''Secular Thought'' (1887–1911) was a Canadian

periodical A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also example ...

, published in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, dedicated to promoting the principles of freethought and

secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on secular, naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state, and may be broadened to a sim ...

. Founded and edited during its first several years by English freethinker Charles Watts, the editorship was assumed by Toronto printer and publisher James Spencer Ellis in 1891 when Watts returned to England. During that period, ''Secular Thought'' was the principal organ of the freethought movement in Canada, publishing large amounts of material from England and the United States in addition to commenting on Canadian affairs.

Ramsay Cook George Ramsay Cook (28 November 1931 – 14 July 2016) was a Canadian historian and general editor of the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography''. He was professor of history at the University of Toronto, 1958–1968; York University, 1969–1 ...

, ''The Regenerators: Social Criticism in Late Victorian English Canada'' (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985), pp. 46–64.

References

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External links

Internet Archive
(holds vols. 31–37, 1905–1911) Freethought Secularism in Canada Rationalism Newspapers published in Toronto Publications established in 1887 Publications disestablished in 1911 1887 establishments in Ontario 1911 disestablishments in Ontario Biweekly newspapers published in Canada