The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-10-27 00:00:00

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MR. OWEN'S MEMORIALS.
MRSORIAL OFROBER.T oWEN. OF NSW LANARK,
, IN SCOTLAND.
TO THE ♦LLIED POWERS ASSIIIIBLID IN CONOWS

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AT AI X - LA- CIIIAPILIA.
PART 11.
Prdiedeery Explanations of the Second General
Result -' " "

_ stated in the ..44penclix to a Memorial ad-
dressed to the Governments of Europe and Ante-
rico, by Robert Omea.
Statement.—" That the period is arrived whew the
principles of the science are become obvious, by
%glitch, without force or punishment of soy kind, the
eistm generation may be, with ease and advantage to
alto surrounded by circumstances which shall farm
F Into any character that society may prides/.
re and if any defect shall afterwards appear in
characters, eacept what nature has made en-
. !able by human means, the cause will not be
Oft individuals, bat it will be solely owing to the
perience of the parties who attempt to put those
WOW* principles iota practice."
Ilraufrei Preliminary Explanations of the foregoing
Result.
It Is a fact, °Woes to oar senses, that children
',eve born with certain faculties and qualities, or with
the seeds or germs of them, and that thesecombined
constitute what is called human nature.
lo conformity to what appears to be an universal
Paw in the creation, these faculties and quaiiiies dif.
fur Watch iodiridual, iu strength and combination,
and to so great an extent as to render it highly im-
probable that any two infants have been, or ever
will be, born alike.
It is also a fact °beim to our reason, that what.
ever these powers may be in each child, he could not
create the smallest part of them ; they are formed
for him by Providence, by nature, by that power,
whatever name men may give it, which creates him,
and whether those faculties and qualities are inferior
Irr superior, it is contrary to reason to say that the
infant can be entitled to merit or deserve any blame
for them.

lie ints received his natural constitution, as the
lamb and the tiger base received theirs; and there is
precisely as much wisdom in finding (snit with the
one as with the others.

The child is also hors in some country, of parents
belonging to some clam, and who possess characters
peculiar to themselves.

Over these circumstances also the child can have
no influence whatever; each of them has been pre-
determined for him, before he possessed power of
any kind.
Vinare eirstranplesato, however unheeded they may
be by ordinary minds, have hitherto hued, •
First, Weaker the child shall be a Jew, a disciple
of Confucius, a worshipper of Juggernaut, a Chris-
tian, a Mahomedan, or a Savage, a Cannibal.
Second, To what Country he shall belong, and, in
consequence, what national prejudices shall be forced
upon him.
Third, What sectarian notions, if any, shell be
impressed upon his n.iud.
Fourth, what language he shall be taught, for it
influences character more than is usually supposed.
Fifth, In what class he NI trained.
Sixth, What peculiar habits and notions he shall
imbibe from his parenthund those immediately around
him in childhood.

So completely indeed has he been hitherto en.
'eloped within there various mediums, that it is on.
likely a single individual has ►et been able to resist
their influence, except to a comparative slight de.
area, Peen aided by the infinite variety of natural fa.
culties and qualities which have been given to child-
ren in every part of the world. Now, however,
with the ezperienceacquired, society may form new
circumstances around children in every part of the
world, which shall enable them to pass this sis.fold
barrier of error and prejedice. _

It is trwe the power of suciety over the individual
is not without limit, it cannot recreate altogether,
and chinge the natural faculties sod qualities which
are given to children at birth, nor can it make those
faculties and qualities in children superior, which
nature has originally made inferior ; but the power
which it has already gained by experience, over he.
man nature, ma.? he so applied as to effect every pnr.
pose that can be rationally desired. Such, indeed,
is the overwhelming influence which experience has
now given to society, ever the rising generation,
that it may surround children. from their birth with
new circumstances, which shall form each of them
bodily and mentally in such a planner, that his habits,
disposition, and general character shall be greatly
superior to the habits, dispositions, and general chg.
racters which the circumstances of birth have yet
formed for man, in any part of the world.
He may also, by the same means, be so trained,
placed, and employed, in proper unity with others,
and aided by mechanical, chemical, and other sci-
entific power, that he shall create a surplas of new
wealth or property far beyond what be can or will
desire to retain for his own use.

Under these circumstances, until the whole earth
shall be well cultivated, and the seaq refuse to fur-
nish idilitional food, each child born in the working
class will become a great gain to society ; and these
beneficial changes may now be created with mach less
'ammo and trouble than ore required In continue
the present Wooly, acrd moat, injutillua acreage-
merits.
It is to he particalaily remarked, that these state-
ments are not fu'anded and supported upon mere
theory ; the Memorialist hei acted upon these prin.
eihles for many years, and 'all the practical remits
bare exceeded his most laiAguine expectations. Ile
has prpved by the most deicifive experience, the vast,
tbelucolgulahle soyertgritr tegislAting for the at-

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LOND.QN, TUESDAY, OCITIMER 27, 1818 PRIGR ft;
•
•• • " The Cease fur which ./Wrath fail is the field, d artmar died es the scaffold !"
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-~,~--

MESIOR.IALOF RORERT OWEN, OF NEW LARARK,'
IN SCOTLAND, •

TO TUE ALLIED POWERS, ASSEMDLCD IN CINOREEO AT ATX LA.*

CNAPELLL, oat mut" of int WOnethel CLASM.
PART 111.
Preliminary Explanation, of the Third General Result, staled
in the ifppaults to a Memorial, a•!dre,,ed to G,,peemporga
of Europe and Anctrica, by Me M•lnarialist.
Statement.— Thal it is the interest. and that it will soon op*
pear to be the in crest, ofeach individual, in every rank, to all.
countries, that judicious measures should he adopted with Ilse
least delay to secure these beneficial results in practice. It is.
however, greatly to be desired, that they should be Carried into
effect, by general consent, gradually and te.i.paraiely. in tinter
that Ho party or individual may be injured by the changes w
must necessarily arise."
General Preliminary Explanations of the foregoing Result:
Your memorialist submits that, in the explanations of we
first general ri stilt, it has heal] shown that the means have been
discovered and brought km action. by which a Arent aerthoubs.
lion of wea:th has been made, and by the extension of sieve
scientific power hat riches may b increased beyond aoy or.
signable limit. Thai in the esplanations of the ureitufgeoeral
result, it has beets shown, that the principtes of the octroce are
become obvious, by which. 111 ili•OUI violence sir puolshment *of
any kind, the rising generation nosy be, with ease and rid..
vantage to all, surrounded by (new) eliewastances, whiih
shall train them into any character that society may predetcr.
mine.
Under the existing arrangements of society, the mass of the
People if all eountrie- derive their subsistence through a nominal
value of their labour, which rites or falls oa the common coos.
mercial principles of supply and demand.
This arrangement served the purpose in a tolerable degree,
while wealth was produced chiefly by manual lahoor, becalms
the producer was also a consumer, and by olds means the WS
ply of. arid demand fur, labour were adjusted.
Hut it has been shown that latterly a power of prOductllk un-
limited in extent. and which scarcely consumes at all, lief been
introduced ; that it hasalready created a most unfavnuratlesisp..
proportion b.tween the demand for, and supply of manual
labour, and in its daily undirected progress, this disproportion
will go oaincreasisig. •
As long, howevei, as manual labour shall continue thus dc-
pressed, the mass of the People, who derive their sabsinetice
solely from that soarer, man he sebjerted tdpflverty and oilemy,
while a f w. nut one iu a thousand of the population 9f the
world, will be in possession of accumulated wealth which mast
deatuy their h ppinists, iiidependint bf the onion. rion, cult
passion-, :lad struggle which -must perpetually arise lamella
latoeutatile state of society.
It is not indeed ptessale. with the knowledge now hi the
world, that seta a slate of society can fling exist, Ilse Pert-
whelming strength and interest ion one vide will reader all con.
test 'ram, and cue folly of coiaeot will swan be dintactly pee.
wised.
No one. therefore, can for a moment doubt that it is the in-
terra( of cash individual, In
judicious measures shoats be .
secure these beiieficial results in t
ed taat, with the Hourly increase
of Europe:lnd America. tat tie'
appear to be the interest
be speedily executed. •

ranging of circumstances, over the past andiresent
puerile system of legislating for individesta, and ail.
lowing the circumstances to remain unchanged. It
is truly laying hold of the wrong end of the lever.
Some uninformed, inexperienced, and prejudiced
persons, have lightly and, heottly tencluded, thatyohr
Memorialist is a visionary, and, tbeeefort, he oc.
copies himself with public epics. Whenevee lb*
subject shall be thoroughly investigated to Uktuenda,
ation, it will be found the fact is net so. U. has
long witnessed the happy effects of the principlat
which he recommends, even very ietiessrotgr us.
cuted in practice; and, in consequence, be ClOlll4.
but feel anxious to see them generally lairod110)11,
and acted upon in all ell-entries, in which thew ire
any who are poor, ignorant, and
proper empl‘lment.
At New Lunar. in Scotland, the lidemorialist,
white opposed by all the prejudices of hill' existing
in that part of the world, patient's and arntly for
many years occupied himself by withdrawing some
of the old circumstances which he roved Frijurtoesto
the well•beiug of his little colouy, end with- amine
lug new ones, within which 600 or 600 children_ awl
young persons aro now daily educated, without pito
nisliment or individual remind of spy kicd t and
their habits, dinn,sitimos, end general' m.araetra arc
allowed by strangers who visit tlerm,to be sepal« tb
the general habits, dispositions, and character of the
Dale dais to be found etsewhere.
And about 1600 persons of this colony ate datir
employed, who, with the aid of scientific power,
complete as much work, and in a better manner, ias
could be executed in Scotland, of the 'IMP kind, 40
years ago, by 160,000 pets-ns; or one now with
this new aid performs the labour llf 100.
Eztraordinary as this charge may appear to many
who are unacquainted *lib such k.tirl of facts, so..
ciety may now create new arrangements to train,
educate, and employ the ignorant and unprocided
the working classes, under circumstances far mere
advantageous for them and for the Public, than it
was in the power of the Memorialist to acensupilets.
He commenced his task *I ithout education; without
friends who could render him any assistance, and
without fortune; and he has been opposed io hill
whole progress by the mistaken notions of the world.
If, then, an individual of ordinary capacity, thus
circumstanced, could create the arrangements which
have been stated, solely because he was influenced
by principles which are true, and in strict autism
with nature, how much more Could have beau effected
in the same time, for the improvement of soeitsty, by
an individual so intioenced, if he had polaroid en+
per or lateral talents, a pled edecstioe, friends hi
power, and a fortune sufficient to enable him to pet
his knowledge into practice under all the proper dr.
cumstaucea, staking agriculture instead of manotkco
tures for the foundation of his new arrangements?—
Yet how mach more could have been attained its tire
same period, for the permanent improvement of alt
classes, if, instead of en individual, the whole of so..
ciety had been influenced by these rational principles.
and had acted upon them ?
With this explanatinn, it is surely then not too
much to say —That the period is arrived, when the
principles of the science are become obvious; by
hich, witlinot injury to any, the rising generstiou
of the working classes may he so trained..rtaliseated„
and employed, that they shall become -whatever chi.
raster society may deem the heat ; nod create also
more riches than can be useful of desired both for
private and public purposes.

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every rank and in 11 ...li
• adopted, the Ira.i d tray, to
sin practice, Nor can it liedeabte
wake • of Ittottitledre. in many part,
period Pip be di•saut wise* Is fall
all, that Oat anclistssiolip !EAU