Sixth Meeting

Sixth meeting March 29th 1870

 

Preamble.

Mond was in town and hosted the sixth meeting. Perhaps more than the others in the Club, Mond was determined to start his own company. He had never been an employee in the strict sense, but his income from licensing the sulphur recovery process fell short of expectations, no more than £2,100 for the year ending 31st March 1870. The ever cautious Hutchinson wrote a cheque for £34 11s. 6d. for the quarter, whereas Mond had anticipated a £1000 for the year.
 

Page 11R

Transcript

11

Majority definition agreed to.
Religion is man's reverence for a superior being.
-----------------------------
-----------------------------
March 29th 1870
Meeting held at Mr Mond's house.   Present:
Messrs. Mond, Carey, Brunner, Muspratt & Watts.
Words proposed for definition.
Liberty, Conscience, Science.
Definitions proposed. Liberty
Liberty is freedom of action & speech governed
by moral [??]                               Erin go Bragh
Liberty is opportunity for [useful] growth
                                                      Paulatim
Liberty is the right to do what you like as far as
compatible with the general well-being.
                                                      [Unversagt]
Liberty is perfect freedom to act, limited by no
condition save that of inflicting injury [on]
[one]                                              Palmam qui meruit ferat
Liberty is freedom from oppression
                                                     Nemo
"Freedom of" in the first definition was taken &
explained to mean "- the absence of restriction to"
                                                  March 29th 1870


File ref. QCQC-1500_11R.jpg

Page 12L

  

Transcript

12
Definition proposed - Liberty is the absence of
every restriction [upon actions], except that they
shall inflict injury [onto others?]
Unversagt, Nemo, Erin go Bragh, Palmam qui &c
Minority definition -- Liberty is opportunity
for useful growth                      Paulatim
---------------------------------------------
Definitions proposed --- Conscience
Conscience is the name given to an instinctive
perception of right & wrong supposed to be in-
-herent in rational beings
                                            Palmam qui meruit ferat
Conscience is the idea of an inward being
                                            Erin go Bragh
Conscience -- moral taste                      Unversagt
Conscience is the faculty by which men distin-
-guish between [moral] right & wrong.
                                                                 Paulatim
The word "instinctive" was withdrawn from the first
definition as not essential to a definition.
Definition proposed - Conscience is the faculty by
Mar 29th 1870
--------------------

File ref. QCQC-1500_12L.jpg 

 

Page 12R

Transcript

12
which men distinguish between moral right &
wrong.                Agreed unanimously.
----------------------------------------
Definitions prosed for - Science
Science is the study of the sequence of phenomena
                                                                       Paulatim
Science is the term applied to those branches of
human knowledge  which are, or are supposed
to be, conformable to law                          Nemo
Science is systematised experience
                                                                    Unversagt
Science is knowledge classified
                                                   Palmam qui meruit ferat
Science is the pursuit of the sequence of aster-
-tained facts                                    Erin go Bragh.
Definition proposed.
Knowledge systematised
                                agreed to unanimously
                                ==================

                                                                         March 29th 1870

File ref. QCQC-1500_12R.jpg

Fifth Meeting

Fifth Meeting March 15th 1870

Preamble.

The choice of "Political Economy" for discussion may be an early indicator of John Brunner's political aspirations - the "Radical Plutocrat" as Koss describes him. Mond was again absent, most likely reflecting travel trying to sell his sulphur recovery ideas. He had two young children and income must have been uncertain to put it mildly.

Parts of the text were difficult (for me) to read and will be further edited as others suggest their readings.
 

Page 10R.

 

Transcript.

 

10
March 15th 1870

Meeting held at Mr J T Brunner's KaludahTerrace
Present.- J.L Muspratt, E. Carey, W.A.Watts
                J.T.Brunner Hy. Brunner
Words proposed for definition
Political Economy, Religion, Science, Cant [??Sleep?].
Definitions proposed
Political economy is the science of this [land]
which regulates the production and distribution
of the products of human labour & the
government of states.           Onward & upward.
The investigation of the laws regulating the
production, distribution & consumption of the
products of human labour.
                                                   Erin go Bragh
The endeavour to put in practice the laws
which are supposed to foster (in their widest
sense) the [?? ………………??]
                                                    Nemo
The investigation into the laws which govern
the [essential] actions & reactions of [various]
groups of human beings upon each other.
                                                     Palmam qui meruit ferat
                                                     March 15th 1870

File ref. h1500-QCQC_10R

Page 11L.

 

Transcript.

 

11
That branch of science, the immediate object
of the pursuit of which is "the greatest happiness
of the greatest number."                Paulatim

Majority definition agreed to
Political economy is the investigation into
the laws which govern the [essential] relations
human beings as citizens.
Paulatim, Erin go Bragh, Onward & upward, [Paulatim]
Nemo objects that Political economy  is the putting
in practice of laws etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Religion is faith into salvation              Nemo
Religion is the [??] which connects [man??] with a
superior being                                     Palmam qui etc
Religion is craving for spiritual good
                                                               Onward & upward
Religion is the craving of the human mind for
supernatural guidance                        Erin go Bragh
Religion is the [???] by human beings to
obtain the assistance of supernatural power
or [power], the [means] being indicated by revelation
[??] supposed [??] [??] the power or powers in
question.                                                 Paulatim

March 15th 1870

File ref. h1500-QCQC_11L 

Page 11R.

 

Transcript.

 

11
Majority definition agreed to
Religion is man's reverence for a superior being
---------------------------------
---------------------------------
(continues March 29th 1870)

File ref. h1500-QCQC_11R