The Socialist Labour Party, since its inception, has insisted upon the need for a clear and comprehensive grasp of the evolution of society and its various social institutions. We have emphasised this need, not because it is our desire to breed a group of "intellectual" theorists in our midst, but rather because we are convinced that clear thinking must precede intelligent action. It is necessary to know the past in order to understand the present, and by clearly grasping the salient features concerning both past and present we can the more clearly discern the future. The study of the past, therefore, throws a penetrating light upon the nature of existing social institutions, and clearly shows the functions they perform. To the Socialist the study of history is neither an academic nor an intellectual form of recreation. It is, on the contrary, an imperative duty. We analyse the past not so much for its own sake as for the invaluable assistance it renders in enabling us to forecast the future. If the study of history cannot help us to solve the immediate problems confronting humanity, then the time spent studying it were better employed doing something more practical.
