,,reminiscences ,,of ,,charles ,,bradlaugh ,by ,g4 ,w4 ,foote ,president of the ,national ,secular ,society ,,and ,editor of ,the ,freethinker ,,london3 ,,progressive ,,publishing ,,company1 #ahia4 ,,introduction4 ,the following pages are reprinted1 with some alterations and additions1 from the columns of the ,freethinker4 ,they are neither methodical nor exhaustive4 ,i had the privilege of knowing ,mr4 ,bradlaugh more or less intimately for twenty years4 ,i have worked with him in the ,freethought movement and stood by his side on many political platforms4 ,it seemed to me1 therefore1 that if ,i jotted down1 even in a disjointed manner1 some of my recollections of his great personality1 ,i should be easing my own mind and conferring a pleasure on many readers4 ,beyond that ,i was not ambitious4 ,the time for writing ,mr4 ,brad-laugh's life is not yet1 but when it arrives my jottings may furnish a point or two to his biographer4 ,g4 ,w4 ,,foote1 ,march #cj1 #ahia4 ,,reminiscences ,,of ,,charles ,,bradlaugh4 ,when ,i came to ,london1 in ,january1 #ahfh1 ,i was eighteen years of age4 ,i had plenty of health and very little religion4 ,while in my native town of ,plymouth ,i had read and thought for myself1 and had gradually passed through various stages of scepticism1 until ,i was dissatisfied even with the advanced ,unitarianism of a preacher like the ,rev4 ,j4 ,k4 ,applebee4 ,but ,i could not find any literature in advance of his position1 and there was no one of whom ,i could inquire4 ,secularism and ,atheism ,i had never heard of in any definite way1 although ,i remember1 when a little boy1 having an ,atheist pointed out to me in the street1 ,naturally ,i regarded him as a terrible monster4 ,i did not know what ,atheism was except in a very vague way2 but ,i inferred from the tones1 expressions1 and gestures of those who pointed him out to me1 that an ,atheist was a devil in human form4 ,soon after ,i came to ,london ,i found out an old school-fellow1 and went to lodge with his family3 ,they were tainted with ,atheism1 and my once pious playmate was as corrupt as the rest of them4 ,they took me one ,sunday evening to ,cleveland ,hall1 where ,i heard ,mrs4 ,law knock the ,bible about delightfully4 ,she was not what would be called a woman of culture1 but she had what some devotees of culchaw do not possess--a great deal of natural ability2 and she appeared to know the blessed book from cover to cover4 ,her discourse was very different from the ,unitarian sermons ,i had heard at ,plymouth4 ,she spoke in a plain1 honest1 straightforward manner1 and ,i resolved to visit ,cleveland ,hall again4 ,three or four weeks afterwards ,i heard ,mr4 ,bradlaugh for the first time4 ,it was a very wet ,sunday evening1 but as 'bus-riding was dearer then than it is now1 and my resources were slender1 ,i walked about three miles through the heavy rain1 and sat on a backless bench in ,cleveland ,hall1 for which ,i think ,i paid twopence4 ,i was wet through1 but ,i was young1 and my health was flawless4 ,nor did ,i mind the discomfort a bit when ,mr4 ,bradlaugh began his lecture4 ,fiery natural eloquence of that sort was a novelty in my experience4 ,i kept myself warm with applauding1 and at the finish ,i was pretty nearly as dry outside as inside4 ,from that time ,i went to hear ,mr4 ,bradlaugh whenever ,i had an opportunity4 ,he became the god of my young idolatry4 ,i used to think of him charging the hosts of superstition1 and wish ,i could be near him in the fight4 ,but it was rather a dream than any serious expectation of such an honor4 ,when the new ,hall of ,science was opened ,i became a pretty regular attendant4 ,i heard ,mr4 ,charles ,watts1 who was then as now a capital debater2 ,mr4 ,g4 ,j4 ,holyoake1 ,mr4 ,c4 ,c4 ,cattell1 ,mr4 ,austin ,holyoake4 and perhaps one or two other lecturers whom ,i have forgotten4 ,mr4 ,austin ,holyoake frequently took the chair1 especially at ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's lectures1 and a capital chairman he was1 giving out the notices in a pleasant1 graceful manner1 and pleading for financial support like a true man4 ,he was working hard for the success of the enterprise himself1 and had a right to beg help from others4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 however1 was the great attraction in my case4 ,perhaps ,i was more impressionable at that time1 but ,i fancy he was then at his best as an orator4 ,in later life he grew more cautious under a sense of responsibility2 he had to think what he should not say as well as what he should4 ,he cultivated the art of persuasion1 and he was right in doing so4 ,but at the earlier period ,i am writing of he gave a full swing to his passionate eloquence4 ,his perorations were marvellously glowing and used to thrill me to the very marrow4 ,gradually ,i began to make acquaintances at the ,hall4 ,i got to know ,mr4 ,austin ,holyoake and his charming wife1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,bayston1 ,mr4 ,herbert ,gilham1 ,mr4 ,r4 ,o4 ,smith1 and other workers4 ,by and bye ,i was introduced to ,mr4 ,bradlaugh and shook hands with him4 ,it was the proudest moment of my young life4 ,i still remember his scrutinising look4 ,it was keen but kindly1 and the final expression seemed to say1 ,we may see more of each other4 ,in #ahgj ,i wrote my first article in the ,national ,reformer4 ,for a year or two ,i wrote occasionally1 and after that with tolerable frequency4 ,i was also engaged in various efforts at the ,hall2 helping to carry on a ,secular ,sunday ,school1 a ,young ,men's ,secular ,association1 etc4 ,naturally ,i was drawn more and more into ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's acquaintance1 and when he found himself unable to continue the ,logic ,class he had started at the ,hall he asked me to carry it on for him4 ,of course ,i was proud of the invitation4 ,but the ,class did not live long4 ,it was not ,logic1 but ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 that had brought the members together4 ,nor do ,i think they would have learnt much of the art from ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 except in an empirical way4 ,he had a very logical cast of mind1 but as far as ,i could see he had little acquaintance with formal ,logic as it is taught by ,mill and ,whately1 whom ,i select as typical masters of ,induction and ,deduction1 without wishing to depreciate the host of other authorities4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh really gave his class lessons in ,metaphysics2 his talk was of substance1 mode1 and attribute1 rather than of premises and conclusions4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh and ,i were brought into closer acquaintance by the ,republican agitation in ,england after the proclamation of the present ,french ,republic4 ,i attended the ,republican ,conference at ,birmingham in #ahga1 when ,i first met my old friend ,dr4 ,guest of ,manchester1 ,mr4 ,r4 ,a4 ,cooper of ,norwich1 ,mr4 ,daniel ,baker1 ,mr4 ,ferguson the ,glasgow ,home ,ruler1 and other veterans of reform4 ,we held our ,conference on ,sunday in the old meeting-place of the ,secular ,society1 which was approached by very abrupt steps1 and being situated over stables1 was not devoid of flavor4 ,on ,monday the ,conference was continued in one of the rooms under the ,town ,hall4 ,a long political programme was concocted4 ,i was elected ,secretary1 and had the honor of speaking at the public meeting in the large hall4 ,it was my first appearance in such a perilous position4 ,i was apprehensive1 and ,i said so4 ,but ,mr4 ,bradlaugh put his hand on my shoulder and told me not to fear4 ,his kind looks and words were an excellent tonic4 ,when ,i rose to speak ,i thought next to nothing about the audience4 ,i thought ,mr4 ,bradlaugh is listening1 ,i must do my best4 ,and now as ,i am writing1 ,i recall his encouraging glance as ,i looked at him1 and the applause he led when ,i made my first point4 ,he was my leader1 and he helped me in an elder-brotherly way4 ,nothing could exceed his considerate generosity4 ,other people did not see it1 but ,i remember it1 and it was typical of the man4 ,one incident at the ,conference is worth noting4 ,it occurred in the afternoon1 when ,mr4 ,r4 ,a4 ,cooper 7,i think7 was in the chair4 ,the question of ,free ,education was being discussed4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh did not quite like it1 nor did ,i4 ,he asked me to go with him into an ante-room and consider an amendment4 ,what it was ,i can hardly remember1 although ,i recollect that ,mr4 ,cooper was very sarcastic about it4 ,since then my own opinion has changed1 as ,i dare say ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's had changed2 and the incident would not be worth recalling if it did not throw a light upon ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's philosophy4 ,he was always in favor of self-help and individual responsibility1 and he was naturally hostile to everything that might weaken those precious-elements of ,english life4 ,during the years immediately after the opening of the ,hall of ,science1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was there a good deal4 ,sometimes he attended the week-night entertainments and gave a reading from ,shelley or ,whittier or some other poet4 ,the audience applauded as a matter of course4 ,they always applauded ,mr4 ,bradlaugh4 ,but he was no reader4 ,he delivered his lines with that straightforward sincerity which characterised his speeches4 ,he cultivated none of the graces or dexterities of the elocutionist4 ,besides1 he was too original to be a successful echo of other men4 ,i think he only did justice to ,shelley's lines ,to the ,men of ,england4 ,but this is a piece of simple and vigorous declamation2 very fine1 no doubt but rather rhetoric than poetry4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was anything but a cold man4 ,i should say he was electric4 ,but his tastes1 so far as ,i could discover1 did not lie in the direction of poetry4 ,certainly ,i heard him once1 in those old days1 read a great part1 if not the whole of ,shelley's ,sensitive ,plant4 ,he loved ,shelley1 however1 as an ,atheist and a ,republican1 and ,i suppose he took ,shelley's poetry on trust4 ,but ,i do not think1 though ,i speak under correction1 that he cared very much for poetry as such4 ,i could never discover from his conversation or writings that he had read a line of ,shakespeare--the god of ,colonel ,ingersoll4 ,his mind was of the practical order1 like ,oliver ,cromwell's4 ,he had a genius for public affairs4 ,he was not only a born orator1 but a born ruler of men4 ,naturally he had1 as the ,french say1 the defects of his qualities4 ,and it may be that the terrible stress of his life tended to repress the poetical side of his nature1 and less developed his subtlety than his strength4 ,yet his feelings were deep1 and his heart was easily touched4 ,when ,william ,o',brien delivered that great speech in the ,house of ,commons after his imprisonment by ,mr4 ,balfour1 with all its needless indignities1 there were two men who could not restrain their tears4 ,one was an ,irish member4 ,the other was ,charles ,bradlaugh4 ,one who witnessed the scene told me it was infinitely pathetic to see that gigantic man1 deemed so hard by an ignorant world1 wiping away his tears at the tale of a brave man's unmerited suffering4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh used to attend the social parties pretty often in those old days4 ,he did not dance and he stood about rather awkwardly4 ,it must have been a great affliction1 but he bore it with exemplary fortitude4 ,once or twice ,i saw ,mrs4 ,bradlaugh there4 ,she had a full-blown matronly figure4 ,miss ,alice and ,miss ,hypatia came frequently4 ,they were not then living in the enervating air of ,london1 and they looked extremely robust4 ,i also remember the boy ,charles1 of whom ,mr4 ,bradlaugh seemed very proud4 ,he was a remarkably bright lad1 and full of promise4 ,but he was carried off by a fever4 ,only a day or two after the lad's death ,mr4 ,bradlaugh had to lecture at the ,hall4 ,i was away1 and ,i wondered whether he would fulfil the engagement4 ,he did fulfil it4 ,a friend wrote to me that ,mr4 ,bradlaugh walked through the hall and mounted the platform with a face as white and rigid as that of a statue4 ,he made no reference or allusion to his loss1 but all could see he carried a bleeding heart4 ,his lecturing in such circumstances was characteristic4 ,weaker men would have indulged their grief2 he was made of sterner stuff1 and would not let it interfere with what he deemed his duty4 ,splendid as was his eloquence at that time1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh did not draw the large audiences that flocked around him a few years later4 ,the ,hall of ,science was at first but half its present size1 the platform standing on the right as you entered1 with a small gallery on the opposite side4 ,its holding capacity could not have been more than half what it is at present1 yet ,i have seen the place far from full4 ,but the audiences grew larger and larger1 and eventually the hall was increased to its present proportions1 although for a long time there was not cash enough to put on a proper roof1 and the building was defaced by a huge unsightly beam1 on each side of which there was an arch of corrugated iron4 ,those were glorious times4 ,difficulties were great1 but there was a spirit at the ,hall that laughed at them4 ,how the foremost men about the place did work6 ,mr4 ,r4 ,o4 ,smith and ,mr4 ,trevilion1 senior1 could a tale unfold4 ,whenever ,freethinkers are at all dejected they should have a chat with one of those gentleman4 ,perhaps it would make them ashamed of their dejection1 and fill them with the spirit of the heroic days4 ,friends have told me with what energy ,mr4 ,bradlaugh fought the battles of the old ,reform ,league4 ,i know with what energy he threw himself into the ,republican agitation that followed the downfall of ,napoleon ,,iii4 ,he tried to get to ,paris but failed4 ,jules ,favre and his friends did not want him4 ,favre himself was an eloquent historion1 and no doubt he felt afraid of a man like ,mr4 ,bradlaugh4 ,but if ,mr4 ,bradlaugh could not get to ,paris he fought hard for ,france in ,london4 ,meetings at the ,hall of ,science did not suffice4 ,there was money from ,french sources and ,st4 ,james's ,hall was taken for a big demonstration4 ,the ,positivists shared in the proceedings4 ,their chief man was ,mr4 ,frederic ,harrison4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh and he were a tremendous contrast4 ,in fact a ,london paper 7,i think the ,echo7 remarked that ,mr4 ,bradlaugh spoke as well as ,mr4 ,harrison wrote1 and ,mr4 ,harrison spoke as badly as ,mr4 ,bradlaugh wrote4 ,there was some truth in this1 though like most epigrams it was not all true4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was a born orator1 but not a born writer4 ,yet he often wrote with a forthright power1 naked and unadorned1 which could dispense with the aid of literary artifices4 ,during this ,english agitation on behalf of ,france1 held firmly under ,german feet1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh came into contact with a ,french countess1 who1 ,i believe1 either supplied or was the channel of supplying the necessary funds4 ,as the lady is mentioned in ,mr ,headingley's ,life of ,charles ,bradlaugh1 which was published with ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's sanction1 there is no reason why ,i should not refer to her4 ,she came several times to the ,hall of ,science1 and ,i was introduced to her4 ,she had been a beauty1 and although time was beginning to tell on her1 she retained a good deal of charm and distinction1 which1 like a true ,frenchwoman1 she heightened by the art of dressing4 ,then as now1 of course1 foul tongues wagged in foolish heads1 and ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's enemies were not slow to point to the ,french countess with prurient grimaces4 ,unable to understand friendship between man and woman1 owing to their ,puritan training or incurable rankness1 they invited the orthodox in religion and politics to note this suspicious connection4 ,something of this malicious folly must have reached ,mr4 ,brad-laugh's ears1 but ,i imagine he was too proud and self-contained to let it disturb him4 ,after the ,birmingham meeting1 and the founding of the ,republican ,league1 of which ,mr4 ,bradlaugh became president1 and ,i secretary1 he visited ,spain on private business1 taking with him a message from the ,conference to ,senor ,castelar1 the leading spirit of the short-lived ,spanish ,republic4 ,i remember writing out the message in a clear1 bold hand1 and addressing the foolscap envelope in the same way4 ,when ,mr4 ,bradlaugh fell among the ,carlists he cursed my caligraphy4 ,happily1 however1 the officer who scrutinised that envelope could not read at all1 and ,mr4 ,bradlaugh escaped the consequences of being known to carry about letters addressed to the devilish ,castelar4 ,during ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's first visit to ,america ,i was a frequent contributor to his journal1 and ,i corresponded with him privately4 ,i went down to ,northampton and delivered a lecture at his request1 under the auspices of his electoral committee4 ,the old theatre--a dirty1 ramshackle place as ,i recollect it--was crowded1 and ,i had my first taste of the popularity of ,mr4 ,bradlaugh in the borough4 ,every mention of his name excited the wildest enthusiasm4 ,while ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was lecturing in the ,states a general election took place in ,england4 ,it was impossible for him to return in time1 but his friends looked after his interests4 ,a committee was formed at the ,hall of ,science to raise the necessary funds1 and ,mr4 ,charles ,watts and ,i went down to ,northampton to conduct the election4 ,we addressed outdoor meetings in the day1 and crowded indoor meetings at night4 ,again ,i saw what a hold ,mr4 ,bradlaugh had on his ,northampton followers4 ,they sang ,bradlaugh for ,northampton in the ,circus with all the fervor of ,scotch ,covenanters on their hillsides rolling the psalm to wintry skies4 ,mr4 ,watts and ,i did not win the seat for ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 nor did he win it himself at the next election1 but we managed to increase his vote1 and he expressed his pleasure at the result4 ,soon after the election ,mr4 ,bradlaugh returned to ,england4 ,mr4 ,watts and ,i went down with him to ,northampton4 ,there was a crowded public meeting1 ,i believe in the ,circus2 and ,i saw ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 for the first time1 in the presence of his future constituents4 ,they were simply intoxicated with excitement4 ,the shouts of ,bradlaugh and ,charley were deafening4 ,hats and handkerchiefs were waved in the air4 ,the multitude rose to its feet and gave its hero a splendid welcome4 ,then we settled down to speech-making1 but all that followed was somewhat tame and flat after that first glorious outburst of popular devotion4 ,the next election came quickly4 ,it resulted in the return of a ,tory majority for ,benjamin ,disraeli1 and ,mr4 ,gladstone went off to sulk in his tent4 ,two ,tories were returned for ,radical ,northampton4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh let them in4 ,he was determined to have one of the ,northampton seats4 ,to get it he had to make himself inevitable4 ,he had to prove that if ,northampton wanted two ,liberal members1 one of them must be ,charles ,bradlaugh4 ,it took him thirteen years to demonstrate this1 but he succeeded1 as he succeeded in most things4 ,at last1 in #ahhj1 he ran as official ,liberal candidate with ,mr4 ,labouchere1 and both were returned4 ,i assisted ,mr4 ,bradlaugh during his second 7#ahgd7 election4 ,it was then that ,i first saw ,mrs4 ,besant4 ,she had not yet taken to the platform1 but she was writing for the ,national ,reformer1 and her pen was active during the contest4 ,mr4 ,watts was also there4 ,another figure ,i remember was ,mr4 ,george ,odger1 who labored among the ,trade ,unionists of ,northampton in ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's interest4 ,george ,odger was one of the ablest of all the working-class leaders ,i have ever met4 ,he came from my own county1 ,devonshire1 being born at ,horrabridge1 on the road between ,plymouth and ,tavistock4 ,he was honest to the heart's core1 as well as very able1 but he was incurably indolent4 ,you never could be sure of him at a public meeting4 ,he had to be looked up beforehand1 or he might forget the engagement and spend his time more agreeably4 ,he was passionately fond of the theatre1 and could talk by the hour on famous performances of old actors and actresses4 ,during the daytime at ,northampton ,i had long chats with him4 ,he objected to fine hotels1 and he objected to walking2 so ,i had to sit with him in the garden of a semi-rural public-house1 where our conversation was altogether out of proportion to our liquor4 ,odger liked beer2 not much of it1 but just enough2 it suited his palate and his purse2 and as ,i drank next to nothing1 the landlord must have thought us unprofitable customers4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh had rooms at the ,george ,hotel4 ,it was the ,tory house1 but he preferred it1 and ,mrs4 ,besant1 ,mr4 ,watts1 and the rest of us1 fed and slept there during the election4 ,this gave rise to a good deal of silly talk among ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's enemies44 ,one evening we were returning from a ,town ,hall meeting1 and the ,tories had been holding a small meeting at the ,george4 ,as we reached the foot of the stairs1 we encountered a knot of ,tories4 ,one of them was ,mr4 ,merewether1 the ,tory candidate4 ,he was nearly of the same height as ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 and well built4 ,his friends were holding him back1 but he broke from them1 exclaiming1 ,hang it6 ,i will have a look at him4 ,he stood at the very foot of the staircase and looked hard at ,mr4 ,bradlaugh ascending4 ,his expression was one of good-tempered insolence4 ,after a long look at ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 he returned to his friends1 shouting1 ,well1 ,i'm damned if he's as bad-looking as ,i thought4 ,i left ,northampton before the close of the poll1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was leaving the same night for ,america1 having barely time to catch the boat at ,liverpool4 ,i drove round with him before leaving1 on a visit to some of the polling stations4 ,he had paid me a modest sum for my services1 but he found he had hardly enough to take him across the ,atlantic1 and he asked me to lend him what money ,i had4 ,i fished seven or nine pounds out of my pocket--,i forget which--and handed it to him4 ,it was paid back to me by his order a few weeks subsequently2 and the incident would not be worth mentioning if it did not throw a light on the libellous nonsense of ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's enemies that he was rolling in wealth4 ,while at ,northampton with ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 and on other occasions1 ,i saw something of his personal tastes and habits4 ,he struck me as an abstemious man4 ,he was far from a great eater1 and ,i never noticed him drink anything at dinner but claret1 which is not an intoxicating beverage4 ,on the whole1 ,i should say1 it is less injurious to the stomach and brain than tea or coffee4 ,he was rather fond of a cup of tea seventeen years ago1 and latterly his fondness for it developed into something like a passion4 ,more than once ,i found him at ,st4 ,john's ,wood drinking a big cup of pretty strong tea1 and was seduced by his genial invitation into joining him in that reckless indulgence4 ,he used to smoke too in the old days1 but he afterwards gave up the practice for several years4 ,about seven years ago1 however1 he resumed it4 ,i do not think he ever attained to the dignity of a pipe4 ,he smoked cigars4 ,some time in ,april1 #ahhi1 ,i spent an hour with him at the ,house of ,commons4 ,he got the ,speaker's leave to take me into the lower smoke-room1 and we discussed a cigar and some claret while discussing some ,freethought business4 ,the claret he seemed indifferent to1 but he puffed the cigar with an air of enjoyment4 ,during the ,northampton election times ,i used to take a good stiff daily walk4 ,all through my youth ,i had plenty of exercise in the open air1 and ,i still grow desperately fusty without a brisk tramp at least once in the twenty-four hours4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh generally took a drive1 and ,i remember telling him with youthful audacity that he ought to walk for his health's sake4 ,of course it was difficult for him to walk in the streets4 ,his stature and bulk made him too noticeable1 and mobbing was very unpleasant4 ,but he might have driven out of town and trudged a mile or two on the country roads4 ,my opinion is that his neglect of physical exercise helped to shorten his life4 ,occasional bouts of fishing were very well in their way1 but daily exercise is the necessary thing4 ,i do not forget the tremendous labor1 physical as well as mental1 of lecturing on burning questions to large audiences4 ,all that1 however1 goes on in hot1 crowded rooms1 full of vitiated air2 and it gives no proper exercise to the legs and loins or the lower vital organs4 ,after one of my remonstrances ,mr4 ,bradlaugh invited me to play a game of billiards4 ,it was the only time ,i ever played with him4 ,his style with the cue was spacious and splendid2 ,the balls went flying about the board1 and ,i chaffed him on his flukes4 ,he had not the temperament of a billiard-player4 ,still1 ,i have heard that he played a fair game at ,st4 ,stephen's2 but ,i can hardly believe it without first-hand testimony4 ,i am willing to believe1 however1 that he was a good chess-player4 ,certainly he had a head for it ,but chess is a vile game for a brain-worker1 whose recreations should never involve a mental strain4 ,when ,i first knew ,mr4 ,bradlaugh he was living at ,tottenham4 ,i never visited him there1 but ,i often called on him at his later lodgings in ,turner-street1 ,commercial-road4 ,he occupied the ground floor1 consisting of two rooms4 ,the back was his bedroom1 and the front his library and workshop4 ,it was what the ,americans call a one-horse affair4 ,shelves all round the room were filled with books4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh sat at a desk with his back to the fireplace4 ,on his right was the door communicating with his bedroom facing him the door opening on the passage1 and on his right 78 left7 the street window4 ,the room itself could hardly have been more than twelve or thirteen feet square4 ,i once told him he was too near the fireplace1 and he said it was sometimes good to have the poker handy4 ,at that ,i stared1 and he told me the following story4 ,one day a gentleman called on him and was invited to take a chair4 ,he sat down facing ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 and explained that he wanted advice on a very particular matter4 ,god ,almighty had told him to kill someone1 and he had a difficulty in selecting a victim4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh put his hand behind him and quietly grasped the poker4 ,the inspired gentleman put the problem as a knotty one1 and begged the assistance of the clever ,iconoclast4 ,well1 said ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 keeping quite cool1 what do you say to the ,archbishop of ,canterbury8 ,the very man6 exclaimed the inspired gentleman4 ,he got ,mr4 ,bradlaugh to give him the ,archbishop's address1 and said1 ,good-day1 with a profusion of thanks4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh went to the door to look for a policeman1 but none was visible1 and the inspired gentleman was soon out of sight4 ,so you see1 said ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 ,it's good to have the poker handy4 ,i never saw or heard of the man again1 and ,i knew he couldn't get near the ,archbishop4 ,there are too many flunkeys in the way4 ,those were my struggling days1 and ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was very kind to me4 ,i remember the ,sunday evening when ,i told him ,i thought of taking to the ,freethought platform4 ,he pointed out the hard and thorny path ,i should have to tread1 but when he saw ,i was resolved on the attempt1 he put his hand on my shoulder and said1 ,there is no young man in the movement ,i would sooner welcome4 ,in the very same room1 on another ,sunday evening a little later1 ,i first saw ,james ,thomson4 ,he came down to the ,hall of ,science with ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 in whose employment he then was1 and ,i gave him the article ,i had brought for the ,national ,reformer4 ,he shook hands very cordially1 and ,i was delighted to meet one for whose poetry ,i had a profound admiration4 ,it was also at the ,hall of ,science1 about the same time1 that ,i met the eccentric ,mr4 ,turberville1 brother to ,mr4 ,blackmore1 the novelist4 ,he was a man of parts with a bee in his bonnet4 ,he claimed kinship with ,turberville1 a minor poet of the sixteenth century1 and he loved to talk of poetry4 ,his knowledge of ,shakespeare was profound and minute4 ,he admired ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's perorations immensely1 as well as his bold defence of ,freethought4 ,he made out a will in ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's favor1 but he subsequently made another will1 and died in circumstances that necessitated an inquest4 ,by agreement1 however1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh obtained #b1ejj from the estate1 and the windfall came opportunely1 for his struggles and litigations had involved him in considerable debt4 ,i know he often had to borrow money on heavy interest4 ,one day1 at ,turner-street1 he told me that a creditor of this species had coolly invited him to dinner4 ,hang it1 he said1 you can't dine with a man who charges you sixty per cent4 ,another recollection ,i have of ,mr4 ,bradlaugh is in connexion with the funeral of ,mr4 ,austin ,holyoake4 ,the death of this gentleman was a great loss to the ,freethought cause4 ,he was highly respected by all who knew him4 ,the geniality of his disposition was such that he had many friends and not a single enemy4 ,for some years he was ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's printer and publisher1 and a frequent contributor to his journal4 ,he was foremost in every good work1 but he was one of those modest men who never get the credit of their labors4 ,he died at #ag ,johnson's-court1 ,fleet-street1 in an upstairs room above the printing office1 where his devoted wife had for many weeks nursed his flickering life4 ,the funeral was a notable event4 ,those of us who could afford it rode in the undertaker's coaches1 and the rest walked in procession to ,highgate ,cemetery4 ,i can still see ,mr4 ,bradlaugh in my mind's eye1 bustling about on the ground floor1 taking everything as usual on his own shoulders4 ,he sorted us in fours for the coaches1 my vis vis being ,james ,thomson4 ,at the graveside1 after the reading of ,austin ,holyoake's own funeral service by ,mr4 ,charles ,watts1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh delivered a brief address which he had written for the occasion4 ,on the whole it was too much a composition1 but one sentence was true ,bradlaugh1 and it sounds in my ears still3--,twenty years of friendship lie buried in that grave4 ,how such scenes are impressed on one's memory6 ,as ,i write ,i see the set face of ,charles ,bradlaugh4 ,i behold the sob-shaken back and bowed head of ,herbert ,gilham just in front of me4 ,i hear and feel the cool1 rustling wind1 like a plaintive requiem over the dead4 ,once again1 years afterwards1 ,i saw ,mr4 ,bradlaugh in the same cemetery1 supporting the helpless figure of ,mrs4 ,ernestine ,rose as she left the open grave of the dear partner of her long life of labor for the cause of human redemption4 ,owing to circumstances1 into which ,i need not enter1 ,i saw little of ,mr4 ,bradlaugh between #ahge and #ahhj4 ,when he was returned for ,northampton ,i rejoiced1 and when he was committed to the ,clock ,tower ,i saw my duty sun-clear4 ,it was to participate as ,i could1 and might1 in the struggle4 ,my contributions to ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's journal were resumed1 and ,i spoke at meetings in his behalf4 ,in ,may1 #ahha1 ,i started the ,freethinker1 my oldest living child4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh acted with his natural generosity4 ,he advertised my bantling gratuitously in his own journal1 and gave it every possible facility4 ,this was not known at the time1 but ,i ought to state it now4 ,throughout that long1 terrible struggle with the ,house of ,commons ,i was with ,mr4 ,bradlaugh on every point4 ,if he made a single mistake ,i have yet to see it indicated4 ,my article in the first number of the ,freethinker was entitled ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's ,advisers4 ,its object was to show the absurdity of the plentiful advice offered him1 and the absolute justice of the course he was pursuing4 ,three weeks afterwards the bigots convened a ticket meeting at ,exeter ,hall4 ,the chief promoters were ,earl ,percy1 ,sir ,bartle ,frere1 and butcher ,varley4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was afraid the meeting would have a pre-judicial effect on public opinion in the provinces4 ,the fact of the tickets would be kept back1 and the report would go forth that a vote was unanimously passed against him at a big ,london demonstration4 ,it was necessary1 therefore1 that the meeting should be spoiled4 ,and it was4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh gave me the task of moving an amendment4 ,we had a chat in his library at ,st4 ,john's ,wood1 and as we parted he said1 ,i rely on you1 ,foote4 ,he looked at me steadily1 holding my eyes as though to read the depths4 ,we got tickets somehow4 ,but the ,protestant ,alliance smelt mischief1 and ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's supporters had to fight their way in4 ,two hundred and fifty police were not enough to keep them all out4 ,i was naturally a marked man1 and fighting had to be supplemented by diplomacy4 ,when the noble ,smithson 7,earl ,percy71 had drivelled for a few minutes as chairman1 and the resolution against ,mr4 ,bradlaugh had been proposed and seconded by ,sir ,john ,kennaway and ,canon ,taylor1 ,i rose to move an amendment4 ,but the amendment was refused4 ,the resolution was put1 and the ,christians stood up and voted1 while the organ played ,god ,save the ,queen4 ,then1 at a signal1 our people jumped on the forms1 and rent the air with cheers for ,bradlaugh4 ,at another signal they all trooped out1 went off to ,trafalgar-square with the big crowd outside1 and passed resolutions in ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's favor4 ,the bigots' meeting was completely spoiled4 ,they had to barricade the doors and keep out their own people as well as the enemy2 the hall was never half full1 and their resolution was passed after refusing an amendment1 amidst loud execrations4 ,such a lesson was taught the bigots that they never made another attempt4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh had trusty lieutenants and stern supporters1 and the bigots knew he would spoil every private meeting that professed to be public4 ,he acted with wisdom and determination1 and the result showed he knew the stake he was playing for when he said1 ,i rely on you1 with that steady ,napoleonic look4 9999999999 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's legal exploits1 if properly recorded1 would fill a good-sized volume4 ,when his life is adequately written1 as it will be some day1 this department will have to be entrusted to a skilled lawyer4 ,no other person could do anything like justice to a most important part of the career of one whom the ,tories used to call that litigious man1 when they were trying to ruin him in the law courts and he was only defending himself against their base attacks4 ,those who had only known ,mr4 ,bradlaugh as a platform orator had some difficulty in recognising him when they first met him in one of our halls of justice4 ,his whole manner was changed4 ,he was polite1 insinuating1 and deferential4 ,his attitude towards the judges was admirably calculated to conciliate their favor4 ,i do not mean that he calculated4 ,he had quite a superstitious veneration for judges4 ,it was perfectly sincere and it never wavered4 ,he would not hear a word against them4 ,when he pleaded before them his personal sentiments ran in a line with his best interests2 for although judges are above most temptations1 their vanity is often sensitive1 and ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's manner was intensely flattering4 ,had he followed the legal profession1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh would have easily mounted to the top and earned a tremendous income4 ,i have heard some of the cleverest counsel of our time1 but ,i never heard one to be compared with him in grasp1 subtlety and agility4 ,he could examine and cross-examine with consummate dexterity4 ,in arguing points of law he had the tenacity of a bull-dog and the keenness of a sleuth-hound4 ,he always fortified himself with a plethora of cases4 ,the table in front of him groaned with a weight of law4 ,here as elsewhere he was thorough4 ,an eminent jurisprudist once remarked to me1 there is little gleaning to be done after ,bradlaugh4 ,as a pleader before juries1 however1 ,i doubt whether he would have achieved a great success4 ,he was too much of a born orator4 ,he began well1 but he soon forgot the limited audience of twelve1 and spoke to a wider circle4 ,this is not the way to humor juries4 ,they like to feel their own importance1 and he succeeds best who plays upon their weakness4 ,remember1 their looks say1 you are talking to us2 the other gentlemen listen accidentally2 we make you or damn you4 ,my first recollection of ,mr4 ,bradlaugh in the law courts is twenty-two years old4 ,how many survivors are there of the friends who filled that dingy old court at ,westminster where he argued before a full bench of judges in #ahfi8 ,he was prosecuted for note giving sureties in the sum of #djj against the appearance of blasphemy or sedition in his paper4 ,the law was resuscitated in his single case to crush him2 but he fought1 as he said he would1 to the bitter end1 and the ,gladstone ,government was glad to repeal the obsolete enactments4 ,the ,crown retired from the suit with a stet processus1 and ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was left with the laurels--and his costs4 ,i obtained an hour or two's leave from my employment1 and heard a portion of ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's argument ,it gave me a new conception of his powers4 ,that is the only impression ,i retain4 ,the details have dropped out of my memory1 but there remains as fresh as ever the masterful figure of ,charles ,bradlaugh4 ,the best view ,i ever had of ,mr4 ,bradlaugh in litigation was in the old ,court of ,queen's ,bench on ,tuesday and ,wednesday1 ,july #ai and #bj1 #ahha1 when he cross-examined poor ,mr4 ,newdegate4 ,for a good deal of the time ,i sat beside him1 and could watch him closely as well as the case4 ,by raising the point whether the writ against him for penalties had been issued before or after he gave his vote in the ,house1 he-was able to put all the parties to the prosecution into-the witness-box and make them give an account of themselves4 ,mr4 ,newdegate was one of the victims1 and the poor man made confessions that furnished ,mr4 ,bradlaugh with ground for a successful action against him under the law of ,maintenance4 ,mr4 ,newdegate was a hard-mouthed witness1 but he-was saddled1 bridled1 and ridden to the winning-post4 ,his lips opened literally1 making his mouth like the slit of a pillar-box4 ,getting evidence from him was like extracting a rotten cork from the neck of a bottle but it all came out bit by bit1 and the poor man must have left the witness-box feeling that he had delivered himself into the hands of that uncircumcised ,philistine4 ,his cross-examination lasted three hours4 ,it was like flaying alive4 ,once or twice ,i felt qualms of pity for the old man1 he was such an abject figure in the hands-of that terrible antagonist4 ,every card he held had to-be displayed4 ,finally he had to produce the bond of indemnity he had given the common informer ,clarke against all the expenses he might incur in the suit2 ,when this came out ,mr4 ,bradlaugh bent down to me and said1 ,i have him4 ,and he did have him4 ,despite the common notion that the old law of ,maintenance was obsolete1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh pursued him under it triumphantly1 and instead of ruining ,bradlaugh1 poor ,newdegate was nearly ruined himself4 ,what a contrast to ,mr4 ,newdegate was ,mr4 ,bradlaugh6 ,he was the very picture of suppressed fire1 of rampant energies held in leash3 the nerves of the face playing like the ripple on water1 the whole frame quivering1 and the eyes ablaze4 ,it was wonderful how he managed to keep his intellect alert and his judgment steady4 ,six hours of such work as he had in court that day were enough to tax the greatest strength4 ,before it was over ,i saw bodeful blood-rims under his eyes4 ,it did not surprise me1 on meeting him at the ,cobden ,workmen's ,club the next evening1 to learn that he had been frightfully ill4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 ,i wrote at the time1 is a wonderfully strong man1 but the ,tories and the bigots are doing their best to kill him1 and if this sort of thing is to continue very much longer they may succeed4 ,alas1 they did succeed4 ,that terrible struggle killed him4 ,no man ever lived who could have passed through it unbroken4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was clearly right on the point raised1 but the jury went against him1 apparently out of sheer prejudice4 ,when he went out into ,westminster ,hall he was loudly cheered by a crowd of sympathisers1 who1 as the ,times sneered1 applauded as lustily as though their champion had won4 ,precisely so4 ,their applause would have greeted him in the worst defeat4 ,he was not a champion on whom they had put their money4 ,he represented their principles1 and the ,times forgot1 if it ever knew1 that men are devoted to leaders in proportion to the depth of the interests they espouse4 ,conviction bears it out even to the edge of doom4 ,now let me mention something that shows ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's tact and consideration4 ,my work on the ,freethinker brought me no return4 ,i had just read the proof of an article for ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's paper4 ,while we were waiting for the jury's verdict he referred to the article1 and guessing my need he said1 ,shall ,i give you the guinea now8 ,my answer was an expressive shrug and a motion of the eye-brows4 ,taking the two coins out of his pocket1 he wrapt them in a piece of paper under the table1 and presently slipped the packet into my hand4 ,the whole proceeding touches me deeply as ,i recall it4 ,he might well have thought only of himself in that time of suspense2 but he thought of me too1 and the precautions he took against being seen to pay me money were expressive of his inbred delicacy4 ,reader do not say the incident is trivial4 ,these little things reveal the man4 ,little did ,i dream1 as ,i watched ,mr4 ,bradlaugh fighting bigotry in the law courts1 that the time would come when he and ,i would be included in a common indictment and stand in a criminal dock together4 ,but as the ,french say1 it is always the unexpected that happens4 ,early in ,july1 #ahhb1 ,i was served with a summons from the ,lord ,mayor of ,london1 ordering me to appear at the ,mansion ,house on the following ,tuesday and take my trial on a charge of ,blasphemy4 ,two other gentlemen were included in the summons1 and all three of us duly appeared4 ,we were all members of the ,national ,secular ,society1 and ,mr4 ,bradlaugh attended to render any possible assistance4 ,the case was adjourned to the following ,monday1 by which time a summons had been served on ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 who took his place beside us in the dock4 ,after an animated day's proceedings we were committed for trial at the ,old ,bailey4 ,the object of this prosecution was1 of course1 to stab ,mr4 ,bradlaugh in the back4 ,he had fought all the bigots face to face1 and held them all at bay2 so they put a stiletto into ,sir ,hardinge ,giffard's hands1 and paid him his blood-money to attack the hero from behind4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh had to play the fox again4 ,he wanted to gain time1 and he wanted to be tried1 if at all1 in the ,court of ,queen's ,bench4 ,he always told me that being tried at the ,old ,bailey was going like a lamb to the slaughter1 and that a verdict of guilty there would certainly mean twelve months' imprisonment4 ,the obvious resource1 therefore1 was to obtain a writ of certiorari removing our indictment to the superior court4 ,happily it was in the long vacation1 and application had to be made to a judge in chambers4 ,by another piece of good luck1 it was ,mr4 ,justice ,stephen who sat behind the table on the fatal morning when the writ had to be finally granted or refused4 ,it was obtained on ,july #bi1 #ahhb4 ,poor ,mr4 ,maloney1 who represented the prosecution1 was no match for ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 who treated him like a child1 and only let him say a word now and then as a special favor4 ,roaming the law courts with ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 ,i was able to see his intimate knowledge of legal practice4 ,he threaded the labyrinth with consummate ease and dexterity4 ,we went from office to office1 where everything seemed designed to baffle suitors conducting their own cases4 ,our case1 too1 was somewhat peculiar2 obsolete technicalities1 only half intelligible even to experts1 met us at every turn2 and when we got out into the open air ,i felt that the thing was indeed done1 but that it would puzzle omniscience to do it in exactly the same way again4 ,seven pounds was spent on stamps1 documents1 and other items1 and securities for costs had to be given to the extent of six hundred pounds4 ,as ,i walked home ,i pondered the great truth that ,england is a free country4 ,i had seen with my own eyes that there is one law for rich and poor4 ,but ,i could not help reflecting that only the rich could afford it1 and that the poor might as well have no law at all4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh next moved to quash the indictment4 ,he argued that the public prosecutor's fiat was bad1 as it did not name the persons who were to be proceeded against1 and thus resembled a general warrant1 which in the famous ,wilkes case the judges had held to be invalid4 ,on this point1 however1 two judges1 one of them being ,sir ,james ,stephen1 gave judgment against him4 ,the case was argued on ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's part1 the judges said1 with great power and learning4 ,for my part1 ,i think he showed a greater knowledge of cases than both the legal luminaries on the bench1 who laid their heads close together over many a knotty point of the argument4 ,beaten on the main issue1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was successful1 however1 on the subsidiary one4 ,two counts were struck out of the indictment4 ,the excision made no difference to me1 but a great deal of difference to him4 ,two numbers of the ,freethinker were thus disposed of bearing the imprint of the ,freethought ,publishing ,company--under which name ,mr4 ,bradlaugh and ,mrs4 ,beasant traded--and owing to the lapse of time it was impossible to open a fresh indictment4 ,of course ,i saw what ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was driving at1 and ,i could not but admire the way in which he made light of this point1 arguing it baldly as a formal matter on which1 as their lordships would see at a glance1 he was absolutely entitled to a judgment4 ,they would see that he was still open to all the other counts of the indictment1 and therefore it might make very little difference1 but right was right and law was law4 ,under the spell of his persuasive speech1 it was amazing to see the judges smoothing their wrinkled fronts4 ,i fancy they gave him his second point the more readily because they were against him on the first2 indeed1 they seemed to think it a pity1 if not a shame1 that all his learning and ability should be displayed for nothing4 ,our indictment went into the list of ,crown ,cases ,reserved1 and did not come on for trial till the following ,april4 ,meanwhile ,i was prosecuted again1 and failing to get a writ of certiorari1 owing to the flagrant bigotry of ,baron ,huddleston and ,justice ,north1 ,i was tried at the ,old ,bailey1 and sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment like a common thief--as ,mr4 ,bradlaugh had predicted4 ,during my trouble ,mr4 ,bradlaugh lent me every assistance1 furnishing me with legal books and advice and visiting me in ,newgate between the first and second trials1 while ,judge ,north's underlings were preparing a more pliant jury than the one which had declined to return a verdict of guilty4 ,in ,holloway ,gaol ,i lost sight of ,mr4 ,bradlaugh and everyone else1 except persons ,i had no desire to see4 ,but one morning1 early in ,april1 #ahhc1 the ,governor informed me that ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was going to pay me a visit1 having the ,home ,secretary's order to see me on urgent business4 ,the same afternoon ,i was marched from my cell into one of the ,governor's offices1 where ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was wailing4 ,compared with the pale prisoners ,i saw day by day1 he looked the very picture of health4 ,fresh1 clean-shaven1 neatly dressed1 he was a most refreshing sight to eyes accustomed to rough faces and the brown convict's garb4 ,and it was a friend too1 and ,i could take his hand and exchange human speech with him4 ,how vivid is my recollection of him at that moment6 ,he seemed in the prime of life1 little the worse for his terrible struggles1 only the gray a trifle more decided about the temples1 but the eyes full of light1 and the mobile mouth full of vitality4 ,and now he is dead6 ,dead6 ,it is hard to realise4 ,but ,i rang the muffled bell as he lay fighting his last battle1 and ,i followed his corpse to the grave2 and ,i know that the worm is busy about those leonine features1 and the rain trickles through with a scent of faded flowers4 ,yes1 it is true2 he is dead4 ,dead like the king and dead like the clown2 yet living truly beyond the dust of death in the lives of others1 an inextinguishable light1 a vivifying fire1 a passionate hope1 an ardent aspiration4 ,till the ,future dares ,forget the ,past1 his fate and fame shall be ,an echo and a light unto eternity4 ,on the morning of ,april #aj1 #ahhc1 ,i put on my own clothes and was driven in a four-wheeler from ,holloway ,gaol to the ,law ,courts1 in company with ,warder ,smith1 who superintended the wing of the prison in which a grateful country lodged and boarded me at its own expense4 ,it was lovely spring weather1 and ,i felt like a man new-born4 ,inside the court where the great ,blasphemy case was to be tried ,i found ,mr4 ,bradlaugh with his usual load of law books4 ,the court was crowded with friends of the defendants and legal gentlemen anxious to witness the performance4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh applied for a separate trial1 on the ground that as there was no charge of conspiracy it was unjust to prejudice his case by evidence admitted against his co-defendants2 and ,lord ,coleridge1 who obviously meant to see fair play1 granted the application4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's position was1 in one sense1 the most perilous he had ever stood in4 ,just as his long litigation with respect to his seat in ,parliament was drawing to a close1 and as he believed to a successful close1 he had to defend himself against a charge which1 if he were proved guilty1 would entail upon him the penalty of imprisonment4 ,of course it would not have been such imprisonment as ,i was suffering1 for ,queen's ,bench prisoners are generally sent to the civil side of ,holloway ,gaol4 ,but any imprisonment at such a moment gravely imperilled his prospects of success in the mighty struggle with wealth1 bigotry1 and political prejudice4 ,a sense of this fact weighed heavily upon him1 but it did not impair his energy or intellectual alertness2 indeed1 he was one of those rare men whose faculties are sharpened by danger4 ,i need not dwell upon the evidence of the prosecution4 ,it was most unsatisfactory1 and failed to connect ,mr4 ,bradlaugh with the ,freethinker4 ,sir ,hardinge ,giffard1 therefore1 almost entirely confined himself to playing upon the prejudices of the jury4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was perfection itself in examining and cross-examining1 and was soon on the windward side of the judge1 but his address to the jury was too boisterous4 ,he felt too much4 ,his adversary was not under this disadvantage1 and ,sir ,hardinge ,giffard's address to the jury1 considered merely as a tactical display1 was better than ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's4 ,on the second day of the trial 7it lasted for three days7 there occurred a curious episode4 ,just before the adjournment for luncheon ,mr4 ,bradlaugh intimated that when the ,court re-assembled he would call his co-defendants as witnesses4 ,lord ,coleridge replied in a low1 suggestive tone1 ,do you think it necessary8 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh rose and for the first time ,i saw him tremble4 ,my lord1 he said1 you put upon me a grave responsibility4 ,i put no responsibility upon you1 said ,lord ,coleridge1 it is for you to decide4 ,and the stately judge glided away in his robes of office4 ,if ,mr4 ,bradlaugh put his co-defendants in the witness-box1 one of two things might happen4 ,they might decline to give evidence1 as every answer would tend to criminate themselves2 or they might exculpate ,mr4 ,bradlaugh and procure their own damnation4 ,i do not blame ,lord ,coleridge for looking at the matter in this way4 ,but ,i naturally looked at it in a different light ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was my general1 and ,i was his lieutenant1 and it was clearly my duty to sacrifice myself4 ,i could release him from danger with half a dozen words1 and why should ,i hesitate to say them or he to exact them8 ,i was already in prison1 and another conviction could add little to my misfortune1 whereas he was still free1 and his continued freedom was just then absolutely indispensable to our common cause4 ,for my part1 ,i had not a moment's hesitation4 ,but ,lord ,coleridge's words sank into ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's mind1 and after luncheon he announced that he would not call his co-defendants4 ,his lordship looked pleased1 but how he frowned when ,sir ,hardinge ,giffard complained that he was deprived of an opportunity6 ,lord ,coleridge did not say1 but he looked--,have you no sense of decency8 ,sir ,hardinge ,giffard1 however1 was thick-skinned4 ,he relied on ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's sense of honor1 and made it the basis of an artificial grievance4 ,he even pretended that ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was afraid to call his co-defendants4 ,but he overreached himself by this hypocrisy1 and obliged ,mr4 ,bradlaugh to put his co-defendants into the witness-box4 ,we were formally tendered as witnesses1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh going no further1 and leaving ,sir ,hardinge ,giffard to do as he would4 ,of course he was obliged to interrogate us1 or look foolish after his braggadocio1 and in doing so he ruined his own case by giving us the opportunity6 of declaring that ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was never in any way connected with the ,freethinker4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 of course1 did not in any sense sacrifice me4 ,it would have been contemptible on my part to let him bear any responsibility for my own deliberate action1 in which he was not at all implicated1 and if ,i had not been tendered as a witness ,i should have tried to tender myself4 ,after half an hour's deliberation the jury found ,mr4 ,bradlaugh not guilty4 ,standing up for the verdict1 with pale set face1 the grateful little not fell upon his ear1 and his rigidity relaxed4 ,tears started to my eyes1 and ,i saw the tears in his eyes as ,i squeezed his hand in speechless congratulation4 ,my own trial followed ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's1 and ,i was not found guilty4 ,three members of the jury held out against a verdict that would have disgraced a free country2 and as the prosecution despaired of obtaining a verdict while ,lord ,coleridge presided at the trial1 the ,attorney-,general was asked to allow the abandonment of proceedings4 ,this he granted1 the case was struck off the list1 and ,i returned to my prison cell at ,holloway4 ,let me now go back to the crowning incident of that long struggle between ,charles ,bradlaugh and the ,house of ,commons4 ,on ,may #aj1 #ahha1 the ,house passed a resolution authorising the ,sergeant-at-,arms to prevent ,mr4 ,bradlaugh from entering4 ,on ,june #bj1 the jury gave a verdict in ,mr4 ,newdegate's favor for the #ejj penalty and costs4 ,a motion for a new trial failed1 and ,mr4 ,bradlaugh appealed to the country4 ,enthusiastic meetings were held in his behalf1 and he prepared a fresh coup4 ,it had to be something striking1 and it was4 ,on the morning of ,august #c ,palace ,yard and ,westminster ,hall were thronged with his supporters4 ,every one was armed with a petition1 which he had a legal right to take to the ,house of ,commons4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh himself drove up in a hansom cab1 and entered the precincts of the ,house by the private door4 ,he made his way to the door of the ,house itself and tried to enter by a sudden effort1 but he was seized by fourteen officials and stalwart policemen1 picked for the work1 and thrust back through the private passage into ,palace ,yard4 ,not expecting such indignity1 he contested every inch of the ground4 ,inspector ,denning said he never thought that one man could have offered such resistance4 ,the small muscles of both his arms were ruptured1 and a subsequent attack of erysipelas put his life in jeopardy4 ,when he was finally thrust on to the pavement in ,palace ,yard his coat was torn and the rest of his garments were disarranged4 ,his face was livid with the intense exertion when ,i saw him a minute afterwards4 ,there he stood1 a great mass of panting1 valiant manhood1 his features set like granite1 and his eyes fixed upon the doorway before him4 ,he seemed to see nothing but that doorway4 ,i spoke to him1 and he seemed not to hear4 ,i believe a mighty struggle was going on within him1 perhaps the greatest struggle of his life4 ,he had suffered a frightful indignity1 he must have been tempted to avenge it1 and he had but to hold up his hand to bring around and behind him the myriads who stood outside the railings4 ,the action would have been impolitic1 but what a temptation he crushed down1 and what an effort it necessitated4 ,never was his heroic nature more sorely tried4 ,he justified his mastery of others by his mastery of himself4 ,how small in comparison seemed the mob of his enemies6 ,i never admired him more than at that moment4 ,he was superb1 sublime4 ,they had wound their meshes about him1 and the lion had burst them4 ,one swift1 daring stroke had frustrated all their plans4 ,he who was to be quietly suppressed by resolutions of the ,house had cut the knot of their policy asunder1 made himself the hero of the hour1 and fixed the nation's eyes on his splendid audacity4 ,reaction set in after that terrible struggle1 and he accepted a chair that was brought him4 ,several members passed as he sat there4 ,one of them was the coward1 ,frank ,hugh ,o',donnell4 ,he had a lady on his arm1 and he passed with her between himself and ,mr4 ,bradlaugh1 so that her dress trailed over the hero's feet4 ,it was a wretched display of insolence and cowardice4 ,but the lady must be exonerated4 ,she looked annoyed1 her cheeks reddened1 and her eyelids fell4 ,it is so hard for a woman to resist the attraction of courage1 and the coward by her side must have suffered in her estimation4 ,there was a crowded meeting that evening at the ,hall of ,science1 at which ,i had the honor of speaking1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's greeting was tremendous4 ,two days afterwards he was seriously ill4 ,during that great constitutional struggle ,i was present at many ,bradlaugh meetings1 and ,i never witnessed such enthusiasm as he excited4 ,no man of my time had such a devoted following4 ,the last ,bradlaugh demonstration ,i attended was on ,february #ae1 #ahhc1 in ,trafalgar-square4 ,seventy or eighty thousand people were present4 ,there were four speakers1 and three of them are dead1 ,joseph ,arch being the sole survivor4 ,mr4 ,adams1 of ,northampton1 lived to see his old friend take his seat and do good work in the ,house of ,commons1 became himself ,mayor of ,northampton1 and died universally respected by his fellow-townsmen2 ,william ,sharman1 a brave1 true man1 is buried at ,preston2 and ,charles ,bradlaugh sleeps his long sleep at ,woking4 ,for another twelve months ,i attended no public meetings except the silent ones on the exercise ground of ,holloway ,gaol1 ,but ,i saw ,mr4 ,bradlaugh at several demonstrations on various subjects after my imprisonment1 and ,i could perceive no abatement of his popularity4 ,he had his enemies and detractors1 but the spontaneous outburst of feeling at his death proved his hold on the popular heart4 ,i must now leap forward to that dreadful illness which left him a broken man4 ,years before1 in #ahhb1 when we were roaming the ,law ,courts together1 he tapped his chest as he coughed1 and seeing my anxious expression he told me that he brought up a good deal of phlegm in the morning1 and that strangers who heard him clearing his chest would fancy he was very ill4 ,but he looked so well that ,i soon dismissed the unpleasant fact1 though it returned before his breakdown when ,i saw he was obliged to cancel engagements4 ,i heard in #ahhd1 though not from himself1 that he had some heart trouble4 ,but ,i was far from prepared for the shattering illness that laid him low in ,october1 #ahhi4 ,when ,i called to see him after his partial recovery ,i was shocked by his appearance4 ,he looked twenty years older1 grey1 and infirm4 ,i sat down half-dazed4 ,theoretically ,i knew he was mortal1 but ,i did not realise it as a fact until ,i saw him thin and pale from the valley of the shadow of death4 ,his mind was clear enough1 however2 and although everything about him was pathetic he was quite self-collected4 ,one thing he said to me ,i shall never forget4 ,there had been talk of his wavering in his ,freethought1 and as he referred to this folly he spoke in grave impressive tones4 ,pointing to the humble bed1 he said1 ,when ,i lay there and all was black the thing that troubled me least was the convictions of my life4 ,words and accents were alike solemn4 ,the cold shadow of death seemed to linger in the room4 ,a moment or two later he said with a broken voice1 ,the ,freethought party is a party that ,i love4 ,the memory of that interview will always be a precious possession4 ,i treasure it with the sacred things of my life4 ,i had seen and touched the naked sincerity of a great soul4 ,when ,mr4 ,bradlaugh returned from ,india ,i called on him1 and found him greatly improved by his voyage4 ,i waited for him a few minutes in his library1 as he was at lunch1 and the doctors attached great importance to regularity in his meals4 ,he came into the room with a most genial smile4 ,his air was fresh and buoyant1 and he walked over to me quickly1 holding out his hand all the way4 ,i took it heartily1 and had a good look at him1 which satisfied and yet dissatisfied me4 ,he was certainly better1 but ,i could not help feeling that his constitution was irrecoverably broken4 ,never again could ,i hope to see the grand ,bradlaugh of the old fighting days4 ,his mind was as brave and alert as ever1 but the body was too obviously disabled4 ,he showed me some of his ,indian presents1 of which he was justly proud1 and then we sat down to chat4 ,he was full of his voyage and the kindness he had experienced on every side4 ,his reception in ,india had exceeded his highest anticipations1 and he was looking forward to work in the ,house of ,commons on behalf of our great ,dependency4 ,speaking of his financial prospects1 he told me he had received offers of work from several magazine editors4 ,but he added1 one doesn't know how long it will last2 'tis a precarious business4 ,his face clouded for a moment1 and ,i saw he was more troubled than he cared to say4 ,one thing he told me which ,i had no right to repeat while he lived1 but ,i may repeat it without a breach of confidence now that he is dead4 ,during his brief stay in ,india he could have had plenty of money if he had been less scrupulous4 ,there was nothing very dishonourable in accepting money from rich ,hindoos1 for he was poor and broken in health1 and he was fighting for their best interests4 ,but he was too proud to take it1 and when wealthy natives were calling on him1 he always took the precaution to have an ,english friend in the room4 ,no1 he said to me1 ,i cannot do that4 ,i'll live like the old ,bradlaugh1 or ,i'll go under4 ,he lived like the old ,bradlaugh1 and he went under4 ,he took to the platform again to earn a livelihood1 and it killed him1 as his doctors had foreseen4 ,i implored him at the time not to resume the lecturing4 ,he was going to fulfil an old-standing engagement at ,manchester in the vast ,st4 ,james's ,hall1 and ,i begged him to cancel it4 ,he replied that he could not afford to forfeit twenty pounds4 ,what is that to your life8 ,i asked4 ,he only smiled grimly4 ,his mind was made up1 and he was not to be bent by advice4 ,on ,sunday morning1 ,february #af1 #ahij1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh resigned his presidency of the ,national ,secular ,society1 which he had held for so many years4 ,the ,hall of ,science was packed with members1 chiefly from the ,london district1 but many of them from the provinces4 ,the scene was infinitely pathetic4 ,one sentiment reigned in every heart4 ,the ,old ,guard was taking leave of its ,general4 ,some of them had fought around him for thirty years1 and the farewell was a mutilation of their very lives4 ,tears were streaming down strong faces2 and they coursed down the strongest face of all1 the face of ,charles ,bradlaugh1 and plashed on the table before him4 ,for a while he let them fall1 and then he controlled his grief and rose to speak4 ,but the words would not come4 ,his frame shook with a great sob1 and he sat down again4 ,a second time he rose and failed4 ,but the third time his strong will prevailed1 and he began to speak in low1 trembling tones4 ,never was ,i so struck with his oratorical powers as on this occasion4 ,without once lifting his voice above the note of conversation1 he swayed the meeting for a full half-hour1 as easily and universally as the wind billows a cornfield4 ,in resigning the presidency he thought it his duty to nominate a successor1 and his choice was ratified by the meeting4 ,he handed me the president's hammer after a solemn1 impressive apostrophe1 in which he expressed his hope that he might thank me1 after many years1 for good1 loyal work as leader2 and when ,i had acknowledged the lofty honor he rose to vacate the chair4 ,naturally ,i declined to let him do anything of the kind1 and for a moment the two ,presidents stood together in friendly altercation4 ,but for once he gave way1 and ,charles ,bradlaugh filled the chair to the last4 ,resigning the ,presidency did not mean retirement from the ,national ,secular ,society4 ,at his own suggestion ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was elected a life-member4 ,he was thus a member of the ,society up to the last moment of his life4 ,nor was he an inactive one4 ,i frequently had occasion to consult him1 and one of his last bits of work was the drawing up of a long document for the ,society on ,secular ,burials4 ,months rolled by1 and the evening came for the great debate on the ,eight flours ,bill between ,mr4 ,bradlaugh and ,mr4 ,hyndman4 ,st4 ,james's ,hall was packed to suffocation4 ,i sat on the platform near my old leader1 and ,i saw how the effort was telling on him4 ,his opponents in the meeting behaved with incredible brutality4 ,some of them laughed aloud when he said1 ,believe me1 this has tried me more than ,i had thought4 ,but now the hero they laughed at is dead1 and they know that he spoke the truth4 ,the last time ,i saw ,mr4 ,bradlaugh in public was on ,wednesday evening1 ,december #aj1 #ahij1 when he lectured at the ,hall of ,science on behalf of the ,forder ,testimonial ,fund4 ,i believe that was the last lecture he delivered there1 if not the last lecture he delivered anywhere4 ,he dealt with the ,evidences of ,christianity1 in reference to ,archdeacon ,watkins' lectures on the ,fourth ,gospel1 and assuredly he was as firmly sceptical as ever4 ,at the close of the lecture he spoke of his theological position1 and declared that he could not conceive of any such change of mind as glib gossipers were asserting of him4 ,the weather was extremely foggy1 and ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was ill4 ,he ought not to have been there at all4 ,after struggling painfully through the lecture1 he sat down and waited for discussion4 ,a ,christian opponent rose1 and ,mr4 ,bradlaugh replied2 but1 being in the chair1 ,i would not allow a second speech1 and ,i was glad to see him well wrapt-up1 and once more in the care of his devoted daughter4 9999999999 ,having concluded my reminiscences of ,charles ,bradlaugh in relation to the events of his life1 ,i shall wind up with a little personal talk of a more general character4 ,i have already referred to ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's extraordinary knowledge of the law4 ,this was strikingly illustrated after the so-called ,trafalgar-square riots4 ,the ,tories made a wanton aggression on the right of public meeting in ,london1 and found a ready instrument of tyranny in ,sir ,charles ,warren4 ,no doubt there is much to be said against promiscuous meetings in ,trafalgar-square at all hours of the day and night1 but it was a high-handed act of brutality to prohibit all meetings directly it was known that the ,london ,radicals were convening a ,sunday demonstration on the ,irish question4 ,while the ,radicals were chafing under this insult they held several stormy meetings to discuss their best policy1 and at last a ,committee was appointed to find out1 if possible1 the legal rights1 of the people and the ,crown4 ,i was a member of that committee1 and ,i am able to state that although we waited on several eminent lawyers1 it was only from ,mr4 ,bradlaugh that we obtained any light4 ,the others talked vaguely about the right of public meeting1 and the primary and secondary uses of public thoroughfares1 but ,mr4 ,bradlaugh gave us the facts of the case4 ,trafalgar-square was ,crown property1 its control was vested in the ,commissioner of ,works1 and at any moment it could be absolutely closed to the ,british public4 ,this had escaped the other lawyers1 who did not find it in the ,statutes at ,large1 from which the ,trafalgar-square ,act1 probably as being a private one1 had been excluded4 ,nor was it known to the ,government when ,sir ,charles ,warren issued his first proclamation1 ,as ,chief ,commissioner of ,police he had no authority-over the ,square1 and until he obtained the order of its proper guardians1 which he did a week later1 his proclamation was only a piece of waste paper1 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh saw this1 though he said nothing1 when the demonstration committee called upon him a few days before ,bloody ,sunday4 ,he told them that he had an engagement in the provinces on that day1 but if they would postpone the demonstration until the following ,sunday he would himself lead it to ,trafalgar-square4 ,his offer was not accepted1 however2 for the committee resented the condition he stipulated1 namely1 that he should have absolute control of the arrangements4 ,they thought he was taking too much upon himself4 ,they did not reflect that if he who takes power without responsibility is a despot1 he who takes responsibility without power is a fool4 ,it was their action1 and not his1 that lost the battle4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh made no public parade of his brave offer4 ,it was not his way4 ,but it is due to his memory that it should be put on record1 so that posterity may know the extent of his generous courage4 ,there can be no doubt1 ,i think1 that ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was less popular with the working-classes in ,london after he took peaceable possession of his seat in ,parliament4 ,the ,london masses love a fighter1 and while he was battling for his seat he was1 in my opinion1 the most popular figure in the metropolis4 ,the ,radical workmen never tired of his demonstrations4 ,he could bring fifty or a hundred thousand of them together at a few days' notice4 ,and the other speakers were1 for the most part1 only padding to fill up the time4 ,it was ,bradlaugh the multitude came for4 ,they waited to hear him speak1 they applauded him to the skies1 and when he had done they dispersed4 ,and on such occasions he was magnificent4 ,no one can conceive the power of the man who never saw him at one of these demonstrations4 ,he stood like a ,pharos1 and the light of his face kindled the crests of the living waves around him4 ,but he was out of sympathy with the ,socialist movement1 which began to spread just as he took his seat2 and being assiduous in ,parliament1 he was drawn more and more from the ,clubs1 where his libellers and detractors wagged their tongues to some purpose4 ,his strong individualism1 as well as his practical good sense1 made him bitterly hostile to the mildest proposals for putting the people's industrial interests into the hands of ,government departments4 ,and being a man of most positive quality1 it was natural that he should excite the hatred of the more fanatical ,socialists2 a sentiment which1 ,i cannot help thinking1 he exasperated by his apparent denial of the generosity of their aims4 ,there are men in the ,socialist camp 7and ,i say it without being a ,socialist7 who are neither poets nor fools--though it is no disgrace to be the former2 men who have studied with severity and sincerity1 who have made sacrifices for conviction1 and who were sometimes hurt by his antipathy4 ,but1 on the other hand1 he was bitterly goaded by ,socialist adversaries1 who denied his honesty1 and held him up to undeserved scorn as the hireling of the classes--a charge which the more sensitive among them must now repent1 for his death has revealed his poverty4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh was naturally irritable1 but the irritability was only on the surface4 ,the waves were easily raised1 but there was plenty of quiet sea beneath4 ,though giants are often phlegmatic1 his big frame embedded highly-strung nerves4 ,when he was put out he could storm1 and he was misunderstood by those who took the mood for the man4 ,had they seen him in the melting mood they would have learnt that ,charles ,bradlaugh was a more composite personality than they imagined4 ,during the last year or two of his life he underwent a wonderful softening4 ,a beautiful ,indian-summer light rested upon him4 ,he was like a granite rock1 which the sweet grass has overgrown1 and from whose crevices peep lovely wild flowers4 9999999999 ,as ,president of the ,national ,secular ,society he did a great work4 ,i do not think he had a pronounced faculty for organisation4 ,but he was a firm1 sagacious leader1 with the personal magnetism to attract devotion4 ,that he was never overbearing ,i will not affirm4 ,but it is easy to organise sheep4 ,one good dog will do it4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh had to hold together a different species1 with leaping legs1 butting horns1 and a less gregarious tendency4 ,he was a splendid chairman to push through a mass of business1 but he shone less on ordinary occasions4 ,an ideal chairman1 when not promoting his own schemes1 should be like a midwife2 he should aim at a quick delivery and a safe birth4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh did not always observe this rule4 ,but every man has the defects of his qualities1 and even the sun must be taken with its spots4 ,mr4 ,bradlaugh's speeches at the annual ,conferences of the ,national ,secular ,society are better reading than his political speeches4 ,being less in the world of practice there1 and more in the world of principle1 he gave play to his ideal nature1 his words took color1 and metaphors flashed like jewels in the sword of his orations4 ,it was a signal proof of his power1 that after a whole day's exhausting work1 both to himself and his audience1 he never failed to rouse the wildest enthusiasm4 ,now that ,mr4 ,bradlaugh is dead ,i do not hesitate to repeat what ,i said during his lifetime1 that his ,freethought work was the most fecund and important4 ,even his great battle against the ,house of ,commons was for religious freedom against bigotry1 and his one great legislative achievement was the ,act dealing with ,oaths and ,affirmation4 ,his staunchest political supporters were his ,freethought followers4 ,his lectures1 his personal influence1 and his reputation1 leavened the public mind more than his orthodox enemies suspected1 and he created a vast quantity of raw material to be utilised by his successors in ,secular organisation4 9999999999 ,in the foregoing pages ,i have attempted no complete sketch of ,charles ,bradlaugh4 ,i have written1 not a monograph1 but a number of rough jottings4 ,yet ,i hope ,i have conveyed an impression of the man1 in some degree faithful1 to those who may have been imperfectly acquainted with him2 and ,i trust the features ,i have presented1 however baldly outlined1 will be recognised by those who knew and loved him4 ,when all is said and done1 ,i think the final impression one retains of ,charles ,bradlaugh is his heroism4 ,his was cast in a great mould of mind and character1 as well as body4 ,like every hero the world has ever seen1 he had his defects and failings1 for it is given to no man to be perfect4 ,but positive excellence1 with all its drawbacks1 is far above negative merit4 ,thou shalt is loftier virtue than thou shalt not1 and the hero is superior to the saint4 ,charles ,bradlaugh was a colossus of manhood4 ,he was one to design1 and dare1 and do4 ,the beaten path of mediocrity had no attraction for that potent spirit4 ,he belonged to the heroic type which seeks perilous ways and fresh conquests4 ,like the hero of one of ,browning's poems1 he was ever a fighter4 ,in stormy times he naturally rose to the top4 ,he was one of the select few1 not of those who enrich the world with great discoveries1 or new principles1 or subtle perceptions of beauty--but those who appeal to the heroism of man's nature1 without which he is at best but a splendid beast1 and who minister to that sense of dignity which is the supreme necessity of our race4 ,the elements ,so mixed in him1 that ,nature might stand up ,and say to all the world1 ,this was a man6