Mr. Chairman: I expressed, in the previous part of the debate, my total disbelief in the notion that a supreme intelligence would create a devil, knowing what it was about. I asserted nothing about the existence or non-existence of Deity, etc. Now, my friends, I am very desirous to conform to the suggestion of the board of Moderators, and not to digress from the point of discussion immediately before us, except for the purpose of more ample illustration. We are now endeavoring to prove that all religions are founded in ignorance. Mr. Campbell has stated a strong practical fact concerning the sectarianism of the skeptics. But I do not conceive myself in the least bound to depend upon any arguments except those which I bring forward myself. I have not once quoted a Skeptic, Deist, or Atheist to prove one of my positions. I derive my information from a close observation of human nature, and from facts which every one can examine for himself. I have [81] no occasion for any other authority, not do I wish to resort to any other. For, in my opinion, authority is but of little use, unless it be to give sanction to falsehood and error. It seems that the skeptical opinions of Mirabaud and Paine were at war with each other. Well be it so; for my part I know not what skepticism means, unless it signifies a difference of opinion from the speaker. I am simply a searcher after, and a lover of truth. Mirabaud, it seems, has stated that atheism could not make a wicked man good; right enough, according to his notions of human nature and society. But the system which I advocate, is derived from the laws of nature, which will prevent bad men from being formed. Are there not now bad men and women of all religions in the world? Now, I propose to you a principle which shall prevent the formation in future of any bad men and women, and surely this is a superior principle to apply to practice than either religion or atheism, both of which are mere words.

      The ninth great law of our nature is, "that the highest health, etc., depends upon the cultivation of our intellectual and other faculties, upon their equal and full development, and upon their temperate exercise." It is this law of our nature that demonstrates that temperance in all things, must be the highest point of human enjoyment. Consequently, the education of youth ought to be directed to give every being the habit of temperance. We all know that we are composed of physical propensities, of intellectual faculties, and of moral feelings, and no human being can enjoy the happiness that of right belongs to his nature, until all these are properly cultivated from infancy to maturity. We have, therefore, my friends, not a metaphysical discussion to attend to; but an invaluable law of nature directing us to the most beneficial practical result, and declaring to us in the plainest language, that we ought to alter our whole system of society as it is carried on in all countries. In our present system we have, as formerly stated, but two divisions of society, the producer and the non-producer; the one continually attempting to deceive and to prey upon the other, and both having their faculties partially and unnaturally developed. The whole system of the world is, therefore, bad from its foundation. Had we been all trained in the best manner physically and intellectually, what different beings we would have been from what we now are! Why, my friends, under a rational state of society, the expression of every one of our features will be greatly superior to what they now are. I should be sorry to say anything offensive, or unnecessarily to wound the feelings of any one; but it is my duty upon this occasion, to speak the truth for the benefit of society at large, who will either read or hear of these discussions, and to make known the genuine impressions [82] which facts have made upon me; and, therefore, my friends, I tell you plainly, and I hope without offense to any, that I have never yet seen, since I had the power of observing, with my present knowledge upon the subject, any feature in the countenance of any human being, that appeared to express the full character of rationality. And my expectation is, that the generation that shall be trained to be rational, will be in all respects different, and greatly superior in aspect and general character, from the present. More different, indeed, than in your present state of mind, it is possible for you to conceive. When we shall become rational, if I am not greatly deceived, we shall see no feature expressive of dislike, anger, or irritation; no eye will express want of confidence, or a consciousness that we are attempting to deceive our neighbor. Our faces will become so open that all our real feelings will be expressed in them without the slightest shadow of disguise. Every internal movement of the mind will be distinctly exhibited in the finer movements of the countenance; no uncharitable expression will be felt to leave its impression upon any feature, not one unamiable look, or constrained action, or, consequently, one unamiable gesture in our deportment that will appear ungraceful, will then be discoverable. How will this change beautify our race in the next and succeeding generations! And all this, my friends, is neither visionary nor very difficult of practice. All that is necessary in order to bring about these desirable results, is to discover and understand what manner of beings we are. Our nature, at birth, is a beautiful compound, which can be moulded into the most elegant or misshapen form; but which of these it shall be, depends entirely upon the knowledge that may be speedily acquired by the respective American and European governments. Heretofore, governments and priesthoods have had the forming of you, and how very inferior in person and mind have your priests and rulers made you! Nevertheless, we cannot be rational, and complain of those who have thus formed us, because they were made to be as ignorant of the right method of training human nature to become rational, as you are now, without additional knowledge upon the subject. This law, my friends, like the other laws, points out to us the importance of infant schools. I do not know whether any of the parties present, have ever seen any of those in practice in the eastern cities, imperfect as they yet are. There are some, I believe, in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. But these infant schools have not been introduced into this country, or latterly into Great Britain, on the principles on which they were originally founded. These infant-schools, as first introduced by myself at New Lanark, five years before they were introduced elsewhere, I believe to be the first practical step that has been taken toward [83] forming the human race to become rational. But the priesthood, through their influence, have been enabled to lay hold upon these institutions, and are now moulding the children within them, to their own purposes. But this mode of proceeding will not do much longer. The spread of knowledge is opposed to it, and too much light will speedily appear upon the subject of education, to permit of so much injury being inflicted upon the rising generation. My friends, when these infant-schools shall be properly directed, they are capable of forming, by comparison with the poor neglected infants of the present day, little angels; for, in these schools, under a rational management, they may be trained to acquire, without any failure, the best dispositions, habits, and manners, and the most useful and valuable knowledge. Such qualifications as these, will make angels of any children, except their wings; but these I cannot promise, for they have not yet been invented for them. But to be again serious, it is certainly most true, that heretofore, men have been quite unconscious of the extent of the infantile powers, and of the effect which, when human nature comes to be known, and well understood, may be produced at a very early period. I have seen several hundred little children assembled together, who were angels in everything except the wings; there was no fighting, no quarreling, no crying; all was peaceful: so that one young female, not more than eighteen years of age, of ordinary acquirements, but having a good disposition, and being fond of children, could with pleasure superintend for several hours through every day, almost from morning to night, 130 of them, from the age of eighteen months up to six years. The infant-schools, when well understood, will be discovered to be a moral improvement of far greater value to society than the steam engine, or, any other ancient or modern physical improvement. But, my friends, I would not have you to introduce these schools until you understand the principles on which they were founded, and upon which only they ought to be established and managed. Had you commenced before this time, you would have commenced in error. But I hope the time is rapidly approaching, when you shall have no error to contend against; when no part of the population will be longer taught to contend against its own happiness. If, as Mr. Campbell admits, human beings are influenced by the circumstances surrounding them, ought we not to begin at once to study the quality of circumstances around us, in order to ascertain if it be possible to withdraw those which produce a bad effect, and to replace them with others of a superior description. Is there any other practical wisdom in the world? If we be in all cases, to a very great degree, the creatures of circumstances, does it not behoove those who undertake [84] to govern and instruct us, to make themselves well acquainted with the nature and character of those circumstances? I have read much of history, I have traveled in many countries, I have endeavored to bring before me all the present and past transactions of mankind, but I cannot bring to my recollection the government, or the priesthood, which has not entirely neglected this high duty--while this is by far the most important duty of both, it is, in all cases, the first business to which they ought to attend. While they remain ignorant of this department, every active measure they adopt will tend only to increase the evils of society; for society is very different now from what it was only a few years ago. It could be governed by ignorance, in ignorance; it must now be governed by intelligence, and made to be intelligent.

      It is of no use for different parties to contend any longer against each other in the field of ignorance, opposing one erroneous system against another. A large mass of the people in many countries has become too well informed to admit much longer of a continuance of these measures. They have discovered the true sources of knowledge and of wealth, and that they are sufficient, under a good and intelligent direction, amply to supply the human race.

      As men receive all their knowledge from without, they can be made intelligent and well disposed to all their fellows, by a rational education from infancy to maturity. They can be made wealthy through the knowledge and habits which they may be taught by a rational education directing them to what they require for their happiness, and how to obtain it in the best and most easy manner by a right application of the enormous mechanical and chemical power for the creation of wealth, now at the disposal of society, and which admits of unlimited increase.

      But these invaluable sources of knowledge and wealth cannot be applied with advantage for the general benefit of society under the influence of any known religion. Useful, valuable, practical knowledge can proceed only from an accurate knowledge of human nature; and to me it appears that these religions and that knowledge are at variance with each other; that all religions are founded in mysteries beyond human comprehension; that all knowledge is derived from an accurate observation of facts, and just deductions from them, and proved to be so by their unvarying consistency. It may be also taught by proper methods to be understood by all men.

      The twelve fundamental laws of human nature, explain what human nature really is, and the principle by which it ought to be trained and instructed from infancy to maturity, to secure, to every one, superior dispositions, habits, and knowledge. [85]

      But each of these laws, when followed out to all their legitimate consequences, is sufficient to prove that all the religions of the world have been founded in ignorance of human nature, and therefore they never have, or can make man intelligent, good, and happy. They all continually endeavor to pursue a course opposite to the nature of man, and, in consequence, both are perpetually violently opposed to each other. And as these religions give an erroneous direction to men's thoughts and feelings, I have been long deeply impressed with the conviction, which has been more confirmed by all I have heard in this debate, "that all religions are not only founded in ignorance of human nature, but they have been and are the real source, through that error, of vice, disunion, and misery of every description; that they are now the only real bar to the formation of a society of virtue, of intelligence, of charity in its most extended sense, and of sincerity and kindness among the whole human family; and that they can be no longer maintained except through the ignorance of the mass of the people, and the tyranny of the few over that mass."

      The world cannot be benefited by the continuance of errors which affect the well-being and happiness of every individual, whatever may be his rank or condition. All are therefore deeply interested in this question between Mr. Campbell and myself. One or both of us must be in error, and the intelligent of all parties ought, for their own sakes, and for the benefit of their less informed fellow-beings, to investigate without partisan feelings, calmly and patiently the principles which each conscientiously believes to be so true that he is lost in conjectures how the other can believe as he says he does believe, and wonders that he has not by his arguments already convinced his opponent of his errors.

      To me it appears that there are two most important measures which require the whole attention, and the application of all the best faculties of those who attempt to govern and to instruct the populations of different countries.

      The one is to introduce a rational system of education by which the character of every one shall be well formed, physically and mentally, from infancy to maturity. The other, to give a right direction to the new scientific powers of production; that an independence, relative to the means of a comfortable and happy existence, may be secured to every individual.

      Upon every view that I can give to the subject, it seems to me that the condition of the population of most countries now calls loudly for the adoption of these measures; that they may be immediately introduced into practice with great benefit to the governors and governed, [86] to the instructors and instructed, and that to secure success both measures should be intimately united and one made to aid the other--indeed it is only by their union; by being so blended together that they shall mutually act and re-act upon each other, that either of them can become practicable. For it is useless and dangerous to enlighten men before they attain the means of securing a happy existence; and it is equally useless and dangerous to give them the means of superfluous abundance without forming them at the same time to become intelligent and virtuous in the proper sense of the term, or, in other words, well disposed in all sincerity to promote the real happiness of all their fellow-beings, not merely in words but in their daily conduct.

      Happy will it be for the government and people that shall first introduce this change into practice!

      By such examples they will show the means, most delightful too in practice, by which "peace on earth and good-will to men" may be established probably in less than one generation. I could enter into extensive detail upon these very interesting subjects.

      [Here the honorable Chairman remarked (without wishing to interrupt Mr. Owen) that, in the opinion of the Moderators, Mr. Owen, in his last address, had wandered from the point of discussion immediately before the disputants and the public. The Board of Moderators suppose that you ought to prove the falsehood of the existing religions before you proceed to the discussion and explanation of your substitute.]

      Mr. Owen replies--That he has intimately studied man, and finds him entirely different in his nature from what all religions suppose him to be. If I prove this to the satisfaction of the audience, I apprehend it is entirely unnecessary to involve myself in all the subtilties of the unlimited amount of fables and metaphysics with which the world has been inundated. If I am permitted to prove these five positions in the way I conceive to be consistent with right reason, then I shall be ready to enter into any metaphysical disquisitions that may be necessary to elucidate any other truth.

      Mr. Chairman said in reply to Mr. Owen--It is not the wish of the Moderators to dictate to you the course which you ought to pursue. The Moderators are perfectly willing that you should rely upon any course of argument which you may think best calculated to sustain your proposition, viz: "that all religions of the world are inconsistent with human nature, as you find it." The Moderators only meant to say, that while you are discussing the proposition that all religions are false, it would be improper to introduce the substitute which you propose. [87]

      Here Mr. Owen remarked that he had touched upon the subject of infant schools, and the creation of wealth simply to illustrate that the population of the world were yet ignorant; that they had not even taken the first step toward training their children to become rational from infancy, or independent in their condition.

[COD 81-88]