The Indian Sociologist
Encyclopedia
The Indian Sociologist was an India
n nationalist
publication in the early twentieth century. Its subtitle was An Organ of Freedom, and Political, Social, and Religious Reform.
'TIS' was edited by Shyamji Krishnavarma from 1905 to 1914, then between 1920 and 1922. The title of the publication showed the influence of Herbert Spencer
on the project. It was originally produced in London
until May 1907 when Krishnavarma moved to Paris
. The journal was edited in Paris from June 1907, but the change of address was only announced in September 1907 issue. Publication continued in Paris until 1914, when Krishnavarma moved to Geneva on account of the First World War
. While in Geneva he abandoned the publication under pressure from the Swiss authorities. He recommenced publication in December 1920 and continued until September 1922.
The journal also featured two quotes from Herbert Spencer
, an important influence on it.
The journal was very strongly influenced by Spencer, and Krishnavarma used it to advertise the Herbert Spencer Indian Fellowships, five 'travelling' scholarships he set up to enable Indian graduates to study in England
. They had the prevision that the fellowship holder "shall not accept any post, office, emoluments, or service under the British government after his return to India", a condition which caused some debate.
The journal became a significant conduit for the ideas of Herbet Spencer across India.
Starting with quite a mild stance - "India and England should sever their connection peaceably and part as friends." , it became more radical in 1907, actively advocating Swaraj
(Home Rule) and organisation of the Society of Political Missionaries of India. This incurred police surveillance, a debate in the British House of Commons
(30 July 1907) and a ban on import and sale of TIS in India from 19 September, 1907. Krishnavarma had already departed in June 1907, remarking in the September issue: "On the earnest advice of some of our friends, we left England, practically for good, during the early part of June last, seeing that mischief was brewing." It was not banned in England
, and continued to be printed there. However two of the printers were arrested for sedition for printing it in 1909. Arthur Fletcher Horsley was arrested and tried for printing the May, June and July issues . He was tried and sentenced on the same day as Madan Lal Dhingra
, for the assassination of Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie. The trial was very prominent, with the remarks by the Lord Chief Justice
to indicate anyone printing this sort of material would be liable for prosecution. Nevertheless Guy Aldred
, a twenty-two year old anarchist advocate of the free press
, published it bearing his own name. The police obtained a warrant and seized 396 copies of the issue. At the trial the prosecution was led by William Robson, Baron Robson
, the Attorney General
at the Central Criminal Court
. Robson highlighted parts of TIS which Aldred had himself written, particularly focusing on a passage which touched on the execution of Dhingra:
Aldred also remarked that the Sepoy Mutiny, or Indian Mutiny would be described as The Indian War of Independence. Aldred received a sentence of twelve months hard labour.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
publication in the early twentieth century. Its subtitle was An Organ of Freedom, and Political, Social, and Religious Reform.
'TIS' was edited by Shyamji Krishnavarma from 1905 to 1914, then between 1920 and 1922. The title of the publication showed the influence of Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer was an English philosopher, biologist, sociologist, and prominent classical liberal political theorist of the Victorian era....
on the project. It was originally produced in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
until May 1907 when Krishnavarma moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The journal was edited in Paris from June 1907, but the change of address was only announced in September 1907 issue. Publication continued in Paris until 1914, when Krishnavarma moved to Geneva on account of 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...
. While in Geneva he abandoned the publication under pressure from the Swiss authorities. He recommenced publication in December 1920 and continued until September 1922.
Political origin
The first issue contained the following statement:- The appearance of a journal conducted by an Indian sociologist in England is an event likely to cause surprise in some quarters; but there are many weighty grounds to justify such a publication. The political relations between England and India urgently require a genuine Indian interpreter in the United Kingdom to show, on behalf of India, how Indians really fare and feel under British rule. No systematic attempt has, so far as our knowledge goes, ever been made in this country by Indians themselves to enlighten the British public with regard to the grievances, demands, and aspirations of the people of India and its unrepresented millions before the bar of public opinion in Great Britain and Ireland. This journal will endeavour to inculcate the great sociological truth that "it is impossible to join injustice and brutality abroad with justice and humanity at home." It will from time to time remind the British people that they can never succeed in being a nation of freedom and lovers of freedom so long as they continue to send out members of the dominant classes to exercise despotisms in Britain’s name upon the various conquered races that constitute Britain’s military empire.
- The Indian Sociologist will not be identified with any political party. It will be guided in its policy by the fundamental truths of social science, the first principle of which is that “every man has freedom to do all that he wills, provided he infringes not the freedom of any other man”. In discussing political, social, and religious questions, we shall frequently appeal to sociology, which, as expounded by the founder of that new and profound science, proves conclusively that "all despotisms, whether political or religious, whether of sex, of caste, or of custom, may be generalised as limitations to individuality, which it is the nature of civilisation to remove."
The journal also featured two quotes from Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer was an English philosopher, biologist, sociologist, and prominent classical liberal political theorist of the Victorian era....
, an important influence on it.
- "Every man is free to do that which he wills, provided he infringes not the equal freedom of any other man." (Principles of Ethics, Section 272).
- "Resistance to aggression is not simply justifiable but imperative. Non-resistance hurts both altruism and egoism (The Study of Sociology, Chapter 8)
The journal was very strongly influenced by Spencer, and Krishnavarma used it to advertise the Herbert Spencer Indian Fellowships, five 'travelling' scholarships he set up to enable Indian graduates to study in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. They had the prevision that the fellowship holder "shall not accept any post, office, emoluments, or service under the British government after his return to India", a condition which caused some debate.
The journal became a significant conduit for the ideas of Herbet Spencer across India.
1907: Radicalisation and Repression
Swaraj
Swaraj can mean generally self-governance or "self-rule", and was used synonymously with "home-rule" by Gandhi but the word usually refers to Gandhi's concept for Indian independence from foreign domination. Swaraj lays stress on governance not by a hierarchical government, but self governance...
(Home Rule) and organisation of the Society of Political Missionaries of India. This incurred police surveillance, a debate in the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
(30 July 1907) and a ban on import and sale of TIS in India from 19 September, 1907. Krishnavarma had already departed in June 1907, remarking in the September issue: "On the earnest advice of some of our friends, we left England, practically for good, during the early part of June last, seeing that mischief was brewing." It was not banned in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and continued to be printed there. However two of the printers were arrested for sedition for printing it in 1909. Arthur Fletcher Horsley was arrested and tried for printing the May, June and July issues . He was tried and sentenced on the same day as Madan Lal Dhingra
Madan Lal Dhingra
Madan Lal Dhingra was an Indian revolutionary freedom fighter. While studying in England, he assassinated Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie, a British official, hailed as one of the first acts of revolution in the Indian independence movement in the 20th century.-Early life:Madan Lal Dhingra was born...
, for the assassination of Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie. The trial was very prominent, with the remarks by the Lord Chief Justice
Richard Webster, 1st Viscount Alverstone
Richard Everard Webster, 1st Viscount Alverstone, GCMG, QC was a British barrister, politician and judge who served in many high political and judicial offices.-Background and education:...
to indicate anyone printing this sort of material would be liable for prosecution. Nevertheless Guy Aldred
Guy Aldred
Guy Alfred Aldred - often Guy A. Aldred - was a British anarchist communist and a prominent member of the Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation...
, a twenty-two year old anarchist advocate of the free press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
, published it bearing his own name. The police obtained a warrant and seized 396 copies of the issue. At the trial the prosecution was led by William Robson, Baron Robson
William Robson, Baron Robson
William Snowdon Robson, Baron Robson PC was an English lawyer, judge and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1885 and 1910....
, the Attorney General
Attorney General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...
at the Central Criminal Court
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
. Robson highlighted parts of TIS which Aldred had himself written, particularly focusing on a passage which touched on the execution of Dhingra:
- "In the execution of Dhingra that cloak will be publicly worn, that secret language spoken, that solemn veil employed to conceal the sword of Imperialism by which we are sacrificed to the insatiable idol of modern despotism, whose ministers are CromerEvelyn Baring, 1st Earl of CromerEvelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer, GCB, OM, GCMG, KCSI, CIE, PC, FRS , was a British statesman, diplomat and colonial administrator....
, CurzonGeorge Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of KedlestonGeorge Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, KG, GCSI, GCIE, PC , known as The Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and as The Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman who was Viceroy of India and Foreign Secretary...
and MorleyJohn Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of BlackburnJohn Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn OM, PC was a British Liberal statesman, writer and newspaper editor. Initially a journalist, he was elected a Member of Parliament in 1883...
& Co. Murder-which they would represent to us as a horrible crime, when the murdered is a government flunkey- we see practised by them without repugnance or remorse when the murdered is a working man, a Nationalist patriot, an EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian fellaheen or half-starved victim of despotic society's bloodlust. It was so at FeatherstoneFeatherstoneFeatherstone is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It lies south-west of Pontefract and has a population of 14,175.Featherstone railway station is on the Pontefract Line.-History:...
and Denshawai; it has often been so at NewgateNewgateNewgate at the west end of Newgate Street was one of the historic seven gates of London Wall round the City of London and one of the six which date back to Roman times. From it a Roman road led west to Silchester...
: and it was so with Robert Emmett, the Paris communardsParis CommuneThe Paris Commune was a government that briefly ruled Paris from March 18 to May 28, 1871. It existed before the split between anarchists and Marxists had taken place, and it is hailed by both groups as the first assumption of power by the working class during the Industrial Revolution...
, and the Chicago martyrs. Who is more reprehensible than the murderers of these martyrs? The police spies who threw the bomb at ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
; the ad-hoc tribunal which murdered innocent Egyptians at Denshawai; the AsquithH. H. AsquithHerbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC, KC served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916...
who assumed full responsibility for the murder of the workers at Feathersone; the assassins of Robert Emmett? Yet these murderers have not been executed! Why then should Dhingra be executed? Because he is not a time serving executioner, but a Nationalist patriot, who, though his ideals are not their ideals, is worthy of the admiration of those workers at home, who have as little to gain from the lick-spittle crew of Imperialistic blood-sucking, capitalist parasites at as what the Nationalists have in India.
Aldred also remarked that the Sepoy Mutiny, or Indian Mutiny would be described as The Indian War of Independence. Aldred received a sentence of twelve months hard labour.