George Bedborough
George Bedborough Higgs was an English writer, editor, social reformer, journalist, and bookseller. He was involved in a wide range of progressive causes in late 19th- and early 20th-century Britain. He advocated for freethought, atheism, secularism, eugenics, vegetarianism, animal rights, birth control, the legitimation of illegitimate children, and free love. He served as secretary of the Legitimation League and edited its journal, The Adult: A Journal for the Advancement of Freedom in Sexual Relationships. He also contributed to numerous periodicals and was associated with reformers including Henry S. Salt and Ernest Bell.
In 1898, Bedborough was arrested and prosecuted for publishing obscene material, including a book on homosexuality by Havelock Ellis, as well as other writings deemed indecent. The case, Regina v. Bedborough, attracted widespread public attention and led to the formation of a Free Speech Defence Committee supported by prominent figures such as George Bernard Shaw, Edward Carpenter, and G. W. Foote. Bedborough ultimately pled guilty and was fined £100, agreeing to sever ties with the League and its publication. His decision drew condemnation from his former allies, and he later expressed regret for what he described as an act of cowardice.
Following the trial, Bedborough redirected his efforts toward ethical vegetarianism and animal advocacy. He edited The Children's Realm, a vegetarian magazine for children, and wrote fiction, poetry, and aphorisms that promoted compassion for animals and critiqued religious belief. His publications include The Atheist, a poem advocating atheism and vegetarianism, and Prayer: An Indictment, a critique of prayer. After a period living in the United States, he returned to England and died in Cambridge in 1940.
Biography
Early life and education
George Bedborough Higgs was born in St Giles, London, on 10 January 1868. His father, Edward Squance Higgs, was a retired Church of England preacher and his mother was a poet. He was educated at Dulwich College and began work at the age of 16, founding the Workhouse Aid Society with W. T. Stead. Bedborough later attended university.In 1887, Bedborough was present at Bloody Sunday, in Trafalgar Square. He later wrote for a number of publications including the Sunday Chronicle, Shafts, University Magazine, the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle, and South London Mail. Bedborough was a close friend and collaborator of Henry S. Salt, Bertram Dobell and Ernest Bell.
From 1891 to 1892, Bedborough was a member of the National Society of Lanternists. He also occasionally worked as a lantern operator and gave lectures.
On 18 April 1892, he married Louisa Fisher at St George's Church, Jesmond, Northumberland. His marriage was for the sake of his family and he had an open relationship with his wife.
Bedborough was a member of the Legitimation League and edited its journal The Adult: A Journal for the Advancement of freedom in Sexual Relationships, between 1897 and 1898. The League advocated for the legitimation of illegitimate children and free love. His wife was the treasurer of the League.
''Regina v. Bedborough''
On 31 May 1898, Bedborough was arrested, along with the sex-radical feminist Lillian Harman and charged with obscenity for attempting to "corrupt the morals of Her Majesty's Subjects". He was indicated on 11 counts, including selling a copy of Studies in the Psychology of Sex Vol. 2, a book on homosexuality, by Havelock Ellis, to an undercover agent, as well as selling other pamphlets considered to be indecent, including one by Oswald Dawson, the founder of the Legitimation League. He was also indicated for his articles published in The Adult. Bedborough had been under surveillance because of the suspected anarchist connections of the League; Bedborough, himself, was not an anarchist, but he was described as the London representative of the American anarchist periodical Lucifer the Lightbearer.A Free Speech Defence Committee was formed to attempt to fight the case; members included Henry Seymour, Frank Harris, Edward Carpenter, George Bernard Shaw, G. W. Foote, Mona Caird and Grant Allen. Just before being prosecuted, Bedborough collaborated with the police and pled guilty on three counts. This led the committee to denounce him and publish the details of the case. On 31 October 1898, Bedborough was fined £100, for selling Ellis' book. He agreed to no longer be associated with the League or The Adult, writing in the December issue "I adhere to my resolution not to excuse myself. I am a coward I thank Henry Seymour, Mr. Foote, and others with all my heart and soul for their work, which I have requited illy indeed".
Activism for vegetarianism and animal rights
Bedborough became a vegetarian in 1902 after visiting Moses Harman's home. He described the pervasive smell of the slaughterhouses as pervading the whole city of Chicago. Harman suggested they tour the meat-packing houses to test whether Bedborough would continue eating meat. This experience transformed him into a passionate advocate for vegetarianism and animal rights.In 1906, Bedborough became the editor of The Children's Realm, a children's magazine published by the Vegetarian Federal Union and London Vegetarian Society. He served as editor for most of the magazine's existence, until its closure in 1914. Bedborough wrote extensively for the magazine, aiming to instill empathy and kindness in young readers, drawing parallels between the suffering of animals and oppressed humans. His stories and essays depicted the emotional connections between humans and animals, critiquing societal cruelty and promoting respect for all living beings, though his views were shaped by the imperialist norms of his time.
In the story "The Isle of Vegetariana", featured in The ''Children's Realm in September 1913, Bedborough narrates an allegory centred on animal rights and vegetarian ethics. The tale unfolds on an island inhabited solely by animals, discovered or perhaps imagined by an unnamed elderly man. This setting serves as a utopian vision where no animals are killed for food or sport. The narrative follows Mr. Smith, a butcher who travels to the island intending to exploit its inhabitants for profit. However, his encounter with the animals, which include both peaceful protests and more assertive resistance, leads him to a transformation. This confrontation with the animals' autonomy and dignity compels him to renounce his profession and adopt vegetarianism.
In 1914, Bedborough published Stories from the Children's Realm, a children's story book with animal rights, anti-vivisection and vegetarian themes. It contained several illustrations by L. A. Hayter, former illustrator and contributor to The Children's Realm''.
Later life and career
Bedborough was a contributor to Moses Harman's American Journal of Eugenics, published between 1907 and 1910. He was also an active member of the discussion circles of the feminist journal The Freewoman, which was published between 1911 and 1912. Additionally, he was the London correspondent for Labour World in the US.Bedborough published three books of aphorisms, Narcotics and a Few Stimulants, Vacant Chaff Well Meant for Grain and Subtilty to the Simple and one book of Epigrams, Vulgar Fractions. Bedborough published The Atheist in 1919, a poem which advocated for atheism and was critical of the killing of animals for human consumption. It was dedicated to Anatole France.
During the 1920s and 30s, Bedborough reconnected with the secular movement, writing for The Freethinker, he published an attack on the Ku Klux Klan in 1936 and a reflection on Havelock Ellis after his death in 1939. He also contributed to the Birth Control Review. In 1934, he published Arms and the Clergy, a compilation of clerical declarations made during the First World War. His last work Prayer: An Indictment, published in 1938, was a secular criticism of prayer.
In 1927, he emigrated to the United States, settling in Chicago and applied to be naturalised, with his occupation listed as "author and literary advisor"; his wife was recorded as living in Mayville, Wisconsin. Bedborough returned to the UK in 1931 on the RMS Aquitania.
Bedborough later moved to Cambridge. He died there on 7 August 1940, at the age of 72.
Selected publications
Narcotics and a Few Stimulants Vacant Chaff Well Meant for Grain Stories from the "Children's Realm" Wordsworth: A Lecture The Bright Side and Other Verses The Dogs of War, and Other Stories Vulgar Fractions Subtilty to the Simple Harmony or Humbug? An examination of Mr. Ralph Waldo Trine's book "In Tune with the Infinite." Love and Happiness: Letters to Tolstoy, Written in 1897 and Now First Published Sayings of George Bedborough The Will to Love Dark Sayings, with Some Fair Ones Not Only Men The Atheist Arms and the Clergy, 1914–1918- ''Prayer: An Indictment''