Smyrna times., 1875-07-21
Robert Dale Owen.

| Mr.. Owen has been placed in an insane
asylum by his sons, with, as we understand,
but little hope of a speedy cure. In any
other case it were most meddlesome and
ungracious task to look too closely into the
cause of such premature mental death as
| this; but Mr.. Owen has within the last
three years voluntarily placed before the
public not only the facts Of his life but
close study of his opinions, beliefs, intel
lectual growth, and feelings-even to those
early love affairs which few men care to
bare for popular inspection. He has been
too, the earnest exponent of certain
system of belief, and eagerly invited atten-
ton to the effects of that system on his
own mental and spiritual condition. 1t
seems but just therefore, that we should
follow these effects to their conclusion
when that conclusion is forced upOn us
in 50 sudden and lamcntable shape.
Robert Dale Ovens father was free
thinker lin the large sense Of the wortN.
and his mother a strict, devout Prcsby-
terrain. The creed of the mother soon
looscd its hold on the son; but the
principles he imbibcd from her remained.
and became, perhaps unconsciously on his
Part, the motive forces of his life-the stern
fidelity to truth at whatever cost. the
gentle charity, kindly habit of speech and
thought, and religious instinct As the son
of man Intellectually stronger than him.
self, he fell naturally into his fathers
grooves Of thought and work, Joined in the
: experiment at Ncw-IIarmonv, was a CO.
o worker with Fairy Wright in her radical
and d"istical teaching; but whatever i'm
press he has made upon his time in pol
. tics or i'll literature was made by force OF
) his inheritance from his mother. However
/ men might differ with his opinions ol
i smile at his logic, personal contact with
= the man always commanded profound re
= spect for his integrity and clean-mindeC
- sincerity. The literary work Which Mr.
Owen has done was strongly marked b,
- his personal character, and would have
!" been far more wcighty and effective if h,
y had been either believer orunbeliever il
'' the Christian religion. But the stron,
y religious nature which he had inherited
~ according to his own showing from on
~ parent, balked by the influence of tn
other Of its natural expression in faith il
Christ. turned to faith in mediums, tippin
At tables and the like-a system which, how
ar ever pleasant as supplement to a fixe
70 religious creed, is but a slight anchor t
fix eternal hopes upon Mr.. Owen, with hi
:, avOwcd anxiety to find such an anchor
- and his kindly, womanish faith in huma
la nature, was an easy prey Oskillful swindler
80 and became the most prominent dupe,
l.. we all remember, last Winter of til
=, wrctched trance mediums, Holmes and II
20 wife, and their puppet Katie King. Fe
!, men with Mr. Owens intense fcminir
- selfconsciousness would have had IL
-. moral courage to avow his error, as he di
80 and voluntarily become subject of publ
:. ridicule. The modification and disappoir
of ment were great and bitter, and while Il
r. poor trickstcrs have gone on their way Il
49, punished, the good old man whom tn
o., victimzed has sunk into depth lower th
m, death. 1t is not long since he offered
IoSt spiritual experience as beacon to t
hon world, little thinking it would serve
~ warn them only of trcacherous shadows,
~ which his own life would suffer shipwre
~ so terrible
90 Should reason return to him. we cam
- but believe that man whose doubts Ina
-. been more honest than the faith of ma
i'm, men, will yet be given frmer ground
-,, which to build his faith in the life to COZ
tod than the himsy tricks of vulgar charata
aro lie has always been man of singula
,;po sweet, and pure, and lovable charact
tho and that such recovery may yet be in st'
oors for him will be the earnest prayer of tn
,ye., sands who utterly revolted from his pc
;,to liar opinions and had little sympathy W
tI,o the most prominent features of the VIC
a., of his life.-N. y. TdJtnc
~ Messrs. Landis and Carruth of Vinela
'"'" have come, it is said, to an amicablc und