Alton Locke, Tailor And Poet | Page 9

and that no country would gain the highest liberty without such a class,
holding its own position firmly, but in sympathy with the people. He
liked their habits and ways, and keenly enjoyed their society. Again, he
was full of reverence for science and scientific men, and specially for

political economy and economists, and desired eagerly to stand well
with them. And it was a most bitter trial to him to find himself not only
in sharp antagonism with traders and employers of labour, which he
looked for, but with these classes also.
On the other hand many of the views and habits of those with whom he
found himself associated were very distasteful to him. In a new social
movement, such as that of association as it took shape in 1849-50, there
is certain to be great attraction for restless and eccentric persons, and in
point of fact many such joined it. The beard movement was then in its
infancy, and any man except a dragoon who wore hair on his face was
regarded as a dangerous character, with whom it was compromising to
be seen in any public place--a person in sympathy with sansculottes,
and who would dispense with trousers but for his fear of the police.
Now whenever Kingsley attended a meeting of the promoters of
association in London, he was sure to find himself in the midst of
bearded men, vegetarians, and other eccentric persons, and the contact
was very grievous to him. "As if we shall not be abused enough," he
used to say, "for what we must say and do without being saddled with
mischievous nonsense of this kind." To less sensitive men the effect of
eccentricity upon him was almost comic, as when on one occasion he
was quite upset and silenced by the appearance of a bearded member of
Council at an important deputation in a straw hat and blue plush gloves.
He did not recover from the depression produced by those gloves for
days. Many of the workmen, too, who were most prominent in the
Associations were almost as little to his mind--windy inflated kind of
persons, with a lot of fine phrases in their mouths which they did not
know the meaning of.
But in spite of all that was distasteful to him in some of its
surroundings, the co-operative movement (as it is now called) entirely
approved itself to his conscience and judgment, and mastered him so
that he was ready to risk whatever had to be risked in fighting its battle.
Often in those days, seeing how loath Charles Kingsley was to take in
hand, much of the work which Parson Lot had to do, and how
fearlessly and thoroughly he did it after all, one was reminded of the
old Jewish prophets, such as Amos the herdsman of Tekoa--"I was no

prophet, neither was I a prophet's son, but I was an herdsman and a
gatherer of sycamore fruit: and the Lord took me as I followed the flock,
and said unto me, Go prophesy unto my people Israel."
The following short extracts from his correspondence with Mr. Ludlow,
as to the conduct of the "Christian Socialist," and his own contributions
to it, may perhaps serve to show how his mind was working at this
time:--
Sept., 1850.--"I cannot abide the notion of Branch Churches or Free
(sect) Churches, and unless my whole train of thought alters, I will
resist the temptation as coming from the devil. Where I am I am doing
God's work, and when the Church is ripe for more, the Head of the
Church will put the means our way. You seem to fancy that we may
have a Deus quidam Deceptor over us after all. If I did I'd go and blow
my dirty brains out and be rid of the whole thing at once. I would
indeed. If God, when people ask Him to teach and guide them, does not;
if when they confess themselves rogues and fools to Him, and beg Him
to make them honest and wise, He does not, but darkens them, and
deludes them into bogs and pitfalls, is he a Father? You fall back into
Judaism, friend."
Dec., 1850.--"Jeremiah is my favourite book now. It has taught me
more than tongue can tell. But I am much disheartened, and am minded
to speak no more words in this name (Parson Lot); and yet all these
bullyings teach one, correct one, warn one--show one that God is not
leaving one to go one's own way. 'Christ reigns,' quoth Luther."
It was at this time, in the winter of 1850, that "Alton Locke" was
published. He had been engaged on it for more than a year, working at
it in the midst of all his controversies. The following extracts from