WCP2694

[1]¹

Lilley House

Leyton.

Jan 8. 1894

Dear Dr. Wallace:

The publishers are Arthur D Innes & Co 31 & 32 Bedford Street, Strand — substantial people.

The object of Vox Clamantium² was ^{& is} to pierce the Christians and the Preachers with their own spears — However, our range is wide enough to include a prophet like you our living & flaming purpose being to lay down the [illeg.] natural religion of the [2] claims ^{& situations} of man to the earth, to the gifts of nature &c &c.

You cannot write³ too strongly for us though I say it, who am a most-extreme socialist though practical in my methods.

It must be confessed that religion, if it be to teach us to be servants of each other, and if it inspire the imagination and the emotions with practical sentiments and socialisms, may be of use to many minds. I should feel much interested if you would let fall some remarks [3] which will cut the christians & the preachers to the quick, for I want to show them that we outsiders have really a greater belief in the social teachings of Jesus than they have themselves.

Have you seen what terribly fierce things "the Fathers" said about property and earth [illeg.]? Why, Sir, after all Jesus and "the Fathers" and the early Christians were social prophets.

[4] ^{In Vox Clamantium} We are supposed to be of the school of the prophets — and you can roar and woe as much as you like.

The book will be a 10/- book. Hall Caine⁴ writes a magnificent opening Prayer, Walter Crane⁵ has done a beautiful picture with verses; Lewis Morris⁶ writes a poem — somewhat [illeg.]. Grant Allen⁷ writes very clearly on the great natural rights of the labourer and so on.

20 writers in all — famous men.

I have not fixed any subject or title to any of the contributions [5] because they largely overlap each other. I wanted to produce a work of Art — where the soul should travail in pain for the redemption of the sins of man, and to take hold — (for the more you can take hold on something they will bow to the better, of course) of religion — the Christian religion — or any religion they confess by — to shake the aristocracy ^{& meritocracy} in their shoes.

You, of course, take your own line, though I should [6] like the essay to go somewhat in tramp with the other prophets, that it should be touched with the idea of the sacredness of the body, and of its relations to the emotions and rectitudes.

They ^{The christians} preach salvation to the soul, yet they [illeg.] ^bring damnation, to both soul and body by immersing both in evil.

And temptations to serve God.

[7] In the temple they baptized with water — out of the temple they baptize with fire!

I want to make some great impression.

The book will be published in April and the M.S.S are most of them to hand. The publishers are under contract to pay me £150 to pay the contributors one month after date of publication[.]

[8] I have written this very hurriedly to catch post.

I want the article to keep from any fugitive matters & be such an [sic] one as shall be the great philosophical master monument of the charters and rights of men in Nature.

With profound respect | I am yours very truly | Andrew Reid⁸ [signature]

Dr. Russel Wallace.

Instead of ‘land’ — Why not say — "nature" — "land question" is very political & unpoetical — I dont [sic] have titles to the papers.⁹