Wednesday, August 29, 2018

This Month's Quotation: James Connolly (1939)

The Front Page quote from the March 1939 issue of the Socialist Standard
  ". . . the pressure of a common exploitation can make enthusiastic rebels out of a Protestant working class, earnest champions of civil and religious liberty out of Catholics, and out of both a united Social democracy. "
James Connolly
This Month’s Quotation
The passage on the front cover is from James Connolly's “Labour in Irish History.” (Published 1916, by Maunsell & Co., Dublin. P. 216.)

1 comment:

Imposs1904 said...

Starting in January 1939, and continuing on until December 1941, every issue of the Socialist Standard carried a quotation on its front cover.

More often than not the quoted person was someone famous in their respective field and it's interesting to note the range of individuals selected for inclusion in this exclusive and rarefied company. IYou know I'm joking, right?)

As mentioned above the practice was discontinued in 1942, and my guess it was when wartime paper rationing kicked in and the Editorial Committee for the Standard realised that they no longer had the luxury of being able to have a standalone front cover. It was now the case that every inch of the magazine had to have (socialist) text crammed into it.

A shame, really, because the inclusion of these quotes month-on-month gave a wee window into the SPGB that hitherto was unavailable. This is all the more true for the reader and/or transcriber 75 plus years on.