The tragedy about the state of tension that had developed among the Christian
Socialists, culminating in the controversy about the Central Co-operative Agency,
was that it prevented them from taking advantage, energetically and in unity, of
the abundant opportunities lying before them. For the fact was that they had
succeeded in awakening sympathy for their work in wide circles. They wielded an
amazing influence which, considering their small number, almost entitles us to
speak of their success.

Our task now is to determine the nature of this influence and to try to show
how it made itself felt among the public in general and the working classes in
particular.

The mere fact that Christian Socialism had emerged under the leadership of
Maurice, who had already won a name for himself as a theological thinker and a
man of great intellectual powers and literary ability, by itself attracted attention.
We have seen how he, in a number of tracts, had expounded the principles of
Christian Socialism from various points of view. Judging by their reception in the
contemporary press, however, the public had failed to grasp Maurice's true in-
tentions--to the uninitiated his terminology and specific way of arguing made
little sense. So Maurice was generally read and understood in the light of what the
other Christian Socialists wrote in more lucid and intelligible language. Conse-
quently, ideas were often ascribed to him which he did not in fact entertain. Thus
Maurice's own conception of Christian Socialism was not able to make itself felt.
For all that, his theological fame was a contributing factor to the interest which
Christian Socialism managed to awaken.

But the person who, more than any one else, earned publicity for the move-
ment was Charles Kingsley. His Cheap Clothes and Nasty, with its passionate
attack on the slop-system had created quite a stir. But it was not till the appearance
in 1850 of Alton Locke: An Autobiography, that Kingsley really made Christian
Socialism known in wide circles--at the same time laying the foundation of his
literary fame.

From an artistic point of view, the book was not a great work ¹ --but
Kingsley had no pretensions in that direction. Like any other prophet, he wanted
to expose the shocking social evils of the nation and call high and low to
repentance and obedience to God's commandment of loving one's neighbour. The

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