The Clarion
Encyclopedia
The Clarion was a weekly newspaper
published by Robert Blatchford
, based in the United Kingdom
. It was a socialist publication though adopting a British-focused rather than internationalist perspective on political affairs, as seen in its support of the British involvement in the Anglo-Boer Wars and the First World War
.
Blatchford and Alexander M. Thompson
founded the paper in Manchester
in 1891 on a capital of just £400 (£350 from Thompson and Blatchford and the remaining £50 from Robert's brother Montague Blatchford). In it, he serialised his book, Merrie England
, and published work by a variety of journalists, including George Bernard Shaw
and the cartoonist
Walter Crane
. The Clarion Women's column was written initially by Eleanor Keeling Edwards and, from October 1895, as the Women's letters page by Julia Dawson, pen name of Mrs Myddleton-Worrall.
It was Julia Dawson who pioneered the famous Clarion Vans which toured small towns and villages throughout England and Scotland from 1896 until 1929 spreading socialist propaganda.
A large number of associated clubs and societies (Cycling, Rambling, Choirs (Vocal unions), Handicraft, Field, Drama, and Cinderella clubs) connecting with the newspaper were created, of which the National Clarion Cycling Club still survives, as does the People's Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne, which began its life in 1911 as the Newcastle Clarion Drama Club.
On June 27, 1904, three weeks before the King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra opened the Liverpool Cathedral, Jim Larkin and Fred Bower, workmen on the site, composed a message "from the wage slaves employed on the erection of this cathedral" to a future socialist society, and, along with a copy of the Clarion and the Labour Leader
, placed it in a biscuit tin deep inside the brickwork and covered it.
Emil Robert Voigt (1883-1973), an English born engineer, and Manchester Clarion movement activist was one of the foremost pioneers of the fledgling Australian broadcasting industry in the early 1920s and the genius behind the birth of the progressive radio station 2KY.
Enjoying sales of around 30,000 for many years, some readers left after it adopted stance in favour of the Second Boer War
and against limited women's suffrage
. They rose again as it became associated with the Labour Party
, and by 1907 had reached 74,000. The paper again lost readers when it supported the First World War. It closed in 1931. However, The New Clarion was founded in 1932, a newspaper that carried similar socialist and recreational content. Moreover, many of the cycling, rambling, theatre and other social clubs associated with the original Clarion continued, leaving a diverse legacy.
Despite - or because of - its popularity the Clarion was viewed with suspicion by both Parliamentary and Marxist socialists and has been treated as little more than a footnote in histories of English socialism. ‘There never was a paper like it’ said Margaret Cole, ‘it was not in the least the preconceived idea of socialist journal. It was not solemn; it was not highbrow … It was full of stories, jokes and verses – sometimes pretty bad verses and pretty bad jokes – as well as articles’.
Robert Blatchford stated in his book My Eighty Years,
The Clarion was also popular in many countries of the British Empire
, especially New Zealand
and Australia. A Clarion Colony was established in New Zealand in 1901 by William Ranstead. At least one Clarion Cycling Club was established in New Zealand in the 1890s at Christchurch
.
In the United States
, the Clarion is also the name of several publications. The official student newspaper of the University of Denver
. The DU Clarion was founded in 1899 and the editor-in-chief in 2010 was Arianna Ranahosseini. The "Clarion" is the name of the official student newspaper of Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin
. The JHS Clarion is also the name of the official student newspaper of Juab High School
in Nephi, Utah
.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published by Robert Blatchford
Robert Blatchford
Robert Peel Glanville Blatchford was a socialist campaigner, journalist and author in the United Kingdom. He was a prominent atheist and opponent of eugenics. He was also an English patriot...
, based in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was a socialist publication though adopting a British-focused rather than internationalist perspective on political affairs, as seen in its support of the British involvement in the Anglo-Boer Wars and the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Blatchford and Alexander M. Thompson
Alexander M. Thompson
Alexander Mattock Thompson , sometimes credited as A. M. Thompson, was a German-born English journalist and dramatist. From the 1880s, Thompson wrote for socialist newspapers and journals, co-founding The Clarion in 1891...
founded the paper in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in 1891 on a capital of just £400 (£350 from Thompson and Blatchford and the remaining £50 from Robert's brother Montague Blatchford). In it, he serialised his book, Merrie England
Merrie England (book)
Merrie England is an influential collection of essays on socialism by Robert Blatchford, published in 1893. It sold over two million copies worldwide.----Notes...
, and published work by a variety of journalists, including George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
and the cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
Walter Crane
Walter Crane
Walter Crane was an English artist and book illustrator. He is considered to be the most prolific and influential children’s book creator of his generation and, along with Randolph Caldecott and Kate Greenaway, one of the strongest contributors to the child's nursery motif that the genre of...
. The Clarion Women's column was written initially by Eleanor Keeling Edwards and, from October 1895, as the Women's letters page by Julia Dawson, pen name of Mrs Myddleton-Worrall.
It was Julia Dawson who pioneered the famous Clarion Vans which toured small towns and villages throughout England and Scotland from 1896 until 1929 spreading socialist propaganda.
A large number of associated clubs and societies (Cycling, Rambling, Choirs (Vocal unions), Handicraft, Field, Drama, and Cinderella clubs) connecting with the newspaper were created, of which the National Clarion Cycling Club still survives, as does the People's Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne, which began its life in 1911 as the Newcastle Clarion Drama Club.
On June 27, 1904, three weeks before the King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra opened the Liverpool Cathedral, Jim Larkin and Fred Bower, workmen on the site, composed a message "from the wage slaves employed on the erection of this cathedral" to a future socialist society, and, along with a copy of the Clarion and the Labour Leader
Labour Leader
The Labour Leader was a British socialist newspaper published for almost one hundred years. It was later re-named New Leader and Socialist Leader, before finally taking the name Labour Leader again....
, placed it in a biscuit tin deep inside the brickwork and covered it.
Emil Robert Voigt (1883-1973), an English born engineer, and Manchester Clarion movement activist was one of the foremost pioneers of the fledgling Australian broadcasting industry in the early 1920s and the genius behind the birth of the progressive radio station 2KY.
Enjoying sales of around 30,000 for many years, some readers left after it adopted stance in favour of the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and against limited women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
. They rose again as it became associated with the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, and by 1907 had reached 74,000. The paper again lost readers when it supported the First World War. It closed in 1931. However, The New Clarion was founded in 1932, a newspaper that carried similar socialist and recreational content. Moreover, many of the cycling, rambling, theatre and other social clubs associated with the original Clarion continued, leaving a diverse legacy.
Despite - or because of - its popularity the Clarion was viewed with suspicion by both Parliamentary and Marxist socialists and has been treated as little more than a footnote in histories of English socialism. ‘There never was a paper like it’ said Margaret Cole, ‘it was not in the least the preconceived idea of socialist journal. It was not solemn; it was not highbrow … It was full of stories, jokes and verses – sometimes pretty bad verses and pretty bad jokes – as well as articles’.
Robert Blatchford stated in his book My Eighty Years,
I will go as far as to say that during the first ten years of the Clarions life that by no means popular paper had more influence on the public opinion in this country than any other English journal, The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
included.
The Clarion was also popular in many countries of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, especially New Zealand
Dominion of New Zealand
The Dominion of New Zealand is the former name of the Realm of New Zealand.Originally administered from New South Wales, New Zealand became a direct British colony in 1841 and received a large measure of self-government following the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852...
and Australia. A Clarion Colony was established in New Zealand in 1901 by William Ranstead. At least one Clarion Cycling Club was established in New Zealand in the 1890s at Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Clarion is also the name of several publications. The official student newspaper of the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
. The DU Clarion was founded in 1899 and the editor-in-chief in 2010 was Arianna Ranahosseini. The "Clarion" is the name of the official student newspaper of Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. The JHS Clarion is also the name of the official student newspaper of Juab High School
Juab High School
Juab High School is a public high school located in Nephi, Utah. The school serves about 700 students in grades 9 to 12 in the Juab School District. It is the only high school in the district....
in Nephi, Utah
Nephi, Utah
Nephi is a city in Juab County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,733 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Juab County. It was settled by Mormon pioneers in 1851, and is the principal city in Juab Valley, an...
.