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14 ^ iEi E NOR October .11, 1845.
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•ft) LET, of
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ITIE NORTHERN STAR. SATURDAY, OCTOBElt 11, 1815.
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PROOFS OF PROGRESS. TIIE "NEW-DESTINY" O...
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Co &eaim*si & corrts^oitTjeiitef
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To Agents, Subscribers, and R eaders. ' ...
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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14 ^ Iei E Nor October .11, 1845.
14 _^ iEi E NOR October . 11 , 1845 .
•Ft) Let, Of
• ft ) LET , of
Ad00409
Iv- _^ , 0 . - ™ m _^ iate vidnitv B . _VTH , a Garden , compns-* _? _TS _£ K _tf _*** _**« highly _« _Wvated -, J _^ _JKm . -th _* ruit T « es and _Veg _« taHev , nd _S * a Spring of _OttcttratVaW _TOBtttagttaw-Sh " _% _!* $ _&*** bW « W . and its close _probity to the _Mw _reudertareirfy _Mlefor _tbeproduce _^ _rteui . With , or without the above , may be had an cbgible-and suitably furnished D welling-house , contiguous thereto . further particulars may be _obtained on application to Mr _IVillran- Toung , _Kiagara Cottage , _feaifctiall , Bath .
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TO TAILORS . Just published , LOSSOX and PARIS _FASHfOJJS for the Autumn * nd Winter , 18 i 5 , by T . GOOD , 6 , Conduit-street , _liegest-street , London . The most _eupei b -plate ever published 19 figures , representing the most fashionable _garmiaUi , particularly the uew stjle paletot over-coats , both single aiid double-breasted , six patterns of garments—viz ., two sizes ot paletot , two dress coats , the Parisian _style Test with skirts , aud shooting vest ; full and particular report , Ac ., & _. C . Price 10 s . Cd . ior the one season , or 20 s . for one jear , including an intermediate -report , summer and winter , with every accessary information throughout the year .
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TO THE EMBARRASSED . —IMPORTANT . THERE arc lliousands-of persons who havo struggled long against the force of misfortune , but few are aware that by a very recent Act all small traders owing debts not exceeding £ 300 , farmers , and all others owing to any amouut , can be entirely raised from their difficulties at a small expense , and witliout imprisonment or _bankruptcy- All such Mr . Weston begs will apply to bim tat Uovra-cbambers , 13 , Ironmooger-laue , Cheap-side , bj letter or personally . Persons summoned for small debts should apply immediately , as they may thereby save themselves from frequent and lengthened commitments to prison .
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COLOSSEUM . PATROSISED and visited by her Most Gracious JMAJESTY aud his Koyal Highness Prince LBERT . OPEN * DAILY from Ten till Six . Proounced by the Press , and confirmed hy every visitor « be tbe most perfect triumph of Art in its various oranches , both by Day and _Hight , that bas ever been achieved . Equal to six exhibitions . The Glyptotheca , containing -works of the first artists ; Mont Blanc and Mountain Torrents , Superb Conservatories , Gothic Aviary , Classic Huins and Fountains , Panorama of Xondon , re-painted by Jir . Parris , & c . Admittance , 3 s . Children , half-price . The Stalactite Caverns , the most magnificent of all the temples which nature has built for herself in the Tegions of night , Is . extra _.
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GREAT BBITAKJ MUTUAL LIFE ASSURANCE SOCIETY , 14 , _"WATERLOO-rtiCE , LONDON . niBECTOBS . The Chishohn , _Cltairman . William _Jlorley , Esq ., _Deputg Cltairman . Henry S . Barber , Esq . James John Kinloch , Esq . John Brijjhtman , Esq . Henry lawson , Esq . Prancis _Brodigan , Esq . Henry Penny , Esq . James Wm . Deacon , Esq . Robert Power , Esq ., 1 I . D . . Alexander R . Irvine , Esq . The Iter . F . W . Johnson John Inglis Jerdein , Esq . Vickery , A . M . AUDITOES . GB . Bule . Esq . T-C . Simmons , Esq . G . Thomas _. Esq .
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_INDEPENDENT ORDER OF UNITED BROTHERS ( LEICESTER UNITY ) . IMPORTANT TO WORKING MEN . _SELF-EfTEIIEST being the first law of nature ( and through life ire find this the one grand ruling principle _^—neither is it wrong , if not carried out to an improper extent ) , in these day 3 of incertitude it behoves every man to have a thought for the future—to make some provision for the time of sickness , want of employment , and such like contingencies to which man is liable . The various _societies formed for this purpose are amongst tlie foremost , _established by the philanthropist of our day ; the greatest good has accrued from them ; but tiie most prominent stands the various Secret Orders ; the principle on wbich they are bound gives them a superiority above all other similar institutions . Various are their titles and significations , and various are the modes of carrying out their designs ; but perhaps there are none ivhich shine so conspicuous or more beneficial than the
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CHARTIST GO-OPERATIVE LAND SOCIETY , AND THE NATIONAL CHARTER ASSOCIATION . THK Members " a _* _x-3 Friends ofthe above bodies are _rape ' _itnJlythfonncd thalMif . T . M . Wheeler , the General Secretary , has removed to No . 7 , Crown-court , _Dean-stree't , Oxford-street , to which place all communications -for the above Societies , _toXK-t be henceforth addressed . _Sxb-Secretaries , and other persons who ni _« j have money to forward to Mr . Wheeler , are requested to make their Orders payable at the Branch _PoSNo'ffice , Old Cav « ddish-6 trcet , Oxford-street .
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LESSONS IN MILLINERY AKD _DRESSMAKING . MADAME GALLIOS , M , New Bond-street , . continues her superior method of teaching tiie art of Dress-Making . She undertakes to make persons of the smallest capacity proficient in Cutting , Fitting , and Executing , in the most finished style , lu Six Lessons , for One Pound . Her superior method can be fully substantiated by references to pupils , and has never beeu equalled by any competitor . _( Sb" Practice hours ' from eleven till four .
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MINERS' ALMANACK , FOR lSdG . By Mr . William IUniells . In the "Press , and shortly will be published , THB MINERS' ALMANACK , for 1816 , containing Twenty-Four Pages , over and above the Advertisement Covers .
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IMPORTANT TO HEALTHY MEN FROM FORTY TO FIFTY-FIVE YEARS OF AGE . The United Patriarchs' Benefit Society , including Medical Attendance and Medicine . Enrolled and Empowered by Act of Parliament to extend over thc United Kingdom . THE want ofa Society of this nature must be evident to every person who may have neglected providing against tlie calamities of life iu their youth . It is in Four Divisions , after the manner of the United Patriots ' , having the same Benefits , except that of Lyincs-in . This
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IMPORTANT TO "WORKING MEN UNDER FORTY YEARS OF AGE . Look to thc interests of yourselves and families ; hasten and join tliat flourishing institution , thc " United Patriots' Benefit Society , " enrolled and empowered by Act of Parliament to extend over the United Kingdom . THE Society is on a new , yet correct principle , and is the only Benefit Society legalised with the privilege of establishing branches , appointing sub-secretaries , having sab-committees , & c . Look around at the numerous tinenrolled societies iu particular , ever breaking up , and men , after being members fi-om twenty to forty years , who
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JUST PUBLISHED , BY W . DUGDALE , 16 , HOLYW E LL STREET , STRAND , THE WANDERING JEW , 48 . 6 d . Tlie Nonpareil edition , being the only perfect translation of tliis famous work- . It contains TOO pages , and Is illustrated witli numerous plates from Gavarni , ic . TheDtspatclisays , "It is a comp lete translation , and not a mere abridgment , and the sp irit of the original is fully observed throughout . " All the other editions , purpurtiug to be complete , do not contain one-half of tins , and tbe printing and paper arc of _iirst-ratequality . Also , unifoim with the above , and by the same author , DP UOIIAN ; Oil , TIIE COURT CONSPIRATOR . Sew < ¦* _*?• _-. ; bound , 2 s . Cd . ; containing inwe than the 3 vol « dltion published at £ 1 lis . lid . This is one of the most intensely interesting of all Eugene Sue ' s historical
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JUST PUBLISHED , In one volume , foolscap 8 vo ., neat cloth , price 7 s . Gd ., THE PURGATORY OF SUICIDES A Prison Rhyme : in Ten Books : BY THOMAS COOPER , THE CHARTIST . J . How , Publisher , 132 , Fleet-street . ( _J-y Orders from the Country to be sent through the Booksellers . MR . COOPER'S NEW WORK . To be Published early . in November , in 2 vols ., 12 mo ., Price Fourteen Shillings , WISE S A WS AMP
Itie Northern Star. Saturday, Octobelt 11, 1815.
ITIE _NORTHERN STAR . SATURDAY , OCTOBElt 11 , 1815 .
Proofs Of Progress. Tiie "New-Destiny" O...
PROOFS OF PROGRESS . TIIE "NEW-DESTINY" OF THE "WORKERS . We have often had to note the numerous proofs that every-day experience now affords , of the utter breaking up of old political parties and distinctions ; and have had to remark on the new organization evidently going on , where the friends of labour and the assertcrs of its claim to be " FIRST partaker of thc fruits , " are ranged on one side ; and the antagonist force , —those who hold that "Capital is justiliedin availing itself of every means to keep down the _^ _-Wctf of labour , " and who maintain in all their integrity the dehumanizing dogmas of the pensioned Maltiius ,
are ranged on the other . As a consequence of this wreck of old o p inions , the term W h ig has lost the meaning that attached to it but a few years ago , when it designated the party who were opposed to a " stand-still" policy , and who reprobated the insulting sentiment— " the land wc live in : those who do not like it , damn them , let them leave it * . " and it is far even from meaning what it did in 1 S 30-35 , when the martial-law coercion of the " grumbling" Irish , and the " reduction of the English to live on a coarser sort of diet" were ita chief end and aim . Now the term Wliig merely describes the remnant of an old
faction , ranged under thc leadership of Lord Jons Russell , waiting on events—and changing their shape and opinions to suit the altered '' form and pressure of the times . " Accordingly we have Lord John himself an advocate forthe principle of restricting the hours of toil , and for the due regulation and _i'rotectios * by laiv of those who are otherwise unable to protect themselves : and this too in the teeth o _* his former professions and actions as a Minister of the Crown ; and hence , too , we have many who formerly were Whigs of the first water , —when Whiggism was but the synonyms for Malthusianism ,
—forsaking the error of their ways , and walking in the new lig ht which opens wp the path to true national glory tlirough the aggregation of happy and independent individualism . As another consequence , Toryism , as it existed even in 181 ? , has become extinct . Ko longer do we hear the insulting denial of grievances—nor the supercilious expression of contempt on tliose who seek needful reforms . No longer do we find armed bodies of yeomanry endeavouring to put down the voice of complaint by the newlysharpened sabre , wielded by a drunken hand , as at Peierloo : and no longer . have wc applications for
the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act , that the dungeons may be filled without tlie intervention of judge or jury . No longer have we the passing of SIX ACTS—or power-of-imprisonment bills , to bo followed by Bills of Indemnity for acts of tyranny even greater than those authorised by the despotic laws of the Tory reign of terror ; nor have we any longer the expatriation of a Muir , a Palmek , a Skirvisg , and a Gerald , for holding the principles of Reform . Tliose days are passed away—gone , _* never to return : and with them has gone also the spirit of cruel , despotic , ram pa nt Toryism , as "
embodied" in a party . With Toryism has also departed Protestant ascendancy . One by one has the penal laws against the Roman Catholics disappeared from th e s tatute book , till there hardly remains one sample ofa former sanguinary and truly despotic code . So com pl ete has b een t h e c h an g e w i t h respect to t h e once all-powerful Tory faction , that the modern adherents t o a p ortion o f its " princip les " became absolutely ashamed of the name ; and they transmuted it into that of Conservative—a name whicli at once indicated the rejection of the " stand-still policy : " f o r in s tead o f pleading for " things as they arc , " the " Reformof all proved abuses" was the motto
put on the new colours of the onco Tory party . Conservatism , however , has , in its turn , been frittered away , * and suchstrange antics have been played by its heroes and their adherents , as to render even the new designation , after so short a service , t o tally ina pplicable to a political party . Like the Whigs , the Conservatives are at sea , buffeted about by the waves of public opinion : and the once respective adherents of both sets of principles are making for the new havens opened up : one by the friends of labour , through thc proper organization of industry ; and the other by the advocates for the more complete subjugation ot labour , through the unrestrained operation of capital on unprotcctedness .
Amid all this brcaking-up and re-marshalling of f o rces , n o ne h a s be e n so d istinct and s o com plete as the break-up of the Malthusian "feelosophy . " For a time its novelty and its plausibility AS AN EXCUSE FOR TYRANNY , caused it " to be received with acclaim by thc richer classes : those who needed some reason to justify their •'•' holding" vast possessions , and increasing in . _substance and wealth with every hour ; while tlie mass of society , _—fcjiose who did all the work , and caused &\\ the wealth . do be , —were deteriorating in _^ ontUticn , nnd averei
Proofs Of Progress. Tiie "New-Destiny" O...
forced to drink the ' cup 'ol squalid . misery to the very dregs . With these a ** philosophy " whicli pretended to show tbat -the evils of our social -state were tho result-of _TiStoe ' s _lawa , and not < of man ' s imperfect institutions , was clearly a , _god-send ol inestimable value * : and as such it was hailed by - many , who wcrejoyed at the opportunity of silencing the -comp laitits of the dissatisfied with an " axiom in political economy . " In an incredible short space o f time thi s " philosophy" was the leading feature ofthe age ; and a bold attempt was made to _thoroughly incorporate it into our laws . At first we
had nibblings at thc old principles therein engrained : and then we had a bodily effort to upset the superstructure of right in our old Poor Laws , and thoroughly legalise the new doctrine , whi c h denied the right of the poor to liberty and life . --That effort , how e ver , proved to be the deathknell of Malthusianism . While the "feelosophy " was but a theory , it served well enough for controversial displays of argument : and full toleration was accorded to the holders of the doctrine : but when its _odiousness and cruelty , and _savageness , -come to be mani fested in practice , the whole nation revolted at
the hell-born exhibition of " Christian love . " From that day Malthusianism was doomed . The tide of natural feeling set in against it , and carried away one after another of ita once powerful advocates . The well-directed efforts of Dickers , and Hood , and JimnoLD , in a guise whicli attracted the notice of even the richer classes ; efforts made to uphold the natural sympathies of our race , and give them a direction in favour of the helpless and thc outcasts , were attended with all-success , spite of the brilliancy and plausibility of the eloquent but superficial _Bolwbk . The mind of society w a s forced into the conflict , * for it was one in which there could not be
indifference or halting : and the result has been that Malthiuianism is routed—put to flight . Even a Sir James _Gbaham has , in his New-New Poor Law , been obliged to eat his principles , and introduce clauses whicli directly negate those on which " feelosoplaj" so unseemly prided itself , when the New Poor Law was enacted . The legislative adoption of the new doctrine has been withdrawn ; the public condemnation has followed on every _manifeslation ofthe " _fedosophieal "
principle in practice ; and many of the once stout defenders of the theory are now avowed pleaders for the right of the poor to live in the laud of their birth . therefore Malthusianism has run the length of its tether—has had its brief day of existence . In a little time there will be but the record to tell that it has once been—and that men were so blinded by their own imaginary self-interest , as to be led to adopt its hard-hearted doctrines , and \ o introduce and defend its iron practices .
Amid all tliese conversions from the advocacy of Malthusianism to a healthier state of mind , and to the recognition of juster principles , there is none that has afforded us greater pleasure than that of the Messrs . _Cuamiieks of Edinburgh . Forced , as they have been , by circumstances , into a position to do either immense good or harm throughout society , it is important that the power tliey possess should be exerted in aid of the truth—and not in support of error . Turning out as they do tlieir "twelve millions of sheets" during the year , they are powerful auxiliaries to any cause that may secure their
advocacy . T his we have often felt , and ever bitterly deplored , when their v t mac h inery was set in motion to popularize Malthusianism , and to aid the unholy efforts of capital to render labour thoroughly subservient to its aggrandisement . It was really painful to sec periodicals which professed to eschew " all politics" p le a din g for the _xvorst school o f politics , and doing their utmost to inculcate the notion that the evils which pressed the workers into the earth were natural ones , and admitted not of remedy . All this the Chambers ' s have done—done it for years : until it was as notorious that they were of thc hard
school of what Coubktt called " Scotch philosophy " as it was that they published their Journal . Now , however , their opinions are changed . Now they no longer look on the condition of the workers as one irremediable—only capable of partial amelioration through edueation and moral elevation . Now they no longer regard the unfettered employment of capital and the aggrandisement of capitalists , as the be-all and the end-all of existence . Now they no longer regard the producing mass as doomed to labour
incessantly FOR OTHERS , catching of their own productions as small a SHARE as an active labourcompetition and thc all graspingness of capital will leave them . Now they recognise a more cheeringa more hopeful—a more blessing-scattering philosophy . In the signs of the times they sec the dawning of a new eestiny for the producers of wealthwherein their condition will be more in accordance with the nation ' s means , aud with their own justlydirected efforts to give those means a rightful
application . , And , what is better still , the _Ciiambbhs d o not hesitate to proclaim their conversion to tho new faith . They do not seek to hide tlieir new light behind a bushel . They freely speak of the hope that has been excited within them * , and tell of the riddance of the fears , as to man s progression , which formerly cramped thc mind . This is as it should be . It is the best mode by which they can atone for former , e rrors , and the mischief they may have occasioned bv the pertinacious propagation of those
errors . Some two months ago wc called attention to an article which appeared in their Journal breathing q uite a diff e rent s p irit , and having a far nobler purpose , than many of their former articles in relation to the workin g classes , their wa g es , and tlieir efforts to ameliorate their condition . The article in question was ou the subject of " short time ; " and well did it contrast with the tract— " the Employer and the Employed "—which a few months before issued from thc same press . The latter was a most insolent attempt to make the miserable and the starving
contented with their " position" in life , because al was afforded them that capital could spare ; and the former was an eloquent p le a din g for tlic helpless victims of our money-getting system—showing that even on the score of gain itself , overworking the hum a n a nimal is a " mist a ke , " to say nothing of the higher considerations that sliould influence the decision on such a question . On that occasion we pointed out the great change that was observable in thc " p hilosoph y " tau g ht b y Chambers ' s Journal ; and wc then even hailed them into the field as coworkers for l a bour ' s emancipation from the thraldom which the present system has imposed .
It is with high gratification that we now call attention to another rem ar ka b le article from the same pages . On this occasion it is impossible for mistake in relation to authorship to be made . In general the names of the contributors of the articles in Chambers ' Journal are not given : and thus a difficulty is experienced in ascertaining whether the sentiments of a paper arc acquiesced in by the conductors ; or rather which arc their own productions ; and which the productious of others . It is true that they arc res p on s i b l e f o r all o p inions they p ut forth , as far a s publication goes : but still there is a wide difference
between the publication ot the opinions of your neighbour , and the direct inculcation of your own by means of the press . For instance : tliere is reason to believe that thc tract—'' The Employer and the Employed "—was not written by cither William or Robert Chambers ; but still , as publishers , they were identified in some degree with the sentiments and object of the writer . At least they were aiding t h e writ e r , e i t h er knowingl y or ighorantly , in his attempt to inculcate false princi pl e s , and tolibel the
character of the producers . Again : it was not apparent that the article on " short tim e" which we extracted on the occasion above alluded to , was from the pen of either of the above-named gentlemen . Indeed it is likely it was not ; but from Mr . Simp-S on * , of Edinburgh , whose efforts to force on public attention tlie questions of Education and Sanatory Reform liave been unceasi ng . Bat on tho present occasion there can be no doubt . Base we have tlie sentiments ivith the name ; and here m c have the avowal ofa new faith giving rise to _iM'ighi . an . d glow-
Proofs Of Progress. Tiie "New-Destiny" O...
hig hopes , -instead * _tf thc cold and cheerless * pmiosophisings" of . _Malthus with which we used to be dosed . For «» ift-3 time it has been tho custom ofthe Messrs . _Ohamukks to give an annual soiree , or entertainment , to the persons in their employ , at which , after tea has been partaken , speeches are made by both employers and employed . The other day the meeting for the present year was held : and it was at that meeting , speaking in his own proper person
that Mr . Robert Ciiambkrs gave utterance to the sentiments we are now about to set before the reader-We extract the Report from Chambers ' s _Journal o ' September Gth ; premising that after a speech from Mr . Wm . _Cuamkbhs , setting forth the extent of their e stablishment , and the arrangements made in it for the comfort ofthe employed ; and , after the delivery of an address in reply , by one of the working compositors , Mr . Kobert Chambers delivered an address , or essay , on the condition of the working classes , as follows : —
1 . My friends—I would take tbisopportunity of making a few remarks on the condition and prospects of the working-classes . I mean to be raj short , for this is not an occasion when patience is to be expected for long speeches ' or dissertations . 2 . That discontent with their position and share of the profits of industry prevails very generally among the working classes , is too obvious a fact to _require being hero insisted on . It k less hosii'd of al pi _* c «« sul tlian it was two or three yeais ago , because at present almost every man fit for work is in good employment , and there is accordingly little immediate sense of hardship . But the existence ot a deep and settled feeling of discontent is nevertheless true , and it is to this tliat I am to address myself on thc present occasion , >* oiv , I not oil 1 V admit
tlie fact of the discontent , but I believe that it is not without cause . But 1 think , at the same time , that there i 3 a right as well as a wrong way of expounding and arguing upon the case of the working-classes , as against the rest of society , anil the _cniployinfr class in particular . / also believe thai much _oficlat the vj rkii < _y-cl « tses _eoinptaitt of is essentially connected teith thc present state of society , and onlycan be remedied by favour of certain social improvements , which it will require time to effect . The ai lmigeineilts between masters and ilieh * people _psi-take of that imperfection Which may be _Sllid lo _el-ar-icU-rUe all existing institutions , through the ignorance and prejudices of man , aud which itis thu _gnii'd olject ofthe wist and good of this age to remove . 3 . The position of the _working-classes is now , like
many otlier things , in a transition state . Tliey were once _BlaVIIS , flftMH'M'ds retainers ; now tliey are free workmen . This is the highest point which they have as yet been able to reach in any country ; but we may fairly expect that this is not to be their ultimatum . It cannot be—if tliey improve , and society improve with thim . It is common to express doubts if the last move of the workers , namely , that from the retainer to the free operative , has beeu an improvement . I would class this notion with that which asserts the beatitude of our quondam West India , slaves and deplores tlieir being _brougbt to tlio miseries attendant upon emancipation . It seems sad for the working-man to lack that kindl y protection which lie enjoyed from his feudal master . Sueh protection , I grant , was well in its own time , when there could be
nothing better . But does it never occur to the scions of Young England that there is a very alarming resemblance between the protection ivhich a barou extended to liis servants , and that wliich ho extended to the animals which equally served him his horses , and his dogs ? Do they not see that , when one man assumes even the position ofa protector over another , he degrades that other person ? For my part , I am totally unable to see what right any Iranian being has to act the protector towards uuother . No—upon all audi relatious as this . I cannot but think the present position oftlie independent labourer a great improvement . Ten times rather let me have my stipulated wages and no more—even though I never once interchange a word with my master—than havo him
preteuding to a right to take care of me , as i f , forsoot h , I were such a child as to be unable to take care of myself . In the one condition , the manly virtues must shrink and die ; the other tends to elicit self reliance , and is the needful step to something better . There may , however , bo lYiueli kindly feeling between employers and the most independent of labourers , Jfy brother and I , for example , while we respect the independence of our co-operators , are not on that account the less friendly with them . I believe , on the contrary , that there is a purer kind of good-will between us , from the very lact that c acli party is independent of lhe other . Our mutual good feelings are the more nearly those which exist between equals in the common world . Any interchange of civility stands the more clear of all imagination of an inferior motive .
4 . I regard , then , the position ofthe independent work . frig-man as a point in progress . It is sometliing better than anything which has been before , wanting , no doubt , some ot those pleasant-looking features whicli marked the condition of the retainer , but more than making up for this by _peculiarities of its own ; anyhow it is a point in progress . Now , the first question is , in what light are we to regard this position 1 It seems to me thatthe great error of those who write upon the subject , is in treating it as a final position , as if the system of Hin _* e were a thing so perfect that it could never be changed for anything else , and as if we had nothing to do but consider by what means the relation of hirer and hired could be made as agreeable to both parties , and as fruitful of good results as possible . To mc , tho fact that workers
have gone through various phases , already denotes that they ave only now going through another phase , and that thero are still other phases through which to pass . The worldis altogether a system of flux and change . Nothing sands still : new combinations and developments are constantly taking place . "With fresh generations come fresh ideas , and dogmas in political and moral philosophy , which are the worship of one age , become the scoff of auotlier . I therefore expect that amongst the improvements of the future , tliere is to be one regarding the relations of the directors and the executors of labour . To obtain some mtion of what this is to be , the readiest course is to consider what are the _Icadingdefticls and evils ofthe present arrangements , for it will be iu the removal of these that the chief change will take place .
5 . What I think is mainly to be complained of in the present system , is that it tends to send oft the hirers and hired in two different directions—the one towards a high intellectual tension aud an elevated moral state , along with the possession of great wealth and the consequent enjoyment ofgre . it luxury , and the other towards a condition the reverse in all respects . The master , exposed to so many risks , obliged to watch every opportunity of obtaining any advantage in the mercantile world , liis mind kept ever on the stretch to devise the most economical means of conducting his operations , necessarily has his faculties called into high exercise . The opportunities ho has for the profitable employment of additional capital , prompt liim to be self-denying and prudent , even ior thc better gratification of his acquisitiveness ; and thus he
advances as a moral being , and as a man of wealth at the same time . IIow stands it on the other hand with the workman ! lie has a limited and monotonous range of duties . His intellectual resources are accordingly not brought into full use . Or he is condemned to severe physical exertion , which leaves the mind languid and inert , and thus equally he remains in a low intellectual state . To state the matter in perhaps its least unpleasant shape , the master is often oppressed with his intellectual duties , while the mind of the workman is starved for want of anything beyond routine to occupy it . Workmen , again , having in general a fixed position andiucome , and hardly any expectation of ever rising out of it , arc not under the same temptations which tho masters are , to pursue a frugal and self-denying course , and to cultivate
character . Human nature has not such fair playin tlieir case . It wants the moral land-marks , beacons , and paradises of reward which ave planted arouni the course of the master . Generally speaking , the working meu of a country will be of the average intellect . Here , then , we have the ordinary grade of intellects placed by a mere social arrangement—an institution of man ' s making—m the circumstances least favourable to moral development and edification . And does not tho actual state of matters tally only too well with these assumed causes _» There surely can be no offence in saying that while there is oue class of workmen , sueh as our own here
assembled , who conduct themselves respectably and actually are at this moment tending upwards , there ' is a still larger class who give themselves little trouble about decent appearances , or anything beyond the gratification of immediate sensual wants . I see the condition ofthis class , and also such causes for it , that blame on the general point is out ofthe question we must feel that ive are called upon , not to rebuke or condemn but by subtracting the cause , to abolish the effects We may preach for ever about the want of foresight and prudence in this class , but till we place them in favourable instead of unfavourable circumstances , we shall make no ureal progress in then- reformation . b
C . My idea is , that through the general progress ofthe nation m moral conditions , and the particular progress of the working classes themselves , not even excepting the least possible section of them , we shall in time read , a point when the Independent worker will advance into something more dignified still . He will pass into a new pnase , as much in advance from the present as the present is , an advance from the retainer , or the retainer from the slave . I foretell this change , because Ihave sucli a faith in the reason and benevolence comprised in our nature , that I believe every error in social polity , and every obstacle to the perfect harmony of man with man , must in time be removed . In the new state , the workers would need to have a more particular intprc-t
in the success of the concerns with which they are connected . Their application , their skill , their good behaviour , would need to depend , not on the present inducements , whieh I think inadequate for the generality but on their sense of their , own particular interests ! Their fate should be , like that of masters , expressly dependent , and that to the minutest degree , on the way they acted Thus we might expect their moral and intellectual being to be _fuliy developed . The condition of masters , or directors of labour , would also be improved ; for though there might beUss of mere command , there would be more of mutual kindness , and all harassment about the duty of the worker would bo spared , as each man would be a master - . * * eye to himself .
7 . As , in order to attain this means of a large advance , th-sve must m the first place be a certain lesser advance thx . o » h the operation of weaker causes , vre are not to
Proofs Of Progress. Tiie "New-Destiny" O...
look for any change as tobe immediately realized , except , perhaps , in partial experiments under unusuall y favour !! able circumstances .. Men are naturally prepossess _^ for what is , in preference to what only might Ic . Nor can they hu instantly forced by any arguments out of ma prejudices . We mu . it wait for time to imbue them nidi better views , or to replace the old and impracticable with new and better men . We must wait till the _working themselves have , through external moral means , been fitted for entering upou improved arrangement- ! with their masters . Patience is necessary ; for the life ofthe individual is in no relation whatever to tlie chronolog y of great moral revolutions . But is there not much iu the
meantime to make this lingering endurable '< Every . where throughout liritaiti , the attention of the Wet intellects ii arrested by the condition of the masses . Evils are seen and acknowledged . Men , withoiR regard to party or sect , express themselves with kindly _synijmtliv regarding the sons of toil . The use of any ungracious language towards them , such as statesmen and wits _»•* .. dulged in fifty-years ago , would now be resented b y all . Measures areiu contemplation for practical improvements both in thepliysical and moral 3 _tateof the working-classes It may indeed be said tbat tint condition of these classes is the great question ofthis age : it is one which seems
likely in a little while to absorb all others . Can we then doubt that the present system of things will , in the course of a few years , be visited with at least great ameliorations t Thereis here , surely , some consolation fur tliecuu-, plaining parties ; some reason why they sliould sit not altogether without trust and hope under the evils which they feel to be besetting their state . Even in that general moralndvaiicewhiv . il distinguishes the present age tliey may read the promise of better things for themselves ; for it is impossible thai society at Urge couldbemuch more _Aii-kius . tied Hum Ills , and yet admit of ihe present _wiimtiffuclory relations between the industrious orders andthe rest of thc ' community .
8 . 1 have now delivered myself of the thoughts which have for some time been in my mind with regard to the condition and prospects of the working classes . To Some thev will appear visionary ; to myself they might have done so a few years ago ; but men are forced , by circumstaneus emerging in the courseof time , to modify their views . 1 have thought it best to come frankly out with these ideas , such as they are ; for , so presented , they at least convey to you a true sense of what one person , and ho one to whom such matters are not new , has concluded upon with respect to a great question . I finish , therefore , by asking for niy speculations that toleration which I am myself willing to allow * to all those whe think with sincere good intentions , und pronounce with candour and courtesy .
How unlike the philosophy of thc famous—or rather , in-famous—tract , " the Employor and the Employed , " is the philosophy embraced in the above excellent address . An admission of a fact is made in tlm first sot-out , whieh the tract was written to deny : the existence of a cause of discontent in tin workers , even inthe most " prosperous" of times : in other words , that the SIIARE of the workman is far from what it ought to he , * and that he ought never to rest contented until such social _irranoements arc brought about as will secure to himself a more equi table " SHARE" than he at present receives .
In paragraph 3 , Mr . Chambers takes a just view of the present position of the worker , in contrast with that o f th e " r e tainer , " and a g ain with th a t of th c " serf . " Viewed in relation to _tiiogiikss , and ' as a necessary step towards something better and higher than the world has yet seen , the workers' p ro-scut position will bear advantageous comparison with the two former states from which tliey have passed ; but viewed in relation to actual condition ; to comfort and amount of care bestowed on them , the contrast fs not a favourable one . The tic of interest in the
condition of the " serf" and the " retainer , " has b een s n a pped ; and int e r e st now i s to give as little as can be helped , reeardlcss of the f act whether the amount given will furnish food and clothing , or not . This is one of the evils that has attended on the present development of the " independent" system ; and its cure is to be sought , —not in a return to " _serfa-n !" or " rutninership , " but in aimin g f or that hi g her development of "independence" which will not leave any one class at the mercy or under the care or absolute control of any otlier class .
How well docs Mr . Cjumbees put his point , in relation to "individual protection . " Every w _* - _mtmnftoii of individual i'rotisction is a DEGRADATION to the protected . IIow true ! And what a way does that sentiment go ! If " no human being has a , right to act the part of protector towards another , " no human being has a right to legislate for another , or exact other obedience from him than he is free and willing to give . In that one sentence is embodied the whole political philosophy relative to the rights of man . Would that it were universally recognised and embodied in practice . ' we should then see a far different social world from that which now offends tlic moral sense !
In the fourth paragraph we have the _reat , _qukstion * , as it affects the workers , opened out . Parties talk of thc evils of immense accumulation on _ona hand , and of bitter penury on the other , as inseparable from thc social system ; as bound up in our "hi gh state of civilisation ; " as necessary and irremediable . "The error proceeds , " says Mr . Ciiahbers , "from treating the present position of the worker as a final one—as if tub system of _IlHtlS were a thing so perfect , that it could never be changed for anything else . " This is the error : and the
pointing out of that error by Mr . Chambers is of itself a proof that a knowledge of that error cannot long be absent from thc minds of all who are forced from position to consider the question . Great credit is due to Mr . Ciiambkrs for the boldness he has displayed in thus 301113 to the 'root of the evil . The _tpicstion of HIRE has hitherto been most gingerly touched byall our political economists and social tinkers : for they have long been aware that in that question was bound up the whole of our present landed and commercial system . Mr . Chambers , however , approacho _* - it ; and even indicates the possibility of _HIllliS'G
being dispensed with . Glorious anticip ation ! May the knowledge necessary for its realisation roll onward , even as the tide of the ocean , till not a dry bono on the beach bo loft untouched . With Hie abolition of HIRE will go slavery of body : and till HIRE is so abolished , to talk of freedom in any other than a relative or comparative sense , is to mock ourselves with high-sounding phrases—wanting the substance . This subject we commend to the attention of the workers themselves . In the above address they will find much which it behoves them to deeply consider .
Let them particularly dwell on the faith and hope exp ressed in p aragra p h 8 ; and l e t th e m t a ke h ea rt , and renew their exertions to bring about the happy period therein shadowed forth . The fact that sucli a faith h a s bee n avow e d , and such hopes given expression to , b y one so influential in his class , ougld to inspire than with new hope , and lead to redoubled effort . The principles they have given life ami being to , are thus seen m a kin g their way through out society . They have taken root even where wc had cause least to expect their appearance . I « ct t " workers therefore persevere ; and the new p hase ot pkogress , —as much in advance of the present system a s th e p r e sent isof serfdom , —will sooninanifest ; itscll Real independence is the prize oftheir hig h callinglet them labour so as to fit themselves to obtain it .
Co &Eaim*Si & Corrts^Oittjeiitef
Co _& _eaim _* si & _corrts _^ _oitTjeiitef
To Agents, Subscribers, And R Eaders. ' ...
To Agents , Subscribers , and R eaders . ' some time after our location in the metropolis , ive were inconvenienced by having the p a l' _" machined away from the printing-office where 1 was " set . " This arose from the machines vrc had at Leeds having to be removed and re-crec Much disappointment to the readers was the consequence , both in bad printing and late arnva "*• Another cause of d elay was in having tlie P n" ing and publishing office so wide apart . Let enintended for one place were constantly sent to ' — ..
„„ _vw _.---. - ~ - — J „__ , . other ; and all the arrangements we could _makeo _* not prevent mistakes arising from this sours This has determined us to concentrate our _opc- ations . The printing machine is now * at _wort 1 our own office ; and we have further detcrmi »« to publish there also . In future , therefore , the " setting , " printing , and publishing of lllC _" "' will he done nnder oue roof . This will involve no change to the agents and subscribers , only in ' ¦ ¦ ¦ I tllfi addressing of their communications , a "" greater punctuality with wliich their orders can
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Oct. 11, 1845, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns4_11101845/page/4/
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