BRISTOL FASHION

Hugh Thomas, Secretary of Bristol Humanists, reports on a lively local group.

Bristol has little in the way of Humanist heritage. Historical connections tend to be more in the line of tributes to man’s inhumanity to man, for example pertaining to the slave trade. Tobacco and armaments are still major industries. Politically correct we’re not. However, in the present day our city can boast a lively local Humanist group. I have the honour to be its Secretary, pending any putsch at our forthcoming AGM. We meet in the upstairs bar of a public house, the Scotchman and His Pack. On steep St. Michael’s Hill, the venue takes its name not from any misspelled Caledonian association, but from a long dead vocation. In horse drawn days the “scotchman” had the job of helping carriages up the hill. He placed wedges named scotches under their wheels to stop them rolling back. On Monday nights the pub forms a veritable intellectual hub of Bristol. The first Monday of the month until recently was the spot for the local Pagan Society. Second Monday sees the Philosophy Circle. We Humanists meet on the third Monday. You might say that as the month progresses, things get more sensible. The current Humanist Group was set up five years ago, as an offshoot of the Philosophy Circle. The BHA helped by providing contact details for locally based Humanists. Some of them had been members of earlier incarnations of Bristol Humanists, including one run by Jane Wynne Wilson. Before long, a schedule of monthly meetings commenced. It has continued ever since without showing signs of running out of steam.

The original membership total of fifteen has more than doubled in that period, despite natural wastage by people moving, losing interest or passing away. Regarding my own involvement, I was foolish enough to first attend on the day of an AGM. On finding out that I had a word processor and access to illicit photocopying facilities at work, the existing committee immediately elected me Secretary. I have retained that function ever since. Events are advertised in Venue, the local what’s on guide. Gathering in a pub, the meetings are free and open to anyone. Drinking is allowed, even expected; the landlord might not be so generous with his upstairs room if we were tea-total. This might seem a recipe for mayhem, but we have only ever had one evening disrupted by rowdiness. A party of Marxists came along to heckle a speaker from Liberty: all very exciting. Nevertheless, it is true that assorted eccentrics, of the type that seems to abound in Bristol, are no strangers to us. At one time a particular gentleman would faithfully attend every meeting. His hand was always first to go up after the speaker of the evening had finished talking. He would then commence a long, autobiographical reminiscence of no obvious relevance to the topic under discussion. Another young man would sit quietly at the back, dressed in the full uniform of the Dutch Observer Corps. Even now our meetings wouldn’t be the same without a smattering of Satanists, Astrologers and Spiritualists. Like most Humanist Groups we can also boast the odd Christian. All are welcomed. Humanism is nothing if not a broad church, although I do occasionally try and get support for a motion to introduce that odd Christian to a lion.

If the worst ever comes to the worst, the Scotchman has a fine balcony which unruly elements can be taken onto and thrown over the edge into the street below. However, this ultimate sanction has rarely had to be deployed. A catholic approach to speaker booking has produced a stimulating stream of talks and discussions, with a high standard of debate. Although turn-out tends to hover about the 20 mark, speakers often remark how much they enjoy interacting with a small, informed group rather than a draughty hall of blank faces. Recent talks have covered genetically modified organisms (by Ian White MEP), Esperanto, vegetarianism, Religious Education, and the aforementioned Jane Wynne Wilson making a return visit to talk about Humanist Parenting. Arthur Chappell of Manchester Humanists fell down a hole in the pavement on his way to tell us about Cults - nothing to do with the rough cider our members had fed him, we insist - and bravely completed his talk before being taken to Casualty. But Bristol Humanists are more than just a discussion group. Core members include a first class officiant and two SACRE representatives. We were the first local Group with an internet site. Our monthly newsletter is prized by those who can’t get to meetings but want to say in touch. We have a small but high quality library of Humanist literature. If you live in the Bristol and surrounding areas, we’d love to hear from you. If you are elsewhere, why not go along to your nearest Group? Or start one of your own. I can recommend being in a local Group as a grand way of getting involved in Humanist activities, meeting people - many of whom will be entertainingly barmy - and making some of the best friends you will ever have.

A shortened version of the above article may appear in the next issue of Humanity magazine.

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