We’re up to in our chronological wander through the newspaper coverage of the “passive resistance” campaign against aspects of the Education Act.
The Kent & Sussex Courier reported:
Passive Resistance at Tonbridge.
Interesting Sale at the Corn Exchange.
Although the enthusiasm, excitement, and disorderly scenes associated with the
sale of goods belonging to passive resisters has somewhat died away,
considerable interest was taken in a sale held at the Corn Exchange,
Tonbridge, on , when Mr
Tompsett, a local auctioneer, sold the goods of five persons who had refused
to pay their poor rates… The whole of the articles, however, were bought in
for the wonders.
The sale was a perfectly orderly one, after the completion of which a public
meeting was held… There was a large number of people in the hall, but no
obstruction to the meeting was rendered.
The Rev. J. Mountain, who was
well received, said… Some said they were suffering cheap martyrdom. His rate
was 4/8½ for the half year, but by submitting to restraint
[sic] his expenses amounted to 32/-. The next time, however,
when he appeared before the Magistrates they would find that he had no
personal belongings, not even his watch belonged to him. He was simply a
lodger at St. John’s Free
Church, and everything he once possessed, even his books, were now the
property of his excellent wife. He could, therefore, tell the Magistrates that
it was no use distraining and that he was quite ready to be sent to gaol
(applause and laughter), and he would go to prison in the cause of his Master,
and the cause of religious liberty in this priest-ridden country, which was
now the curse of sacerdotalism. They (the passive resisters) believed they
were doing a great work in submitting their goods for sale, and he was afraid
they would have to go even further. He hoped to see the day when they had a
thousand ministers going to gaol, and testifying to the whole country that
they preferred the loss of their liberty to the loss of their conscience.
The resisters seem to be becoming impatient, and also sensitive to the charge that these rituals of having their goods seized, auctioned off, and returned to them by the buyers, were somewhat farcical and were losing their impact.
