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Leader (1850-1860), 15th March 1851, Edition Country of 2, Page 19

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      The Executive Committee Of The National ...

      rtf the object * as proposed in the programme of busiess " On the motion of Messrs . Holyoake and Arnott , the following was unanimously adopted : —The exerritive committee , in recommending that the exes £ ^ g delegates to the National Convention be Said from a general Convention Fund , considered that mode the most democratic ; but several districts ha ving dissented therefrom , and the expressed opinions of the people being paramount on all questions of this character , we advise that all delegates to the said Convention be paid by their constituents ; at the same time we entreat that no delegates be elected unless those who elect them are determined to support them . Those friends who may not be able to take part in the elections may render pecuniary aid to defray the incidental expenses which maybe incurred throug h such delegation , and forthwith forward their « mh « eriDtions to the general secretary . " Messrs .

      Holyoake , Jones , and Reynolds were appointed to attend the public meeting at John-street on Tuesday evening next . Redemption Society . —Moneys received for the ¦ week ending March 10 th : —Leeds , £ 1 5 s . 2 $ d . ; Montrose B- Fulton , 3 s . 6 d . ; Bagley , Is . 5 d . ; Newcastle , J . H . Is . Communal Building Fund : —Montrose , R . Fulton , 3 s . ; Leeda , 33 .

      Coventry Soiree of the Redemption Society . — On T uesday last a large party , to the number of about fiv e hundred young persons of both sexes , assembled at St . Mary ' s-hall , under the management of a committee connected with the Leeds Redemption Society . After tea , Mr . May was called on to preside . Mr . J . Farn called attention to the principles and objects of the Communists' Redemption Society , observing that it was the common error of the people of this country to neglect their own affairs , and then to complain that their in . terests were not properly attended to . The Redemption Society originated at Leeds ; its purpose was to improve the moral , social , and physical condition of the people . Its plan was , in the first instance , to procure land ; and

      ultimately , as funds accumulated , to erect buildings , and locate its members thereon , whose employment would comprise both agricultural and manufacturing operations . Its great principle was that of cooperation—cooperation not merely for the accumulation of wealth , but for its equitable distribution ; thus rescuing the labourer from that position which , under the present competitive system , left him to be the slave of wages , and rendered him liable at any moment to be placed on the verge of pauperism , or thrust into the vortex of crime . The Reverend E . R . Larken , M . A ., rector of Burton-by-Lincoln , next

      rose to address the meeting . He spoke of the society being the promotion of happiness and concord amongst mankind , and , therefore , it was one in which every Christian man might unite ; and it had been his pleasure to attend on other platforms , where he had met the ministers of almost every religious denomination all agreed in promoting this undertaking . The Leeds Society had particularly satisfied themselves of the success which followed the undertakings of the Rappites and the Shakers in the United States of America , where they were the possessors of large estates , ample stock , and a considerable amount of cash . Their business was

      prosperous , and likely to continue so , inasmuch as their produce was sought for in the markets , and taken in preference to the produce of many other states . By this practical evidence of success , the Leeds Society , formed in 1845 , took encouragement in their project to redeem the working classes from the evils under which they at present suffered . The srnallncss of the contributions of members would require some time to accumulate any great amount of funds ; but it was satisfactory to know that there were some large and liberal contributions . It was a rule of the society not to incur any expense which they had not the means of paying ; nor to run into debts which they could not at any time discharge . Among the best benefactors to the society was a Mr . Williams , of Gorse , in Wales , who , satisfied with the soundness of

      their principles , had given them an estate of 165 acres of land in Wales , subject to the life interest of his father and mother , and winch estate had already been conveyed to himself ( Mr . Larken ) , and two other trustees . A quantity of 85 acres , however , the society had already entered upon , at a rent of £ 63 per year . The manufacture of shoes was going on successfully on the estate , under the management of Mr . Bentley , of Leeds , who had been sent there ; and it was found that the shoes made on the society ' s estate coultl be sold at Leeda cheaper than those manufactured in the town ; in fact , the public found that the society ' s shoes offered them such advantages both as to price and quality , that they had more orders than they could execute , and it had , therefore , been found necessary to elect and send out a number more shoemakers to the estate . The reverend

      gentleman said he was aware of the impatience of the meeting to proceed to the festive part of th ^ ir entertainment ; but on some future occasion , he would be happy to meet nil friendly to the principles of cooperation , of which he appeared bh the advocate , and go into more ample details . He hoped , however , that what had been now advanced would operate as n Btimulus to inquiry and investigation on this important subject . Votes of thanks having been given to Mr . Larken for his attendance at the present meeting , and also to the chairman for his kindiu'Hs in presiding , the company proceeded to the agreeable amusement of dancing , which wan kept up till about midnight .

      liiNoi-UY . —On Monday , Murch 10 , Mr . L . M Kydd , of London , delivered u lecture in the new Odd Fellownhall , IJingley ( subject—The Probable Future of the Working CIusboh , allowing the PJvil Effects Individualism hud upon Society , and the Probable Itcuults of Cooperation . ) After an address of an hour-and-a-half Mr . Kydd sat down , amid loud applause . A gentleman among ; the audience asked the following question—I ' roviding

      individualism was annihilated , it was many people's opinion that invention would cease . Mr . Kydd replied that men in all ages bad progressed . Men . who had been confined in felons' cells for years had made wonderful progress . He believed that man was naturally a progressive being . The answer appeared satisfactory . Mr . Alderson , of Maningham , who had presided as chairman , stated he ( being a tailor ) and a number of others had opened a cooperative shop in Bradford , for the purpose of selling their own produce , and having the profits themselves . We are also glad to state that our cooperative provision store in Bingley is doing exceedingly well . Members increase every week , and they are extending their business with drapery goods . —W . Wilkinson .

      March 15, 1851.J 1&I>$ Fll&Ftlt* 255

      March 15 , 1851 . J 1 & i > $ fLl & ftlt * 255

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      [In This Department, As All Opinions, Ho...

      [ In this department , as all opinions , howkveh extreme , abe allowed an expression , the editor necessarily holds himself responsible for none . ]

      There Is No Learned Man But Will Confess...

      There is no learned man but will confess lie hath much profited by reading controversies , his senses awakened , arid his judgment sharpened . If , then , it be profitable for him to read , why should it not , at least , be tolerable for his adversary to write . —M ilton .

      The Polish-Hungarian Exiles In Liverpool...

      THE POLISH-HUNGARIAN EXILES IN LIVERPOOL . 10 , Melton-street , Euston-square , March 12 , 1851 . Sir , —The daily London press inserted a letter written by a Mr . Divssy , calling himself Kossuth ' s secretary , asserting that Chartists went on board the ship Arpia , with the view of persuading the Poles not to go to America ; that previously to this visit the refuges were all willing to proceed to America ; that a Major Wallinowski had declared himself to be ready to proceed to America , but since the arrival of the refugees in Liverpool , they had refused to submit to his authority ; finally , that they left Constantinople with the intention of proceeding to the United States . Now , Sir , these assertions are certainly incorrect . It is untrue that Chartists went on board of the ship ; it is likewise untrue that before that pretended visit the refugees were willing to proceed to America , for their unw illingness to p roceed thither dates from Shumla ; not less untrue is it that Major Wallinowski , whose real name is Wolynski , declared himself ready to go to America , and that the refugees refused to submit to his authority , for there was no occasion for submission , as the said

      major neither is nor ever was their chief , but is as he was heretofore , one of the members of their committee , and continues , as previously , to be generally beloved and respected by his fellowexiles . Finally , it is not true that these exiles , before leaving Constantinople , manifested the intention of proceeding to the United States ; therefore no compact was ente red into by them at Constantinople , or anywhere else , rendering it obligatory on them to proceed thither nolens volens .

      Should an investigation in this direction be instituted , the said refugees are in possession of documents corroborative of my denials , and strong enough to confound all contradiction . I cannot help adding that , whilst it Is natural enough that the JJritish Government , from mere financial motives perhaps , should endeavour to get rid of tho exiles , we cannot understand what business a . foreigner in this country , a Hungarian , can have to exert himself with the view of attaining the same object , unless he is in the agency of Austria or Prussia , or at least accidentally doing tho work of these two despotic powers . —I am , Sir , your obedient ser-Yant Captain M . Domaqaxhki .

      Duty Of The People To Be Politicians. Lo...

      DUTY OF THE PEOPLE TO BE POLITICIANS . Lower-place , near Roohdalo , March 11 , 1851 . Srn , —No newspaper , on the whole , has been so entertaining , ho instructive , and so hopeful to me as the Leader . One thing , however , has often and rather forcibly occurred to me , which is , that the majority of its writers do not feel , and probably never havu felt , what it was to be poor . This i » an important matter , and is one reason why it does not circulate so widely as could bo wiuhud amongst the labouring clans . That one of poverty ' s own may have his eay in your Open Council I send you tho subjoined . It is the concluding part of the last of two lectures ou

      " Morality , " which I gave some time ago in the neighbourhood of Rochdale . Yours , very respectfully , Robin Hood . * " It is our duty to be politicians . If we want good laws , if we want good acts of Parliament , if we want a good and cheap Legislature , if we want a pure and equitable administration of public affairs , we must see to our political duties . As well and as reasonably might we expect grapes of thorns , or figs of thistles , as public blessings without attending to public duties . It has long , and with truth , been said that God helps those only who help themselves ; but it is due to modern science that he helps them only in the way in which they help themselves . Prayer is impotent to procure political reform . Throughout all English history there is not a single instance , that I am aware of , of a political measure being obtained through the agency of prayer . Eight years of peaceful , moral agitation has done more towards cheapening the bread of the people of this country by a thousand times than twenty years of previous prayer . " Government is a power , and as such is instrumental for good or for evil . I know of no other power ( except that of the people ) that has done more towards keeping the people ignorant and vicious than the Government . It is undeniable that every human being possesses certain faculties , and that in proportion as those faculties are properly or improperly developed by example and by precept , in that proportion will they be intelligent and virtuous , or ignorant and vicious . " Our Government has done a good deal , it has spent an incredible sum of money—eight hundred millions , in what ? in properly training and educating the people ? in teaching the rising generation the way it should go ? in seconding a virtuous parent ' s wishes by surrounding his children with kindly , lovely influences ? in striving to mitigate those evils to which all mankind are subject , and which all true philosophers seek to lessen rather than increase ? No ! But in killing their own kind , in murdering their own species , in developing the worst faculties and passions of which the human mind is capable , in spreading a network of vice throughout the length and breadth of the land , in being a source of poverty and heart-sickness to hundreds and thousands of our brothers and sisters . And how are these things to be remedied ? I answer , by attending to our political duties . If a man wishes to become a clever accountant , he must study arithmetic ; if he would excel as a penman , he must practise his hand and fingers to the graceful movements of an adept in penmanship ; and if we desire success in any private or public affair , we must devote ourselves to the particular means by which it is to be accomplished . According to the experience of mankind , on no other condition , or conditions , will God grant our request . If ever that saying ' he that gatheretb . not with us scatt ? reth , he that is not for us is against us , ' was true , it is true in a political sense . Never , I think , was it more so . If , for example , a number of good men and true are agreed on a question of importance , —a question , the agitation of which they are thoroughly convinced will be of great service to the nation , they immediately commence a seriesof lectures and public meetings throughout the country ; they discharge their own duties , and do all they can to influence others to the performance of theirs ; but "instead of meeting with that encouragement and support which , their philanthropic views led them to expect , they meet with lukewarmness , apathy , and even contempt . Every one has not the fortitude to fight continually against the ignorant blindness and indifferent coldness of professed liberals , and insensibility to one ' s rights is not the best thing for calling it forth—so their zeal cools , their courage is discouraged , their good intentions are more than ever likely to remain bo—they are ready to give up . Previous , however , to doing so , they wish to try what can be done in the ' Commons * House , ' but there they are told that the country is contented and happy , that it desires not the change they seek—that though every means ha 3 been tried to disturb the people , they would neither attend their meetings , nor encourage their proceedings . " Thus while our apathy discourages our best friends , it puts into the hands of our enemies one of the strongest weapons wherewith to beat them . He , then , politically , who gathereth not with us , scattereth ; he that ia not for us is against us . Would these things be if the people were alive to their public duties ? Would they not rather rise up and speak as one man ? When a truth was enunciated in the south , would it not be echoed in the north ? When a good measure was proposed in liirmin ^ liiim , would it not be seconded in Glasgow ? When London spoke , would not all the provinces respond ? Certainly they would ; and , as surely as we live , as much good would then be done in one week as now in twelve months . "

      Duty Of The People To Be Politicians. Lo...

      • Want of spnoo oompelH us to tf ivu oiil yu portion of wliut one I correspondent Iiub favoured uawitln . —Ki > ,

      Existence Of A Deity. London, March 9, 1...

      EXISTENCE OF A DEITY . London , March 9 , 1851 . " Atheism leaves a man to aen « e , to philonopliy , to natural piety , to 1 uwh , U > reputation ; all which may guide to moral virtue , though religion were not . "—l . oiio Kauon . Sir , —In all agoa , in every clime , tho desire for a continual existence Iihh prevailed ; and four and ignorance have never failed to produce their gotta , alike destructive of morality and happiness— - "' Fuiir made lu > r dcvila , anil weak liopii hergodit : Gods pmli . il , < - , liiuii , 'eftil , piiriHioiuiJo , iinjtiut , WIiobo attribute !) wore rujjo . rnvwigo , or hint ; Hitch as IImihoiiI of cowards nii ^ iit conceive , Aiid formed like tyruiitH , tyrnnta would believe . " Ah nothing is more sacred than truth , we should proceed to its discovery by the most direct and natural means , wheresoever it may lead us .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), March 15, 1851, page 19, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_15031851/page/19/