The following account of this
episode from Fabian Tract 41, "The Early History of the Fabian Society,"
was written by Bernard Shaw in 1892, and describes the events and our
attitude at the time far more freshly and graphically than anything I
can write nearly thirty years later.
After explaining why he preferred joining the Fabian Society rather than
the S.D.F., Mr. Shaw goes on (pp. 4-7):--
"However, as I have said, in 1885 our differences [from other
Socialists] were latent or instinctive; and we denounced the
capitalists as thieves at the Industrial Remuneration Conference,
and, among ourselves, talked revolution, anarchism, labour notes
_versus_ pass-books, and all the rest of it, on the tacit assumption
that the object of our campaign, with its watchwords, 'EDUCATE,
AGITATE, ORGANIZE,' was to bring about a tremendous smash-up of
existing society, to be succeeded by complete Socialism. And this
meant that we had no true practical understanding either of existing
society or Socialism. Without being quite definitely aware of this,
we yet felt it to a certain extent all along; for it was at this
period that we contracted the invaluable habit of freely laughing at
ourselves which has always distinguished us, and which has saved us
from becoming hampered by the gushing enthusiasts who mistake their
own emotions for public movements.
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