New-York daily tribune., 1858-12-01
ROBERT OVEN

good man. His Social theories were az best but
psr,ialy practicable, while the mSteralls,.c skep-
t;e,,m which he cherished throu.h t1e greater
portion Of his public career cut tim of from the
yupathies and frierdiy regard Of many os the
purest and best OF bis cotemporaries; but, had
they krown hin thoroughly they could scarcely
hsye failed 10 esteem him. In hi, old age, he eai-
braced The views of the Spritualists, thenceiorth
living IN undoubtng confidence that De had direct
and frequent conferences with friends wAo long
since passed into the world beyond The grave.
His Tfe Was a long and happy one, AMI be Is g'tn'
cred 10 his fathers at ripe Old age
The ErmiHg Post says
Our dis patches by the Europa annornc" tne death
of Robert Oxen-at one time, p"rLhps' thc ui'sl
famous man Of hs day. lie was IN tne sstn year 81
He di.,rgushed himself quite early at school hut be-
fore be- was eighteen lie engaged IN the cotton manu-
featuring business into which ne was instrumental ~
introducing the machinery of Arkwrignt, then Ei'a'
improyrueut His factories, called the IuoIl"h
Mill. were situated near Manchester, and became
yery lucrative. But he was induced, after q ie"
wears 10 remove to New-l.snafk, betFeen EhnOurs9
and Glasgow in Scotland, where AsWrlEht hAa
founded a number of factories, IN connection Wth
David Dale. an euterprsiug and benevolent man.
Owen married the daughter oi Dale, ana wa, taken
into the partnership His sympathie IN behalf ol the
working classes coucuuiug with those oi Dale, tncy
their dwelling houses, their hours OF labor, and the
education of their children which was conducted tor
some time under such tateriDg promises ~ success
that attracted the attention oi pmanthropsts ana
statesmen in all parts Of the world As there Wrre
more than thousand persons employed in the mills,
about half Of them under iheen years ot age, hne
field was presented for the display oi their benevolent
activities.
duration of the childrens labors and in enabling them
IN attend his school where the intellectual system ~
Il was called or the system of teaching by objects
was fist put in practice. In the evenings ana On
Sundays, the adults were instructed by lectures %
ifCts diagrams and books so that the place soon pW
on q scholastic air quite unusual IN the manufacturing
towns Of Scotland or England. AZ owen instituted,
at the same time, Iolce, which, though II was car
RED On without punishmeDt', was rlgd, his cohlnu
pty was regarded as q III. del community. lie himself
considered il So and he began 10 commend It as an
example for all the earth. The late Duke OF hent,
father Of the present Queen Of Great Britain became
very much interested IN Mr.. Owens experiments, ana
through his influence the aIlstOcracy and cerSy "i
ENGLAND lent him their cOuutenance. Bat, unOrtu-
nstely Mr.. owen connected his scheme for the prac-
tica improve OF the working classes Win certain
religious and social doctrines which soon deprived
him of the suppoIt of those eminent orders. Adopt
ing grossly maeralstic theory Of life, he held that
men were entirely the creatures OF circumstances ana
that all that was necessary tor the thoroush rSehea
tion Of society was change IN IT. external coh1-
tious Improve the circumstances by which the enid
is surrounded he said and you improve the child. All
the difference which subsists between the most pol
ished and kind. hearted man of civilized, and the
most rude and cruel man Of ban Tous country, l.
difference IL their circumstances. Inc cNlIod man.
placed III New-Xealand, would have been savage
and the New. Zealand savage, placed amid the means
and appliances Of an educated family Of London or
Paris, would have been a civilized man.
There was enough oftruth-Gnd OF the most import
ant truth-in Owens theory To commend II to the At
ten,ion of the world and particularly oi the classes for
whose benefit it was specially Intended lie was con-
sidered oracle by them, and, indeed the tame
which lie acquired, and the reputed success of his
practical scheme attracted toward him the regards of
sovereigrs. Tne King of Prussia, we think it was,
sent for him, and consulted him In respect to the es-
tablishment and management OF model villages IN
Prussia. lie lived also on terms OF fanihdrlty with
the King of France, and lie made several voyages 10
Mexico, at the request of the Government, to intro
duce his reforms into that country On one OF these
visits lin 1898 he requested from the Mexican Minis
try the control of the States of Coahuila and 1cxas
for the purpose of testing his system ot social organ
zation the largest scale. But as those provinces
were not within the gift of the Ministry they offered
him, as an alternative, district OF some hundred aud
fy miles in breadth the Pacific coast north Of the
Gulf of California Mr.. Oven, for some reason or
other, did not accept II, and It Is curious to remark
that if he lad, the gold mines OF California would
probably have been discovered twenty years before
they were and Mr.. Owen become the richest man in
all the world
"The riches however, would not have tempted him
from the prosecution of his scheme, in which he was
indeiatigable making in behalf of it maLy voyages
across the Atlantic, visiting the ro4ned heads and
great ministers Of Europe, and the Presidents of the
North and South American Republics, writing in the
newspapers and periodicals, and lecturng before as
socations and meetings He was enabled to do all
this, because his manufacturing experiment had
brought him fortune Of half million Of doll lirs and
more-al of which, presume, he expended in mis-
various benevolent projects.
"In 1925, Mr. Owen purchased New Harmony in In
dar a. which was owned by the IlarmOnsts, band of
German Socialists under Rapp since the founder OF
Economy, near Pittsburgh, and he made trial Of his
system there with the assistance OF his son, Robert
Dale Owen, now our Minister at Naples. For while,
We think il fourished even beyond the mark of west
erns towLs generally, but 60 far as il was new ex
pertinent of social life, II failed.
Mr.. Owen was the author Of several books on social
science, the principal Of which were the New Moral
World wherein lie discussed his doctrines at length,
in simple and unpre tending style, but with consider
able clearness ana vigor lie was, in fact, mono
maniac the subject OF socialism; he talked of n)thng
else wrote of nothing else yed tor nothing else and,
in almost any other cause, might have compelled sue
cess. Even in that be would have succeeded to
much larger extent if he had not connected the prac-
tcsl provisions of il with an erroneous philosophy,
however, toward the close Of his life, he yielded
through the influence il i. said OF the spiritual
"Mr. Owens last work was an Autobiography
which apounds IN the most interesting details Oi MS
career.
." lie was man Of the kindliest nature, sincere and
truthful, and of the most unreservng generosity both
in his judgments Of men and in his conduct toward
them. Nothing ruffled hls temper nothing could
aoate bis energy; ald though he failed in the chict
object Of his long sni busy lie it still be ssii
his credit that he did than any other toward
directing the attention Of society in England to the
Of the condition Of the working classes.