The Sun.
London, England, 1839-08-12 00:00:00

MUTUAL ADVANCEMENT.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sir—l beg to call your attention to a Society which
has been formed in this city under the title of the
• United Advancement Society, the object of which you
will find stated in the Stamford Mercury which has
been forwarded to you. In a few days upwards of
three hundred of the working classes have become
members. The interest which you take in any plan
which may have a tendency to raise the condition of the
labouring population (of which 1 am one), will I doubt
not prompt you to give publicity to this as well as the
remarks in the respectable journal 1 have named. That
the industrious classes are suffering from the errors of
bad legislation, and that the difficulties which they have
now to contend against will increase from the competition
of neighbouring nations—if a free seope be not permitted
to our commercial enterprise, is felt by all who look at
our position dispassionately. That our governmental
evils are pressing with undue weight on every artizan,
can never be denied, so long as that incubus, the corn
monopoly, is permitted to exist. These will never be
removed, until the people possess a controlling power,
We want a cheap and efficient government—one that
will husband the resources of the nation. But what
will so readily obtain this, as examples of personal pru-
dence and economy among ourselves? This it is, and
this only, that will shame our rulers from their present
profligate expenditure nay, it will do more, it will
place us inaposition to demand such a change. No-
thing is striking so severe a blow at the independence
of the masses, as their poverty—their poverty and con-
sequent want of intelligence has been the'- plea for with-
holding from them the franchise, and it is poverty which
is the apology for the many abandonments of principle
which we witness in those who possess it. Great as are
the burthens which press on us and which are likely to
continue—yet, in dispite of them, our condition may be
much improved—it can be done by ourselves if we will
resolutely unite for such a purpose—we need no assist-
ance but our own to obtain it. Those who have been
and who are now exerting themselves to check the
abuses to which we are subjected, and whose energies
are directed to obtaining for us a sharer the repro-
senta' ion, deserve our best thanks—but these even if
obtained will not cure the social evils from which
we suffer most—these can be remedied only by our•
selves. The plan which we have adopted is a very
simple one—it is merely the contribution of sixpence
weekly by each member, which, it is confidently be-
lieved the working classes and others can spare from
that which is spent needlessly, and in many cases worse
than needlessly. By this subscription a fund is to be
raised, and invested in the most profitable manner ; thus,
you will find, that in any town where five hundred can
be induced to unite, the first year will produce a fund
of 65U—if the number continue, the second year will
give them 1,300/., besides interest—so that, in the space
of two years, is a sum collected by which a few acres of
land may be purchased ; and in another year or two their
means vi ill permit them to build on this land—or, if
thought more advisable. extend their estate ; thus
these trifling savings give us what we hear so
much babble about, " a stake in the country.' We
become landed proprietors. See the result in a few
years, if the money is properly spent. If only 5 per
cent, is obtained in ten years, there is a capital of near
8,000/. ; in twenty years, 23,500/. ; but if 10 per cent.
is got, which is not too much to anticipate, in ten years,
the property would amount to near 10,000/., in twenty
to near 38,0001., and after this period the accumulation

is immense.
If, then, a small locality could produce such a result,
see what might be done by its adoption by the indus-
trious class throughout the kingdom. Suppose six
millions were thus to unite their sixpences, the result
would be an annual fund of near eight million pounds.
It requires no stretch of the imagination to see the
change which this would work in a few years in our con-
dition, both politically and socially.
These sixpences, which seen alone, look so contemp-
tible, would in much less than half a century, if properly
invested, amount to a greater sum than that source of
so many evils—the National Debt. Now look at the
personal shares—and one feature of the plan is, that we
shall be able to draw out our deposits at any period.
Our sixpences, with a profit of 5 per cent., will amount
in 20 years to 441. ; in 30 years, 88/. ; in 40 years, 160/.
At 10 per cent. for 20 years, 75/. ; in 30, 2151; 40,.
580/. ; in 65 years to upwards of 6,0001. Of course a
man and wife both contributing for 30 years, will have
at their disposal 430/. There is this advantage in a
man and wife and others of the family entering, if they
can spare the amount, that in the event of illness, want
of employ, or badness of trade, the share of one might
be drawn out for their wants, and leave the others un-
touched.
Thus in a few years would be dispelled all fear of po-
,- rty, all dread of future want, from the minds of such
communities—they would no longer be the slaves of
others, but on all occasions be the representatives of
their own opinions. These are no mean advantages,
and such as you, and any liberal-minded man, would be
anxious to see realised.
Your insertion of this will oblige,
ONE OF THE WORKING CLASSES.
Lincoln,27th July, 1839.

On this subject the Stamftrii Mercury says—
The plan for ameliorating the condition of the
working classes by forming a Mutual Advancement So-
ciety has been very actively taken up in Lincoln, all
parties praiseworthily co-operating to establish and give
it stability. The working classes themselves embrace
the scheme with great eagerness. The roll of the So-
ciety already numbers 250, so that now to harbour a
fear of the Society's proving ephemeral would be folly.
The advantages to be derived from a number of indi-
viduals throwing their small weekly savings together are
so manifest as to need no recapitulation. But this So-
ciety promises advantages far superior to those the
members of which on secession are entitled only to their
amount of savings, and a small per centage thereon : the
capital, when sufficient is accumulated, is to be embarked
in a series of safe end profitable undertakings. Thus,
frequently recurring profits may be realised, and these
added to the capital will in a few years so swell the bulk
as to enable the Society to make investments yielding
a large rate of interest. By this plan each person's
share would in ten years perhaps treble the sum
due to him had he put out his savings at 5 per cent.
interest. .Meetings on Friday and Monday nights last
were held at the Guildhall on the subject. One very
gratifying feature of these meetings was, that all per-
sons present—Radicals, Whigs and Tories—cheerfully
united for the common interest. Party prejudice and
spleen, in whatever institution they find vent, are sure to
disorganise and destroy it : throwing aside political
feeling, all on the above occasions acted zealously and
in unison to promote the desired object. At the meet-
ing on Friday night, after a long and able discussion
and explication of the object in view, the society, with
the concurrence of all present, was organized, and Mon-
day night was fixed for passing the rules. On that
night the rules were read singly and after receiving
several emendations, met with unanimous concurrence.
An interesting debate took place as to what should be the
limitation in the amount of each member's weekly deposit
—some were for adhering to the first proposed plan of Gd.
each, but as this threw the single man very low in
the scale compared with the married man, it was stur-
dily opposed. Various amendments were submitted :
one for extending the shares to 2s. Gd. each : this was
met with a double plea : it did not obviate the former
objection, and would be courting the middling classes to
make deposits, so that the Society would not, in fact, be
a poor man's Society. To the last plea much was urged
in replication, and ultimately the rejoinder wasjput in its
real bearing. The question resolved itself into the
simplest of all trading principles—whether the person
commencing with a small or the one with a large capital
traded more advantageously ? Finally a plan was
struck out which conciliated all parties—namely, that
single persons be allowed to hold five sixpenny shares,
and a married person (either the husband or wife) the
same number ; and if the family exceed five, then an
additional share for each member above the fifth. Up-
wards of two dozen persons joined in this debate ; and
the temperate manner in which it was conducted was
exceedingly gratifying. Thursday was then appointed
for choosing the different officers, and the meeting
broke up.

On Saturday, at two o'clock, an inquest was
held at the Red Lion Tavern, Greenwich, on the body of
Mrs. Marder, whose husband is a retired brewer in the
Albany-road, Old Kent-road. The deceased, it appeared,
had accompanied her husband on Friday to Greenwich, on
a visit to a lady, but not wishing to disturb her at the din-
ner hour, they went into a public house and ordered a few
oysters. When in the act of swallowing the first one, her
eyes all of a sudden protruded, and she seized hold of her
husbsnd's arm, and pointed to her throat. She expired in
five minutes afterwards. Mr. Relate, surgeon, et' Green-
wich, who attended her, stated that the cause of the oyster
choking her was the exceeding smallness of the passage
of her throat, which was not a fourth part the usual size.
The oyster had stopped up the air, and by that means
caused death. Verdict—" Suffocated in attempting to
swallow an oyster."
On Saturday
CORONER'S INQUEST.-- an In-
quest was held before Mr. Wakley, M. P., at the Plough-
inn, Harrow-road, Kensal-green, on view of the body of
Mr. James Taylor, aged sixty-three years, who was killed
under the following circumstances:—It appeared from the
evidence that the deceased gentlema.n, who was connected
with the house of Messrs. Williams and Harper, of Upper
Thames street, resided at Wentworth, in Dorsetshire •h%r
bad lately come on a visit to his son at R'ckmauswortb, and
.1
in
rhoewnn theu deceased,
th e vLh i
ewl'eli:o
on Monday morning la-t, wishing to come to town, his, son
lent him his gig, and his groom to attend on hintOn the
weighed
io:cidnttyli.
the horse
ssteenesb, Yweads'
immediately picked up in a state of insensibilityHe was
and carried
into the inn, where he was bled by NI
Mr. Rymer, a surgeon's
and on the arrival of his son, ,
Sir Astley Cooper was also
sent for. It was found, however,i to be a hopeless case, and
the deceased expired on Thursday morning. Subsequently
m
a post morte examination was
entered into by Sr Astley
Cooper, when five of
the vessels of the were heartfound
to
be ruptured. In the bladder were also found one hundred
and ninety stones, some of which were as large as a bean.
Deceased was f
per ectly sober. Verdict—Accidental
i Death.

EVENING )d:DIT I ON.