Bradlaugh, Charles
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Bradlaugh, Charles. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
Charles (1833-1891), an English statesman. He was born in London. He served in the Dragoon Guards and became a lawyer's clerk. In 1860 he founded a periodical called The National Reformer. He was a believer in the doctrine that the duties of the present life are of first importance. He rejected all forms of religious faith and worship founded on revelation. He taught that public education and government should be separated from religious affairs--the complete separation of church and state. In accordance with the British custom of permitting the election of non-resident representatives, Bradlaugh was elected to Parliament from Northampton in 1880. As he refused to take the Parliamentary oath on the ground of religious scruples, he was not permitted to take his seat. Bradlaugh appealed to the country in The True Story of My Parliamentary Struggle. He was reelected, but the House of Commons declared him an atheist unfit to sit. In 1886, a new House having convened, Bradlaugh was seated and the former resolutions forbidding his admission were expunged from the records. 2026 Editor's Note: Bradlaugh fought a six-year constitutional battle after 1880: elected to Parliament, he asked to affirm rather than swear a religious oath, and was refused, imprisoned in the clock tower, expelled and re-elected repeatedly. He won in the end, and the Oaths Act of 1888 secured the right of affirmation for everyone — a landmark of freedom of conscience. (Ed: BR 2026-07-01)
An Encyclopaedia of Occultism (1920)
A prominent member of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society , appointed in 1869 to investigate the alleged phenomena of spiritualism. He and Dr. Edmunds were among those who served on subcommittee No, 5, which held séances with Home, at which the phenomena were not at all satisfactory. The two investigators named therefore signed a minority report, containing a careful and critical treatment of the evidence.