Star.
London, England, 1830-12-17 00:00:00

FRlgt.kl EVENING, DEC. 17, 1830.

%IR. OWEN'S 3IEETING AT THE FREEMASON'S
TAVERN.

We yesterday gave a full report of Mr. Owsw's address in a highly
respectable assemblage at the Freemason's Tavern, on Wednesday.
We now subjoin the sentiments of the other speakers, on this occasien.
The address of Mr. Owen was received with the strongest marks
of approbation, and when he announced his intention to hold frequent
public meetings, to elicit important measures for the immediate prac-
tical relief of the country which cannot yet, owing to old errors, be be.
neficially discussed in Parliament. I,e was cheered most cordially.
As soon as he had finished, Mr. Fonntss rose to second the motion
for the address and petitions. lie said he was induced to present himself
to the notice of the meeting because be had in his own person expe-
n
.
erved the superiority of the principles advocated by Mr. Owen over
those in which he had been instructed. Until within the last live years,
he was a most conscientious Christian ; but he had been so trained that
he was often very angry with those who differed from him in sentiments,
and most especially upon the subject of his faith, and also with those
who denied our power, to love and hate at cur own pleasure. In con.
sequence my feelings were often highly excited, and I wets a very pas-
sionate man. But about 5 years ago, i became by accident acquainted
with Mr. Owen's leading ptinciples : their simplicity and accordance
with every fact which I knew, struck me. very forcibly, end being
really desirous of ascer.aining their truth, compared with try own pre-
conceived notions, I eAtered heartily and honestly upon tarLstigating
them. The more I examined them, the more i was convinced of their
truth, and still more was I delighted with their practical results. I
found all cause of aiver or displeasure against my tellow creatures to
be unjust. As I discovered my own convictions at haling% were forced
upon •tne without any regard to my will, I concluded this was a law of
our nature, and that all men were obliged. in the sane manner, '
receive their sentiments and sympatl.ies, and beat to be excited to anger.
because these were not like my own, was uejust. Having this new
light with respect to my.own nature, my passims were calmed, I began 1
gradually to have real charity for all my neighbours who differ.d in
opinion from me, and my hatred and anger against all my fellow beings,
were also by degrees lessened, until now I have no displeasure against
any one of my fellow-creatures. Finding the practical effects to be. so
beneficial, and the principles to be in conformity with all nature, I am
now an open and, I trust, an honest promoter of a system which I con-
scientiously believe can alone make mankind good and happy. For
these reasons I with pleasure second the address and petitions.
This speech was very well received.
The Rev. Mr. OSGOOD then rose and said, with many cf the sen-
timents expressed by the Chairman he perfectly agreed. Whatever
had a tendency to promote real charity, and love, among !mankind,
he approved ; but he thought the Bible, the holy Bible, was the beat
book from which to derive these noble principles. lie was not a stick-
ler for this or that sect of Christians, he wished for real Christianity,
and he should be glad to see also the barriers removed, which in
churches and their individual creed opposed sect to sect, and man to 1
man, and thus created in fact a want of love and charity. Ile desired
to advocate those principles of love to Gon and man, which the Bible
taught him to entertain, and the necessity of distinguishing between
the man and his principles were quite obvious to him. He could and
he did often love the men when he was obliged to be deeply and strongly
opposed to their principles. But lie thought Mr. Owen and his sup.
porters were in error to reject revelation, which he thought was in
accordance with our best reason. He could not give up his Bible for
any other principles, but he was willing to bring it to the test if all
arguments, fairly advanced, opposed to it. This Gentleman was received
with mixed applause and disapprobation.
It was here discovered that the Rev. Mr. Taylor was in the meeting,
and some of his friends called upon him to come forward ; but the
Rev. Mr. Newland having offered himself, the Chairman requested
him to proceed, saying he was very anxious that all who conscientiously
opposed him should have a fair hearing.
The Rev. Mr. NEWLAND then addressed the meeting, and said he
also supported the cause of Christianity and of Revelation, in pre-
ference to the reason of men ; he did not see how the world could be
governed, if there were no rewards and punishments. How could
society exist, if bad men were not punished ? He wished to know what
the opinions of Mr. Owen's supporters were respecting man's account-
ability, for if he had not the power to form his own convictions and his
feelings, or his will, as his actions proceeded from as union of all
these, he could not see the justice of punishment in this world, or
any other. It was upon this ground he must oppose Mr. Owen's due-
-1 trines.

Mr. Rossz a would endeavour to answer Mr. Newland's question.—
There would be no question that our convictions, feelings, and will were
formed for us, and that our actions were a necessary consequence of them;
but still man was subject to daily and hourly rewards for his actions.—
There was not a single action of ours, which was not followed by a re.
ward or punishment; and this was the best and most effectual reward
or punishment that could be bestowed or indicted. Men, from ignorance
have monstrously interfered to their great injury, with these most be.
neticial rewards and punishments of GoD,he would say, they were the in.
stant and immediate—the natural and the right reward and punishmentof
all men's actions, by that Power which created man and governed the
universe.

These rewards and punishments were to teach us wisdom,' and to
learn the means of avoiding the necessity of any punishment, by wise,
practical measures of prevention. And more especially that we should
adopt a superior system of education for all the children of our popula-
:ion, and which truth, good habits, and right conduct would, as it could,
be made the every-day practice of every one so taught and trained.—
Upon these subjects lie expatiated at great length with much erect, and
he was well received, and muck applauded.—This gentleman delivers
himself with much propriety in a public assembly, but he sometimes
enters more into detail than is useful in a public meeting.
The Rev Mr. TATLos was again asked for, when he came forward
and made a very sylendid speech in his usual manner. He was very
severe on religion generally, and often happy in his peculiar style of
sarcasm, when describing what he called the inconsistencies or absur.
dities of many religious tenets. He was heard with attendees, and,
when he brought forward some of his strong contrasts between facts and
the doctrines of one or other of the sectarians, he was frequently much
applauded, and especially when he referred to the consistent persever.
once of the Chairman, In the principles which he had so long announced
to the public; but there was an evident difference in the spirit between
Mr. Taylor's speech and those who advocated NI r. Owen's views.
Mr. WARDS also testified his approbation of the superior practical
results which the principles advocated by Mr. Owen produced in form-
ing the character to charity and kindness over any other ; he knew the
good effects which the developemeat of the laws of our nature had ef-
fected in the conduct of many, and he had no doubt, if they were more
generally known, that the change in the conduct of the population for
the better would be in proportion to the extension of this knowledge.
He should therefore support the resolution in favor of the address to his
Majesty, and the petitions to both Houses of Parliament.
At a late hour Mr. Or me rose to reply. He said ;he was desirous
his principles and motives should not be misunderstood by the public.
His friend, Mr. Rosser, had objected to the address and petitions being
presented, on the ground of his Majesty and the members of both
houses of Parliament being unprepared for so great an advance in civi-
lization. He could not perceive the force of his friends, reasoning. He
thought the time had arrived when the important truth to which these
documents referred, should be seriously taken into consideration, by the
Government of the country. He particularly wished that they should
to fairly and fully investigated by the highest authorities in the state;
they were now exciting great attention among all classes ; they were
either true or false, and he wished that those the most competent, to
ascertain their truth or falsehood, should investigate them with the
most severe scrutiny, end 'fix their character as they ought to be by
Church and State, for both were deeply interested in the
result. For these reasons he should persevere is recommend-
ing the address and petition for she adoption of the meeting.
With respect to the arguments of the two reverend gentlemen who
advocated the cause of religion, evidently from conviction, and with a
deep sense of the importance of the subject for which they contended ;
the deemed it a duty incumbeat upon him to state explicitly that he
was compelled to believe that as long as religion, ask has been hitherto
taught, shall be forced into the human mind from childhood, it will be
vain even to look for pun charity, or minaret good will among nmokind.
He knew that the advocate' of religion, as hitherto taught, al-
ways state that is would prodam milers& charity and kind.
nese among men, but he (Mr. Owen) knew that it ever
has produced unsit4itablenass and aukiadasia lam* Isamu; race,
and he could trace the process step by step by which it ersr mast pro.
dossthese lesulia. And it at. from this knawlsig, of the sub-
ject that be sow called upon all sass to take thitl moramitnus subject
kill their most *Maui asasideration. Ho has* that the natural, the
onavaidebie result of believing slat theta was INTO in bniitivinif, out de-
Emit ia disbelieving, and in laving esti bating, Matt gasinnilli the 14.
Sodom done from mane ad 1111 blio, at As Ode dab With sit ma"
charitableness for his falimkkoiags who differed beim Won is smitiments
upon what he called the fundamental principles of religion. Universal
disunion and division, such as now exist over the world are a neclosery

PmcE

consequence of the doctrines of religion as hitherto taught. While a
knowledge that man is formed by his nature to be compelled td receive
the strongest convictions that are made on his inintl, and to have the
I..clings which. by his nature, he is also compelled to possess, all CitUIC,!
t;lr uncharitableness and unkindness ceases among men—and a
new, an entire new principle of action will pervade the whole
man. Ile can no longer be displeased with the convic-
tions of others, however widely they may differ from his own,
be knows their source ; he can no longer be angry with those who do
not like, or who even hate him—hc knows there must be a cause for these
feel ing,t independent of the will of the individual ; he wishes to ascer-
tain ibis cause in a kind and friendly manner and sprit, that he may re-
move it, and it he cannot obtain the opportunity of doing so, he pities
tile individual, and will do hint all the good in his power, but never
titbit's of doing him any injury.
These opposing principles and conduct belong to the religion, that is,
the religion of nature, which he (Mr. Owen) advocates. He admits the
latter will change all the conduct of men and the practice of the world,
but both imperatively require now to be changed. If the church or the
government deems itself aggrieved by this open avowal of truths in op-
position to their present proceedings, " I am," said Mr. Owen,
" ready to meet the former in any manner it may desire,
to prove to it the accordance of these doctrines with other facts,
and to appear at the bar of both houses of Parliament to ba
questioned day after day, week after week, and month after month, not
only with reference to the fundamental principles of the religion of
Nature, but as to all the ramifications of its principles in their applies-
tion to the every-day practice of menkind, in all their relations, private
and public. (Immense cheers followed this speech from every part of
the audience.)
Mr. Owzx was then going to put the resolution, when
Mr. °RI/TITUS came forward, and said he wished to address the
meeting.
Mr. OweN said he would patiently wait one, two, or three hours
mine, to hear any one who wished to address the meeting, if the meeting
so desired.

Mr. GRIFFITH. made some metaphysical objections to the manner
in which 31r. Owen expressed himself respecting the will of the indi-
vidual having no power to change convictions and feelings, but they were
not understood by the meeting, for he admitted fully Mr. Owen's great
and important principle—that the character of man is in every single
instance formed j or and not by him.
The Address told Petition were then offered to the meeting, and they
were carried almost unanimously.