WORKING MEN'S CLUBS have existed for workmen in England and Wales (there are few in either Scotland or Ire land) since the middle of the nineteenth century.
The majority are organized in the Working Men's Club and Institute Union, which owes its existence to the Rev. Henry Solly, a Unitarian minister, and was born at a meeting held in the rooms of the Law Amendment Society at which Lord Brougham presided, on June 14, 1862.
Many of the clubs were eleemosynary and had but a fitful ex istence. Scarcely one then founded is in existence to-day. It was also intended that such clubs should be teetotal, but this policy was abandoned. Apart from this change the objects of the clubs remain as in the beginning, and are as follows: ( I) That working men's clubs and institutes are calculated not only to diminish excessive use of intoxicating liquors, but also to promote self-culture and the growth of a healthy pub lic spirit among the mass of people.
(2) That there are few social reforms of greater importance to this country than the substitution of clubs and institutes for public houses as places of resort for the recreation and business of the working classes.
Although the Union did not become entirely independent of outside support till 1890 it had, under the guidance of Hodgson Pratt, worked steadily to that end. In 1884 it became completely democratic in constitution. J. J. Dent became Secretary in 1883 and was largely responsible for the establishment of the Union on a firm and financially sound basis. In 1928 the Union included 2,53o clubs with nearly a million members. The clubs are un equally distributed over the United Kingdom. There are at least Soo workmen's clubs outside the Union. There were also in 1928 some 70o ex-Service men's clubs (remaining of a total of 1,20o in 1923). The Association of Conservative Clubs with a mem bership of 1,500 and the National Union of Liberal Clubs (5o) include purely working class organizations.
The Union maintains four convalescent homes, accommodating about 5,00o members yearly. The net income of the Union apart from that of the homes, is (1928) approximately L17,000 annually, of which some 20 per cent is allotted to educational work.
See B. T. Hall, Our Sixty Years (1922).