CHARTISNI, CHRISTIAN. In connection with the Chartist political movement, a serious effort was made to form so-called Chartist churches. The best known church was at Birmingham, and was conducted by Arthur O'Neill and John Collins. The former definitely proclaimed himself a Christian Chartist. The principles of his movement are explained in the report of a sermon by him (Parliamentary Papers, 1313, p. cxxxiii., quoted by Mark Hovel]). " The necessity of their new Church was evident, for the true Church of Christ ought not to be split up into opposing sects: all men ought to be united in one Universal Church. Christianity should prevail in everyday life, commerce should be conducted on Christian principles, and not on those of Mammon, and every other institution ought to be based on the doctrines of Christianity. Hence the Chartist Church felt it their duty to go out and move amongst the masses of the people to guide and direct them by the principles of Christianity. They felt it incumbent upon them to
go out into the world, to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. The true Christian Church could not remain aloof but must enter into the struggles of the people and guide them. The characteristic of mem bers of a real Church was on the first day of the week to worship at their altar, on the next to go out and mingle with the masses, on the third to stand at. the bar of judgment, and on the fourth perhaps to be in a dungeon. This was the case in the primitive Church and so it ought to be now." There was a similar church at Bath, conducted by Henry Vincent; and there were Christian Chartist churches in Scotland, especially at Paisley and Partick.