The Sun.
London, England, 1817-07-30 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

London, July 25, 18177

Stn,-•=-- As a meeting is intended shortly te, be
held to take into consideration a plan, which I
have proposed, to relieve and roporalize the poor,
and the unemployed of the working classes, I fed
it incumbent on me, previously, to put the public
in possession of a gteater development of the
principles on which it is-founded, in order that
the details may be afterwards more fully compre-
hended. An• early insertion, therefore, of the
following, will promote the object of,
Sir, your obliged,
49, Charlotte-street, Portland-place. R. OWEN.

It is generally known and acknowledged, that
from obvious causes greater distress exists among
the poor and working classes than they have ex-
perienced,at any former time. The country, how-
ever, possesses the most ample ti►eans to relieve
their distress, and a plan has been proposed by
me to enable either the Government, parishes, or
individuals, to put those means into practice.
The plan has been also gener►lly circulated, and
many objections, as it was anticipated, have been
made to it by those who are theorists only, or
who are wholly unacquainted with the kind of
practice requisite to give them any useful know-
ledge On the subject. Many misconceptions also
exist respecting the details, which some of lively,
and others of gloomy imaginations, have fancied
belong of necessity to the plan. To meet the ob-
jections of the first in the most direct manner,
and to obviate the misconceptions of the last, I
have arranged the subject in the form of questions
and answers.

The principles and plan are now more fully be-
-fore the public. If the former contain error, or
the latter be impracticable, it becomes the duty of
many to expose either. If, however, the plan
shall prove, on investigation, to be correct in
principle, to be easy of practice, and that it can
relieve the poor and unemployed of the working
classes from the grievous distresses and degrada-
tion under. which they stiffer, it becomes equally
the duty of all who profess to desire the ameliora-
tion of the lower orders, to exert themselves
without farther delay to carry it into execution,
in order that another year of extensive and un-
necessary suffering and demoralization, from the
want of a sufficiency of wholesome food and pro-
per training and Anstruction, sball not uselessly
pass away.

Q. Arc you the principal proprietor of the
works-and village of New Lanark, and have you
the sole direction and superintcntiance of them ?
A. Yes. -

Q. How long have you had the management
of that establishment ?—A. Eighteen years in
August next.
Q. Of what decription is the population of New
Lanark ?—A. Of manufacturers of cotton thread
chiefly ; but also of iron and brass-founders, iron
and tin. smiths, millwrights, turners in wood and
metals, sawyer's, carpenters, masons, tilers,
painters, glaziers, tailors, shoemakers, butchers,
bakers, shopkeepers, farmers, labourers, surgeon,
ministers of religion, instructors of youth, male
and female, superintendants of various depart-
inents, clerks, and policemen ; forming a mixed
society of trades and work-people.
Q. Had you any experience among the work-
ing classes before you undertook the maoagemcnt
of the works at New Lanark ?—A. Yes, 1 super-
intended large manufacturing establishments in
Manchester. and its neighbourhood for about
eight years preceding, in which great numbers of
men, women, and children were employed.
Q. What has been the chief object of your at-
tention during the number of years that you have
had so many persons under you care and super-
intendance i—A. To discover the means by which
the condition of the poor and working classes
could be ameliorated, and 'with benefit to their
employers.
Q. To what conclusions have you come upon
this subject ?—A. That the situation of these
classes may be easily greatly improved ; and that
their natural powers may be far more beneficially
directed for themselves, and for society at large,
Lwithout creating injury of any kind to any class,
or to any individual.
Q. Have you generally succeeded in improving
the condition and moral habits of those who have
been under your care ?—A. Yes ; and with even
fewer exceptions than I anticipated, considering
the obstacles I had to encounter, with.the nature
of the influence which I possessed to enable me
to overcome them.

Q. What were those obstacles 2--A. The igno-
rance and ill-training of the people, which :►ad
given them the habits of drunkenness, theft, f►lse-
hood, and want of cleanliness ; with opposition
to each other's interests, SeCiar,tli4 feelings, strong
national prejudices, both political and religious,
against all attempts on the part of a stranger to
improve their condition ; to which maY he added,
the unhealthy nature of their emplo) went.
Q. On what leading principles did you act so
as to remove those obstacles ?—A. On the prin-
ciple of prevention solely : instead of wasting
time and talent in considering an endless variety
of individual .effects, I patiently studred the causes
producing those effects, exerted myself to lenitive
them, and by thus acting, .it appeared that the
same time and talent, when employed tinder the
system of prevention, • could produce results very
touch greater than under the system of coercion
and punishment. For instance, in the case of
habitual drunkenness, it appeared to toe useless
to apply to the individuals who bad been taught
to acquire the practice of intoxication to desist
from it, while they remained surrounded by the
circumstances that perpetually tempted thew to