A CRITICAL BIOGRAPHY OF EDWIN JAMES BRADY - Mallacoota ...

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In spite of this disenchantment, there is no evidence to suggest that the ideals of social
aims of the man underwent any great change. The idealism innate in him was
channelled into political and literary forms by the cataclysmic events of 1890n and
later diverged into more general and commercial fields before reverting to the avenues
of political journalism in the 1930’s. His vision however, underwent little change.
He saw the need for the development of a workable, practical Christianity which
could be applied to social reform to improve the lot of the worker and which would
replace the pseudo-Christianity of the orthodox churches which he saw being guilty of
preaching without practice. He wanted to see the creation of a society where every
man had sufficient leisure to devote to cultural activities. Only by these means could
one ensure the breadth of mind and vitality of spirit which would act as a
countercheck to the dreadful monotony of employment in a society becoming
increasingly industrialised, dehumanised and impersonal.
This achievement of a better society through the application of the real Christian
principles embedded in the doctrine of socialism, with its fairer sharing of the fruits of
labour, could be hastened by the activities of the writers in the community. The
function of the creative artist, especially the writer, was to serve as a social
conscience, advocating the adoption of Christian ideals, informing the public of
democratic principles and acting as guardian of public cultural norms; his superior
sensitivities allowed him to perform this task better than could his fellows. He was
also to serve as a rational and humanistic example of enlightened living to those
whose constitution or present environment prevented their immediate enjoyment of
the higher things of life. With its unique position, civilised background, considerable
resources and independent populace, Australia could emerge from the decadence
which affected much of the Western world to set an example of enlightened living,
cultural progress and regard for the rights of the individual which would give her a
predominant place in the contemporary world and restore a golden age to this planet.
As a southern bastion of democracy, Australia could provide intellectual and cultural
leadership; the uniqueness of its position and the quality of its people made the
utopian society quite feasible.
This eminently commendable, humane programme of action required the achievement
of personal goals by Brady. The initial plan of political involvement of a direct nature
failed with his withdrawal from the Socialist League and his failure to gain Labor
preselection, but was continued strongly through political journalism, unionism and
the influences of political friendships. Cultural enlightenment for the masses meant
dissemination of the doctrine of socialism and reform and many kinds of writing
resulted, from revolutionary verse, political jingle, newsy columns and political
editorials through to geographical and historical prose and lyrical poetry. To achieve
influence and serve as an effective example of the good life, economic independence
was necessary, but in spite of great efforts this always eluded Brady.
The personality of the man partly accounted for his failure to achieve greater success
in these personal and social goals. Events revealed in him a certain pettiness of mind
which belied the grandeur of his vision, a weakness seen in his court cases and in
wranglings with associates. The same impulsiveness which led to his resignation
from Dalgety’s in 1890 and which was criticised by Vance Palmer (who stated that
lives are not determined by impulses of dramatic moment 1 ), was also responsible for
1 Vance Palmer, “A Note on E.J. Brady”, Meanjin, Spring 1952, pp.290-292.