The Sun.
London, England, 1841-06-02 00:00:00

tion of seeing that large assemblage around him. Hi,
worthy friend in the chair had said that he must
!lave had many anxious moments ; he never was
,nore mistaken in his life. He (Mr. Owen) hasi
:Lever suffered any anxiety at all. At his out-
,:et in his Social career when he had
not an individual thinking with him, he calmly and
molly looked at the justice of his principles, and conse-
quently the justice of the proceedings he contemplated.
Ile was then well aware that former reformers, even
those who had not attempted one tithe of what he con-
templated, had suffered persecution in fine, imprisonment,
sad even in death ; he saw all that before him. He never
sxpected that he should have passed through.life without
suffering all these ; but instead of meeting those formid-
able obstacles, his path had been a flowery one:
From an individual standing alone he had
;one forth, and had been aided step by step by friends
on all sides, until now that his new, extravagant, wild,
cad notions had made almost all of the old world mad as
well as themselves.—(Cheers and laughter.) Their mad-
:less was that of cool, calm. consideration.—(Cheers.)
It was a madness that induced them to investigate the
Ainclamental principles on which society was based, and
.o find out whether they were
principles
a- whether they were founded in error and prejudice,
nature,
prejudice,
!;y- such an investigation they had found out the cause of
ill the misery existing in the world. Man, the noblest
work of an incomprehensible Power, under the old sys-
eni, was said to be bad by nature. There never had
seen a greater libel spoken than that. Fortunately for
rhemselves, and for all generations, he had lived to dis-
!over that man was good and excellent by nature.—
Cheers.) Why had such an error become so common
to make it an axiom that man was bad by nature 1
Vhy, solely because man, throughout all past ages, had
Seen badly educated ; that -was the simple cause of all the
aisery which man had experienced from the beginning
;f the world. Were they and their children to be in-
structed in a proper manner, happiness must be their
sortion, but they might be instructed for thousands of
years in the system of the old world and they would
Lever know what charity and love for the human race
tieant. The Socialist principles alone could instructinau
.a the manner in which he ought to love our neighbours es
urselves, and to bear charity to the human race. It was well
snoWn that we had now fallen so low as to look at only
what was agreeable to ourselves, and to dislike what
was disagreeable ; but a change was rapidly taking place,
ad the time was not far distant when each would look
ipon his neighbour- as himself. But to biing about that
,eriod—that happy and much longed-for period, they
siust adopt prompt and decisive measures, so to bring up
he rising generation as to oblige them to love them.
.litherto we had bad much of precept and but very littls
,iractiee' but they had now come to times when they
would have practice, and they would leave the precept,
0 others who knew not how to carry. them into effect.
tie had just returned from a Congress held in Manches-
er, which had been. sitting for nearly three weeks, and
here for the first .time they had laid the foundation—a
solid and immoveable foundation—for the .. success of
:hose principles by the unity of all parties professing
:liemselves the disciples of Socialism, which must
sicceed. Hereafter, when any.. anger or in,
.lulged in hasty or degrading language, let them at once
.ay that that person is no Socialist, for with a knowledge
)f, and acting upon their principles, such conduct would
impossible.—(Cheers.) When they found love and
affection for man, whatever his country, his colour, or
'tis creed, there let them sing " Oh, be joyful!" for the
Jima was then come when the old moral world would
lie, and they would be entering upon a new one, in
which peace and good-will would predominate—a new
world, in which charity would prevail—a new world, in
which there would be no fear of poverty—a new world,
La which all misery would disappear ; and in place of
ill these evils would arise a new combination
if external circumstances in which poverty, disease, vice,
Time, and misery, would find no cause for their pro-
luction.—(Loud cheers.) He had investigated the cause
each of these things, and he had found what they
were, and that they could be removed from society ; and
is soon as Socialists would unite and practice these
principles, when he heard that the members of each
ranch were cordially united, when he heard that the
sranches acted in union with the Central Government,
from a knowledge of their principles as Socialists, to for-
ward the good work, then would he know that the time
,vas come when all those troubles would' cease, when
;words would be turned into ploughshares, when every
man would sit under his own vine and fig-tree, and there
would be nothing on earth to make him afraid, for every
,ne.would be studying the happiness of his neighbour.
Let them all leave the meeting with the. determination on
their minds that the happy period was near
.at hand.—
Loud cheers.) He was going on to say,—but he was a
,isionary, he was a madman, he was wild,—but
;till he was going on to say that they had held
within their own hands the means of obtaining that
state of society which had been described under the ap-
pellation of the Millennium.—(Cheers.) They had land,
apital, labour, and skill—they had all the materials that
could be desired ; there was only one single ingredient
canted—that was unity amongst all. He trusted that
city would become universal during the year. Ile
ould not detain them longer ; .but with the kind per-
nission of his friends, he would propose the health of
heir kind friend the Chairman—night he live many,
aany years, and might he (Mr. Owen) be there to see
aim.—(Laughter.)
The toast was drunk with applause, and
The CHAIRMAN returned thanks, and promised to be
a Socialist for life, because he was one from conviction,
Ind he would use his utmost endeavours to promote the
ibjects of the Society.
• The CHAIRMAN then proposed " Prosperity to the
Universal Community Society of Rational Religionists
hroughout the World," which was drunk with applause.
Mr. BUCHANAN said it afforded him much pleasure to
see so many of both sexes assembled to,promote a moral
•eforrn that must in a very short time regenerate
:he whole world ; which must, before long, extir-
nite all (the evils—the many evils which now
xistetl in society. After highly eulogizing the charac-
er and perseverance of Mr. Owen, he said that it was
tow impossible to put down the Society. In consequence
)f the late persecutions they had sent out many faithful
and able preachers, who worked the whole seven days of
:he week; and they had:now Halls of Science in Manches-
r built at an expense of 7,0001., another in Liverpool,
which cost nearly as much; and they had halls in Hali-
Stx, in Huddersfield, and many other places, built at an
.sspense of 30,0001. Besides' they had an estate in Hamp-
shire upon which 5,000/. had already been expended,
tad 3,000/. more was about to be laid out ; and all that
'Laving been done by a Society of only five years' stand-
ing, showed that they had a strength that would enable
hem to combat with . and beat all their enemies.
In succeeding as they had through the last five or six
years, they had much encouragement for the future, for
[hey had done more than they could have eipected when
Lhey took into consideration the giant prejudices with
which they had to battle.—(Cheers.) As Mr..owen had
truly said, the world was a great lunatic asylum, it was
1. field of error and crime so gigantic as to frighten the
'coldest mind from its propriety, and reduced man to the
Lowest state.—(Cheers.) Man was, by nature, cold and
cruel, and required regeneration ; and those that did
tot acknowledge that there were errors in his nature,
siust be wild indeed.—(Cheers.) That regeneration it
was the business-of the Socialist missionaries to endea-
vour to effect, and in that great work, notwithstanding
the difficulties that had surrounded them, they had been
eminently successful.—(Cheers.) The thorn might tear
the branches from the tree, and scatter its foliage, but
it could not destroy the seed, which would ger-
minate and produce another tree.—(Hear.) So with
;.espect to the regeneration of mankind, and implanting
in their minds the true principles of Socialism, the seed
IA been sown, and the storm could not uproot it. If any
can despaired of the future regeneration of mankind,
let him learn from the school of experience. In times
past was the steam-engine thought of? and yet what
could it not do ? Let them never despair of doing good,
and bettering the condition of their fellow-creatures ; for
" Thrice is he arm'd who hath his quarrel just ;"
and as long as they had justice .on their side, they need
tot fear.—(Cheers.) They were congregated together
that day to honour one of the wisest and best of men,
and resolve that society shall be purified of its errors
and anomalies---r--(Cheers)—anel by their love of
.every
thing that was good and virtuous, and their detestation
of every.thing that was vile and bad, they would be en-
',bled to,k6 'orth until the whole- World was regenerated.
--(Cheers.). In conclusion, lie trusted that the Universal
Community of 'Rational ielistionistsavould be the agents
to obtain such a desirable state of things.
Mr. Mum?, • the Vice-Chairman, then proposed
▪ health and prosperity, to the lecturers of, both sexes of
the Universal Community Society of Rational Reli-.
gienists." It :was unnecessary for him to say any thing
had braved the 3 '
all the storms and
reproaches
with respect to the talents of those individuals, us he was
sure that all present must
cause , be awareiolafdthmenl
nt
tv
ha was
0, them, next to their worthy father, that they were in-
ebte dn .fo r theof
the
Socialism. ges ao tTr
They
crib,gr the purpose of instilling into
the minds of the country the true principles of Socialism.
Mr. LLOYD JONES responded to the toast. . The Social
lecturers had applied themselves to remove the errors
which existed among the people of whom they formed a
part ; they were not like the missionaries of other
societies—they had not been sent abroad to save the
souls of the heathen—they were not sent to preach to the
..iavage that which he did not understand—they were not
sent to the Sandwich Islands to preach dogmas, that the
-
natives could not understand. No, they had been kept
at home, not for the purpose of converting the Pagan to
t,haleleaChhmriistsiean .religion, but to convert the man who
called himself
a Christian to the truth.—:(Cheers.) In
this they had succeeded to some, extent,—thousands of
chose who thought they were wise, admitted that they
had been in error, and that Socialism, as now explained,
was the true Christianity,—was the real and rational reli-
gion, that could only lead to peace and happiness. The
strife--(Cheers)--end while the foreign mis-
sionary instead of healing, created divi-
sion missionary did all in his power to better the eon-
dition of his fellow-men ; but the missionaries who were
Sention intoand w
f aos
srt
re
ii
converting
v
erting parties abroad, the Social mis-
sionary was converting those they had left at home.
They had heard,-now and then, of the savage being con-
verted by the eloquence. of some of the missionaries ; but
while they heard of suck things, they had also heard of
facts which, if they had taken place in a Pagan lands
religion
.; but
wouldnen stick iiave
things wok place, as he could mention, in a
been ascribed.to the, PaganPaganChristian land, it could only be attributed to. the bad
state of society:.: The foreign missionary ' drew
half, a million .
, year 'to enlighten the savage
(Hear, hear)—while a most dreadful state of things
home The ;mission •
-existed :at :missionaries of the Socialists,
however, were determined to put an end to such a state
'of things. It was' true that in _accomplishing the task
they had much. totontend -agailloA. -but he had no doubt
that they would be successful, backed aa_thej6Evere by a
rea1,0.,.1;„g people. - That, lioeialiki:Nvas!.:sttong, there
. -needed -no stroqer, :Foot than thaLChunchrsen-wers;
diimayed. • Their fears were the truest-: ggn s ef.io-
strength.—Metr,lesx.)..Thay had.hat4itnes °Dug-