The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-11-14 00:00:00

AR. OWEN AND THE CHURCH OF tifthLAND.

Lsyssit V.

riAt'Editor.
—LFtioin the thus t *hi Ind Said to form a dilicruil nation
to devote myself to the promotion of the New System. I con-
eluded that. however tevatitrevertible the principles by
ilo

:ells it has recommended, the argument tbat'wofilil chiellY
eh With the majority of perilous. and most powerfully
lend to disabuse them of the prevailing errors resprming
hand. nature, would he the seccesiful result of the ex-
peeithents at New benefit.
Three experhbente were commenced midst almost every
mtheelvaMe disadvaatate.
ThitestablisbnientWt New Lanark had bete formed sole
foreetton Spinning by Machinery: It was founded by Mel
bite sett -Ditle, in the infimey of tfie manufacture. mid Whoa
Off tedhe; be coned hive had anetierience is it. Awl, at
h(ae periOd; it vies eehlidered by the peasantry and overb-
ite dates iii Stottand so neheahhy and degradiair to be
ethipitiyad within teeth! Mlle, that staireely any escape the
eh :raeletO, 'Se eiblldein 'bola he. houses
a Mr* Oteimiviii, beteg t _
ith ideeis.
alethiheithe getateelnitt 011ie pordathemeMeth
competed; when I that ladoced mum reopeetable Bag
menhirs* resideist in lairadda sad Manchester, to joist WI
in the parehalreel the ceticeni in the year 17911.
I found that a large building, originally intended foe a
Cotton Mill; had been fitted by to accommodate the chits
then, vitro had beats received from the workhouses ; that It
was kept eery clean and well ventilated; that the chit-
then were extrethely well fed and clothed, sad , that as
.attempt *ad Made to educate them accordion to the as*.
at dist time entertained of what education oupbt to *
fiat child/en in that eituation; that is, forcing epos thee
Minds *bleb conveyed little er so noraningto their mioite
Aid "Meg them Mete practice is writing aid willows
de. 'Bet hi thhiedecatioe was given to ehlWees al*
piste of age and upward., in the evenings, after they b
been entpliyed • the whole day is the cotton mills, mat
consequently, when they were'so fatigued as to bonbon,
.filteil foi sleep than Ow iostrection of my kind, very little
egagneas, except hi a few instances, was or amid be made.
Ova in these elements of education as • they are called,
ithedgb a very good and respectable wastes; ea the seM
teas, wheat the bead of the establishment. The acre-.
' of tie .houses in the village, wafering of shoot
Ft.
he men, 'Women and children, were, with a few moth.
anti, a dirty. iidolitat and 4entoralis:d peopulatioa.
Improvetheete hi -Cotten Mills, and their managenteltbi,ig
may be *Marked, hod. about this period, tikes place he
leantifshiee; Which had not bean introduced at New lastewk.
That the Perdition mid establishomat were I. this coo.
&ion Odd nut be ithputed as a fault to any ea*.. TO
retry off the' spinning busing. It was necessary When
warkpelopleind children, lied such may could be libelist/4
trewere willing to Vane. or as, is Ovals' of CM chilirea
from the poor-houses, coedit set ivold comiag. . It WAN
with orrait' difEritiry int its great expense. thee any
respectable Witch peoide could. be iodated to settle is the
hew "pinning ceilowl.. and the *dee.' who bad the miss-
arrest* of it, could never pewees as many as Irmo
reeptired. • - ..
Tau population, • therefore. knelt stir own estate Med
watild Sec show tliagemelme to he defiverewed eaneratio en
Noir Mt tidbit, stetiedflardlithictletlfelleb Matearteni week
obliged to do with them as well as they could, aad to sub-
mit to Whet it wig via in their pink, tif aimed.
att. Dale wan erect( the min beveselentand best inten-
tioned Men that Scotland, or perhaps any or cowry
ever predated ; and' these whole he appointed to imperil-
read the establishment were men of the melt respectable
charade.. ; but What could itsexperieneed pampas. with she
best inteatiots to, io such circenutaaces, leader the old
systemolsoelthf ? •
It became oecestlarv, therefore, that the whole 'yeti*
shouldhe changed Oa remodelled, for the purposes I bad,
in vie*. I *as a stranger to the peculiar language, habits,
customs and notions .of these people, and came to thew"
from a country, against the inhabitants of which they had
very strong prejudices. But it wasof they little consequence
what teas the character Of the population, or in what cir-
cuentances they bad been placed. • liras going tin put into
practice principles never before acted aped, and which I
conceived, if prOpetly applied. could not fail to alter the
character of tiny prelate. •
My first concerti wag, to examine attentively the circum.
stances which did exieti to ascertain their influence upon
the population, and to become acepainted with the eateit
of the evils, against *tier I ifid-to coMend. 'This occu-
pied the first year of thy rikidesice among them. I then
cOlenteneed the work of Reforfnation. which was of coarse
directed,in the first instance to Such of the circumstances
as appeared to me to be Ohidlictive Of the greatest injury.
"Ttese Were the public heirs'esiend smelt retail dupe, both,
as they wire conducted here, being copious sources of crime
I, and poverty.
By degrees, these demoraliVing circumstanivenere re-
moved, and at length snPereeded by a general store, the
goad effects of width, predated in less than two years, those
only can fully andermand, whit sate eye Witnesies of the
change which followed in the condition and appearance of
the pepulition.
I bad also, daring these fitit years of the experiment
entirely to remodel the.menufacture, 'se that no part of the
original works remained, except the walls and floors of the
'Spinning 11ills." 6
While these alterations were id progress, Weil arrange-
ments were introduced, as were' a check open the former j
malpractices of the people. until at .length they found it
to be more for their interest, and 'there pleasant to them-
seliesb to be honest, sober; cleanly, industrious, and faith-
ful in their general conduct, than the'reenti.
I then began to consider what improvements could be
made in the training of the:children, and after trying vari-
ous modifications of the old plan, and giving roncii
attention to the subject, I was led to conclude that the
whole existing system of education was fun oded umin the
most erroneous notions, and that no great amelioration
could take place in society. until it was entirely. changed.
I prepared to carry this object idto execution, and to
effect it without prejudice to. the commercial success of the
establishment. • For, in order to secure the means of
accomplishing what I bad in view, it was necessary that
I should, ass cotton spinner, be what the world calls suc-
cessful i. or, in other Avatar; that I should form such
arrangements in the manufacture, and would return %hat
commercial men conceive to be a fair remuneration in
profit+, for the uNe and risk' of their capital. This has
been amply effected, through the 24 year, daring which
the concern lin+ been under my directing:
I .was obliged, nevertheless, to encouffter the Prvjatiicee
of mercantile men 'in some of my partners, who naturally
thought their 'amines+ teas, to make money by the cotton
manufacture, and nut to eng'age their time and tunes in au
attempt to improve the world. Several of them could not
comprehend the principle upon which my measures pro.
ceeded, and twice I had to separate from theta and from
other connexions.
As it was not to be expected that a desire to impravr the
general condition of society cos d be a very active prima+
plc in those in whom the cot:material spirit predominatt+l.
I found it necessary, in forming, h, la. t associetion, nis.t%
cumin .c.c.l in Jac :Sty-, It'l4, 'u it::...5.- at) stlf :vits vale