Gentlemen Moderators:

      It is necessary on my part to explain the cause of the present meeting.

      After much reading and calm reflection, early in life, and after extensive personal, and, in many instances, confidential communications with the leading characters of the present times, I was deeply impressed with the conviction that all societies of men have been formed on a misapprehension of the primary laws of human nature, and that this error has produced disappointment and almost every kind of misery.

      I was also equally convinced that the real nature of man is adapted, when rightly directed, to attain high physical, intellectual, and moral excellence, and to derive from each of these faculties, a large share of happiness, or of varied enjoyment.

      I was, in consequence, impressed with the belief, that I could not perform a greater service to mankind than to endeavor to relieve them from this grievous error and evil. I made arrangements to apply all my faculties to discover the means by which it could be effected. For this purpose I instituted experiments in England and Scotland, to try the effects of some of these new principles in practice. I published preliminary remarks on the subject, and submitted them to the civilized governments of Europe and America. I visited various foreign countries, that I might communicate, personally, with the leading minds in each; and I presented an explanatory memorial to the congress of sovereigns and their ministers at Aix la Chapelle, in 1818.

      I held public meetings in Great Britain, Ireland, and the United States; and I widely circulated these proceedings in every part of the world where the English language is known.

      Finding that these practical experiments exceeded my most sanguine expectations, and that the most experienced, enlightened, and [1] comprehensive minds, when confidentially applied to, admitted the truth of the principles which I placed before them; and doubted, only, if the period had arrived when ignorance could be so far removed as to admit of their immediate introduction into practice; I applied myself to discover the best means by which these all-important truths might be taught, and all prejudices removed without producing the evils arising from sudden and extensive revolutions.

      To effect these objects, I felt it was necessary to be governed through my whole course, as far as times and circumstances would admit, by the laws of nature, which appeared to me correctly true in principle, and beautiful and beneficial for practice.

      I, therefore, placed these truths gradually before the public sometimes in one form, and sometimes in another; but always in the least offensive manner I could devise.

      When parties, whose prejudices were by these means aroused, became angry, and reviled, as it was natural for them to do, not understanding my object; I could not be angry and displeased with them, and, therefore, reviled not again; but I calmly put forth more and more of these truths, that ultimately all of them might be understood.

      When the partisans of political parties fully expected I would unite with them in opposition to some part of the existing order of things, I could not join in their measures, knowing that they saw but a small part of the evil, which they fruitlessly, yet often honestly, endeavored to remove, and consequently erred in the means of attaining their object.

      With my views I could belong to no party, because in many things, I was opposed to all. Yet I freely conversed and associated with all classes, sects, and characters; and it was interesting and instructive to discover the various impressions which were made on individuals belonging to all parties by the principles which I advocated. To many, according to their prejudices, I appeared a demon of darkness, or as some of them said, I "was worse than the Devil;" while to others I seemed an angel of light, or "the best man the world ever saw;" and, of course, of every gradation between these extremes.

      Amid these conflicting feelings, I pursued the "even tenor of my way," and turned not from the great object I had in view, either to the right hand or to the left.

      I thus proceeded, step by step, until the most important laws of our nature were unfolded; for I early perceived that a knowledge of these laws would soon unvail the three most formidable prejudices that ignorance of these laws had made almost universal.

      These prejudices, arising from early education are district religions [2] in opposition to these divine laws, indissoluble marriages, and unnecessary private property.

      Yet the prejudices produced by education on each of these subjects, are very different in various countries. Among most people, however, these prejudices, whatever form they may have taken, have been deeply rooted, through a long succession of ages, and have uniformly produced the greatest crimes, suffering and misery; indeed almost all to which human nature is liable; for the natural evils of life are so few, they scarcely deserve consideration.

      It, therefore, appeared to me to be the time when these artificial evils might be removed, and when an entire new order of things might be established.

      Many well intentioned and partly enlightened individuals, who have not had an opportunity to reflect deeply on these subjects, imagine that it will be more easy to remove one of these evils at a time, not perceiving that they are three links, forming one chain; each link being absolutely necessary to support the other two, and, therefore, that they must all be retained or go together.

      Instead of these links becoming a band to keep society in good order, and unite men in a bond of charity, justice, and affection, they form a chain of triple strength to retain the human mind in ignorance and vice, and to inflict every species of misery, from artificial causes, on the human race.

      Seeing this, I was induced to develop other arrangements, all in accordance with the divine laws of our nature, and thus attempt to break each link of this magic chain, and thereby remove the only obstacles which prevent men from becoming rational and truly virtuous beings.

      In these new arrangements, the countless evils which have been engendered by conflicting religions, by various forms of marriages, and by unnecessary private property, will not exist; but, instead thereof, real charity, pure chastity, sincere affections, and upright dealing between man and man, producing abundance for all, will everywhere prevail.

      By pursuing this course I was, from the beginning, conscious that the worst feelings of those who have been trained in old prejudices must be more or less excited, and I would willingly have avoided creating even this temporary evil, if it had been practicable, but it was not. I endeavored, however, by calmness and kindness to turn aside these irrational feelings, well knowing that the parties were not the authors of the impressions made upon their respective organizations, and I strove to prevent any unnecessary pain in performing a duty which, to me, appears the highest that man can perform, and which I [3] execute solely under the expectation of relieving future generations from the misery which the past and present have experienced.

      In pursuance of these measures I last year delivered a course of lectures in New Orleans, explanatory of the principles and many details of the practice of the proposed system.

      During the progress of these lectures many paragraphs appeared in the New Orleans newspapers giving a very mistaken view of the principles and plans which I advocated. Discovering that these paragraphs proceeded from some of the city clergymen, I put an advertisement in the newspapers, offering to meet all the ministers of religion in the city, either in public or private, to discuss the subjects of difference between us, in order that the population of New Orleans might know the real foundation on which the old systems of the world were erected, and the principles on which the new system was advocated. These gentlemen, however, were unwilling to enter upon the discussion.

      About the same period Mr. Alexander Campbell, of Bethany in Virginia, was solicited by a brother minister, in the state of Ohio, to meet Dr. Underhill, who was publicly teaching, with success, the principles of the new system in the upper part of that state.

      Mr. Campbell declined the call thus made upon him; but he offered as a shorter mode, in his own opinion, of terminating the difference, to meet me and discuss the merits of the old and new systems in public, at any time and place convenient to both.

      He afterward, on seeing my proposals in the newspapers to meet the clergy of New Orleans on specific ground, publicly offered to discuss those subjects with me at Cincinnati any time within twelve months from the date of his proposal.

      Having occasion, about that period, to pass, on my way to Europe, within twenty miles of Mr. Campbell's residence, I went to see him to ascertain whether his proposal to meet me in public emanated from a conscientious desire to discover valuable truths for the benefit of the human race, or from a wish to attain a useless notoriety by a vain and futile contest of words without any definite meaning.

      By my intercourse with Mr. Campbell I concluded he was conscientiously desirous of ascertaining truth from error on these momentous subjects, that he was much experienced in public discussions, and well educated for the ministry. His superior talents were generally admitted. Under these circumstances, I did not feel myself at liberty to decline the call he had publicly made upon me--I, therefore, agreed to meet him in this city, at this time, that we might, by a fair and open discussion of principles never yet publicly advocated, discover, if possible, the foundation of human errors respecting vice and virtue, and the [4] real cause of the continuance at this day, over the world, of ignorance, poverty, disunion, crime, and misery; and, if practicable, lay a broad and solid foundation for a union of all tribes and peoples, that peace, good-will, and intelligence, may everywhere prevail, and contention and strife cease from the earth.

      Such is the origin and progress of the events and circumstances which have produced the present assemblage at this place, and my sole wish is that it may terminate beneficially for mankind.

      I wait Mr. Campbell's confirmation of this statement as far as he is personally concerned in it.

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