Today, October 17, is the 100th anniversary the death of George William Foote, founder of the Freethinker. Foote, who launched the Freethinker in 1881, edited the publication until he died, aged 65, in 1915.
To mark this important date, the Freethinker today announces the launch an essay competition with a prize of £250 going to the winner.
Entrants are asked to pen essays not exceeding 1,500 words based any one of the three following Foote quotes:
• Religious bigotry is never more vicious than when it has a large infusion of hypocrisy (from ‘Defence of Free Speech Before Lord Coleridge’).
• Free speech and Freethought go together. If one is hampered the other languishes. (“Gospel of Freethought”, reprinted in Flowers of Freeethought, volume 1, 1893).
• The whole truth of life may be summed up in a few words. Happiness is the only good, suffering the only evil, and selfishness the only sin (also from “Gospel of Freethought).
Closing date for the competition is December 31, 2015 and the winner – chosen by members of the G W Foote editorial board – will be announced on January 31, 2016.
Please mark entries G W Foote Essay Contest and email them to barry@freethinker.co.uk
The winning essay, as well as four of the best runner-up entries (depending on the number of submissions received), will be published during February on the Freethinker website.
Note: A comprehensive collection of Foote’s writings can be found on Freethought Archives.