The Sun.
London, England, 1840-06-10 00:00:00

, ciples, and among number that,, he must in justice say The
Sun stood pre-eminent.—(Great cheering.) To the
Morning Chronicle and the Globe they were also greatly
indebted; and for his own part, as a member of the press,
all he could say was that as long as he could wield a pen it
' should always 'be to tell the truth and shame the devil.—
(Laughter.)
' The CHAtaSIAN then rose to propose " Health aad proa-
! perity to Robert Owen, the philanthropist, and may lie live
to see his unflinching perseverance in the cause of human
I redemption crowned with success." If anything could add
to the happiness of the present really happrday, it was
that of seeing the venerable Founder of the Society among
them.—(Cheers.) Throughout she whole of a long and
active life he had had the single object of the happiness of the
human race in view.—( Clime.) He had lied to a good
old age. but he hoped he would still enjoy many, many
years to see the complete triumph of the principles he pro-
lessed.—( Cheers.) What grieved him most Aas that after
the course of so long and active a life passed in the ame-
lioration of his.fellow-men he should in the evening of his
days:be maligned ?—( Cheers.) What, he would ask, would
other generations say to that ?—( Cheers. ) There were
many around him who appreciated his good qualities, and
who had met there that day, to honour the man who had
done such vast service to mankind.—(Cheers.) Mr.
Owen's exertions latterly had been o: no common
kind. He had attended a public meeting in
Manchester yesterday, and it was thought by many that it
would have been impossible for hi:a to be there that day.
Mr. Owen had, however, kown by his presence that it
was possible, and he (Mr caul) had only to lament that
he fiad; not been there earlier, as he felt convinced that
it would have gratified him greatly to have seen the una-
nimity that prevailed among them that day.--( Cheers.)
Although he (Mr. Saul) had mixed greatly in society, he
had never heard any thin- that gave him greater pleasure
than the noble sentiments that had been expressed that
day.—(Cheers.) With such advocates, what, he would
ask, had they to fear?—(Cheers.) Most of those
who had addressed them were self-educated men, the
best education, he would venture to say, that any man
could receive.—( Cheers.) Mr. Owen bad succeeded in
a great degree in showing mankind the way to produce
their own happiness, arid he was sure every one there, and
millions outside, felt the greatest enjoyment at that glori-
ous day. The philosophic, and those who were most ha-
bituated to thought, were in favour of the views of Mr.
Owen, and he should not be surprised if the greater por-
tion of the clergy should recommend their cor.gregations
to form operative societies after his plan.—(Cheers.)
But then the clergyman must tarn schoolmaster, which
was his proper place.—(Cheers.) They were progress-
ing rapidly in understanding the principles of the regene-
ration of mankind, and he was sure that the time
was not far distant when the highest ranks of society would
fall into their views. He trusted Mr Owen would assist
them with his advice for many years to come. Whether
that wish would be accomplished or not he could not say,
but of this he was certain ,that his name would be handed
to posterity, and succeeding generations would bless his
name.—(Great cheering.)
Mr. 'OWEN then rose and was received by the assembly
with loud applause. He' thanked them cordially for the
manner in which they had received his name on that occa-
sion. He knew that the compliment was not applied to
him personally, but to the principles of truth which he
advocated, and which they loved and admired. The
Chairman had lamented in strong terms that he (Mr. 0.)
had suffered in the public opinion. lie rejoiced execed-
, ingly that those who were their enemies had come forward
in such a manner as to promote the cause of truth, and
make the principles of the Socialists known to the public.
—(Cheers.) All the petty things which had been said
against him had not altered him in the least';' he was the
same man Still.—(Cheers. ) The Chaiernan had also ex-
pressed a hope that- his (Mr. Owen's) name would be re-
membered by posterity.. He hoped the time was past
when any name whatever would have any weight with the
rational part of the community.—(Cheers.) He sincerely
trusted that his name would never be used as other names
bad been, to set man against man, and nation against
nation. To him it mattered not whether his name were
entirely forgotten, or that it was huzzaed by thousands,
but that truth should prevail was his earnest desire—that it
should prevail over the whole world, would be to him a
gratification beyond anything that words could express.
He was most anxious that the world would take a plain
simple, common sense view of the principles he advocated,
and of the present condition of society. It was true that
he had devoted a long life-time to the consideration of the
state of' his fellow-creatures, not only in this country, but
throughout the world. He was well aware that there
never was an empire which possessed equal power to the
British nation—it abounded in the means of production,
far beyond any nation which had preceded it. Within his
comparatively short life they had extended the powers of
production in a most miraculous manner. In his youth
he was led to institute an inquiry into: the mechanical
means of the country. Some twenty years ago his calcu-
lations gave him the idea that we possessed mechanical
and other means equal to the production of 15 millions of
people, which was the exact number of our population at
the time. At that time, so far as his memory served him,
England was justly entitled to the term of " Merry Eng-
land ;" all persons in trade orcommerce were comparatively
well off, and it was considered as one of the greatest
disgraces to any one to apply to his parish for relief. What
had iaken place since ? The population had as nearly as
possible doubledr-it was now about 30 millions. But
what had been the increase of the means of producing
wealth ? It was one of the greatest miracles which had
ever appeared in the world. We had now by artificial
means the powers of production equal to Coo millions of
human beings. He would ask any one who could think
or reflect what ought to be the condition of a people with
such means of production, and having a uppulation of only
thirty millions?—(Loud cheers.) Thal power also was
indefinite, and might he multiplied to any extent. Why,
then, in the name of common sense, should our popula-
tion be in a far worse condition to what they were in those
days ? Why should the people not only have to labour
much harder, but also have so much difficulty in obtaining
that labour, that they must either gradually starve or go
to the workhouse, which has been prepared for them ?
Was that a state of society that ought to exist? Ought
those present to admit its existence any longer ?
( Cheers.) Provided those present would only make use of
their knowledge and physical faculties, they would be
more than sufficient to put an end to such an irrational
state of things. Nothing was wanted but union and
practical knowledge, and he trusted that that union would
be speedily obtained, and that practical knowledge would ,
not long be withheld. —(Cheers.) All the working '
classes, all the middle classes, all the effective members
of that Society, all the producers and distributors
of wealth, were asking the Government or Parliament—
to do what? Did they know that the Government espe-
cially could do nothing for themselves ?—t Laughter.)
Wete it not for them•every individual of time Government
would starve.—( Laughter.) And what could Parliament
do for them? It did not know the cause of their misery,
and it knew not how to apply any particular
remedy. . It was themselves, and theneelv,s alone,
who nuts:. bring forward, not only the knowledge of the
cause '.l 11,1eir sufferings, but they must fi:id a remedy for
it. They would naturally say, that i• the Government
and the Parliament were ignorabt of the cause of thcir suf-
fering, and ignorant of the mode by which a remedy might
be applied, low could they set abut it ? To that lie would
say, that if they did not set about it, it would never be
done, and all they had to do was to discover the pi inciples
of unien,—( Cheers. ) They mutt discover what were the
principles that would enable then, to unite, what acre
the principles that would produce affection among the
human race, for until they knew that all the rest was but
words—word ,—( Cheers)—having no practical utility
whatever.—(Cheers.) Unh sa they understood that fun-
damental principle of the rational system, they never
could unite, and it was only through a knowledge that they
did not firm their own convictions, or their feelings, or
their character, that they could chime r be enabled to unite,
to have charity fur each other, or acquire the means
of having the affection of loving their neighbours as
themselves. —(Cheers.) They had heard most likely upon
the present occasion sufficient upon those fundamental
poin,s, and he would not dwell any longer upon them than
to state in the most distinct manner that until a clear con-
ception of those pi inciples was received into the mind, and
not only received into the mind merely to enable the indivi-
dual to see and pi ofess the truth, but un it those principles
should be so received that they should pervade the whole
individual mind and sense, and be evinced in every action, it
would only be words, words, words, without any particular
meaning.—(Hear, and cheers ) Those who had re-
ceived those principles and acted upon them were the
disciples of the system they advocated, and those who
had the words in their mouths, but did not act accord-
ing to them, were but candidates, and had the gene-
ral principle yet to learn..—( Cheers.) Now. as to matters
of fact. It was useless for any of them to waste their
time in bla ming any class, sect, or party in that or any
other country. if they were right every thing in other
societies was wrong, and, in that case, any one might find
fault with great truth ; but it was useless to find fault un-
less the cause could be devclored and removed. It was
no raying of his, it was a saying as old as any philosophy
that was known, that man was the creature of cocumstan-
ces,"aud it was quite evident from the past history of the
worm, that man ever had been, was, and ever would be
the creature of eireurnstances.—( Cheers.) lie called
upon all present to reflect fur a moment, that that great
and important truth bad been taught to the world for
thousands of years, and the direct e ffect and practice
was that, if those circumstances were bad the popu-
lation would I.e bad, and if the circumstances were
mixed the population would be mixed in character
and conduct, but if the external circumstances were vir-
tuous, the population would be virtuous too.—( Cheers.)
Then why, in the name of common sense, had the
British Government—the most advanced government in
the civilized world—the nation to which all other nations
lioodked a 3 an example—why in the name of common sense
nvernment, with those principles before them,'
lilahrnitiht teeei
r:?c theuo tstereleegesraeelfedgt.tiGmeileinjtuorieoxuiss,t_th(ec
not for a few
several centuries within a mileas
sviciousee r exist—(Cheering)—
not ) ex-
ternal
Years, not for one Or two g merations, but for
and a half of the Court- ?
i. stderedcircumstances were
—( Hear.) As
those
tittmhheeerdeistriet in ‘'
s-
.of thousands of
vnhhieerht t
they
telym e
lived. irn-
i nthogasb i
tebsxloiosorntnr:
gitpuualaaaen erminedanbde
He could not suppose that the British Governmert had a
knowledge of these external circumstances, exhibited' day
after day, and century after century, increasing the
amount
of poverty, ignorance and wretchedness —(ol:leers.) He
trusted that those present, when they went home, would
calmly reflect on what he had stated, and would ask them-
selves what were the external circumstances existinr, in
all the narrow streets and lanes and garrets in this
immense metropolis.—(Cheers.) While thou,
~ external
circumstances existed the population must of necessity be
ignorant, poor, depraved, miserable, and not only suffering
those timings in their own persons, but they must have
been and were now a great drawback to the splendour and
wealth of the upper classes, he would,not say the happiness
of the upper classes, for he could not conceive that any
human being, whatever his wealth, could enjoy anything
like a sound and permanent happiness while he was
conscious that so many thousands, ter: :of thousands, and
i hundreds of thousands of his fellow-beings were suffering
. ! all the pains and degradations which it was possible