Christian Socialism and politics
Hughes was a sensitive man of deep social conscience and was horrified by the vice, squalor and poverty he found in London while training as a barrister, and, anxious to play a part in improving conditions for the poor, he joined the highly-motivated Christian Socialists.
Christian Socialism was a direct result of the unsettled times
from 1830-1850. The French Revolution had taken place and many
other European countries were in a state of turmoil. In the
British Isles, Ireland was in the grip of the potato famine which
took its toll of a million lives in five years. The Reform Bill
had been passed but the working classes considered that they had
been cheated by its provisions. Although it had abolished slavery
in the colonies, the grievances of the factory hands and
agricultural workers in England had still to be redressed. A
movement called the Chartists tried to form trade unions to fight
for better conditions. However, the government's support of the
strong counter measures taken by the employers to destroy the
trade unions in 1834, climaxed by the savage sentence of
transportation passed on the 'Tolpuddle Martyrs', shows the
extent of the class wars.
It was at this time that Thomas Hughes, Frederick Maurice,
Charles Kingsley and John Ludlow began promoting Christian
Socialism as the way forward. This movement was within the
Church of England and espoused the belief that socialism was a
direct development and outcome of Christianity and, to be
effective, must be based on Christian principles. Maurice,
writing in the first of the Tracts on Christian Socialism said
simply this:-
"The watchword of the Socialist is co-operation - the watchword
of the anti-Socialist is competition. Anyone who recognises the
principle of co-operation as a stronger and truer principle that
than of competition, has a right to honour or the disgrace of
being called a Socialist".
Night Schools
To support the ideals of Christian Socialism and to show confidence in the working classes, a night school was set up to bring education to the illiterate workers. This led to the Working Men's College being established by Kingsley and Hughes in 1854. Hughes was responsible for sporting activities being developed at the College which, in turn' developed the social and intellectual life of the college. His association with the College continued all his life and he became principal from 1873- 1883.
Return to Uffington
It was during 1855 that Thomas Hughes revisited Uffington and the White Horse Hill and began work on "Tom Brown's School Days" for the benefit of their oldest son, Maurice, who was approaching public school age. This book was followed by the novels "The Scouring of the White Horse" and "Tom Brown at Oxford" neither of which achieved the popularity of "Tom Brown's School Days".
Politics
In the early 1860's Hughes had considered the idea of standing for Parliament as a representative of the Working Class and was elected MP for Lambeth. He attempted to introduce legislation against false weights and measures and on public house opening hours. Unfortunately this was not a popular move amongst the small traders and publicans in the Lambeth area and Hughes became despondent at the corruption. By the time of the general election of 1868 he was ready to change his seat for the quiet market town of Frome in Somerset.
In June 1869 he was appointed Queen's Counsel. He continued to be a keen supporter of the trade unions and helped them to gain legal recognition. He joined in founding the Co-operative Wholesale Society and was encouraged when industries such as brick, iron, carpet printing and glass, agriculture and horticulture joined in. He himself was willing to lose money in these ventures; he said 'some men like to spend their money in Scotland, some in keeping hounds and horse, and I have a taste for co-operation'.
In addition to all this he attempted, among other things, to get the government of the City reorganised; to provide life insurance for the poor, to fight against enclosure of public lands and to promote laws forbidding the racing of two-year-old horses. He was never noted for his discretion and began to have bitter disputes with the trade unions and the co-operative movement over their failure to live up to the ideals with which they began, and his outspoken support for church reform estranged many old friends. It was against these disappointments that Thomas Hughes turned to America, hoping to provide opportunities there.
Copyright © Tom Brown's School Museum, 2009