The National Register.
London, England, 1819-07-26 00:00:00

No. 1232.—V0L.

MR. OWEN'S INSTITUTION

AT NEW LANARK.

In war Number of last week we inserted an ac-
..tnant of an Institution which, whether from the
'fricili or opponents of the principles upon which it
is established, is folly entitled, as a practical lesson
of Political Frennomy to their consideration—we
Sisean Mr. Owen's lustitution, at New Lanark
From the unquestioned benevolence of that Gentle-
Stead intentions, add from the equally capita:timed
Benefits wbich have restated to those who have been
placed under his care anti eitipleyment, as tainpared
with the labourers of the greater part of our Cotton
'Manufactories, 'throughout the kingiore, the La-
nark Establishment presents itself as •an object of
deep and interesting .coneersi. it would be so •at
any time and undir.any circumstances, but lie a
taisis like the present, when from a long course of
b;l3 Government, misery end vice arc, like a noisome
pestilence, ragingwith almost •reaistless fury, and
:he apparent iaidispositics-t to' retrace a single step of
that ill-fated path =Lich has =ducted US to the
',rink of ruin, leaves Cale or nothing to be hailed for
iron our public Rake's, evenyglimpte of light which
ivay he thrown upon us frentlaser quarters becomes
.:outsly valuable, and cannot be disregarded. A few
observations tlitrefore upon thirtopic cannot, wenre
villing to•believe, be unacceptalfte to our readers.
The-Estaldislnent of New Lanark was originally
ac jug in t7,•"8-1, by Mr. Dale, of Glasgow, who was
*lnduced to adopmhat spot in preference to any other,
-11 y the advantages to be derived from the waters of
.he Clyde for woOking the machinery then lately
Invented, for sointring cotton yarn. The country
wits at that time uncultivated, the inhabitants poor
and few in number, and the marls in thcateighbour-
hood ms heel that the Falls, now so celebrated, were
theta unl.now•n to strangers. Laboarers were neecs-
:arily procured from ether places and he had re-
^ourse to the two sodas—first, of procuring children
from various puidic charities of the Kingdom, for
whom he provided a large house where they were
fed, clothed, and educated—seeondly, I)) inducing
families to settle round the works, and for these
also cottages were erected aml let to theta at the
emit reasonable rate. 'klr. l)ale, with every feeling
of kindness and ham :pity towards those employed
by him, and will: every attention paid to their coat-
flirt, still found that his Establishment presented ,
but just the same aTert VAddl so generally per-
a-ades societies of this kind. The childrer. vete set
to work so young, fir he was ao take them
at siA or seven years old, sr tat eaciki not have them
of all, and COlllllK`li so king, that the hours allotted
fl,r ealk.eat'am v..‘re found vise inadequate to any
bee.o6ll progress, and the little that remained for
relaxation was so scanty that many of them became
klwarfs both iu mind and body, many more ran away,
-mai all naturally looked forward with impatience
Red anxiety to tits hour which was to terminate
their apprenticeship, as an hour sf tieliverance from
a yoke of intolerable bondage. The adults were
able to earn more titan was actually necessary for
t.ubsistence, but these earnings were either curtailed
by idleness, or their surplus spent iu drunkenness
and debauchery ; and thus vice, and immorality,
and Pmecty, and debt, -and misery prevailed to US
monstrosei.an :stoat as in the corresponding Justi-