,transcribed from the c#ahdj's          
,religious ,tract ,society edition by   
,david  ,price1 email ccx#jgdpglaf4org  
,picture3 ,book cover                   
,,socialism ,,exposed4                  
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,joseph ,,mather4    
99 99 99 99 99                          
99 99 99 99 99                  ,,the   
,,religious ,,tract ,,society1          
,,instituted #agii4             #ef1    
,,paternoster ,,row1 ,,and #fe1 ,,st4   
,,pauls ,,churchyard4    ,,mr4 ,,owen   
professes to be seeking the happiness of
 his species3 he  imagines he has       
discovered the specific1 which1 if      
believed and applied1  will produce it2 
and he is using all the means in his    
power to convince  the world that such  
is the fact1 and to induce the men of it
 to receive1  and follow his            
prescriptions4    ,we must confess that 
we are not a little startled at the     
means by which  he proposes to          
accomplish this desirable object4  ,and 

here we quote his  own language3 8,the  
religions founded under the name of     
,jewish1 ,budh1  ,jehovah1 ,god or      
,christ1 ,mohammed1 or any other1 are   
all composed of human  laws in          
opposition to nature's eternal laws40   
7,book of the ,new ,moral  ,world1 p4   
#fh47  ,from which it appears that all  
other systems have been  wrong1 founded 
on error1 and productive of nothing but 
misery and crime3  and before his can be
 established they must be renounced1 and
 overturned1  and abolished4  ,now1 ,mr4
 ,owen professes to have found out      
something  better than what ,i and the  
world are in possession of2 but ,i do   
not wish  to be like the dog in the     
fable1 which1 when he had a piece of    
meat1  dropped it1 because1 from seeing 
its shadow in the water1 he fancied     
there was another and a larger within   
his reach1 and so lost them both4       
,before ,i give up what ,i know and feel
 to be valuable1 the source of  comfort 
and the source of happiness1 let me not 

only be convinced that it  is a superior
 good which is held out before me1 but  
let me have the  possession of it4      
,then let me ask1 ,what evidence does   
,mr4 ,owen furnish1 that the system and 
principles of the ,new ,moral ,world are
 so much superior to those of the       
,christian system8  ,let us contrast the
 two a little1 and see how far we  shall
 be acting wisely in rejecting all that 
we have been accustomed to  believe and 
reverence as ,divine in favour of these 
new principles4    ,and first1 as to the
 evidence of their authority4  ,the     
writers of the  ,bible1 while they come 
to us claiming our attention1 and       
demanding our  regard1 tell us that they
 are only messengers sent from ,god2    
they come in  his name and speak what he
 has put into their minds and their     
mouths2  and1 as a proof of their being 
what they profess1 as credentials1 they 
work miracles which none but a ,divine  
power could work2 they deliver          
prophecies and predictions of events1   

many of which have since come to  pass1 
and others are in course of             
accomplishment2 and they announce       
truths1 doctrines1 and principles which1
 for their originality and yet          
beautiful simplicity1 for their         
importance1 and at the same time their  
universal adaptation to the wants and   
the circumstances of the whole  human   
race1 and for their purity and          
invariable tendency to good1 speak  for 
themselves1 and declare that they are   
,divine4  ,yet a book resting on  such  
authority1 and supported by such        
testimonials1 is to be rejected1  and   
thrown aside1 and its principles are    
pronounced to be evil and  unsound1 on  
the authority of--whom think you8  ,mr4 
,robert ,owen66    ,is it not a fearful 
responsibility which such an individual 
assumes1 to  tell me that ,i am not to  
believe a testimony which is supported  
by  miracles1 is confirmed by           
prophecies1 and1 above all1 is borne out
 by its  own native dignity1 and        

intrinsic beauty and worth8  ,surely    
such a person  ought to be furnished1   
and he ought to present to those whom he
 wishes to  believe him1 evidence of his
 authority1 and proofs of his claims to 
the  high distinction to which he       
aspires1 to be the founder of a ,new    
,moral  ,world4  ,then1 where are ,mr4  
,owen's claims8  ,and what are his      
proofs8  ,would you believe it8  ,he    
adduces nothing but his simple          
testimony6 his  own unsupported word66  
,here is a man wiser than ,solomon1 and 
more  profound than ,moses6  ,he is even
 superior to ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of
  ,god666  ,and this you and ,i are     
called upon to believe simply because he
  himself says so666    ,well1 but after
 all he may have pretensions to our     
notice1 and if we do  not receive his   
revelation1 we may be shutting our eyes 
to our own  happiness1 and the means of 
our welfare4  ,then let me ask1 ,upon   
what are  those pretensions founded8    
,truths1 which are propounded1 sometimes

 gain  attention from the character and 
well-known ability of the persons that  
propound them4  ,thus great names often 
obtain currency for sentiments  which   
otherwise would not receive a moment's  
attention4  ,then1 perhaps1  ,mr4 ,owen 
is to eclipse and throw into the shade  
all other minds that have  preceded him4
  ,that is 7to say nothing of ,isaiah1  
and ,paul1 and ,daniel1  and many other 
scriptural worthies7 ,robert ,boyle1 and
 ,isaac ,newton1 and  ,john ,locke1 and 
,francis ,bacon1 and ,john ,milton1 and 
a host more of such  great and mighty   
minds1 are nothing before ,mr4 ,owen666 
,does he himself  pretend this8  ,let us
 give him credit for so much modesty as 
not to put  forth such pretensions4     
,then if he be not superior to those    
stars in intellect1 to those giants  in 
mind which have preceded him1 and all of
 whom expressed their  admiration of the
 ,bible1 and bore their strongest       
testimony to its  ,divinity and         
authority1 perhaps his opportunities of 

coming at the truth1  in reference to   
the principles upon which the ,new      
,moral ,world is to be  founded1 have   
given him the advantage1 and enabled    
him1 though inferior1  to succeed1 while
 others1 very greatly his superiors1    
have failed4  ,then  what advantages    
does he profess to have enjoyed8  ,he   
himself shall tell  us3 8,it is a system
 the result of much reading1            
observation1 and  reflection1 combined  
with extensive practical experience1 and
  confidential communication with       
official public characters in various   
countries1 and with leading minds among 
all classes2 a system founded on  the   
eternal laws of nature1 and derived from
 facts and experience only40  7,preface 
to the ,book of the ,new ,moral ,world1 
p4 x47  ,and thus1 without  even        
pretending that he has spent his time1  
or devoted his energies1 to  an         
examination and careful investigation of
 the book which professes to  be        
,divine1 and of the truths and doctrines

 which it contains1 he calls  upon us to
 reject and renounce it1 while these    
great minds have spent1  not only hours 
but years upon its study1 and as the    
result of their  investigations have    
expressed their highest admiration of   
its contents1  and have employed their  
talents and influence to recommend it to
 others4  ,and here ,i might adduce     
testimonies to its excellence were it   
necessary2  but that is a work of       
supererogation4  ,then ,i appeal to     
every wise1 to  every reflecting mind4  
,can those persons be acting the part of
 rational  beings1 who in a matter of   
such infinite moment as a revelation    
from  ,heaven1 with its momentous       
contents1 refuse to receive it1 although
  supported by the strongest arguments1 
and confirmed by the most  invincible   
testimonies1--testimonies from miracles1
 from prophecies1 from  history1 from   
men of the greatest learning1 and the   
most powerful minds1  and even from     
enemies2 and that1 too1 as the result of

 the closest  investigation1 and also   
personal experience1 of its truths1     
merely  because ,mr4 ,owen says that it 
ought not to be received1 and that it   
must  be rejected before his system can 
be established8  ,matters have indeed   
come to a fearful pass1 when ,mr4 ,owen 
ventures1 not only to set himself       
against1 but wants to claim superiority 
over the wisest and the greatest  men of
 all ages1 and of all countries2 over   
prophets1 and apostles1 and             
evangelists2 over ,jesus ,christ1 the   
,son of ,god1 and even over ,god        
himself6    ,but1 suppose we throw away 
that book which we have been accustomed 
to  hold sacred1--suppose we consent to 
regard ,mr4 ,owen as the wisest of men1 
and to receive his principles as the    
standard of unerring truth1 and to      
adopt them2 surely we may not only      
expect1 but we shall certainly find1    
emanating from him nothing but the      
truth2 and we may venture implicitly  to
 follow him1 when he commands us so to  

do4  ,but to show how far he is a  safe 
guide1 ,i need do no more than refer to 
his own statements at  different times4 
,thus1 in #ahbc1 ,mr4 ,owen developed   
the principles of his  system in a      
series of letters1 published in the     
8,glasgow ,chronicle10  contained in    
twelve propositions1 preceded by one    
general proposition1 as  the foundation 
of the whole4  ,but1 since then1 his    
twelve propositions  have dwindled down 
to five fundamental facts2 only1 to make
 up for the  loss in fundamental        
principles1 we have now twenty          
supplemental laws4  ,but1 if in #ahbc1  
,mr4 ,owen had discovered and revealed  
the laws of nature1  and those laws he  
expressly declares to be immutable1 how 
comes it to  pass that in #ahch they    
have so greatly altered1 not only in    
their number  and form1 but also in     
their very nature1 as given in the 8,new
 ,moral  ,world80    ,if alterations so 
many1 and so fundamental1 can take place
 in the  immutable laws of nature2 if in

 #ahbc1 ,mr4 ,owen can require credence 
and  implicit confidence in his         
principles as infallible truth2 and then
 again  in #ahch1 can demand credence   
and implicit confidence in a new and    
quite  different set of principles1 and 
declare that they also are infallible   
truth1 may he not in #ahdh1 if          
,providence should spare his life so    
long1  have discovered some new laws1   
and found out some fresh principles8    
,if  it should be replied1 ,no1 he has  
now got the truth1 the whole truth1 and 
nothing but the truth2 we answer1 ,so he
 said in #ahbc4  ,and yet he has        
changed his principles1 call it improved
 them1 if you like1 but they are        
different1 and they may yet change      
again4  ,how1 then1 can we be certain   
that we have now got the truth8  ,if    
not1 would it be wise to throw away  the
 volume of inspiration1 the word of     
unerring truth1 before we are  certain  
that we have something better to supply 
its place8    ,but if we admit1 for the 

sake of argument1 that the principles of
 the  8,new ,moral ,world10 are now     
fixed1 and will no more be changed2 let 
us see  how far they recommend          
themselves from their own intrinsic     
nature1 and  internal excellence4       
,and to begin with his first fact1 which
 tells us that 8man is a compound       
being10 and his first law1 which        
declares that 8human nature1 in the     
aggregate1 is a compound1 consisting of 
animal propensities1 intellectual       
faculties1 and moral qualities40  ,pray 
how does ,mr4 ,owen come to know any    
thing about man or human nature8  ,and  
from what source did he obtain  those   
views of his constitution which he      
promulgates to the world as the         
unerring principles of truth3 and       
especially1 as he tells us that man is  
8made by a power unknown to himself1 and
 without his knowledge or  consent40    
,now1 upon ,mr4 ,owen's own principle1  
man knows nothing of  himself1 then how 
does ,mr4 ,owen know any thing about    

him8    ,if he does not know1 and has   
not perfect knowledge on the subject on 
which he takes upon himself to speak    
with the most unbounded confidence1  he 
certainly is very unfit for the office  
to which he aspires1 of  teaching       
others2 but if he has knowledge1 where  
did he obtain it8 for1  according to his
 own principles1 all the thoughts of the
 human mind are  not the voluntary acts 
of the mind1 but entirely the result of 
circumstances1 and are communicated to  
him2 and consequently man knows  nothing
 but what he is taught4  ,mr4 ,owen's   
knowledge1 then must have been  imparted
 to him4  ,now then1 who communicated it
 to him8  ,he must have  received it    
from some man1 or he must have derived  
it from inspiration4  ,if he received it
 from a human teacher1 it is very       
disingenuous in him to  take to himself 
the merit of discoveries which belong to
 another2 but1 if  he obtained his      
knowledge by inspiration1 it certainly  
would only be  candid for him to let us 

know when he was inspired1 and also let 
us judge  of the evidence of his        
inspiration2 for unless he does that1 as
 this is  the ground on which the       
,christian ,scriptures rest1 and they do
 give us  many strong and unequivocal   
proofs of their ,divine origin1 ,i and  
many  more prefer taking what we know to
 be from ,god1 to the unsupported       
testimony or revelation of ,robert      
,owen4  ,but1 ,mr4 ,owen may say that he
  has not received what he undertakes to
 teach1 either from man or ,god3  then  
he himself overturns his own system2 for
 he expressly says that man  can know   
nothing but what he is taught4  ,from   
the very first position1  therefore1    
which ,mr4 ,owen takes1 it will be seen 
how ill qualified he is  to be the great
 teacher of the world4    ,nor is the   
next attempt which he makes at imparting
 knowledge much  better1 if any1 than   
the first4  ,it is that man1 who did not
 make  himself1 but was made by a power 
unknown to himself1 is the creature of  

circumstances1 over which he has no     
control1 and in fact1 is nothing but    
what he is made3 or in other words1 that
 he is a mere machine4  ,some1  perhaps1
 may be a little startled at the        
deduction which ,i profess to  draw from
 ,mr4 ,owen's principles1 and think that
 he is not quite so bad as  that3 but ,i
 can tell them it is not a deduction of 
mine2 it is one of the  fundamental     
principles1 nay1 the corner-stone of    
,mr4 ,owen's system1 the  admission and 
belief of which is essential to his     
success4  ,nay1 in one  of his works1   
8,essays on the formation of the human  
character10 he  expressly says that men 
are 8living machines10 p4 #bh4  ,whether
 even the  followers of ,mr4 ,owen may  
be flattered at being accounted only    
machines1  and may be willing that he   
should mould and use them as he pleases1
 in  working out his results1 ,i know   
not3 but ,i do think that men in general
  will not thank him for the compliment1
 nor be inclined to become his  tools4  

,it is too great a fall from the dignity
 of high1 intelligent1  rational1 and   
accountable beings1 to be treated as    
8living machines20  especially when     
every man1 whatever may be his          
circumstances1 has only  need to appeal 
to his own consciousness for the        
evidences of the fact1  that he is not a
 machine4    ,but ,mr4 ,owen tells us1  
8,men are nothing but what they are     
made1 and they  are made to be what they
 are by their organization1 and the     
external  circumstances which act upon  
and influence it10 namely1 that         
organization4  8,none are1 or can be bad
 by nature2 their education10  which    
makes them bad1 8is always the business 
or work of society1 and not  of the     
individual4  ,the individual is thus1   
evidently1 a material of  nature1       
finished and fashioned by the society in
 which it lives1  according to the      
ignorance1 or the intelligence1 or the  
knowledge of  human nature1 which that  
society has been made to possess1 and by

 the  influence of other external       
circumstances1 with which the individual
 may  be surrounded40  7,book of the    
,new ,moral ,world1 p4 #ed47  ,but1 if  
this  statement be true1 that the nature
 of man is good1 and he would never be  
bad if he were not taught to be so1 we  
now shall want all ,mr4 ,owen's  wisdom 
to explain to us how1 upon his system1  
evil and sin first came  into the world4
  ,that they are in the world1 he cannot
 but admit2 indeed1  he tells us that it
 is the object of his system to drive   
them out of it4  ,well1 then1 will he   
have the goodness to tell us how1 upon  
his system1  they first came into the   
world8  ,man could not do wrong without 
his being  taught to do wrong8 then who 
first taught him8  ,and whence did he   
receive  it8  ,according to ,mr4 ,owen's
 theory1 man could not receive it from  
himself2 whence1 then1 did he get it8   
,it must have been from some sinful     
being who was in the world before sin   
itself1 which is a palpable             

contradiction6  ,but1 if the natural    
effect of ,mr4 ,owen's system be to     
lead to this absurdity1 it requires     
nothing more to show that it is not1    
and cannot be1 according to truth4      
,but1 if ,mr4 ,owen's principles be     
true1 and the nature of man is          
inherently good1 according to his own   
showing1 his system is altogether       
unnecessary4  ,for1 if man would not be 
bad were he not taught to be so1  surely
 the simplest and the easiest plan would
 be to take the human race  in infancy1 
before they have been contaminated1 or  
rather1 8made to  receive an            
unfavourable character10 and let the    
germs of goodness which  they have      
within them develope themselves1 and    
come to perfection4  ,should we1 then1  
have a paradise without sin8  ,ah6  ,mr4
 ,owen knows that  there is not a single
 spot on this earth which has not been  
contaminated  with sin2 and instead of  
human nature being in a state the       
nearest  approaching to perfection where

 there has been least contact with the  
truths and doctrines of the ,bible1     
which he regards as the source of all   
the errors and all the evils which there
 are in the world1 7see p4 #fj1  ,book  
of the ,new ,moral ,world17 it is the   
testimony of universal history  and     
fact1 that there it is the most         
depraved4    ,it is1 however1 not       
necessary to go to what may be termed   
the children of  nature1 to the         
untutored sons of the forest1 to prove1 
not only the  existence of sin1 but also
 of a sinful disposition1 of a natural  
tendency  to evil even in the infant    
breast2 it might be furnished to almost 
any  extent from ,mr4 ,owen's own       
establishments1 and from the lips of his
 own  agents4  ,it is possible that ,mr4
 ,owen himself1 from his attachment to a
  favourite theory1 and his desire to   
support it at all hazards1 as well as   
from having his mind absorbed in the    
grand object which he has before  him1  
may not see what is so plain to others2 

or1 it may be that what  appears black  
to them is white to him2 but let his    
dancing masters1 and  the nurses of his 
infant children1 be brought into an open
 court and  fully examined1 and they    
will testify to the satisfaction of     
every  impartial jury1 although composed
 even of ,robert ,owen's followers1 that
  some1 at least1 of these urchins1 at  
an age when they could not have been    
taught these things1 unless their       
mother's milk imparted them1 display    
passions and dispositions which indicate
 anything rather than an entire  absence
 from evil4  ,we shall require no other 
witnesses to prove that the  nature of  
man is not naturally good1 but is       
inherently depraved4    ,but1 if man    
from his birth has an evil principle    
within him1 7,i would  call it a        
depraved nature17 then ,mr4 ,owen's     
principles1 however much they  may      
modify and change the external          
character1 will not avail in changing   
the heart4  ,his system will no more    

produce the results which he  promises1 
the paradise of joy which he pictures   
before his followers1  than have the    
systems of the old world4  ,and1        
therefore1 he is only  amusing and      
deluding those that attend to him with  
pleasing dreams which  can never be     
realized4  ,if this1 however1 were all1 
it would not much  matter2 he might be  
left to pursue his course undisturbed2  
but when it is  known that the effect of
 his system1 whatever may be his design1
 is to  take off the mind from          
everything but what is connected with   
his earthly  paradise1 and so cause it  
to neglect1 and even despise everything 
connected with eternity and everlasting 
life1 and the happiness of the          
principle which never dies1 it would be1
 not only a dereliction of  principle1  
but also a want of love to one's        
species1 not to lift up the  voice      
against him1 and endeavour to warn such 
persons of their fatal  error1 and the  
destructive consequences which must1 and

 will inevitably  ensue4    ,but another
 fundamental principle of ,mr4 ,owen's  
system1 as expressed in  the #bnd and   
#crd ,fundamental ,facts1 and #acth     
,law1 is1 8,man is compelled by  his    
original constitution1 to receive his   
feelings and his convictions            
independently of his will20 and 8his    
feelings1 or his convictions1 or  both  
of them united1 create the motive to    
action called the will1 which           
stimulates him to act1 and decides his  
actions20 and 8each individual is  so   
organized that he must believe according
 to the strongest conviction  which is  
made upon his mind30 the plain meaning  
of which is1 that man is  not           
accountable for his belief1 neither     
ought he to be considered  accountable  
for his actions2 and which1 indeed1 ,mr4
 ,owen does not leave  his readers to   
deduce from his principles1 but which he
 himself  explicitly states4  ,thus1 he 
says1 8,man cannot be bad by nature1 and
 it  must10 therefore1 8be a gross error

 to make him responsible for what       
nature and his predecessors have        
compelled him to be40  7,book of the    
,new  ,moral ,world1 p4 #ed47    ,that  
man is not accountable1 that he can     
think as he likes1 and act as he        
pleases1 without being amenable1 either 
to ,god or man1 for his thoughts  or his
 actions1 is a doctrine which will well 
accord with the wishes of  all those who
 feel the idea of ,god and judgment a   
restraint upon their  conduct1 and human
 laws oftentimes a barrier in the way of
 indulging  their evil desires4  ,and it
 is lamentable to think how many1 even  
of this  description of persons1 there  
are to be found in the world4    ,but it
 is a question of the deepest           
importance1 whether or not this         
principle be true4  ,mr4 ,owen calls it 
a law and a fact2 and if persons  are   
willing to take what he says for        
granted1 merely because he says it1  and
 so to stake their character in this    
world1 and their eternal  well-being in 

another1 upon his unsupported testimony1
 they may endeavour  to satisfy         
themselves in believing it1 and try to  
make and keep their  consciences as easy
 as they can4  ,what a happy thing it   
would be1 if ,mr4  ,owen's saying that  
there is no judgment1 and that man is   
not accountable1  could make it be so6  
,but is it so8  ,we all know that ,mr4  
,owen's saying  that there is no guilt  
in crime1 that man acts only as he is   
compelled to  do1 and ought not1        
therefore1 to be either punished or     
praised for what  he does1 does not     
release him from the responsibility     
imposed by human  government and human  
laws2 and it is well both for him and   
for us1 that  it does not2 for only     
break the bonds of law1 and leave each  
one to act  as he likes1 and what a     
pandemonium1 instead of a paradise1 we  
should  have6  ,why even ,mr4 ,owen     
himself is under the necessity1 in his  
own  paradise1 of imposing laws1 and    
putting very considerable restraint upon

  the wishes and the inclinations of    
those that expected when they entered   
his establishment to be perfectly happy 
in the enjoyment of their own  will4    
,as a proof of this1 ,i beg to give an  
extract from a published  statement of a
 visit paid to ,new ,harmony1 in        
,america1 by the ,duke of ,saxe         
,weimar1 in ,april1 #ahbf4        8,on  
,sunday morning1 the society met in the 
large building1 and the      meeting was
 opened by music4  ,mr4 ,owen delivered 
a discourse on the      advantages of   
the society4  ,in the evening the duke  
paid visits to      the ladies1 and     
witnessed philosophy1 and the love of   
equality put to      the severest trial 
with one of them1 young and handsome4   
,while she      was singing1 and playing
 very well on the pianoforte1 she was   
told      that milking of cows was her  
duty4  ,almost in tears1 she betook     
herself to this servile employment1     
deprecating the new social      system1 
and its so much prized equality4  ,after

 the cows were milked1      in doing    
which this pretty girl was trod on by   
one1 and daubed by      another1 the    
duke made one in an aquatic party with  
the young ladies      and some of the   
young philosophers1 in a boat1 upon the 
,wabash4  ,the      evening was         
beautiful4  ,the duke's heroine regaled 
the party with her      sweet voice4    
,afterwards1 the whole party amused     
themselves in      dancing cotillions1  
reels1 and waltzes1 and with such       
animation as to      render it1 as the  
duke adds1 quite lively4  ,a new figure 
had been      introduced into the       
cotillions1 called the ,new ,social     
,system4      ,several of the ladies    
objected to dancing on ,sunday4  #8,we  
thought1      however1' writes the      
,duke1 #8that in this sanctuary of      
philosophy1      such prejudices should 
be utterly discarded1 and our arguments1
 as      well as the inclination of the 
ladies1 gained the victory4'0  7,three  
years in ,north ,america1 by ,james     

,stuart1 ,esq41 vol4 ii4 p4 #ddb47      
,and not only is ,mr4 ,owen under the   
necessity of passing laws1 and of       
making those that belong to his         
establishment amenable to those laws1   
but  the whole of his system is founded 
upon compulsion1 both mental and        
bodily2 for he would take infants from  
the care of their mothers1 and put  them
 under the care of his dancing-master1  
and there train them according  to his  
model1 and mould them according to his  
ideas2 and that1 no doubt1  oftentimes  
very much against the inclination of the
 children themselves4  ,the only        
difference between the present state of 
things1 and the state  which he wishes  
to introduce is1 that he would put      
himself in the place  of ,god1 and of   
all human laws2 and not only give laws  
to all his  followers1 but also enforce 
them4  ,whether the task would not be   
more  than he could accomplish you shall
 judge by and by4    ,but as ,mr4 ,owen 
cannot release us from the obligation of

 human laws1  neither can he from that  
of the laws of ,god4  ,man may say1     
8,who is the  ,lord1 that ,i should obey
 him80 but1 even while he is saying it1 
he feels1  whether he will or not1 and  
is under the necessity of acknowledging 
to  his own mind1 that there is a ,being
 above him whom he does not love1 but   
from whose eye1 and whose power he      
cannot escape2 before whose dread       
tribunal he is conscious that he must   
stand1 and be 8judged according to  the 
deeds which have been done in the body1 
whether they be good1 or  whether they  
be evil40  ,this is one of those eternal
 laws which are  engraven1 not only in  
the face of nature1 but upon every mind 
and  conscience1 which ,mr4 ,owen wishes
 to erase1 and in the room of which he  
would write what he calls 8the eternal  
laws of nature30 and in the             
accomplishment of his task1 there are   
multitudes that would gladly help  him1 
and contribute all the aid in their     
power2 and1 so eager are they  for the  

accomplishment of his and their wishes1 
that they have even  agreed to believe  
it1 or rather1 agreed to say that they  
believe it1 and  to act upon it1 before 
it has been proved to be true4    ,nor  
is it possible for them to prove it4    
,they might as well attempt to  prove   
that the sun does not shine at noonday1 
and they would have quite  as much hope 
of success1 as attempt to prove either  
to themselves or  others1 that 8there is
 no ,god10 and that there is no         
hereafter4  ,they may  argue with       
themselves upon the subject1 and attempt
 to convince  themselves of the truth of
 what they wish to be true2 and         
sometimes they  may think they have     
satisfied themselves upon the point2 but
 the next  day1 or perhaps the next     
hour1 the sight of a funeral1 the       
hearing of the  death of a fellow       
creature1 or even a sharp pain in their 
own bodies1  sweeps away in a moment all
 the cobwebs which they have been       
weaving1 and  leaves them exposed to the

 naked truth1 unsheltered and           
unprepared1 that  there is a judgment1  
and that they must stand and be judged4 
,and this judgment will be1 whatever    
,mr4 ,owen may say to the contrary1 not 
only for actions but for thoughts and   
opinions4  ,and it is strictly          
reasonable that it should be so2 for not
 only is man not compelled to  believe1 
contrary to his will1 but he is not     
compelled to believe at all4  ,he is a  
rational and intelligent creature1 and  
from the very constitution  of his      
being1 he must and can believe1 only as 
he has evidence upon which  his belief  
is to be founded4  ,for the mind to     
believe without evidence1  is like the  
eye seeing without light4  ,but there   
may be light1 and yet  the eye may not  
see1 for it may shut itself4  ,and there
 may be evidence  which would carry     
conviction to the mind if it were       
brought before it1  and yet the mind may
 not be convinced1 simply because it    
will not receive  it1 for it does not   

wish to be convinced4  ,but who does not
 know that  there are none so deaf as   
those who will not hear6  ,and1 in like 
manner1  we say1 8,there are none so    
blind as those who will not see40  ,men 
have  the law which they are bound to   
obey--the law of ,god2 they have the    
means  of becoming acquainted with that 
law2 they have the ability to perform   
all that this law requires1 if they are 
so disposed2 if1 therefore1 they  break 
this law1 it is not because they are    
compelled so to do1 but their  own      
voluntary act and deed2 and reason tells
 them that it is just that  they should 
be punished for their transgressions4   
,in like manner1 the  gospel of ,jesus  
,christ reveals to man a way of escape  
from the miseries  of the fall1 those   
miseries which ,mr4 ,owen admits to     
exist1 whatever he  may say respecting  
the source from which they spring2 which
 way is a  provision of mercy1 and an   
act of grace on the part of the ,divine 
,being4  ,for the accomplishment of it1 

he gave his own ,son to die in the stead
 of  man2 and as the result of his      
death1 he has offered salvation1 and    
that  freely1 to every one that         
believeth4  ,now1 the evidence1 upon    
which these  glorious truths rest1 is   
such1 so full1 so clear1 and so         
conclusive1 that  he may run that       
readeth2 and man has the means of       
knowing these truths3  if1 therefore1 he
 remain in ignorance respecting them1 or
 when they are  brought before him he   
does not believe them1 it is entirely a 
wilful and  a voluntary unbelief4  ,for 
that he will be condemned1 and reason   
will  approve his doom4    ,in wading   
through the mass of absurdities and     
errors contained in ,mr4  ,owen's       
principles1 as developed in the 8,book  
of the ,new ,moral ,world10 it  would   
have been a very easy task to have      
selected a number more which  might have
 been exposed3 but to go through the    
whole work page by page1  would indeed  
be labour lost1 as to most readers2 for 

,i am persuaded there  are very few that
 understand1 or even profess completely 
to understand  his principles4  ,neither
 is it necessary for their purpose that 
they  should4  ,what they want is a     
system which shall let them live and do 
as  they like1 without being exposed to 
the consequences of their conduct1  and 
this they find in the system of the ,new
 ,moral ,world4  ,but ,i think ,i  have 
knocked down some1 if not all the main  
pillars of the structure3 the  rest will
 fall of themselves4    ,there is1      
however1 one law of such a character1   
which1 when understood1  will perhaps   
have a greater influence in preserving  
such as have no  selfish or wicked ends 
to answer1 from falling into his        
pernicious  errors1 than any long train 
of argument1 and that is the            
following3--8,each  individual is so    
organized that he must like that which  
is pleasant to  him1 or which1 in other 
words1 produces agreeable sensations in 
him2 and  dislike that which is         

unpleasant to him1 or which1 in other   
words1  produces in him disagreeable    
sensations2 and he cannot know previous 
to  experience1 what particular         
sensations new objects will produce on  
any of  his senses40 7,law #ab47    ,the
 meaning of this law will be best       
explained by an extract from ,mr4       
,owen's 8,declaration of ,mental        
,independence1 addressed to the ,society
 at  ,new ,harmony1 ,july #d1 #ahbf10 in
 which1 in reference to the law of      
marriage1 he says1 8,it is1 in reality1 
the greatest crime against nature  to   
prevent organized beings from uniting   
with those objects1 or other  organized 
beings1 with which nature has created in
 them a desire to  unite40    ,thus has 
,robert ,owen ventured1 not only to set 
himself in opposition to  ,god1 but also
 to declare that that law of ,divine    
appointment which  enjoins a man to     
8leave his father and his mother1 and to
 cleave unto his  wife20 and forbids    
8man to put asunder what ,god hath      

joined together10 is  wicked2 and1 as he
 avers1 has 8produced hypocrisy1 crime1 
and misery1  beyond the power of        
language to express40  ,so that he would
 avoid the  crime of adultery by making 
all persons common2 and each man and    
each  woman should be left at perfect   
liberty to have whom they liked1 keep   
them as long as they liked1 and change  
them as often as they liked4  ,come1    
this is speaking out2 and it is just    
what is wanted4  ,the poison  then will 
carry along with it its own antidote4   
,on another subject1 too1 ,mr4 ,owen has
 spoken plainly4  ,he says1 8,the love  
of truth is an instinct of human nature 
which would be always exercised  in     
simplicity1 were not individuals praised
 and blamed for particular  feelings10  
p4 #aa4  ,the ,bible tells us that 8man 
goeth astray from the  womb1 speaking   
lies40  ,now1 which is to be believed1  
,robert ,owen1 or ,god8    ,but ,i ought
 to beg ,robert ,owen's pardon2         
according to his doctrine1 there  is no 

personal ,god3 this is his language3    
8,the error respecting this law  of     
human nature1 viz41 the #adth1 has led  
man to create a personal ,deity1  author
 of all good2 and a personal devil1     
author of all evil4 99 99 99 99 ,and    
yet1 when the mind can be relieved from 
the early prejudices which have  been   
forced into it on these subjects1 it    
will be discovered that there  is not a 
single fact known to man1 after all the 
experience of the past  generations1 to 
prove that any such personalities exist1
 or ever did  exist2 and1 in            
consequence1 all the mythology of the   
ancients1 and all  the religions of the 
moderns1 are mere fanciful notions of   
men1 whose  imaginations have been      
cultivated to accord with existing      
prejudices1 and  whose judgments have   
been systematically destroyed from their
 birth40  7,book of the ,new ,moral     
,world1 p4 #df47  ,and his idea on this 
awful subject  he explains1 when he     
says1 8,without a shadow of a doubt1    

that truth is  nature1 and nature ,god2 
that #8,god is truth1 and truth is      
,god1' as so  generally expressed by the
 ,mohammedans10 p4 #fe2 and yet he tells
 us that  8man is a wonderful and       
curiously contrived being20 and that1   
8in the  formation of man and woman     
there is the most evident harmony and   
unison  of design10 p4 #gj4  ,how truth1
 which is an abstract quality1 can be a 
power1 can contrive and create1 is what 
,i do not understand2 but1 no  doubt1   
,robert ,owen1 who1 if persons will take
 his testimony1 and follow  his notions1
 can perform much more wonderful feats  
than this1 will be  able to explain it2 
especially as he tells us that 8it is   
only now1 for  the first time1 in the   
known history of mankind1 that the mind 
has been  permitted to examine facts1 in
 order to discover truth1 upon the      
subjects  which have the greatest       
influence upon the human race40    ,but1
 before ,i proceed further1 ,i must here
 stop to inquire1 ,are there any  human 

beings gifted with reason1 and in the   
use of their sober senses1  who can1    
with their eyes open1 rest their faith  
upon testimony such as  that contained  
in the ,book of the ,new ,moral ,world1 
and stake their  eternal interests upon 
the reception of that testimony8  ,then1
 indeed1  are they to be pitied4  ,they 
are not only groping in the dark1 but   
they  put out1 with their own hands1 the
 only light which can conduct them      
through the darkness of this world to   
the regions of immortal blessedness  and
 joy4  ,and what do they get in return8 
,mr4 ,owen promises them a  paradise--a 
paradise1 however1 only for this world2 
his system has nothing  to do with      
anything beyond the grave2 that is a    
dark and dreary waste1 in  which1 yet1  
they must exist and dwell2 and1 without 
an acquaintance with1  and a belief in  
the gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 must live 
and dwell there in  eternal misery4     
,but1 even in the paradise which ,mr4   
,owen promises1 there  is not the       

happiness which his followers expect4   
,as a proof of this1 ,i  beg attention  
to the following account of his         
settlement at ,new ,harmony1  in        
,america1 published by ,mr4 ,flint1 in  
his ,history of the ,western ,states4   
,mr4 ,flint was1 and1 it is supposed1   
still is the friend of ,mr4 ,owen1 and  
was made acquainted by him with his     
proceedings2 his account1 therefore1  as
 far as it goes1 may be considered to be
 authentic4  ,the statement1  too1 has  
now been five years before the ,british 
public2 and yet has  never1 as far as ,i
 am aware1 in any shape been            
contradicted4        8,harmony1         
fifty-four miles below ,vincennes1 and  
something more than a      hundred1 by  
water1 above the mouth of the ,wabash1  
is the seat of      justice for the     
county of ,posey4  ,it is situate on the
 east bank of      the river1 sixteen   
miles from the nearest point of the     
,ohio1 on a      wide1 rich1 and        
heavily-timbered plateau1 or second     

bottom4  ,it is      high1 healthy1 has 
a fertile soil1 and is in the vicinity  
of small      and rich prairies1 and is1
 on the whole1 a pleasant and           
well-chosen      position4  ,it was     
first settled1 in #ahad1 by a religious 
sect of      ,germans10 who resigned it 
to 8the leader of a new sect10 who 8came
      upon them4  ,this was no other    
than ,robert ,owen of ,new ,lanark1 in  
,scotland1 a professed philosopher of a 
new school1 who advocated new           
principles1 and took new views of       
society4  ,he calls his views upon      
this subject #8the ,social ,system4'    
,he was opulent1 and disposed to        
make a grand experiment of his          
principles on the prairies of the       
,wabash4  ,he purchased the lands and   
the village of ,mr4 ,rapp10 the         
head and leader of the ,germans1 in     
whose name all the lands and            
possessions were held1 8at an expense1  
it is said1 of #aij1jjj      dollars4   
,in a short time1 there were admitted to

 the new      establishment from #gjj to
 #hjj persons4  ,they danced all        
together one      night in every week1  
and had a concert of music on another4  
,the      sabbath was occupied in the   
delivery and hearing of lectures4  ,two 
of      ,mr4 ,owen's sons1 from         
,scotland1 and ,mr4 ,m#8,clure1 joined  
him4  ,the      society at ,new         
,harmony1 as the place was called1      
excited a great deal      of interest   
and remark in every part of the ,united 
,states4  ,great      numbers of        
distinguished men1 in all the walks of  
life1 wrote to the      society1 making 
inquiries respecting its prospects and  
rules1 and      expressing a desire1 at 
some future time1 to join it4  ,mr4     
,owen's      experiment at ,new ,harmony
 lasted little more than a year1 during 
which he made a voyage to ,europe4  ,the
 #dth of ,july1 #ahbf1 he               
promulgated his famous declaration of   
#8mental independence4'  ,the           
society had begun to moulder before this

 time4  ,he has left ,new      ,harmony1
 and the #8,social ,system' seems to be 
abandoned40    ,thus far ,mr4 ,flint's  
account2 from which we gather1 that     
although the  establishment was formed  
under ,mr4 ,owen's personal             
superintendence1 and  managed by        
himself1 and formed1 too1 under the most
 favourable  circumstances1 yet one     
short twelvemonth was sufficient to     
explode all  his views1 and to crumble  
his system to nothing6  ,but he hopes1  
perhaps1  to develope it under more     
favourable circumstances in this        
country1 and  his followers are         
subscribing monies to enable him so to  
do2 and yet he  tells us that his system
 is to change the character of the whole
 world4  ,it1 however1 did not seem to  
meet with a congenial soil in ,america1 
or  else he found that it was not suited
 to that part of the world4  ,but what  
failed in ,america in twelve months1    
where he had all his own way1 and       
nothing to interfere with his plans1 is 

likely to succeed better in  ,england6  
,what dupes they must be who believe    
him6    ,but it did not take even twelve
 months to show1 that in ,mr4 ,owen's   
boasted paradise there were the seeds of
 evil which he could not  eradicate1 and
 miseries which he could not counteract1
 as appears from  the following         
testimonies and statements4  ,the ,duke 
of ,saxe ,weimar1 to  whose work a      
reference has already been made1 states1
 8that it shocked  the feelings of      
people of education to live on the same 
footing with  every one                 
indiscriminately1 and that several of   
the discontented wished  to leave the   
society immediately1 and to go to       
,mexico4  ,one lady1 the  widow of an   
,american merchant1 was full of         
complaints of disappointed              
expectations4  ,the duke observed the   
better educated members of the  society 
keeping themselves together1 and taking 
no notice of  tatterdemalions1 who      
stretched themselves on the platform4   

,the young  ladies of the better class  
kept themselves in a corner1 forming a  
little  aristocratical club1 and turned 
up their noses apart at the democratic  
dancers1 who often fell to their lot1   
when the gentlemen1 as well as the      
ladies1 drew numbers for the cotillions1
 with a view to prevent  partialities4  
,the duke expresses his regret that ,mr4
 ,owen should have  allowed himself to  
be so infatuated by his passion for     
universal  improvement1 at the very time
 when almost every member of the society
  with whom the duke had conversed      
apart1 acknowledged that he was deceived
  in his expectations40  7,stuart's     
,three ,years in ,north ,america1 vol4  
ii41  pp4 #ddd1 #dde47    ,and such1 it 
may be confidently predicted1 will be   
the end of all ,mr4  ,owen's visions of 
paradise1 if he should ever be able to  
do more than  draw them on paper1 and   
exhibit them to the imagination2 or     
present them  in his pictures1 as is    
customarily done1 to the enchanted eyes 

of his  followers4  ,but who can think  
without sorrow of the evils which result
  from his principles8 and they do      
produce innumerable evils6  ,who can    
contemplate so many immortal creatures1 
fitted for the highest and the  noblest 
purposes1 debasing themselves to a level
 with the brutes1 and  making pleasure  
and sensual gratification the sole end  
of their being2  nay1 even stooping to  
be regarded as mere machines1 in order  
that they  may escape from the trammels 
which they feel that a sense of         
accountability throws around them6      
,above all1 who can behold unmoved the  
disregard1 and even contempt1 with which
 these persons treat the soul1  that    
immortal principle1 which stamps upon   
man his dignity1 which raises  him above
 the brutes1 and allies him to the      
inhabitants of the celestial  world1    
which is the seat of happiness2 for the 
redemption of whom the ,son  of ,god    
became flesh1 and expired on ,calvary1  
and for whom1 when  sanctified1 there   

are mansions of glory provided in       
heaven8  ,how can men  trifle with this 
precious jewel1 and account it of no    
value1 saying1 8,let  us eat and drink1 
for to-morrow we die80  ,is it not      
enough to affect the  heart1 to draw    
forth floods of grief1 and make us      
exclaim1 8,oh that they  knew1 even     
they1 in this their day1 the things     
which belong to their  peace60 and to   
add1 8,oh that they were wise1 that they
 understood this1  that they would      
consider their latter end60  ,happy1    
unspeakably happy  should ,i be1 if ,i  
might be the means of rescuing and      
saving any that have  been deluded into 
these errors1 from their perilous       
situation1 and their  still greater and 
more awful doom1 if they continue in    
them2 nor shall ,i  account it a less   
privilege to be the humble instrument of
 preventing  any1 that are in danger1   
from falling into these snares4  ,a     
desire to do  good1 and1 if possible1   
saving good1 to my fellow creatures1 is 

my sole  object in taking my pen1 and   
meddling with the subject4              
,christianity1  like an impregnable     
fortress1 has often been assailed2 men  
of gigantic  minds have directed their  
weapons against her1 but she has        
outlived every  storm1 has hitherto     
vanquished even her mightiest foes4  ,i 
think1  therefore1 her friends need be  
under no alarm on account of the efforts
  of ,robert ,owen to assail or destroy 
her4    ,i am1 however1 departing from  
my purpose2 my object1 on the present   
occasion1 not being to defend           
,christianity1 but simply to examine    
,socialism1 and to inquire how far the  
principles of the ,new ,moral ,world    
are calculated to effect the object for 
which they are propagated4  ,i  think ,i
 have shown that in themselves they want
 consistency1 they are  either absurd1  
or they lead to absurdity1 they destroy 
the sense of the  being of a ,god1 and1 
as the necessary consequence1 debase the
 character  of man1 making him only a   

living machine4  ,if the foundation on  
which  they rest were true1 they are not
 necessary1 and their consequences are  
most pernicious3 and here ,i think ,i   
might stop1 and leave the truth to  make
 its own way2 and here ,i should stop1  
were it not that by so doing1 ,i  should
 be acting a very unjust and unfaithful 
part towards the cause of  ,christ4     
,then1 ,i do say from conviction1 and to
 use ,mr4 ,owen's words1 8a  conviction1
 as strong as conviction can exist in   
the human mind20 and not  only from     
conviction1 but also an experience1 in  
some humble degree1 of  the things which
 ,i profess to teach to others1 that    
,christianity1 not  only promises1 but  
actually does1 for those who believe it1
 what  ,socialism promises1 but cannot  
perform4    ,mr4 ,owen pictures before  
his followers an earthly paradise4  ,he 
promises  them1 when his establishment  
shall be commenced1 sights to please the
  eye1 and sounds to enrapture the ear1 
more than the imagination can now       

conceive4  ,he tells them that1 what    
with the pleasures of the table1 the    
recreations of music and dancing1 and   
the enjoyments resulting from           
philosophical and political discussions1
 and such like things1 they shall  have 
a happiness unbroken and complete4  ,but
 even in his paradise there  must be    
labour1 and as each member must         
necessarily take his or her  proportion 
of the labour1 will he1 for the future1 
ensure all that enter  against such an  
unpleasant1 and such a mortifying       
occurrence as took  place with the young
 and handsome woman1 who1 when she was  
singing and  playing admirably on the   
pianoforte1 was told that milking of    
cows was  her duty6  ,if not1 what is   
the happiness of his paradise worth8    
8,like  the apples of ,sodom10 beautiful
 to the eye1 but ashes within4  ,the    
body  may indeed be regaled1 but there  
is no lasting1 no solid joy for the     
mind4  ,and this ,mr4 ,owen's followers 
already have found4  ,i appeal to       

themselves for the truth of what ,i say2
 and ,i have the means of knowing  that 
they will support the truth of my       
statement4  ,they have not found        
perfect happiness yet1 whatever they may
 do when they get within the  walls of  
his promised paradise4  ,but if this be 
the case in health1 in  vigour of life1 
and when surrounded by every thing      
calculated to impart  pleasure1 what1 ,i
 ask1 will be the state of things when  
sickness invades  the frame1 when       
disease and old age enfeeble and destroy
 the body1 and  when death comes and    
cuts it down8  ,is there1 or has he     
made1 any  provision against these      
evils1 or will they change or lose their
 nature  within the walls of this       
promised paradise8  ,ah6 if his         
followers could  have assurance of that1
 then1 indeed1 there might be some faint
 prospect  of being happy--but he       
cannot2 and they feel he cannot2 there  
is1  therefore1 and there must always   
be1 a worm at the root of their gourd1  

and poison at the bottom of their cup of
 pleasure4    ,and what is there beyond 
the grave8  ,yes1 ,i ask1 what is there 
beyond the  grave8  8,oh that grave60 is
 the feeling cry of each of their minds3
 8if  it were not for the grave1 we     
should not mind1 we should do very      
well20  but there is the grave2 and     
again ,i ask1 ,what is there beyond it8 
,oh6 if  any of those that have imbibed 
these principles should cast their eye  
on  this page1 ,i beseech them1 by the  
worth of their souls1 by the terrors of 
the ,lord1 by the solemnities of the    
judgment day1 and by the miseries1  the 
eternal miseries of hell to think of    
their state1 and immediately to  flee   
from the wrath to come4  ,and let me    
tell them1 for we have no  delight in   
thundering out these awful realities1 on
 the contrary1 we  rejoice to tell them1
 that if they repent1 even for them1    
there is  salvation1 and eternal life   
through the blood of the ,lamb4  ,oh    
then1 we  beseech them by the mercies of

 ,god1 we beseech them by the dying love
 of  ,christ1 as though ,god did beseech
 them by us1 we pray them in ,christ's  
stead1 8,be ye reconciled to ,god40     
,but what a contrast the ,christian     
presents1 to even the best and the      
happiest follower of ,robert ,owen1 or  
even ,robert ,owen himself6  ,it is     
true that he may not be rolling in      
wealth1 nor surrounded by luxuries2  his
 circumstances may be humble1 and his   
situation may be poor2 but he is  happy1
 unspeakably happy6  ,he has peace      
within1 a peace which is not            
adventitious1 which is not the result of
 circumstances1 and will not  change    
with them2 it is 8peace of conscience10 
and 8peace with ,god20 that  8peace     
which passeth all understanding10 and   
which is full of glory3 it  is a peace  
which 8the world cannot give1 and which 
the world cannot take  away40  ,it      
supports the mind in sickness1 it cheers
 and comforts it in  poverty and        
affliction1 it smooths the pillow of    

death1 it illumines and  sheds a        
glorious radiance over the dark passage 
to the grave1 and beyond  the tomb it is
 converted into the fulness of joy1 and 
pleasures for  evermore4  ,nor am ,i    
drawing an imaginary picture2 ,i could  
refer to  hundreds and thousands who    
will confirm the descriptions1 as far as
 their  present experience goes2 and for
 the truth of the statement in reference
  to death1 what multitudes of death-bed
 scenes have there been which have      
compelled even unbelievers to exclaim1  
8,let me die the death of the           
righteous1 and let my last end be like  
his60    ,mr4 ,owen's principles have   
not in a single instance changed1 so as 
radically to benefit any individual of  
the human race2 they cannot exalt  the  
moral character4  ,christianity has her 
thousands of trophies of her  purity and
 her power4  ,they are to be found in   
every age1 and exist in  every part of  
the world4  ,mr4 ,owen's principles     
never yet made a single  truly happy    

man3 ,christianity furnishes them daily4
  ,mr4 ,owen's  principles are silent   
about a hereafter1 and make no provision
 for the  world to come3 ,christianity  
brings life and immortality to light by 
the  gospel1 takes away the sting of    
death1 triumphs over the grave1 and     
opens  before its followers a bright and
 a glorious immortality4  ,mr4 ,owen's  
principles1 independent of their        
absurdity and atheism1 have nothing to  
recommend them but his unsupported      
testimony3 ,christianity is confirmed   
and established by the united testimony 
of prophets1 and apostles1 and          
evangelists2 of martyrs1 confessors1 and
 enemies2 of miracles1  prophecies1 and 
history2 of its own doctrines1 and      
precepts1 and  triumphs--that it is the 
word of ,god6  ,then we say1 ,if ,mr4   
,owen be what he  pretends1 the only    
teacher that has yet risen to enlighten 
and to bless  the world1 and if his     
principles1 as developed in the 8,book  
of the ,new  ,moral ,world10 be the     

eternal laws of nature1 then follow him3
 but1 if the  ,lord be ,god1 and        
,christianity be ,divine1 then follow   
them4          ,,appendix4      ,,since 
writing the preceding pages1 ,i have had
 an opportunity of both  seeing and     
hearing of the effects of the system1   
the principles of which  ,i have        
endeavoured to expose3 and as the fruits
 of a tree are not only of  great       
service in determining the character of 
the tree which bears them1  but are the 
best test by which that character may be
 known1 it may be of  use to the cause  
of truth1 and may tend more effectually 
than any other  means1 to explain and   
expose what ,robert ,owen's ,socialism  
is1 to state  the fruits which it has   
already produced4    ,an intimate friend
 of mine1 resident in a large           
manufacturing district1  in whose       
neighbourhood socialists abound1 and    
where they have had an  opportunity1 to 
a very considerable extent1 of          
developing their system1  writes me     

word3 8,persons in whose neighbourhood  
their meetings are held1  speak of their
 proceedings as most riotous and        
disorderly4  ,young men and  young women
 assemble in the room1 and around it1 in
 great numbers1 and  the most           
demoralizing scenes occur4  ,twice in   
the week they meet for  dancing1 etc4 in
 the room where their preachings are    
held40    ,and as to the persons that   
compose their societies1 it is notorious
 that  the great bulk of them are young 
men and women1 who are attracted solely 
by the pleasures and amusements which   
are there held out to them2 and the     
remainder consist either of persons of  
bad moral character1 or men of          
unsettled religious views1 as atheists1 
unbelievers1 the followers of  ,johanna 
,southcote1 etc42 or1 where any have    
joined them who were once  attached to  
other bodies1 or were professed         
believers in the doctrines of           
revelation1 they are1 almost without a  
single exception1 persons whose         

practices did not accord with their     
profession--8men of corrupt minds1      
reprobate concerning the faith10 #b     
,tim4 iii4 #h4  ,and1 although it is not
  fair nor honourable to charge either  
the sentiments1 or the practices of     
particular individuals upon a whole     
body1 or even to lay them to the        
account of the system which they        
profess2 yet1 when those sentiments and 
practices can be shown fairly to arise  
out of the system3 and moreover1  when  
they are neither disavowed nor          
discountenanced by the body  generally1 
nor by those persons that may fairly be 
considered as  representing the body1   
there can be nothing wrong in adducing  
them as  illustrations of the nature and
 the tendency of the system which       
produces  them4  ,it is solely with this
 view that ,i bring forward the         
following  facts1 for the truth of which
 ,i can vouch3--        8,a man named   
--1 of --1 the clerk of the socialists  
at --1 and a clever      lecturer1 who  

was once a missionary1 is of so         
abandoned a character1      that nearly 
at the time of his marriage with one    
female1 he had an      illegitimate     
child by another2 and he threatened1 if 
a certain      person1 --1 of -- opposed
 his marriage1 he would shoot him40     
,another person1 the editor of a        
periodical which supports the views of  
,mr4 ,owen1 and one of the champions of 
their cause1 is charged publicly by  the
 author of a pamphlet entitled1 8,truth 
without ,mystery1 mixture of  ,error1 or
 fear of ,man10 with seducing his own   
wife's sister3 nor has the  charge1 as  
far as ,i can learn1 been in any shape  
denied1 or attempted to  be disproved4  
,and not only is he not disowned1 but is
 still continued as  an acknowledged and
 recognised supporter and expounder of  
their  principles4    ,another man1 who 
was once a preacher1 is now a warm      
advocate of  socialism1 and has given a 
clear illustration of the kind of       
morality  which may be expected1 if the 

principles of this system should become 
at  all general2 for he has lived       
already with not less than eight or ten 
women in succession4    ,these facts1   
which1 after all1 are only specimens of 
what might be  adduced1 awful as they   
are1 cannot be wondered at2 nor will the
 reading  of them occasion any surprise1
 when it is known that the following    
sentiments are taught and inculcated by 
the advocates of these  principles3--,a 
,mr4 -- on one occasion publicly        
declared1 and argued  according to one  
of the fundamental principles of this   
system1 that men  are not to be held    
accountable for what they are4  ,he     
said1 8,each nation  has some particular
 character of its own4  ,some nations   
think murder  right2 others are         
cannibals2 and they cannot help either  
their belief or  their practice4 4 4 4  
,and we should not punish men for the   
want of  virtue1 or the commission of   
vice1 but we should teach them better40 
,a  socialist lecturer expressed his    

ideas of ,god in the following          
words3--8,he  is omnipresent1 he is all 
goodness1 he is all wisdom1 he is       
present in  you1 he is present in me1 he
 is present in the murderer1 he is      
present in  hell40  ,and the conclusion 
which he wished to draw was1 that as    
,god is  thus present everywhere1       
therefore1 he is the author of the crime
 of the  murderer66  ,i asked him1 8,was
 ,god all goodness when he was thus     
present  in the murderer80  ,or1 in     
other words1 ,was murder goodness8      
,these1 and similarly awful sentiments1 
,mr4 ,owen's followers are seeking  to  
extend with the greatest diligence1 and 
that too1 even among the  young4  ,nor  
have they been unsuccessful4  ,the      
effects which already begin  to appear  
are highly detrimental4  ,in one        
instance1 the son of a  professor of    
socialism1 who goes to school to a      
,christian1 was one  morning too late1  
and told his master that he could not   
help being too  late1 for he was the    

creature of circumstances over which he 
had no  control2 when his master very   
properly replied1 then he would apply a 
moral motive of sufficient power to     
induce him to be in time1 and so gave   
him a good beating4    ,a sabbath-school
 teacher1 in a neighbourhood where these
 principles have  extensively spread1   
bears testimony that1 8through the      
influence of  socialism the boys have   
become so unmanageable that the teachers
 do not  know what to do3 to turn them  
out of the school appears to be to doom 
them to destruction3 and to keep them in
 is1 almost to a certainty1 to  corrupt 
the views and morals of the rest of the 
children40    ,a man named --1 of --1   
who was once a preacher1 but is now a   
warm advocate  of socialism1 has        
repeatedly confessed that he has no     
peace in his own  mind4    ,but1 without
 attempting to adduce more facts as     
illustrations of the  evils and the     
tendencies of this system1 ,i may ask1  
,does it produce no  other fruits       

besides these8  ,it has now been tried  
for some time1 and  opportunity has been
 given to develope and bring to maturity
 its  principles2 surely then ,robert   
,owen can produce1 if from no other     
quarter1 at least from his own          
establishments1 some rare and surpassing
  specimens of moral beauty and         
intrinsic worth1 such as the old world  
and  the old system have in vain        
attempted to exhibit4  ,christianity can
  exhibit the names of persons whose    
virtues and excellences have been the   
theme of universal admiration1 and have 
extorted from friends and foes  the meed
 of praise4  ,the list is too long to   
transcribe3 nor is it  necessary2 for   
their memory is embalmed in the grateful
 recollections of  all who have any     
perception of moral goodness1 and their 
deeds shall  outlast the course of time4
  ,can the ,new ,moral ,world as yet    
produce no  names to eclipse those of   
the ,christian world8  ,then1 on every  
principle1  whether of reason1 argument1

 fact1 or experience1 it may truly be   
said as  to the social system1 8,thou   
art weighed in the balances1 and found  
wanting40                               
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