The Sun.
London, England, 1817-08-22 00:00:00

MR. OWEN'S PLAN.

The Adjourned Meeting on the System for m -
linrating the Condition of the Poor, and plating
Soctty at large upon en improved footing, took
place yesrerday at the City of London Tavern.—
sir. J JatlesoN took the Chair. The room was
'crowded to exces3, and all the avenues were filled
with viSitors. Many Ladies also graced the meet-
tug. 'Jr. OwEta addressed the company at length,
hn/ as we have several times entered largely into
the developments of his system, and as it is our
duty to gratify the various tastes, dispositions, and
expectations of our Readers in general, and not
to devote too much space to particular classes,
except upon points of essential importance, we
are sure that we •hall not only be excused, but
commended for being brief in our report on a
Subirct that is of too abstract a nature, and which
being indeed a practical question is by no means
'calculated for discussion in a mixed assembly.—
The following teems to he a passage 'deserving
notice in Mr. Oweles speech, as it applies to the
theories and clamours of modern Reformers
Is true the ten millions raised and expended
by titeGovernment, if not .so raised, would be ex-
-pended by individuals in another eltamitel, hut nut
our labourer more would, or could, be employed
its the latter case than at 'present, although much
'distress wonid inevitah/y arise from the change of
employment hem one set of labourers to stunner.
Should greater liberty be now given than the
British Constitution can with safety afford to ail
its subjects, the lives and properties of the well-
'disposed, and the safety of the State, wrothd be
tut to imminvot hnzard; and until better traiii:ng,
more usefull knowledge, and imrodactive constant
ttatploymeot , shall be given to the pout- and working
-classes, no really intelligeet pet son could Venture to
gime more freedom to snub a population, as oar's has
pradoatly become, titan the British Constitution in
its (military state now admits. it is a mistake to
suppose the existing Government possesses powt r
nolependent of the genuine voice of the public.
It has been for several years past solely got enied
by that voice, and my present proceedings are the
latost.tomenoivocal proof of the truth of this state-
' trt4ist. If you wish really to improve the Govern-
' meart„ time only bene&ial practical step you can
't:tk'e. is, to increase time knowledge and improve
the "conduct of the public, and then both your
objects would be safely-and effectually obtained.
The Government of this country cannot now re-
sist theiolltmeoce of the public voice, whether it
tie right or wrong ; it becomes then fore of the
tag be.t importance, both to the Government and
'the People, that the Public should not be supet fi-
&ally trained or instt octet!, but that it should he
substantially well informed, and that effective
means should lie devised to train it as human
beings , intruded to be rational, ought to he
trainers. Briieve me, my ftictols, that after you
have in vain searched in emery possible direction
to attain your object, by any of the child:sit, im-
p•acticable, and gook schemes, which have been
hitherto pt otiose& for your relief anti improve-
mein, you will at last discover, that the only road
which it eats be found, is through productive
taiployinent, for all the working classes, connected
Vitt good instruction."

In the course of his Address, Mr. OVVRN repro-
based, in scvere terms, Machinery, as employed in
mamtfActories ; but I.ve fotbear to introduce his
object irate, lest the uorefiee, lug wot kitten of various
orders might derive intitements to mischief. lit
adverting to the Cottage System he observed, that
" In the first place, under the cottage system,
there tuna be a separate dwelling, and all the
usual appendages for each family, which trill at
fast be g-reattv more expensive, and far more in-
complete titan the arrangement proposed in the
pt Anti lately submitted to- the public ; and all the
domestic labour to produce usual comfort, wool('
be double at least. lit the second place, one half
More land would be required to feed the parties
on the cottage system, than on the new plan ;
aid of course one half more labour would be ne-
cessary in cultivation. in the third place, the
cottage system will not admit, without great ex-
Vence and inconvenience, of an effective system to
well train awl instruct the children of such parents
whom we now find profoundly ignorant under
that system. Under the new, the best possible
arrangements are made not only to prevent the ac-
quirement of bad habits, but to give them good
ones, and the soundest and best instruction; and all
this trill be given more under the eye of their pa-
rents, titan in any way this important object eau
be now attained ; except under constant family
tuition ; anti this in many respects will be found
greatly inferior to it.

the fourth place, the cottage sys-
tem offers no obvious; advantageous mode to em-
j)loy their children, so as to render them after-
seKtda either valuable to themselves, to their
neighbours, or to their country, as the plan
propot4vd. Under the cottage system they be-
come 'stupid, ignorant, and brutally selfish.-
3n the plan nom advocated,' they will be
made lively, intelligent, and rationally selfish,
Volt is, truly disinterested and benevolent.—
*Under the cottage systein, the parents are sub-
kcted to all the restraints to which ignorance and
brutal selfishness must ever be liable ; under the
cit:ier now proposed, such injurious restraints may
be eradttally withdrawn, and in the second gene-
7, Ilion, punishment of every kind will be not only
iin,weesqary, but the reason why punishment is
pernicious will be evident to all. Under this
svgtem, kindness, properly directed, will easily
elmt shortly accomplish that which punishment, if
permitted to try its power, could not effect
through all the ages of time; for punishmerit is
tbe instrument of ignorance and barbarism only."
Here it may be observed, that if the Cottage
System requires more land there is gr9ter room
for employment. The chief objections on the part
g.t the company seemed towards those passages in
bis speech which referred to Religion, and here
see conceive that the audience were mistaken, and
that Mr. Owes; did not wish to obstruct devotion,
bit to leave the hutn4l) mnid to take the Creed
ii by reflection and habit, it might be dis-
Posed to adopt. Bolt we disapprove of the iu-
troinction of the subject at all in such meet-
;no. Several very respectable and intel-
li4ent characters came forward and expressed
Ov:r sentimcgs, but, as u e before remarked, the

snbiect bring of it practical nature, and wi.olly
' unfit for Imp:liar 'discussion, we shall pass them
over. About four o'clock, when most of , these
respectable characters were quitting the room, to
leave town, or for other purposes, in came a host
of political Orators, and empty declamation,
sionary nonsense; and the usual abuse of
stets anti Government chat acteriQed the subse-
quent proceedings of ''.e day. Air. Owes was
tre►►ted with the 'rest t and esteem ►lue to his en-
larged benevolence: and lamlat►le anxiety to im-
prove the condition of the inferior classes of Society,
and particularly to remove the distresses of the
Poor, but due allowance did not seem to have been
made foi• th at int ()rotation which he must necessarily
have derived front a practical application of his
system, thoozh but upon a small scale, as its li-
nil success holds tooth a prtsu►ise of a similar re-
sult upon a wore ektertSlye adoption.
___ •

Mr. IS'AtritmAtv being present, it teas not to he
'pposed that he would be silent, or 'hat lie tvotild
retrain front poLtical topics —Mr. SWIFT there•
fore spoke to nuclei, and (4)11-eared the introduc-
tion of tVAITE-IMASI this
Geutlrntan of having assumed a commanding
tone, and having alleged that lie teas a Pllcemati,
the Gentleman came forward again and observed,
that his name ha%ing been demanded, he said it
was Swift, adding, that—
_ _

•6 He bad the honour to hold an office in the
Tower. • Be had been accused by time last Speaker
of having called a,pers-in to •order in the toer of
command. lie denied that be had done so. He
1,54(1 spoken in the tone of appeal. But if the
voice which God had given him causVd what he
had said to strike others in a different way from
that which he bad intended, this wa's his misfOr.
tune and ow his ciime : he bad wily been anxious
to make himscif heard. As to the office which be
held, since this had been alluded to, he tvonhl ask it
it was a part of the Constitution of England that a
man should trot be believed who held an-office ? The
office whico he filled had been held by his predeces-
sor for 45 years, and he hoped to hold it as long.
He had known notLiiog of the present meeting till
yestelday, and had tint thought of ;Attending it till
within an hour of .the time at which he entered
the room. As an Englishman, he had a right to
interfere, when it appeared necessary to say, that
the object of a meeting called fur a benevolent
purpose would be frustrated, if politics wete in-
troduced. The question before them was, whe-
ther or not the plan at Air. Owen should be re-
ferred to a Committee ; and (having a right to
defend his own opinion, as others bad), he would
a.lt if he was not jus:ilied in calling those to or-
der who lost sight of the subject of debate
This manly assertion of an independent spirit
gas well received by the audience. The place
which Mr. Swirl. holds, we understand, is that
of Keeper of the Regalia in the Tower. It does
not appear that this Gentleman intended to speak
any further than to keep the discussion unmixed
with party spirit, though from all we have heard
of his talents, learning in general, and legal
knowledge in particular, he is 'sell calculated to
illustrate any subject to which his attention
might be directed.

The CHAIRMAN did not quit his post till near
eight o'clock, nor till indeed he twist have been
disgusted with the confusion awl uproar arising
ham the vanity of those who wish to exalt them-
selves into ormorioal distinction and notoriety.

THLArRIGAL REGISTER.
Pe: formed Last Night.
THEATRE ROYAL. HAyMARKET.—Teazing Made Easy; Prin.-
Cipal Characters by Mr. Terry and Miss Matthews. After
which, The Actor of All Work. To which was added, The
Waterman.
NEW Tut:Arm?. Itorat., ENGLISH Omaa-HousE.—The
: Principal Characters by Mr. ff. Johnston and %liss
M. H. Bugging. After which (ad time), Fire and Water.
To which was aided, Bachelors' Wives.

Arum/en-1 Flanders, I Holland, I Dublin, I Waterford.
Gottenburgli, I Holland, I liamburgh, 2 Guernsey
and Jersey.

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