The History of the Fabian Society | Page 6

I do not think that, at the beginning, the Owenite tradition had any
influence upon us.
Karl Marx died in London on the 14th March, 1883, but nobody in
England was then aware that the greatest figure in international politics
had passed away. It is true that Marx had taken a prominent part in
founding the International at that historic meeting in St. Martin's Town
Hall on September 28th, 1864. The real significance of that episode
was over-rated at the time, and when the International disappeared from
European politics in 1872 the whole thing was forgotten.
In Germany Marxian Socialism was already a force, and it was
attracting attention in England, as we have seen. But the personality of
Marx must have been antipathetic to the English workmen whom he
knew, or else he failed to make them understand his ideas: at any rate,
his socialism fell on deaf ears, and it may be said to have made no
lasting impression on the leaders of English working-class thought.
Though he was resident in England for thirty-four years, Marx
remained a German to the last. His writings were not translated into
English at this period, and Mr. Hyndman's "England for All," published
in 1881, which was the first presentation of his ideas in English, did not

even mention his name. This book was in fact an extremely moderate
proposal to remedy "something seriously amiss in the conditions of our
everyday life," and the immediate programme was no more than an
eight hours working day, free and compulsory education, compulsory
construction of working-class dwellings, and cheap "transport" for
working-class passengers. It was the unauthorised programme of the
Democratic Federation which had been founded by Mr. Hyndman in
1881. "Socialism Made Plain," the social and political Manifesto of the
Democratic Federation (undated, but apparently issued in 1883), is a
much stronger document. It deals with the distribution of the National
Income, giving the workers' share as 300 out of 1300 millions sterling,
and demands that the workers should "educate, agitate, organise" in
order to get their own. Evidently it attracted some attention, since we
find that the second edition of a pamphlet "Reply" by Samuel Smith,
M.P., then a person of substantial importance, was issued in January,
1884.
At the end of 1883 Mr. Hyndman published his "Historical Basis of
Socialism in England," which for some time was the text-book of the
Democratic Federation, but this, of course, was too late to influence the
founders of the Fabian Society.
We were however aware of Marx, and I find that my copy of the
French edition of "Das Kapital" is dated 8th October, 1883; but I do not
think that any of the original Fabians had read the book or had
assimilated its ideas at the time the Society was founded.
To some of those who joined the Society in its early days Christian
Socialism opened the way of salvation. The "Christian Socialist"[4]
was established by a band of persons some of whom were not Socialist
and others not Christian. It claimed to be the spiritual child of the
Christian Socialist movement of 1848-52, which again was Socialist
only on its critical side, and constructively was merely Co-operative
Production by voluntary associations of workmen. Under the guidance
of the Rev. Stewart D. Headlam[5] its policy of the revived movement
was Land Reform, particularly on the lines of the Single Tax. The
introductory article boldly claims the name of Socialist, as used by

Maurice and Kingsley: the July number contains a long article by
Henry George. In September a formal report is given of the work of the
Democratic Federation. In November Christianity and Socialism are
said to be convertible terms, and in January, 1884, the clerical view of
usury is set forth in an article on the morality of interest. In March Mr.
H.H. Champion explains "surplus value," and in April we find a
sympathetic review of the "Historic Basis of Socialism." In April, 1885,
appears a long and full report of a lecture by Bernard Shaw to the
Liberal and Social Union. The greater part of the paper is filled with
Land Nationalisation, Irish affairs--the land agitation in Ireland was
then at its height--and the propaganda of Henry George: whilst much
space is devoted to the religious aspect of the social problem. Sydney
Olivier, before he joined the Fabian Society, was one of the managing
group, and amongst others concerned in it were the Rev. C.L. Marson
and the Rev. W.E. Moll. At a later period a Christian Socialist Society
was formed; but our concern here is with the factors which contributed
to the Fabian Society at its start, and it is not necessary to touch on
other periods of the movement.
Thomas Davidson[6] was the occasion rather than the cause of the
founding of