could, however.make for fresh insights into options all men and women now share.

. Some questions cannot be affected even by an effort of collective will,though understanding of them is growing. The astronomical approabh, say,offers a more impersonal yet life-enhancing framework for hope and love.7Over world events of decades' duration, as with the depression,,we need andlack a sense of options and of the power of reason aligned with state power.

This sense of alternatives 8 demands an open receptivity, even to mediumstoo long scorned. There are different drums on the ground for tourists toponder, and in the realms of the imagination—islands of the future pointinga way to the vast majority stranded in archaic mental maps. Look, forexample, at the riches some science fiction opens up. Take Vonnegut's FatesWorse Than Death and (especially for the unconverted) Patrick Parrinder'sScience Fiction in the "New Accents" series, and proceed to revel. in and'contemplate Boris and Arkady Strugatsky's Prisoners of Power. or PhilipK. Dick's The Man in the High Castle.

Motives of Last 50 Years Need to be ConsideredThe ethic of love may appear utilitarian, with the blood donor's answer

of altruism as higher selfishness having a broader political validity andrealism.9 But to act with a semblance of virtue, we have to consider motivesand effects over at least the past half century. The origins of the secondworld war, of the cold war's stages, and of flawed institutions which maystill serve as gathering points for perfectibility—such as the United Nations—need investigation, and can shape our judgement of the present.

Corrosive of humanity are the interlocked tendencies in Britain and arange of other industrial societies of secretiveness and revived bigotry. Thesecretiveness fuels lack of accountability, as in the now revealed Britishnuclear weapons testing in Australia three decades back and in the con-temporary decision-making about matters life, death and abundant treasurewhich Anthony Verrier's Through the Looking Glass laid bare in public.The bigotry reveals discomforting parallels with the ceremonially inclinedfascist movements of the last depression.

The choice is stated. The priority to find out where and how control isexercised, and often to replace that control by accountable and life-enhanc-ing new forces, is imperative. What S. S. Prawer's Heine's Jewish Comedytermed "understanding as well as delight" flows from recognition of theroad love indicates, and an.attempt to follow it amid.vast difficulties whichmay prevail over all reason, and overwhelm life on earth.

National Secular Society's Annual Dinner

This will be on Saturday, March 23, at 6.30 pm for 7.00 -pm at thePaviours Arms, London SW1. Speakers will include Lord Ted Willis, DianaRookledge (chairman of the British Humanist Association) and Jim Herrick.

Tickets from the NSS, 702 Holloway Road, London NI9 3NL yphone01-272 1266).

Noah's Ark

Anyone who wishes to make an up-to-date sighting of NOAH'S ARKonly has to gb to 412 EVELYN STREET,'S:E.8 (Deptford). I: S: B.

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Issues in Kenyan Developmentby BRYAN CUNNINGHAM

Brief summary of a Forum Lecture given on February 10, 1985

THE GENERAL PERCEPTION OF KENYA 15 Of a stable, relatively prosperousAfrican nation. However, various constraints on development do exist inin the country. I will attempt to survey some of these, from a geographicalperspective.

One of my main aims will be to emphasise that a combination of problemsexists, and that these are of internal and external origin. I believe thatmonocausal explanations of under development are virtually alwaysinaccurate.

In the Kenyan case, an essential starting point is a recognition of thebasically hostile nature of the physical environment. There are favouredareas, the most obvious example being the "White Highlands", but theyaccount for only a small percentage of the total land area. Much of Kenyaconsists of marginal land and it is, furthermore, land that is deterioratingin its ability to support human life.

Socio-economic problems, some of them a legacy of the colonial era,also affect Kenya more than is often realised. For example, there areworrying regional imbalances in the country, which include the extremedisparity between the quality of life enjoyed by a few thousand of Nairobi'spopulation, and that of millions of people in the poorest rural areas, whereeven subsistence is difficult. The main centres of development on theWestern model are probably prospering at the expense of the rest of thecountry, and "spread effects" from these centres have so far been minimal.

Kenya's continued high rate of population growth has to be consideredas problemmatical also; it is not, as some recent contributions to develop-ment journals appear to suggest, irrelevant.

One of the aims that should be given the highest priority in Kenya'sdevelopment strategies is the creation of employment for her youthfulunemployed millions. Other vital aims should include reducing dependencyon foreign aid, which has had too many strings attached to it, and thevigorous protection of the physical environment.

EthiopiaMany English writers have mentioned Ethiopa but none has ever been

there. Shakespeare calls Juliet a pearl in an Ethiop's ear and Coleridgespeaks of an Abyssinian maid and on her dulcimer she played. Dr Johnsonwas hard up and wrote Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia. The Praster Johnlegend of Ethiopia's medieval Christian King kept other writers busy. Theirony of it all is that we still know very little about Ethiopia.

In area it is about four times the size of the British Isles: it is 200 milesfrom Mecca and 200 miles from the Equator. Its population is estimated at28 millions. No one knows how many languages are spoken. The officiallanguage is AMHARIC, which belongs to the Semitic group which includesArabic and Hebrew, but there are many CUSHITIC languages, belonging tothe Hamitic group (Semitic and Hamitic derive their names from Noah'sthree sons who left the Ark in different directions).

The Ethiopian Christian church claims to be MONOPHYSITE, which meansChrist to them had only one composite nature. Until 1948 the Archbishopof Ethiopia was a Copt (Christian descendant of the ancient Egyptians) butis now an Ethiopian monk. The earliest religion in Ethiopia was snake-

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worship and many superstitious practices continue to this day. The FALASHASwho observe a peculiar form of Judaism live to the north of Lake Tana.ISLAM iS, of course, making progress.

The Emperor Haile Selassie insisted on his descent from King Solomonwho had 1,000 wives and the Queen of Sheba who plied Solomon withhard questions (see Bible, 1st book of Kings, chapter 10). They are thesubject of the GLORY OF THE KINGS, the myth century masterpiece ofEthiopian literature. Haile Selassie means "Might of the Trinity" but hisreal name, Ras Tafari, has given rise to a new sect with which readers willbe familiar.

In the early 1900's Virginia Woolf and friends took part in a famoushoax on the Royal Navy when they impersonated an Abyssinian navalmission and spoke Latin backwards. This rivalled Gogol's Inspector Generaland Germany's Captain of Koepenick.

As in Japan, the Jesuits were first welcomed and then (1632) ejected.The British invaded Ethiopia in 1867 to release prisoners and then retiredwith a load of Ethiopian manuscripts which are now in the British Museum.

"Encompassed on all sides by the enemies of their religion the Ethiopiansslept near 1,000 years, forgetful of the world by whom they were forgotten"said Gibbon in the Decline and Fall, chapter 47. Ethiopia was importantuntil the rise of Islam in Southern Arabia. It is referred to in Homer andin the Old and New Testaments. Starvation has now placed it back in thelimelight.

Nkrumah of Ghana wanted a United States of Africa and so probablydoes Botha. Don Baker and his wife established a school in Botswanalandwith the help of Harold Blackham and so we can say Humanism hasalready put one foot on African soil. But, as we turn over our chickencasserole or spaghetti bolognaise, we must spare a thought for millions whodo not know where the next meal is coming from. SAM BEER

The House of Lords—

Reformation or Abolition?By LORD HUGH JENKINS

The Lecture to the Society on Sunday, January 27, 1985

THE HOUSE OF LORDS is in the news because of its appearance on television. This, therefore is an appropriate time to take another look at the institution.

The Labour Party regularly carries resolutions at its annual conferencesto abolish the Lords but never does anything about it. The Tories used tobe in favour of reform and under Macmillan carried out the only notablerecent change by the creation of the life peerage. Under Mrs Thatcher, asin much else, they appear to want to put the clock back and have resuscitatedthe hereditary peerage. George Thomas let himself and everyone else downby accepting such an anachronism—as did Willie Whitelaw. I am not quitesure about the Alliance—as in much else they are probably divided.

Let us, first of all have a look at the institution. The House of Commonsis much the busiest legislative chamber in the world but the House of Lordsruns it close and works much longer and harder than the majority of electedchambers. There are over 1,000 peers, the majority of them hereditary.About 300 turn up to take part in the proceedings on most days and thebulk of these come from the 300 or so life peers, most of whom attend quiteregularly. This may have something to do with the fact that if you don'tattend you don't get any money as you are not paid a salary but an attend-

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ance allowance and expenses.The work of peers is similar to that of the Commons but, of course, they

don't work nearly so hard as the hardest working MP's. On the other handthere are a few peers who work harder than the slackest of MP's. But, ofcourse, peers don't have constituents and constituencies and that makes agreat deal of difference. When peers go home they go home. They only speakto those meetings they want to speak to and they don't have to do"surgeries" or explain their actions to anyone. Their post is smaller and amuch larger percentage of it goes in the wpb. They only employ secretariespart time and if the money they draw for this exceeds the amount theyspend, they buy a new suit for themselves so as to appear smart on the telly.

If you live outside London you can draw subsistence and travel moneyand receive quite a sum but, of course, you spend it and I prefer to live inLondon and save my waning energies for making as great a nuisance ofmyself as our customs will permit.

Politeness, Anger and ApoplexyThe relative politeness of the Lords is an aspect of their lesser importance.

There is no point in getting too excited in the Lords because the realdecisions are normally taken in the Commons. Besides many of us are oldenough to recognise that anger and apoplexy are closely associated.

The work of the two chambers follows a similar pattern, with the Com-mons always a few weeks ahead at the beginning of the session, which theLords catch up while the Commons bother themselves with their obsessionabout finance which the pcers are not allowed, thank goodness, to decide.All the same there is an overlap towards the end of the session and peershave to work an extra week to clear up unfinished business which has passedthrough the Commons. Here we differ, and I think are superior, to otherbicameral legislatures. For example, in the United States, legislation goessimultaneously through the two Houses and then they have a powerfulcommittee which irons out the differences, or tries to.

With us a bill travels backwards and forwards between the two Houseswith the elected chamber having the final say-so, as is proper. The twochambers are therefore always on different business and cannot simul-taneously be discussing the same bill which can happen elsewhere.

Procedural Differences of Commons and LordsThere are procedural differences between the Commons and the Lords

and these are often those which arise from the essentially revising andsecondary nature of the Lords. These differences are often by necessityor custom rather than laid down. For example, all Committee stages in theLords are taken in the Chamber. This can only take place because theLords do not follow the Commons procedure of opposition by delay. Inthe Commons Committees often go on all night and day after day inCommittee Rooms simultaneously. In the Lords Committees last agreedtimes ranging from formal approval without amendment to two or at mostthree days. Only by such unwritten agreements between the Whips can thesystem function—and to that extent, of course, opposition in the Lords islimited. But as you know amendments are often carried against the Govern-ment's wishes and this is largely due to the growth of the Cross-Benchers,who constitute an unpredictable element which makes Lords debates un-certain in outcome—and therefore interesting to those with the patience tolisten.

Another factor which has increased the uncertainty in the Lords is thearrival of the Alliance. This, of course, consists of the Liberal peerstogether with a score or more ex-Labour peers who have defected to whatI call the AUP—the Anti-socialist, Undemocratic Party—which defection8

as you may gather, I regard as morally reprehensible.The uncertainty is increased because sometimes the Alliance votes with

Labour, sometimes with the Tories and sometimes it divides or abstains.It is both numerically larger and more formidable than the Alliance inthe Commons and any electoral unfairness there, is offset by the evengreater unfairness of the Lords.

The arrival of the EEC has given the Lords an extra job—for most ofthe scrutiny of its voluminous legislation takes place in special Lords com-mittees upstairs.

Like the Commons the Lords spends most of its time discussing, amendingand passing Government Bills. I have not done a comparative examinationwith the Commons but they work harder and longer than we do and (inspite of the noise), they are much more disciplined than the Lords whodemonstrate disinterest or dissent by going home.

All Party Agreement Needed for ReformAt the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool in 1983 a motion

to reform the House of Lords in the present Parliament was opposed byBaroness Young, the Tory Leader in the Lords, on the grounds that sucha measure would need all-party agreement and no such agreement Was insight.

She pointed out that in 1968 when there had been all-Party agreementbetween the Front benches the proposal foundered because Enoch Powelland Michael Foot opposed •the measure for quite opposite reasons andcarried with them enough backbenchers of all parties to defeat the plan.

was among those MPs who helped to scupper the 1968 proposals. Speakingin the debate I said that in spite of a special three-line whip I would notvote for a measure which gave the Prime Minister unprecedented powersof patronage—for that, indeed, was the plan. As a Constitutional measure,the Bill had to be taken in Committee in the Chamber and this enabledus to hold up other business so much that the Prime Minister (HaroldWilson) announced on April 17, 1969 that the Bill would be abandoned.

The truth is that it is perfectly simple to carry Conference resolutionsto reform or abolish the House of Lords but difficult, if not impossible,to get an implementing measure through Parliament. Constitutional reformcan only be secured when there is agreement between the main Parties orwhen the opposition is ready to cave in. The conditions in which abolitioncould be achieved do not currently exist and, as a 1977 Labour Party state-ment admitted, the attempt to make them exist by the creation of 1,000Labour Peers (like much else attributed to him, it was not Tony Berm'sbrainchild, that much maligned man merely dredged up the proposal andsucceeded in giving the impression that the whole thing could be achievedquite easily and quickly) is fraught with danger and difficulty.

As the Party statement said, the proposal "might involve difficulties withthe Crown" but as it did not say, it might also involve difficulties withthe Chiefs of Staff, the Permanent Secretaries, the Judiciary, the ChiefConstables, to say nothing of the City, the Banks and the CBI, in short,with the whole Establishment. Now there is no reason why a socialistGovernment should not take on the establishment but there is no pointin losing and this one is as much a loser as is any attempt by a Tory Govern-ment to humble and tame the trade union movement.

The Parliamentary system can be used to modify the power structure insociety but only if the methodology of such change is thought about andprepared in advance. The Labour Party has made no such preparationsand has given the subject no serious thought. It is one thing to use thethreat to create a couple of hundred 'Peers to achieve social progress butquite another to secure the actual creation of 1,000 peers to enforce a

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constitutional change of revolutionary significance. To this extent theFabians were right with their "inevitability of gradualness" and if thisis not recognised the consequence is big talk of change but no actual move-ment. Even a further abortive attempt would hold up every other measurein the Election Manifesto of a Labour Government attempting to abolishthe Lords in one fell swoop.

It is much more difficult to achieve constitutional change by Parlia-mentary means in this country than, for example, in France where theyremoved the Crown and the Peerage from any influence in public affairssome time ago by means which even Willie Hamilton would agree are notcurrently on the agenda.

Unicameralism in the Labour Party is not an article of faith in itself butrather an expression of distaste for the House of Lords. There is also avery real and rational fear that a reformed second chamber would blockrather than smooth the path to the realisation of Labour's socialist objects.On the other hand the French and most other Parliamentary countriesseem to use a second chamber rather than get used by it. Exceptions arcSweden and New Zealand both of which have small populations.

Abolition of Hereditary Principle Should Be the MandateBut even if uncameralism is the aim I have never been able to see any

way of achieving it without an interim stage in which the Second Chamberagrees to its own abolition. In moving through this stage, the possibilityhas to be accepted that such a reformed Upper or Lower House might soassist the cause of progress as to destroy the argument for abolition.

At least for the time being, therefore, it would be better to interpret

"abolition" as meaning abolition of hereditary principle rather than regard

it as a mandate for single-chamber Government.I would go further than the unfortunate Peter Tatchell and point out

that Parliament does not actually change social and economic relationships;what it does is to give legislative effect to changes which the electorate hasindicated it is ready to endorse. That readiness is achieved by all kinds ofextra-Parliamentary pressures and channelled by the political parties intoelection manifestos which an arrogant judge sought to dismiss as of noa ccou nt.

It may be interesting to add here that all the larger countries from theUSA to the USSR have bicameral legislatures and only the smaller oneshave single chambers. Unicameralism is therefore a simple fact of size.Large countries with large populations spawn much legislation and need

two chambers—in many cases state, regional and provincial legislatures aswell—as for example in Canada and Australia. Only small countries withsmall populations manage with a single chamber—for example, Swedenand New Zealand.

The Labour Party is the only democratic socialist party which holds tothe absurd superstition that unicameralism has anything to do with socialism.Labour believes that because of the nature of the Lords—what they wouldbe about is not abolishing it—but modernising it. To abolish thc Lordswould be to contribute to the gross overcentralism of this country, whichthe Tories are making worse by their decision to abolish the GLC. Thiscountry is not over-governed and over-centralised and many if not most ofour difficulties spring from that fact.

The difficulty about constitutional change sought for general politicalpurposes rather than for specific social benefits (the existing second chamberis often very good on social matters) is that the electorate cannot be per-suaded to see it as a burning issue. Even the sensible proposals for devolutionto Scotland and Wales (which would have been even more sensiKe hadthey been accompanied by similar devolution to English Regional authori-

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ties) failed to ignite much enthusiasm in the collective Celtic bosom.On such issues it can be made clear to the House of Commons that

government by consent means rather more than a majority in the lobbies.

Can This "Bastion of Hereditary Priviledge" Be Converted?Nevertheless, the present House of Lords is an indefensible set-up; a

bastion of hereditary privilege which tends to sap the socialist ardour ofthose who enter it from the left. Is it possible to convert this ceremonialanachronism into a second chamber which would do a political job and evena progressive one?

I think it is possible and necessary. The present relative popularity ofthe Lords serves to conceal the basic undesirability of appointment andheredity as methods of selecting legislators. The record of the Lords whenLabour has been in power is appalling and is the main cause of Labour'smistaken desire to extinguish a second chamber altogether. What we needis a second chamber which serves and supplements the primary chamber—which causes it to think again—but on major principles does not opposethose elected by the people to carry out their wishes.

But Labour must recognise the necessity of proceeding by stages andconfine itself in its next Election Manifesto to one or two things.

First, to impose on the House of Lords by legislation the limitations italready accepts—such as its practice of not opposing the second readingof Bills passed by the Commons. Second, to remove the right to sit inParliament from hereditary peers.

I would grant all hereditary peers who now exercise that right a lifepeerage but all other hereditary peers and all future hereditary peers wouldlose the right to legislate.

I would also confine the peerage to the non-legislators renaming theremaining members, Senator.

These three steps would be enough for one session. They might be widelyacceptable and would provide the basis for further improvements in futureParlia ments.

The peerage would continue to exist hut it would exist outside Parliamentwhich is the proper place for it. In future Parliaments it might well bedecided to put a limitation on the term of office of Senators and to intro-duce an elective process for their appointment but, for the moment, thechanges I have suggested would enable the Second Chamber to continue theuseful job it does unmarred by the major absurdities which prevent it frombeing taken as seriously as it wishes and sometimes deserves.

Humanist Summer 1985 HolidayThis will be in Exmouth. Devon from July 20 to August 3, at £83 per

week (including bed and breakfast, evening meal, VAT and gratuity)—you may book for one or both weeks. Deposit £8. Full details from BettyBeer, 58 Weir Road, Balham, London SW12 ONA ('phone 01-673 6234).

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V leWpOints

.1.M. Robertson—A Reply to Martin PageDr. David Berman, who is at the Philosophy Department at Trinity

College, Dublin and who lectured at the Society last November 4 onNietzehe's Three Phases of Atheism and whose book A History of Atheismin Britain is due to appear this year writes about the recent SPES publicationBritain's Unknown Genius: The Life-work of J. M. Robertson.

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Martin Page attacks my article J. M . Robertson: Freethinker andhistorian of Freethought (New Humanist, Summer 1984):

". . . Robertson [writes Page] was criticized for treating Anthony Collins as adeist and not recognizing him as a dissembling atheist. Yet the article providedno proof that Collins was an atheist; and every single one of the many anddiverse reference books I have consulted in this matter indicates that Collinswas a deist—none claims he was an atheist". (p.52)

A reader who wishes to assess the justness of this comment should turnto page 16 of my article, where I state:

"I have elsewhere argued that there is extremely good positive evidence—ofboth an internal and external kind—for believing that Collins was a strong-minded atheist . . . See "Anthony Collins and the Question of Atheism in theEarly part of the Eighteenth Century", Proceedings of the Royal bid)Academy (1975) pp.85-102.

Perhaps instead of consulting "many and diverse reference books", Pageshould have looked at my article. Given Page's faith in reference works, Iam puzzled also as to how he missed such an obvious one as Gordon Stein'sFreethought in the United Kingdom: A Descriptive Bibliography (Green-wood Press, 1981), which comments on my article: "Collins is shown to bea 'speculative atheist' " (p.I5, also see pp. 6-8). Had Page's researches beenwider and deeper he might also have consulted G. E. Aylmer, who notes inhis Unbelief in the Seventeenth Century that "David Berman, 'AnthonyCollins and the Question . . .' argues persuasively against James O'Higgins,Anthony Collins . . (1970), that Collins was in fact an atheist, not a deist."Plainly, the question of Collins's position is to be decided not by testimonyor by "diverse reference books", but by going—as Robertson does—to theprimary sources. In criticizing Robertson, I took his historical work seriously—a tribute more valuable, in my opinion, than endless eulogy.

As Mr Page's other objections to my article are no less gratuitous andinsinuating, they scarcely justify a response. For example, he asserts:

"The writer also presented some quotations from Robertson and ProfessorStanislav Andreski in a rather inaccurate or misleading fashion." (ibid).

Unfortunately Page neither mentions any quotations, nor does Ile indicatewhy they are "rather inaccurate or misleading". Until he becomes morespecific, I see no point in further replying to his criticisms.

DAVID BERMAN

1 Puritans and Revolutionaries: Essays in seventeenth-century history presented toChristopher Hill, edited by D. Pennington and K. Thomas (Oxford UniversityPress, 1978), p.23.

Belief in Supernatural Powers Remains General

Yes, I am disheartened, as Stephen Houseman says (ER January 10,1985, p.8), but he has mistaken the source of my suffering. It arises fromhis failure to follow through on his own declared principles. Claiming to bea rationalist, he promotes the irrational belief, going against the weightof evidence, that "understanding is unique among goals, in that onceachieved it spreads indefinitely amongst mankind". To see a humanist pro-moting an irrational belief is indeed disheartening.

He was speaking of humanist understanding, and his belief in its indefinitespread is contradicted by the evidence, to be found in the Ethical Recordamong other sources, that although this or that particular religion mayweaken, belief in supernatural powers remains general while belief inhumanism remains confined to a minority.

If we are to be rational we have to accept the evidence, and we have tofollow the argument wherever it may lead, even if to conclusions we findbitterly distasteful. Only to the extent that humanists, Mr Houseman among

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them, do that, are we entitled to rank even them among the converts to rationality and understanding. GEORGE WALFORD

Humanism Must Incorporate An Ethical Theory, A Social IdeologyDavid Ibry has entirely ignored all my arguments in the Ethical Record

over the last 12 months, and has skipped back to a restatement of hisoriginal position (ER, January 1985, p.11).

His conclusion that Humanism does not concern itself with humanwelfare is false, and thus so is his premiss that Humanism is not an ethicaltheory or social ideology.

Humanism arose as a rejection of, a rebellion against religion. To quoteP. J. Proudhon:

"Religion exists not, as the unbelievers of old maintained, with the deliberateintention of subjugating mankind—although this was in fact What happened—but in order to provide an authoritative basis for Justice, without whichsociety cannot survive." (Justice 1 pp.320-I; quoted in Selected Writings, ed.L. S. Edwards tr E. Fraser.)

So in order to replace religion with Humanism, the latter must haveinherent in it a concept of justice: in short, it must be, or must incorporate—as religion does—an ethical theory, a social ideology.

The idea of Humanism as a form of rebellion is confirmed by the factthat it is linked with many other forms of rebellion. For instance, evolu-tionism as rebellion against creationism : freethought and anarchism againsttheocratic authoritarianism: science and technology against theology: andmany others.

The case for Humanism as an ideology is proven, and I myself am con-

vinced that socialism is the ideology—or rather the linked group of ideo-

logies—which is most closely linked with Humanism. It would be more useful to discuss the ideology and rebelliousness inherent in Humanism, than for Dr Ibry to continue to restate an entrenched and untenable position.

COLIN MILLS

Four Reasons I Did Not Sign the Hough PetitionSeveral South Place members have asked me whether it is true as they

were told at a meeting at which I was not present, that the reason mysignature did not appear on the petition against the prison sentence imposedon Charlotte Hough (for helping her friend to die) was simply that MrsHough is a Christian. I am appalled that such a thing should be said ofme, and would like to have the opportunity to refute it.

It is true that I detest Christianity, but that does not mean 1 detest thepeople that profess it, still less that I would refuse to help them when in aposition to do so. After all, the members of my own family are all catholics,and we are a close-knit family.

Certainly, I have said that I deplore Mrs Hough's Christian consciencewhich made her feel guilty for acting compassionately and therefore madeher confess to her "crime", which would otherwise have gone undetected.But that is not why I refused to sign the petition.

The reason why I did not sign is four-fold : (a) as Chairman of theVoluntary Euthanasia Society, I could hardly sign it in a purely individualcapacity; (b) I was not only sure that the petition would fail to help MrsHough, but thought that if it had any effect on the Home Secretary at allit would be an adverse effect, since the group sponsoring the petition werenot likely to be looked on favourably by him; (c) I strongly suspected thatthe main purpose of the petition was to obtain a mailing-list of supportersfor the sponsoring group—New Exit; and, (d) the lady herself has made itclear, through her lawyers and her relatives, that she was opposed to the

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legislation of voluntary euthanasia and therefore to the aims of the spon-soring group. The last point is the most important of all, for I know howI would feel if, say, I was in prison for doing something of which theRC Church happened to approve and they claimed me as a Catholic martyrwho had by my actions wiped out my years of opposition to the Catholicreligion. BARBARA SMOKER

Elitism is a Highly Dangerous ConceptIn Tom Ruben's (to me) patriarchal book (reviewed by Peter Heales in

E.R., January '85, p.I0) Minority Achievements in an Evolutionary Per-spective and Other Essays were to me (as a Radical Feminist) many dis-turbing statements. Especially disturbing were his references to theTeutonic philosopher Nietzsche—one of Tom's "Great Men".

Not only do I take objection to Nietzsche for his violent misogyny ("Areyou visiting women? Do not forget your whip"—from Thus Spoke Zara-thustra) but, generally, for his "superman elitism" which inspired the Nazisin the 30s . . . "the basis of our philosophy is that the weak and ill-constituted must perish and it is our duty to help them do so". Wordslikely to lead to the gas-chambers Tom?

This example throws into doubt conclusions drawn by Tom Rubensabout elites. Elitism to me is a highly dangerous concept. Perhaps SouthPlace should develop the Nature/Nurture debate in this connection?

CYNTHIA BLEZARD

More about Noah's ArkMount Ararat is 16,945 feet high, with the summit covered in a very

deep layer of hard, frozen ice.Despite the high cost of getting boring equipment to the summit, this

was undertaken, and samples of wood, 4,000 years old, of a type that musthave come from Mesopotamia, were found. Further excavations have notcontinued because of cost, and Ararat is listed among unsolved mysteriesof the world. Layers of silt in that and adjacent regions, Ur of the Chaldes,and Ziggurats throughout the world, indicate that our ancestors werealways aware of the likely repetitions of floods; boats were ready on reg-ular rivers in anticipation.

Ararat must have seen a totally different climate. Refer to the UnsolvedMysteries of The World, a beautifully printed and illustrated book by theReaders Digest Association which corrects many biblical fallacies.

GEORGE E. SWADE

From the National Peace Council February MeetingTony Smythe opened by commenting on the antics of Michael Heseltine

and the police.Thatcher's backing of Star Wars was condemned.NCCL says new public order legislation is threatened.The academic world supports UNESCO and opposes British decision

to leave at the end of 1985. UNESCO gave scholarships to Britons.A resolution on South Africa asked for expulsion of S. African am-

bassador but was referred back. The sequestration of the IRA's funds wasapproved.

A nuclear explosion of less than 1 kilotonne is possible. A UN groupon outer space has begun work. There was a demand that the proceedingsat Geneva be revealed to possible victims—us--and not kept secret by theSuperpowers.' Argentina has a Ministry of Peace and some Americans have suggestedmaking our homes Peace Sites. This is not a joke.

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1986 will be International Year of Peace but the 40th anniversary -ofthe ,UN is this year..

NPC pamphlet on FREEZEis selling well: -The Interim Declaration of the London Nuclear Warfare Tribunal, in-

itiated by Lawyers for CND, was accepted S. B.

Some Further Contributions from Sam BeerEthics and the Car

It surprises me that no parson has ever applied Christianity to car-driving.It seems to me that there is great scope for sermons on :

"Blessed are the pedestrians for they shall see God" or "If a man strikethee on the front bumper, turn to him the rear bumper."

But as all car-drivers know, Italians and drivers on the south coast neverback and never give way. The mildest of men behind a wheel become:aggressive monsters. I always regard drivers who smoke or two womenchatting while driving as a menace. Post and bread vans do not give a damnfor anybody. Two Jews crossing Palestine (as it then was) was my firstexperience of strange hand-signals.

You have only to note the marks of damage on London cars to realisethat London is now unparkable. This may be part of Jenkin's plan to pushus all out of London.

While driving, a common problem is finding out where you are. Veryfew London streets have their names in a conspicuous position and manyshops are not numbered. Many traffic signs are far from clear: they areoften placed too far forward by the previous street and you end up on ahousing estate. Some towns like Chichester, York and Canterbury have one-way systems designed to get you out as soon as you enter: they ,don't really,want you.

It is a pity cars are not supplied with signs like "Can't. you see I'm drivingslowly because there is a horse-box in front of me?"

In Finland and Sweden mad drivers have to do a spell re-paving theairport. As for the car trade, that is probably the strongest argument againstprivate enterprise. CORTINA FIESTA

David Hume, 1711-1776The philosopher David Flume was once invited to take part in a charade

as a Sultan sitting between two beautiful slaves. He looked at them fixedly,smote the pit of his stomach and his knees and said:

9 Well, young ladies; well, there you are, then! Well, there you are.There you are, then?"

Humanist Party?On the two gateposts of the School of Oriental and African Studies in

Malet Street two Chinese newspapers were recently posted with the words"HUMANIST PARTY" marked in red on them. Does any reader know what itmeans?

A Godless VictorianIn an interval reading on the Third Programme on January 12th South

Place Ethical Society was mentioned as the place where Leslie Stephen(father of Virginia Woolf) gave an address after the early death of his wife,Julia. The reading was from Noel Annan's "Godless Victorian" and wasmildly hostile to Stephen.

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AnornphalousA BBC commentator described this as one of the most useless words

in the langauge: it means WITHOUT A NAVEL. However, the HumanistHolidays group at Bournemouth heard Jack Bridle (from Warwick) playa tape of the 17th century controversy over whether Adam had a naveland whether he spoke High Dutch.

Shelley MuseumOn their Yuletide holiday the Humanist Holidays group at Bournemouth

discovered the Shelley Museum and also the tomb of St. Peter's of PercyBysshe Shelley (heart only, cut out by Trefawney), Mary (author ofFrankenstein), Godwin, author of Political Justice) and Mrs Godwin, authorof Rights of Woman).

The Museum is open Thursdays to Saturdays, October to May in Beech-croft Avenue and every day but Sunday in the summer.

Christchurch Priory has a Shelley memorial but also sells a leaflet abouta Miraculous Beam, said to have been lengthened by Jesus when found tobe too short.

On June 22-23 Shelley's political views will be discussed at Marlow by thelocal Shelley groups. Shelley still has six living descendants from HarrietWestbrook.

The centenary of Thomas Love Peacock friend of Shelley falls this yearas well as those of Handel, Bach, Scarlatti, Mark Twain (Tom Sawyer),De Quincey (Opium-Eater) and Ezra Pound (Cantos and Social Credit).

Peacock's novels read like an anticipatory satire on South Place withcharacters who represent all our schools of thought. In one novel DrOpimian observes:

"The day would fail if I should attempt to enumerate the evils whichscience has inflicted on mankind. I almost think it is the destiny of scienceto exterminate the human race." (GRYLL GRANGE 1860)

New Zealand can boast that over 61 per cent of her people live in86 Nuclear Weapon Free Zones.

The Decline of British Science?On TV there is now a panic that British Science, which led the world

with Newton and Darwin, is in decline. This may, of course, be the ScienceLobby asking for more money or (more likely) the result of the drift of thesensitive young away from science since the Thalidomide case of 1961 andthe expansion of nuclear weapons research. It is based on the numberof citations British science has NOT received in foreign reports. Whetherthis is a just method of assessment seems doubtful. Professor Bernal onccsaid it is easier to rediscover something new than work through all thescientific papers to find out if it has been already discovered.

•

Tensynovitis: A new industrial disease

Civil Servants ' are contracting an acute form of writers' cranip fromtapping too many computer keys, according to Red Tape (January 198516

issue). It is called TENSYNOVITIS and unfortunately, unlike writers' cramp,it is not yet an official industrial disease. In advanced stages only jerky move-ments of the finger may be possible and in the final stage the thumb andfinger may become locked.

DATES—How to write Them

Twenty-five countries have decided that they prefer to write dates indescending order, i.e. year, month, day--85-4-1 instead of 1-4-85 for1st April, 1985. This is recommended by the International StandardsOrganisation. The separator should be a hyphen -, not a slant /, point . orspace.

Continued from page one

functions of: study and dissemina-tion of ethical principles; cultiva-tion of a rational and hUrnane wayof life and the advancement ofeducation in fields relevant to theseobjects, could embody suggestionsfor consideration in proposals fordiscussion at the Annual GeneralMeeting.

• Needed also are members willingto assist on the General Committeeand the numerous other committees(as one example, we need one ortwo more members • experienced inproperty maintenance to help usassess what needs to be done to theSociety's property in the short andlonger term. Then again we needassistance through the Lecturesand Discussions Sub-committee towork out subjects, themes, seriesof lectures and forums and whomight be available to bring us tothe forefront of ideas in each rele-vant field—constantly changing asthis does).

Details of the Annual GeneralMeeting, how to nominate memberswilling to help and dates for sub-mitting proposals for discussion areon the inside of the back page ofthis issue. There will be a contri-bution on behalf of the Develop-ment Committee from Peter Healeson the Future of Conway Hall inthe April issue.

Meanwhile, why not spend ashort time thinking out, writingdown and sending in your ownideas?

We Also Need to StudyWorld Viewpoint

"Wc are now all citizens, notonly of our locality and country,but of the world. However, difficultas it may be to get to know welland in many details, your ownlocality, understanding this worldof which we are citizens requiresa great deal of attention to manydifferent factors—but the violentshrinking which has continuedduring the last century necessitatesus all to do so urgently.

"Comprising over 200 so-called'independent' nations and/ordependent territories, from the1,000-population Vatican (City) tothe Chinese People's Republic(China) with a million times thatnumber of inhabitants—it wouldbe hard for most of us to list allthose places, their capitals andmain details. It would also, in this40th year since the inception ofthe United Nations, now with 163member states, be hard to give fulldetails of the 30 wars said to begoing on currently, yet alone oftheir possible resolution. There isindeed much to learn about our4-5,000 million neighbours."

This was the Editor's introduc-tion as chairman of NicholasHyman's lecture (see page 3 thisissue) and may be thought to be agood reason for attending thetutorial class (see page 3) by him.In this issue there is also a shortitem on Kenya by Bryan Cunning-ham and on Ethiopa by Sam Beer.

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The General Committee Members and Those RetiringActhe Annual General Meeting (Sunday. May 19) the retiring members

(they can only be elected again after one year) of the General Committeeare shown in the full committee list below. Not being re-elected does notexclude them being designated as honorary officers again by the JuneGeneral Committee meeting—in which case anyone so designated to act inan official post, but who has retired for the year, becomes an ex-officiomember of the General Committee, without the right to vote; though, withnon-members of the General Committee, they would have a voting righton any of the sub- or ad hoc committees.

The following full list of the members of the General GOmmittee for1984/85 shows those who retire "", and those who have resigned "f "during the year.

Marian Bardast, Betty Beer (Vice-chair), Louise Booker, John Brown(Registrar)*, Fanny Cockerell (Chair)*, Tim Eiloart, Richard Hall, JimHerrickt, Peter Hunot (Editor)*, George Hutchinson, Colin Mills, TerryMullins, Edwina Palmer, Ben Roston (Treasurer)*, Jonathan Stopes-Roe*,Flip Thornett-Rostont. Jean Bayliss, who was an elected member, beelinepaid Secretary and therefore became a non-voting, ex-officio member of theGeneral Committee. Ray Lovecy (Representative) is a non-elected, ex-officio,non-voting member of the General Committee. There are 10 vacancies forthe General Committee and two Trustees retire/but could be re-elected.

The Other USAAfter the American election where 47 per cent did not vote it is worth

recalling that there is another USA represented by such poets as WaltWhitman 1819-92; Emily Dickinson 1830-86; Edwin Arlington Robinson1869-1935; Carl Sandburg born 1878; Wallace Stevens born 1879;. and,William Carlos Williams born 1883 who can broadly be described ashumanists.

Walt Whitman referred to the "never-ending audacity of elected persons."Emily Dickinson wrote:

"The brain is wider than the skyFor, put them side by side,The one the other will includeWith ease, and you beside"

and"This is my letter to the worldThat never wrote to me—The simple news that Nature told, •

• With tender majesty."Edwin Arlington Robinson wrote:

"I heard one who said: 'VerilyWhat word have I for children here?Your Dollar is your only Word,The wrath of it your only fear."

Carl Sandburg's poems are songs of labour:"The man in the street is fedWith lies in peace, gas in war."

Wallace Stevens is more fanciful and writes:"The only emperor is the emperor of. ice cream"

but William Carlos Williams says"These are the desolate, dark weeksWhen nature in its barrennessEquals the stupidity of man."

However, Oscar Wilde observed that -when good Americans die theygo to Paris. HIRAM P. KNUCKLEDUSTER

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SOUTH PLACE ETHICAL SOCIETY

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGSUNDAY, MAY 19, 1985

2.30 pm for 3.00 pm in the Library at Conway Hall

Nominations are now open for the vacancies on the Society's GeneralCommittee. The election will take place at the Annual General Meeting.Nomination forms may be obtained from the Secretary and must be returnedno later than Sunday, April 7, preferably by March 31.The business to be transacted at the AGM will include the appointmentof Trustees in accordance with Rule 8 (1) and Rule 20 (3) (g). Nominationsare invited and should be sent to the Secretary. All nominations for thisappointment should have a proposer and seconder, and be countersignedby the nominee. Without the signed consent of nominees nominations willnot be considered valid. Closing date for these nominations, for whichthere is no official form, is April 7th.Motions to be debated at the Annual General Meeting may also be sub-mitted. They must have a proposer and seconder to be accepted and mustbe handed to the Secretary no later than Sunday, April 7, preferably byMarch 31, in accordance with Rule 20 (3) (h) and Rule 21 (9).Reports from Hon. Officers and sub-committee chairmen for inclusion inthe ANNUAL REPORT should be sent to the Secretary by March 31.NOTE: TO 13E ABLE TO VOTE AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEET-ING IT IS NECESSARY TO HAVE PAID YOUR SUBSCRIPTION FORTHE CURRENT YEAR. THUS IF YOUR SUBSCRIPTION IS OVER-DUE PLEASE PAY IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

IF YOUR SUBSCRIPTION IS DUE PLEASE FILL OUT THE RENEWAL OF SUBSCRIPTION

FORM BELOW.

RENEWAL OF MEMBERSHIP FORM

Name (BLOCK LETTERS PLEASE)

Address

1 enclose (minimum £4) as my subscription fee for 1985.

I enclose f as a donation to the South Place Ethical Society.t

I enclose £ (minimum £2) as the overseas members' rate.

TOTAL f

* Due to postal rates it is unfortunately necessary to charge overseasmembers an extra £2 above the minimum subscription rate.

I The Society is constantly in need of funds. Thus, any donation over and above the minimum subscription rate, large or small, will be gladly received.

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South Place Ethical SocietyFOUNDED in 1793, the Society is a progressive movement whose aim is thestudy and dissemination of ethical principles based on humanism, and thecultivation of a rational way of life.

We invite to membership all those who reject supernatural creeds andfind themselves in sympathy with our views.

At Conway Hall there are opportunities for participation in many kinds ofcultural activities, including discussions, lectures, concerts, dances, ramblesand socials. A comprehensive reference and lending library is available, andall Members and Associates receive the Society's journal, The EthicalRecord, free. The Sunday Evening Chamber Music Concerts founded in1887 have achieved international renown.

Memorial and.Funeral Services are available to members.Membership is by £1 enrolment fee and an annual Subscription.Minimum subscriptions are: Members,•£4 p.a.; Life Members, £84 (Life

membership is available only to members of at least one year's standing). Itis of help to the Society's officers if members pay their subscriptions byBanker's Order, and it is of further financial benefit to the Society if Deedsof Covenant are entered into. Members are urged to pay more than theminimum subscription whenever possible, as the present amount is notsufficient to cover the cost of this journal.

A suitable form of bequest for those wishing to benefit the Society bytheir wills is available from the office, as are Banker's Order and Deeds ofCovenant Forms.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM

To THE HONORARY REGISTRAR, SOUTH PLACE ETHICAL SOCIETYCONWAY HALL HUMANIST CENTRERED LION SQUARE, LONDON WC1R 4RL

The Society's objects (as interpreted by its General Committee in the lightof a 1980 Court ruling) are

the study and dissemination of ethical principles; andthe cultivation of a rational and humane way of life; andthe advancement of education in fields relevant to these objects*

Being in sympathy with the above, I desire to become a Member. I willaccept the rules of the Society and will pay the annual subscription of . . .(minimum £4 plus El enrolment).

NAME (BLOCK LETTERS PLEASE)

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DATE SIGNATURE *Formally, the objects of the Society are the study and dissemination ofethical principles and the cultivation of a rational religious sentiment.

The Ethical Record is posted free to members. The annual charge to subscribersis £4. Matter for publication should reach the Editor, Peter Hunot, 17 AnsonRoad, London N7 ORR (01-609 2677) no later than the first of the precedingmonth.

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