WATTS
In 1864 he joined his brother John in the
printing business, and became sub-editor
of the National Reformer ; a post which
he retained when the journal passed, on
the death of John Watts, to Bradlaugh,
with whom he remained for many years
on terms of close intimacy. In 1877,
following an unfortunate estrangement, he
resigned his position on the journal, and
shortly afterwards acquired the Secular
Review from G. J. Holyoake. He edited
the paper for some years, at first without
assistance, then with G. W. Foote, and
finally with W. Stewart Boss (" Saladin "),
who ultimately became sole editor and
proprietor. In 1886 Mr. Watts accepted
a Rationalist pastorate in Toronto, where
he founded Secular Thought and conducted
a vigorous Freethought propaganda for
several years. In 1891 he returned to
England, and shortly after again became
a colleague of Mr. Foote and a regular
contributor to the Freethinker. In his
closing years he was a lecturer for the
R. P. A., under whose auspices he delivered
addresses in all parts of the country. He
excelled as a debater, and his opponents
included nearly every leading Christian
representative who was willing to defend
his religion on the public platform. Mr.
Watts was responsible for one volume of
The Freethinker s Text-Book, and was also
author of The Meaning of Rationalism and
numerous brochures expository of the
teachings of Secularism. D. Feb. 16,
1906.
WATTS, Charles Albert, son of pre ceding, publisher. B. May 27, 1858. Ed. national schools and night schools. Mr. Watts began work as a printer s devil before he was twelve, and at thirteen he was apprenticed to Austin Holyoake (Bradlaugh s publisher, at 17 Johnson s Court) as a letterpress printer. Austin Holyoake dying in 1876, the business passed to Mr. Watts s father [preceding paragraph] , and in 1882 the son succeeded thereto. In 1885 he issued the first number of the Literary Guide, which he
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has edited since its inception. He is
also editor of the R.P.A. Annual (formerly
the Agnostic Annual}. In 1890, in con
junction with a few friends, he founded
the Rationalist Press Committee, which
afterwards became the Rationalist Press
Association. Mr. Watts is Vice-Chairman
of the Association and publisher for it ~ r
and the remarkable progress that it has
made since 1899 rising from a member
ship of 65 to 2,694 is overwhelmingly
due to his energy and business ability.
It was at his initiative that the Association
took up the cheap publication of Ration
alist classics, of which it has distributed
several millions in the course of a few
years. In his printing and publishing
business, which has carried heretical pub
lishing far beyond any previous record, he
now has efficient partners in his son
Frederick and his daughter Gladys, who
have been specially trained for the work.
WATTS, George Frederick, R.A., O.M., D.C.L., LL.D., painter. B. Feb. 23, 1817. His father was poor, and Watts had little general education, but he worked his way up until he was enabled to attend the Royal Academy Schools. His progress- was rapid, for he exhibited three pictures at the Royal Academy in 1837. In the early forties he attained great distinction in fresco-work, but after 1847 he chiefly confined himself to oils, and was very much sought as a portrait painter. His- later years were largely occupied with efforts to convey humanitarian ethical lessons in the symbolical paintings which are still familiar. As one would gather from the nature of these pictures, Watts- did not seek inspiration in Christianity. Mrs. Russell Barrington, who knew him well, discusses his views on religion, some what reluctantly, in her G.F. Watts (1905, pp. 150-59). She says : " No formalities of any Church appealed personally to Watts s feelings, but he often expressed his conviction of the absolute necessity of some form of religion for the masses." He disliked aggression, and thought Agnostic.
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