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TejTTffce of th . &pr order £ but it 13 that , by ei " terrding the practice ; fcapy are lowering the morals of the clergy , are seducing themselves and their fellows to become that worst species of ! bla . cHeg fc the fraudulent tracer in sacred tMiigs ; sji < 1 are rendering the College off SQptnsayers a gang of coiners untblusniofily
confessed . It ia one of the most s . ujbst # nfci * li cases of practical Atheism within the Chqzeji or ^ SQgJDand ijhat we remember ; , since no map could thus stanjJ and palm off a petty fi * au 4 upon tlie souls entrusted to his charge , if las had any belief that he stood in the presence of Gro . ck awi hadji sacred duty to perform ia that presence ,
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FIG » FROM THISTLES . In considering the results of the late Preston strike , many sanguine people say that " it will be the last strike in Lancashire , " if the blighting effects of this internecine war and its fxuitlessness of anything but debt r idleness , and demoralisation , ¦ wejje flufficient to prereat a repetition of the expedient . We would fhatr we could think so . The P » eston strike'of 1 S 5 &-4 has , indeed , become a matter of history ; but the experience of history
ttcCs -very differently upon : men ' s minds , and upon those of tne majority it seldom acts as a warnitig TBere is a passage in the Friend , Sa which 0 olerii 3 jg £ compares the effect of Historical experience to the binnacle of a . ship , which , casts a hwL Kaat light over the trfick which has been passed , but . leaves all to come in uauUumined gloom . Ibe truth is that there is seldom , if ever , a ,, pre cedent in hi&tory j there ia always some distinction between the present and the past , which those
y * hx > wish to ignore the ldtter are sedulous to draw . A new ; generation comesj wiser in its conceit than its fathers , believing nothing but ita own easpaiiienoe v and' desirous ^ when warned of a foolish tfeiaag , of seeing ' the- fofly of it too . This is how ift nas hitherto been witii Strikes . Iff this tfte first sfenfee wnrch . lias- produced disastrous results ? There have been contests before , of duration quite aS long , and protracted through much greater suffering , than has been supported on this oa cssion ; and they have not acted as warnings . In 1832 , when the Preston spinners turned out for
thirty-two weeks , and were supported upon eighteenpen . ee a . weelt per man , it might have been said with great probability that both masters and men wauto have been aick of strikes -f yet here is a , new generation ( generations come about very swiftly in Factory-I&nd ) , and we have just witnessed a strike which has been intensified by all the batred aceumulated by great contests . We fear that , unless some practical change be effected in the system , and that speedily , the experience of this Strike will be as much thrown away as that of its predecessors .
Happily the employing class appear to be aware of this , and as it is manifestly from them that the reforming element must proceed , we accept the fact as a good augury of the future . Before us lies a pamphlet , written by a " Preston Manufacturer , " * or , if our information be correct , by a manufacturer who is especially qunlMed to
offer advice to his brethren upon the points therein discussed ; in the first place , from his experience , ( he himself says , " I write after an experience in these matters of upwards of a quarter of a century" ) ; and , in the next place , from his position , which is independent , being " totally unconnected with the movements of the Preston Masters'
Association . " This writer evidently appreciates the importance to himself and to his class of some speedy and decisive reform . " As well for my own sake as for that of others ( writes he ) , I naturally feel very
much interested tbat this state of things should » o . longer fee suffered to continue ; " , soon after , ' wfeeh fie has Md bare tne glaring absurdity of ; Strikesj he adds , — "It is strange , then , that experience , which has so often proved the futility of this so » -called expedient , should not have suggested some more satisfactory plan for adjusting- qmes-I tiona is dispute between classes whose best in- ; tereata axe conceited in working together with a friendly spirit . " The "Preston . M * wifecteirer " i is here very , " warm" upon the truth . Still warnaer is he when he gives the following , result pf ^ Jus i search « ' after the evils which uadbubtecjiy exist : * " ¦—
" I have up hesitation in saying , that the main , cause is a want of cordial feeling—the absence , in fecty Q . fa . goodnndeiv standiligbetween the parties to th « labour-contract . Thisfeelingv—thfe misunderstanding , must 9 e established ; ortttecase never will be mended . It is the xeai , nay , the only remedy for strikes , and it must proceed from the disputant parties themselves . No third parties , lowever sincere and well
intentioned , can ever succeed in introducing it . Third parties , except as partisans , are viewed by botfi sides with suspicion and distaste ^ and , for this cause , evmthat highly influential body tlie Society of Arts failed to produce « ny effect upon the Preston contest * If the conference hel 3 by thai ? body was not attended by the employer * , their absence ought not to be attributed to fear o £ investigation , but to an unwillingness to admit the elements into the dispute which were foreign to it , and which , however excellent in themselves , could not be suffered 1 to interfere , without running great riajcofi still farther compiisatmg the qneation . "
8 eels&Bg to * ceotrnt for tMs wan * of gbocTieeHnj * betw © en > master and mam , the writer states : —~ * ' Tlie operative appeared to think that it was tRe ihtentSoh aad to ^ tihe interest of the employer tfiat lie-should ' be kept in a fijtaie of i ^ noracea : and want . The employers appeared to be pfoniuion that pmsperity would beget too graajt an'independence in tlie mind 01 the operatjiye , and that an amelioration of M » condition would' brthg about an itnrtay tasnpft of all rule and' discipline .- Knowing him ; to > i » ignav rant , aad . not caring , to make him otherwise , many , employers appeared to think fiat no good ^ ift could be bestowed upon tfie-operatire without fiis misusing- ft ; and ' , I tegtet to say , that these dangerona and mistaken feelings ' still seem'to-be prevalent upon bott sides . "
The "Preston Manufacturer" declares that tibe great desideratum now wanted , la the ) factories is Intelligent Labour ,, to cultivate which lie admits that nothing has been done .. " Suppose ( says he _) that a manufacturer were to fill lis- mill with clujnsy or ill-conditioned machinery , would it he possible , in the present state of competition , for that man to sueeeed ? But of how mncn greater importance to Him is id tlat he should have that
superior , that human- machinery ^ which is'to guide and control , tae senseiesa ocganismEi o £ brass and iroa ,. in good order andv of excellent quality ?" So tfeen * , after all ,, there are Erestoa Manufactupers wilo . admit that the machine called Man is . of some importance , even bj the side of'the " melancholy mad elepHants . ' * To cultivate this article of Intelligent Labour , the Preston manufacturer declares that schools fbr children are not so much wanted as " the edircatiioa of the adult intellect . "
We bestow upon children the rudiments of knowledge , preparing-their minds for t ! i « reception of ideas ( wiether good or evil ); and then we caBb them adrift upon the world to be educated by experience , and to absorb all the no tions , and all the prejudices , aad all the fallacies , with which , chance may surraimd them ; and then w « commit the absurdity of wondering that they go wrong . What must be their inevitable fate under such a system as this , w * have lately witnessed in the deplorable condition of Preston . " And now for the remedy which , the " Preston Manufacturer" would apply to this sore : —
" The feeling which ought first of all to be cultivated in > a mill , as the groundwork of all future plans for the amelioration of the operatives , is on « of perfect confidence between them and their employer-, without this , all attempts at innovation will not only be in vain , but will be viewad with suspicion and alarm . Hear this je proud Coketowners ! ye Cotton Nicholases 1 to this must ye come at last—to
conjidence with the sons of toil who labour for you , with the smutty , oily men , whom to touch has seemed to you profanation . " When this feeling has been once engendered , " says the " Preston Manufacturer , " the rest is ] an easy task . " It may be so—we hope it will be so . Wlien once the Atlantic has been bridged over , it will be an eatfy task to walk over to America .
The writer then proceeds to develop the details of his schema , for which wo mustreferour readers to the pamphlet itself . He recommends that u habits of mutual assistance and sympathy between the operatives themselves should be fostered aad encouraged , " und ., to that end , proposes the foundation ot sick clubs and benefit clubs in connexion with the mill . He also recommends the establishment of reading-rooms and libraries in
each raM , and to support tjie expense jguUsaigs we fines as the most proper funfc TGbe subject of fines has heretofore been treated : in flrese columns but w « recommend this part of i ! ht 3 pamphlet to the attention © f our readers , as singly Ctfrroborastuv ^ of our owttimpressionii Tbe Bex * important paarfc ofi tha scheme d »*» - loped by the « Preston MaoufiactoMa ? is tbat in which he recommends the institution , of discussions between the men . employed , abowk , a miU xxnoa
" the j » olit > cal and public topics , © f the dajr , tj > e opinioaia of the press , the state of tafade , ) discovmes ih i practical science and in niechanics ( especiaIJy ^ uch as beair apon the cotton traded , and , lastly , < 9 ie conduct and discipline of their own inM , ** Ak these < J 5 seussioQ 8 the employer Eiinself ' is recom ^ mended to b » present " ta assist iJyWep airperibr knowledge ^ and experience . " Th « wxiiter-appeaarB to consider that division of the aoi ^ eeta , wkctt relates * & the condition of trade itself as of the highest importance *
" After the mull itseTF . the general Ikws Vnich govwrh trade , the manner in which foreign competition acts uf > on tte English manufacturer , and tk « causes , wiiich inflaqnorttho fluctuations of the market , will form very valuable aBbipcts of discussion . There is no point upon- whicTr the worMi ^ classes are more at sea than the profits of UieireioclojnMI . They know , nothing of the state of maitat » , i naj £ i »^ of foreign , competition , and , because they Bee , tiie ma » u ^ M » tn « a livihgla a better style thto ttemaeives , iihey-imagiile tnafc Wfrproats ^ re enormous ,, and that ha is tobl > ing * lieniio £ 1 Ji « fc inst earnings , in order , to ; support himBeliljwad hi » fanuly ^ a luxury . If these things were prpperlr ventilated and , dJS 1 - tinsseS , tftey wouiQ . at once tmderstana foat to' t ^ uducl ; '»
large null require * . a > vwy larg « v <« pit ^ V . ^ b « i « fet «^ lnmmit upou- ^ ihich ought in , iteelttor-be a coj ^ afltaWoiinooaaiK . « aa the , po . ssession of which entitles , the manuf 4 ftur . er ., to W « pa a better irtatemairthey , who iaWn 6 caifital % t ;» lU Hficfflr « greB would ! be opened to-thoee ritfte « n |^ B ^ ee # < tfo « iii 6 « -of which they agi > ear to be aJtogtther « an » nt ; . &r / r ^«« UI Hear of the losses as well * s . tha -g « in&j » O ^| Jb « nicwptoaaB as we'll aBtfie large fortunes -which' fall to flielot ^ oftfie etftpioying classy and they % < ra 3 $ tmaertta « i ( i" iffiitt , fe mi ^ m good Icade supplies them with conatanb , \ amplcwnMat , Jalft gives them the means , of sui ^ rtu ^ , y » w , fiwuue » . ikcoiia fort and respectability , tliey tave no retoon to eovy a poeL libnrcc which t ^ e gceat i ^ t 3 aSty of theai ' « fe nrf <> nr > tittbat i ? 1
proyicjed ¦¦ uaaGoBg tfrpuuL , " ^ y ^ ft"rt * "P * w r" ^ 'ifH"ilfr so ihaispensable to a rijght njiderstandjzuz . of thejt txaeipod ^ tion , would force tiemBelves tipon theirattentioti % flngjlucJ > diBcueaionsa » tl » 8 e-wikichI 1 reooiniiMJii ?^ ' ! ' a - ^' Tliere are man ; minor dettuJs cpnne ^ ted ^ ntb the scHeine to wnich we cannot ner # so isuicEiia refer : Again , we say to our readers , study % yourselves ; for it is not tdemplbj ^ m th ^ cbttpli trade only that this pamphlet is addrtSse * , itis ttl employers of ^ very grade andi e ^ ery idnd . ^ Ehsr 4 is no one who employe labouivJn aoy jabatpe t 'Qp ^ m any quantity , to w&om theseiiWW ^ ftlwUiixct equal ^ r apply : •— ...
" My brother mauufiicturww wiHdb-well-to « OBsi ^« riitaift the time has arrived when someUungmuftt , ha djoa ^^ ancbiiM without delay . The . people ace beipgeiucated up to a certaio point , and increased lntelUgence natniJI ^ " Degettf A , yearnih £ after increased . "prosperity . Grdping oiffiiffly'iAet ^ tibiiB ' piiwij what wonderlf they are ; too , foaty , and > WMttflw tiheir w » y ? B What wonder iC they take the haadt-oi um-elef ^ ed . leadeiS as blind as themselves , who lead them , perUaps unwittingly ^ into anareB andi pitfalls t It \ wo * ir dti ^ tb lud -thetn , ana if we do not perform it , tlie conoeqiieiieBs miUtwcoil upov our&elvea . And surely the duty ought not to be a . distaetelul one to any humane and tliinfcing man . Gonsider fbt one
moment the opportunities for doing good'wHictt'thSffomplbyer of a large amount of hutnaa lkbom ? enfojan * It j » not , totf much , to say Ut&t the employer of ityOft'Operjitiyes has more than 3000 of his fellow-creatures dependent upon him for bread . Such « responsibility fe > cerfeiniy'not a- light one ^ and he will bfl found to hav « fJallen taiBtt » biy short of his dutj who deems that it is finished when , the day ' s work if ovot , and his operatives betake them to thefr , homes . Hut dnfcjr follows them to those homes ; and , if that b « not ; sufficient to excite him , his interest points out . the came path }* aad demands of him to leave nothing undone that can mak » those who lubour for him sober , indaatrious , and intelligent members of society . of
" I feel that , in ^ reachioR this sermon cordiality , I bat follow the example of a great man who is now unhappil y tak 6 n from us ; taken from us , too , at the vary moment , when ho was giving utterance to words of wisdom and ! loving-kindness , which onght never to be effaced from th » hearts of his fellow-countrymen . Sir Thomas Talfourd had a ljirgo mind , and sowed many truths while yet among us * destined to hear priceless fruit ; but lie never uttoned a deeper or more perfect truth than when he said that want ofsym paih-y was tlie real want of English societyJ '
Assuredly , if ever there was a timefbr suck a sermon to be preached , this is the time . Coming from the source it does , it will be listened to witn attention—let us hope with profit . Wevrillnot be too sanguine about the result ; tha Milleninm has not arrived , nor ia the Golden Age returned 5 but this "writer has cast good seed upon tlie waters , and when the inundation of ignorance , pride , prejudice , and hatred has subsided , wlio knowfl btit that some few grains may be found to nave struck root ?"
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JtrtfB 0 , 18 S 54 . ] * ft E tBABfi lL ^
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* " Strikes Prevented . " By a Preston Manufacturer . Alanchosteir : Gait and < Jo . London : Whittakor and Co .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), June 3, 1854, page 519, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2041/page/15/
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