The National Register.
London, England, 1819-07-18 00:00:00

EW

The following animated description of the esta-
blishment of Mr. Owen, at New I,unark, has been
received by a gentleman in London titan it friend,
who is making a tour through Scotland :
I.:mark. dune SI, IRIS.
I had made great haste here, determht 11 not to low the advan-
tage which the long sexcession of rainy weather would give we sn
seeing the celebrated Falls of the Clyde , and, Leta ithstancling
the exaggerated des-riptions in the serious TcorcUrre' Ger;,/.e
of this andsothe: r.or.o.ities in Sootlarid, I have ben highly
_gra-
tified. 1 bball rot take my your time, boa ever, in telling of the
different menwaion4 of dolight aid of 'terror which I here experi-
enced; first, is the walk to the Falls throigh the beaduful grounds
of Lid; Mary Koss. till siii:6en!y awokered Irmo n:yriWer.c, by
the twice,, synod of many waters, I was standing; 00 the pretnpu
ous bank of nlesrful and giddy height, and down below, thruigh
the misty aivl 4aagied Libya'. I looked on the awful cauldron of
Cora Lynn. I have a much greater cuiobity than this to tell you
of, the beauticAtf which, tlitugh horn to blosh unseen, must be
wen to be belltvad, as they defy all dtserirtion; ineon the
moral and inlinireiy superior beauties a the ri;l4re of New
Lanark. which I visited on my return frinu the Falb. Sitrate i 3
a country combining theft must agrecistle features of rog:i.o nod
Scotch scenery. at the brusrau of adeep ,
('NA d:.11 at itlilvo ,v;lart , i•ft

are eot:o., nieradactorieb belonging to a company of gynthenen.
of waren, Mr. Os en is the massaging perteer. While. In ect
of its eleoeett ;millings it has is more look than
even the Moor., heck'. I soon di.covered, front the cleanliness.
health, heppinees, and simplicity of its intl.:Olt:mit, that they
were strictly villNers. I shell ever atter this recollect New
lanalk, as the sentry valley," ens think it deserves the title
tar better than the idle and inaztive Weed so betettititUy described
in Parry/as. The spinning color, in yam employs leant pearl:.
and you cannot imagine the order, good behaviour, and pretty
appeanulce or these Nees of industry ; not a speck at' dirt or dust
was to be seee, no smell of oil—the very stairs were to be rolieired
for their niteness ; but it is not only in the exteet and beauty of
works that Mr. Owen is distinguiebed over all his bream:* in
the trade; his principle is. that die people shall not work cure
than ten hours and inn half in the day, and that no chid shall
work at all till he or she is ten years old. 'the system therefore is
this:—The beU ?legs at six in the morning, Lied every body
runs to their post in the mantifacowy ; and at nine they run ca
fast out to get their breakfaet, for which they are allowed an hour;
again they go in, arid are allowed another hone for dinner at Is u
o'clock. At half past six they leave off work for that tlay, and go
to play ; and as they always keep the clock half an hour too fast
it e. really Ally six u clod: by the day, end at this time of the year
only conceive, what a long even iag this give them. At half .1 vast
ten a bell rings, tuerely to let the slU.t to kunir what o'clock it is,
and they may go bed or not, as they at. But the 1700 ma-
nufacturers whom Mr. OWGSI employs, have got 330 children.
Miller ten years of age, capable of going to school, and these
receive an education at an expenae of ea .per month. far better
than is given in half the schtelt in England. You may guess my
surprise tit Est ofoino in. to see a parcel of these children dressol
in the highland kilt, without idiots or stockings, learning to
dance, in a fine noon as large as that at the London Tuvern,
with n regular dancing master and liddles.! 'these were stetted.
ed by a corps of to urchins, some only six years old., marching
round a room sit!) their Gres Veir Fug, in petlect tune, .dal.: La:
Syse. End other pieces; they all played liom note, six of thee.
took the second to fourteen alto playod the air; die-se ales h. d
their master. who every now and then, by maims of his hand,
directed Them to attend properly, and when to alter the tune; they
also learn singing and the military, exercise; fur Mr. Owen s
principle is, to teach the chikhen how to amuse themseive: in a
rational manner, as well as the more Moen tent matter; of reading
and writing, with arithmetic and the principles of geometry to
the boys turd needle work to the girl..—teicouraged by the suc-
cess and good behaviour of the clithlnn, the maters and mis-
tresses all scan to be enthusiastic in their vatiole deem. tetents
and the proficieccy of the children can only be accounted for front
this cause, and the ultimate reward held out to dion of being el •
lowed, when they are tact yawn old, to go into the mantifoitory
and begin to get their living. i:ven front t yeats old, toys acl
spacious play grounds are provided for these little children. erd
by one and two hours at a time they are granuelly initiated into
the +mysteries of A. IL C. and the school is noel', an object of
ambinon to these, as profitable. employment is to • those in the
manufactorie 1-or tOe grown people. utter the hams of business,
a noble building is applopria Led ; on roe sill 2 is an alsenthly-roora
for the young Well aim ,:o.slen to dance in, to a very good urchea-
Ira of wind instruments perterined by their musical companions;
and here del have elite! exercise, arel with two soperintentlants.
the same otter and orcorum is obovved, though petheps not
quite such ettipeete, as at Altnack's itself. On teat seeing e,i,
1 weeered rimer in giving it my imate.diate apptobetion,
roxillectiag the danger of aidiug 'tight at the bias of contipt
nature by such prontimuoue nseembikso but vice, I found, wits
almost as little known among this enviable community a; Poor
Rates and pauperiein; and three tire mete villagers dancing In a
comfortable warm room instead of on the green. The other side of
the building is not ciente finiehed, but is very shortly to be fitted :or
a rending and lecture room for the older and graver part of the
work.people; and as Mr. Owen receives a greet ninny Newoui.
pens from various part of the couniry, these, when lie hoe done
with they, Lind u moderate collection of popular and useful
books. are intended for their library. t was happy to hear that
this exec:lent part of the establohment is very nearly finished.
My wine:Lint:eat was excited long be 1 love :tell sill these
things. to know where in the world all the money cause front, to
set on foot and to support Roth timniliceeee tied ueunrable
"You shall see."said the very intelligent gentleniun who s; oscd
me mound; and taking me acroes the village, I no. led into the
ogly !Imp or store for the supply of the two thousand five hundrett
inhabitants of the place. " Tne people used formerly to get very
badly served, and cheated into the bargain, till Mr. ()wen deter-
mined to take the providitio good articles at a cheaper rate into
Lis own hands; and new, Iron the system of buying his o'en
teas at tne India-house, and every other article, of almost entlless
variety, in laree quantities et the best utnrkct and for reedy
money, the purple are supplied with every thing of the loot iota.
11l on far bstter terms than the inhabitants of the most populous
places. mad where competition mime the trrele3.people is cerritd
to the most tuition, cetera ; and it is from the profits of this
ono.:: n," said my " that all these building, are wised.
all theee masters paid, their 330 children taught, :rod every other
incidental expense defrayed !"—At this stoic every person lets a
credit lodged for him prooortioned to his weekly earnings, end a
sirwll bock being kept of how much meal, cloth, spirits. &e. tic.
he has had. the acnoutt is settled onee ain nali, sad after tea
ducting the amount of this took, with the trilling rent of their
cottage, and one-sixticth part of their entire euninge towardsgenerui fluid for the support of sickness or old age, the balance is
paid over to them. whist is all clear prolit ; and then, if they
think proper. there is tile Savings Bone, where they may depoeit
it. and receive the interest. On Sundays, the Reading Schou:,
which is capable of containing iso-to pftlio, is converted into a
Church ; and a room underneath tins Li tired as a Meeting for
such as sire dissenters from the Church: they are each fitted up
with a pulpit and connnodious gallery. The intervals of public
worship are occupied in the Sunday School., which arc princi-
pally attended by the children curoleyed is the manufactory, to
keep them in remembrance of what they learnt when sehelne.
To you, and to ell to whom ". /maim; alitmirra art,"
this peaceful village o.Tere in its every feature mecum tire the tine t
happy and smietactory cantemplation; and for the 1.11115 C of hu-
manity it cannot but be regretted that its distant ritunnon flout
the Metropolis by hitherto pneented the benevolent Proprietor's
plans for the ameaneetion of inenkind being seen, felt, and un-
den.tod. es they must be by the slightest observer who unlike a
visit to New letnark. I sea become a willing convert to Mt.
Owen's opinion as to the practicability of ieleit he proposes. front
hoeing seen it here toentrilifoxl in the actual exigence of these
various institutions in the most flouriehing eetidition. and I
would willingly have left lime mark of refeetten for the spot, for
the use of tier poor iu the lio.mtel. but pour there is none. and
Inopital there is- none, and Me very friendly coadectoe etre,
nothing of that kind was allowt:t1, bite, on the contrary, they
cult obliged by rely visits trims etrungers, its they are confident
that the Public only require to see wish their own eyes what nee,
be done on Mr. Owen'e principles, to applaud and support him
by folio% iag Liscoample. 'Compared snit the differtitt oh ' •
of curiosio,..in this interesting country, ha mountains, gi
lakes. and **ails, beeattiful PS thee rill are. 1 think New
widen. happy people, is worth Iliete
" tar 11,. the nisolitio4 crow ignoble strife,
'I heir stow. Item 10 SUM)
she ~,i4....SlVAered Si,'• of hoe,
C..••11.th.• n.n171.•!..:14.•nr .if Ilea, oaf.'•.

I serer lit such u glow of kinellineus and satisfaction as that
withobin4 the path di happina.a, ,mule au b'ai: vle and by as it is
untt:r the cart of Mr. I twt.n.

Colvliest,T is sirrivrl 1:11 Pl'.ol Tii.; T.nrd.