First Meeting

1st Meeting January 26th 1870  

Page 1L.

transcript:

Mr Watts chairman agreed to stand for this meeting.
Words proposed to be defined.
Beauty, Art, Poetry, Taste, Originality, Eccentricity

Definitions proposed. Beauty.
That quality in persons and things which gives pleasure to the higher senses. (J.T.B.)  Onward & Upward.
That which pleases (E.C.) Paulatim
That property or combination of properties which satisfies the craving of the human ??  ??
(W.A.W) Palmam qui meruit ferat.
That quality of persons or things which produces a pleasing impression upon the sight, hearing or the understanding.
(H.B.)  Nemo
That which pleases our higher sense.
(L.M) Unversagt
That which is pleasing to the educated senses?
(J.M.) Erin go bragh

January 26th 1870

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Notes.
1. The members of the Qu'est-ce-que-c'est? Club and their visitors adopted a motto to be used to identify their definitions. Assigning motto to name is not evident from the minutes, but has been usefully pencilled in (E.C.). Presumably Hardie used the same source for his assignments.

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Page 1R.

transcript:

Definition Majority

That which gives a noble pleasure. Erin go bragh, Onward and Upward, Paulatim
Minorities?? That property or combination of properties which satisfies the craving of the human mind for law
Paulmam qui meruit ferat
That quality of persons or things which produces a pleasing impression upon the sight, hearing or understanding.
Nemo
That which is pleasing to the educated sense
Erin go Bragh

Jan 26th 1870

Notes.
Some words not clear on first reading. Clarification always welcome.
Updated 31st January 2016 to combine minutes for a given meeting. (WPB).

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Club Members

List of Members

First Meeting 26 January 1870
Nineteenth and last 27th March 1871

List of Members.
in order in which the meetings have been held.

1. W. A. Watts (Walter Angus)
2. E. Carey (Eustace)
3. J. L. Muspratt (James Liebig)
4. H. Brunner (Henry)
5. J. T. Brunner (John Tomlinson)
6. L. Mond (Ludwig)
7. J. Raven (James)

1. Chemist at John Hutchinson
2. Senior Partner Gaskell Deacons & later Sec.y United Alkali Co
3. With his uncle Frederic Muspratt later Mayor of Flint & High Sheriff of Flintshire
4. Works Manager John Hutchinson ? & later a partner
5. Office Manager John Manager later partner Brunner Mond Ltd
6. Working out his Sulphur Recovery Process at H. ? later partner Brunner Mond Ltd
7. Head Master Farnworth Grammar School

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Notes. (annotations in pencil at a later date by Eustace Carey, most likely in the copy of the minutes made for Sir John Brunner, Bart., M.P. in 1906).
 
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Introduction

The "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" Club

  January 26th 1870 - March 27th 1871

Dramatis Personae

Walter Angus Watts 

of 7, Kaludah Terrace, Widnes. 

Chemist  John Hutchinson's

Eustace Carey

of 117, Mill Brow, Widnes. 
Partner Gaskell Deacons'

James Liebig Muspratt

of 141, Belvidere Road, Toxteh Park, Liverpool.
3rd Generation Muspratt Lawyer

Henry Brunner

of 118, Cliff House. Mill Brow, Widnes.
Works Manager, Hutchinson's

John Tomlinson Brunner

of 4, Kaludah Terrace, Widnes.
Office Manager, Hutchinson's

Ludwig Mond

of 32, Sea View Row (The Hollies), Widnes.
German Chemical Engineer

James Raven

of 34 Sea View Road (Grammar School House), Widnes.
School master

The Times

"Qu'est-ce que c'est?" Club
January 1870 - March 1871

Franco_Prussian War
July 1870 - May 1871

 

The Town

Widnes, Lancashire

19th Century "Northern Powerhouse"
Leblanc Soda Production since 1823

The "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" Club, short in duration, only nineteen meetings between 1870 and 1871, plays an unremarked role in the foundation of one of Britain's largest industries by John Brunner and Ludwig Mond in 1873 on £20,000 borrowed capital. That the meetings took place in the shadow of European turmoil and the Franco-Prussian War is not without interest. The cessation of the war with its unexpected military outcome may have redrawn alliances and sowed the seed for major conflict ahead, but to those meeting in Widnes, it signalled markets re-opening, demand for soda-ash increasing and opportunity to be seized. It is our intention to post and transcribe in full the hand-written minutes of the "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" Club on the days the meetings occurred, and annotate them as an on-going project. Aware that we are not professional historians, we ask for your help and forbearance.

As the Zen master, Shunryu Susuki said,

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few".

We proceed with "Beginner's Mind".

The first transcript will appear January 26th, the second February 4th.