as small as a world and as large as alone, lichgem: class-struggle-anarchism: The...

8:19pm May 5, 2014

lichgem:

class-struggle-anarchism:

The Skeleton Army were a working class street fighting organisation who didn’t take kindly to the Salvation Army coming into working class communities and trying to stop people drinking and gambling, so they organised to kick them out:

The “Skeletons” recognised each other by various insignia used to distinguish themselves. Skeletons used banners with skulls and crossbones; sometimes there were two coffins and a statement like, “Blood and Thunder” (mocking the Salvation Army’s war cry “Blood and Fire”) or the three Bs: “Beef”, “Beer” and “Bacca” – again mocking the Salvation Army’s three S’s – “Soup”, “Soap” and “Salvation”. Banners also had pictures of monkeys, rats and the devil. Skeletons further published so-called “gazettes” considered libellous as well as obscene and blasphemous.
Several techniques were employed by the “Skeletons” to disrupt Salvation Army meetings and marches; these included throwing rocks and dead rats, marching while loudly playing musical instruments or shouting, and physically assaulting Salvation Army members at their meetings.

TW: Abuse, domestic violence
Was the early Salvation Army in England at all related to the prohibitionist movement in America? Because someone mentioned once that the prohibitionist movement was started by a woman who was tired of men beating the living shit out of their wives. (I think she and the other people in the movement believed alcohol made men violent.) I don’t know if that’s true or not, but if it is, it would make the Skeleton Army look a lot less badass if they were going around attacking women who wanted to stop getting hit by men.

I vaguely remember the temperance movement being heavily connected with American (white) feminism, for the reasons you describe. But I don’t know anything else.

class-struggle-anarchism:

The Skeleton Army were a working class street fighting organisation who didn’t take kindly to the Salvation Army coming into working class communities and trying to stop people drinking and gambling, so they organised to kick them out:

The “Skeletons” recognised each other by various insignia used to distinguish themselves. Skeletons used banners with skulls and crossbones; sometimes there were two coffins and a statement like, “Blood and Thunder” (mocking the Salvation Army’s war cry “Blood and Fire”) or the three Bs: “Beef”, “Beer” and “Bacca” – again mocking the Salvation Army’s three S’s – “Soup”, “Soap” and “Salvation”. Banners also had pictures of monkeys, rats and the devil. Skeletons further published so-called “gazettes” considered libellous as well as obscene and blasphemous.

Several techniques were employed by the “Skeletons” to disrupt Salvation Army meetings and marches; these included throwing rocks and dead rats, marching while loudly playing musical instruments or shouting, and physically assaulting Salvation Army members at their meetings.

TW: Abuse, domestic violence

Was the early Salvation Army in England at all related to the prohibitionist movement in America? Because someone mentioned once that the prohibitionist movement was started by a woman who was tired of men beating the living shit out of their wives. (I think she and the other people in the movement believed alcohol made men violent.) I don’t know if that’s true or not, but if it is, it would make the Skeleton Army look a lot less badass if they were going around attacking women who wanted to stop getting hit by men.

I vaguely remember the temperance movement being heavily connected with American (white) feminism, for the reasons you describe. But I don’t know anything else.

Notes: