The modern era, a new time of prosperity of Western civilization, ushered in a mass consciousness of the need for change. This desire manifested in many ways, but one was the Socialist movement. One method that was employed to exchange and propagate ideas was the printing of periodicals that would contain sympathetic authors to their Socialist cause. One such magazine, The New Age, was a source of material in which the Socialists in London and elsewhere could rely upon for an injection of ideas. Throughout the magazine, whether discussing architecture, poetry, or alcohol a version that encapsulated the Socialist movement was proffered. All of the articles discussed come from the same volume of The New Age and are all written within three pages of each other.
The first article to be discussed “The Difficulties of Temperance” by G.R.S Taylor, which is an open essay located on page 20, disputes teetotalism and it's proponents respective arguments. The author comments on the lack of evidence and common sense that the Temperance Alliance, a proponent of teetotalism, issued in their pamphlets. The author rebuts the argument offered by the Temperance Alliance that liquor is one of the core reasons for trouble and laziness in society. Taylor states, “We are told that the ills of this world are accurately measured by the imperial pints of beer consume”. In other words, that there is a direct attributable relationship between beer consumption and the maladies of the world. Taylor instead argues that drinking is a result of the “capitalist system”(20). Therefore, Taylor advocates for the “abolition of that system” (20) and the institutionalization of public housing and other Socialist reforms. In addition, the author dismisses the methods employed by the Temperance Alliance to obtain their goals as “medical threats” (20). Instead Taylor offers the Socialist viewpoint that the pub is “the working man’s club” (20). These pro-Socialist arguments were able to be espoused by the confrontation of an easy target, namely the Temperance Alliance.
In another article located on the next page, “Restoration of Beauty to Life,” there is a theme throughout of dissatisfaction with the current work practices of builders. This displeasure extended from the architect to the builder. The main contention of A. J. Penty, the author, is that the workers were forced to make concessions in their attention to both detail and time spent because of financial considerations. The architects, who worked off-site, are unable to maintain the same quality control that they had previously exhibited. Penty’s frame of reference extends to the Middle Ages, where architecture “was understood and practiced as a great co-operative art” (21). The builders, who offer lackluster product, Penty contends are doing so because they are “employing workmen whose work they supervise” (21) rather than doing it themselves as in earlier times. Although there are no real solutions offered, Penty does note that “few men who are possessed of private means” are able to offer continuity of excellence in their respective fields. Although there is no direct reference on how to rectify the situation through Socialist reform, the status quo is displayed as intolerable and needing a remedy that includes financial reform. One can conclude from this essay that if financial gain were to be taken out of the equation of building, architecture could resume its place as one of the pillars of art. Thus this essay too conforms to the construct that the editors sought to put forth.
In the poem “Utopia,” by E. Nesbit, a poem which reflects on how life could be in a harmonious world. This poem, which is located on page 22, describes a undiscovered place where happiness exists "There is a garden, made for our delight,Where all the dreams we dare not dream come true, .I know it, but I do not know the way"(22). The poem then relates that this place has remained undiscovered because the populace are still living in a world where they are unhappy and work all day, "The blank, unhappy towns, where sick men strive, still doing work that yet is never done, these are our portion, since they are our choice" (22). In other words, they live in this sad and depressing world because they choose to. A particular melancholic tone is struck by the poem’s relaying that the path or direction to this place is unknown, thereby leaving the reader in a state of despair. Eventually, the people can allow themselves to enter such bliss, but in the meantime, no one has been there before. This relates to the Socialist movement because during this time people were breaking away from old ways and trying to emerge into a new lifestyle where their hopes and aspirations could soar. This poem which is an eponym of “Utopia” a book by Thomas More, in which he writes about a perfect society where ownership does not exist, something akin to the Socialist movement. Therefore this poem attempts to give hope to those who were struggling in a world where they felt as if no chance of change could occur, unless action would be taken to secure their Utopia.
Overall, these three essays, which are almost sequential in their placement, discuss a hodge podge of topics. The one similarity that ties them all together is the Socialist voice that whispers to the reader. It is interesting to note that in “ The Difficulties of Temperance,” the author actually uses the word “Utopia.” Whether or not the editor placed the word there specifically as a foreshadowing of the poem to come, we may never know, but it definitely provides for the possibility of such word placement. In addition, “ The Difficulties of Temperance” seems to disparage a true democracy, “Unfortunately, we have to deal with people who insist on disregarding nine-tenths of the wisdom of philosophers” (20). The only logical conclusion of that statement is an elevation of the one-tenth who abide by the wisdom of philosophers. This argument starts a journey down a slippery slope and may even end with the truncation of free speech. Which would make the advertisement on the following page for a book titled, The Land of Free Speech rather ironic. Whatever the reader's politics, these three articles allow for a glimpse into the Socialist movement and their philosophy at that time.
