Essays in Liberalism

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Essays in Liberalism

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Title: Essays in Liberalism Being the Lectures and Papers Which Were
Delivered at the Liberal Summer School at Oxford, 1922
Author: Various
Release Date: December 12, 2005 [EBook #17294]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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LIBERALISM ***

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ESSAYS IN LIBERALISM

_Being the Lectures and Papers which were delivered at the Liberal
Summer School at Oxford, 1922_
LONDON: 48 PALL MALL W. COLLINS SONS & CO. LTD.
GLASGOW MELBOURNE AUCKLAND Copyright 1922
Manufactured in Great Britain

PREFACE
The papers contained in this volume are summaries--in some cases,
owing to the defectiveness of the reports, very much abridged
summaries--of a series of discourses delivered at the Liberal Summer
School at Oxford in the first ten days of August, 1922. In two cases
("The State and Industry" and "The Machinery of Government") two
lectures have been condensed into a single paper.
The Summer School was not arranged by any of the official
organisations of the Liberal party, nor was any part of its expenses paid
out of party funds. It was the outcome of a spontaneous movement
among a number of men and women who, believing that Liberalism is
beyond all other political creeds dependent upon the free discussion of
ideas, came to the conclusion that it was desirable to create a platform
upon which such discussion could be carried on, in a manner quite
different from what is usual, or indeed practicable, at ordinary official
party gatherings. From the first the movement received cordial support
and encouragement from the leaders of the party, who were more than
content that a movement so essentially Liberal in character should be
carried on quite independently of any official control. The meetings
were inaugurated by an address by Mr. Asquith, and wound up by a
valediction from Lord Grey, while nearly all the recognised leaders of
the party presided at one or more of the meetings, or willingly
consented to give lectures. In short, while wholly unofficial, the
meetings drew together all that is most vital in modern Liberalism.
In some degree the Summer School represented a new departure in

political discussion. Most of the lectures were delivered, not by active
politicians, but by scholars and experts whose distinction has been won
in other fields than practical politics. One or two of the speakers were,
indeed, not even professed Liberals. They were invited to speak
because it was known that on their subjects they would express the true
mind of modern Liberalism. Whatever Lord Robert Cecil, for example,
may call himself, Liberals at any rate recognise that on most subjects
he expresses their convictions.
As a glance at the list of contents will show, the papers cover almost
the whole range of political interest, foreign, domestic, and imperial,
but the greatest emphasis is laid upon the problems of economic and
industrial organisation. Yet, since it is impossible to survey the
universe in ten days, there are large and important themes which
remain unexplored, while many subjects of vital significance are but
lightly touched upon. Perhaps the most notable of these omissions is
that of any treatment of local government, and of the immensely
important subjects--education, public health, housing, and the like--for
which local authorities are primarily held responsible. These subjects
are held over for fuller treatment in later schools; and for that reason
two papers--one on local government and one on education--which
were delivered at Oxford have not been included in the present volume.
It must be obvious, from what has been said above, that these papers
make no pretence to define what may be called an official programme
or policy for the Liberal party. It was with study rather than with
programme-making that the School was concerned, and its aim was the
stimulation of free inquiry rather than the formulation of dogmas.
Every speaker was, and is, responsible for the views expressed in his
paper, though not for the form which the abridged report of it has
assumed; and there are doubtless passages in this book which would
not win the assent of all Liberals, for Liberalism has always encouraged
and welcomed varieties of opinion.
Nevertheless, taken as a whole, these papers do fairly represent the
outlook and temper of modern Liberalism. And the candid reader will
not