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• R-ATKINS'S LEGACY TO THE CHAKTISTS . LICTCB . E III . COSCI / CDED . _ is Christianity has been perverted , polluted—as it j jjis been reversed by those who " profess and call them- j selves Christians , " there is much need of a revival of ! jj of a mtoraiaon of it to its first principles—of a j renewal of \\ , and "what is to do this ?—¦ what ' bat Char- ' S sm ? Politics Jed religion astray , and politics must j bring her tect again . By the Charter alone can the j deformed be transformed . It is necessary therefore j that « " « abonld show the analogy between Chartism and Christianity—that we shonld compare the two . 3 j ) d fiftt . there is this one crest prevailing and ptr- ; ts ito ? principle common to both—they are both ess * ntiiUy democratic . ^ Nothing can be more oppos&d to das-legislation , ciass-distinctlou , usurpations and
oppressions than Christianity is . There are numerous Disssges in the New Testament that prove this . Were j to qnote tbrai , they -sould fi ; l np a sermon cf themselves . —I will , therefore , leave that part of the subject to yourselves , and bisten to some minor points of resemblance or coincidence which are not so obvious . The Reform Bill wa 3 the precursor of the Charter , even as John the Baptist was of Jesus Christ Tee eud Jjhn was no " finality Jack "—he always modestly represented himself & 3 one who was merely preparing the way , mikisg-the path straight— as an inefficient herald or harbinger of a mighty reform-r an < £ Saviour to come , " whose fan , " said he , " in his hand , and te will thorocfhly purge his floor , and gather his whea ; into the garner , but the cbafi' he will burn up with " 03 qatnchable fire . "
Will no : the Charter do this with the present despotic < form of government and the accnrs&d system which it hss broncht forth—even as death was born of sin . ? Yes , ; tie Charter is the axe laid to the root , and every tree ' that bringeth no * forth good fruit will be hewa down and cast into the fire . Among the poor lie gospel was first preached . The i hither classes did not ecme forward to set an example , excepi a bad one , bnt were compelled to follow the . ; examp ' 9 set by the lower clasEEs . Christianity took its s ; at at the lower end of the room , but was presently bid to walk np higher , and in the end she sat at the head of the table . So will it be with Chartism . Bnt i let Chartism in prosperity net forget what it was in ; adversity ; not forget its true end acd intent Chris- Sanity began in the villages—it flonrishe ^ most in the j country . So with Chartism . Jesus Christ could make bnt iittle impression in the cities ; in the hallow and ; rotten capital , in Jerusalem , ho could make none ] at all . - " !
The doctrines taught by Christ were not his ownthey were not new ; they were founded on truth , and truth is old , old as God himself ; but his Ktanner was something new ; it was something new to see a p ? or ¦ ms .-n a carpenter , a -working man , out of an obscure dry —to see him come forth , and in the teeth of prejudice , privilege , and power , in spits of general corruption and degradation to hear him preach reform , and with a fearless disregard of all personal consequences , not caring what friends he lest , what enemies he found , bcldJy tell the truth , fearlessly denounce the inhuman rich , enter the very places of pubHe worship , places which he to ] d them they had made dens of thieves ^ themselves being the thieves ) , enter isto the solemn temples and tear eff the veil of hypocrisy from those who deluded
to oppress the people , give a true exposition of those doctrines which they had wrested and perverted to serve their own sinister purposes , and not only minister to mind's disease , bat to diseased bodies also , for the Jewish priest- were physicians as welL All this he did unpaid ; he did it though he suffered for it . Now no one in modern times has had the daringness to do this , unless wa except George l ? ox , the Quaker . He weni let * what he called the " steeple-houses , " and rebuked the parsons in the face of their congregatio&s . They who saw and heard those things thought them strange —thought them the tricks of a raadman , for " truth is strange , stranger than fiction . " A good man was to ihem a great novelty , but , as I Eaid before , there was nothing new in the doctrines taught by Christ , nor in the principles which we Chartists teach . They are not the creations of enr own fancy , the indentions cf our own Issginatien . No . We take them from God and nature , as befct Enited to the welfare and happiness of man ,
both here and hereafter . They are the wisdom of the pa-t experience cf all ages , stamped with the simplicity of truth , with the EnbnisUy of all time ; they hive the inspress of divinity itself to give them currency ; they are n « new-fangled notions ; they were in force in ancient Greece aad Koine , and made those republics so famous that they are still quoted as ' exemplars to all nations . Many heroes , many martyrs have fought and died for them ; America owns them ; England once cwned them—yes , onr Constitution was founded on totm—was farmed of them ; for , like Christ , we come rot to destioy bnt to build up—to fulfil the law which has been turned aside , m $ 4 . e a tool of , a destroyer ef justice and bnmsniry—those sacred principles which it was meant to preserve . As Christ entered into the labours of the anciest prophets to continue and conclude them , so are we perfecting the labours of the good men and true before us , the Paines , the Cartwrights , the Baats . the Cobbetts .
These who tsach for doctrines the commsBdmeEts of men , in opposition to God—who , having possession cf the vineyard , beat the messengers sent to them , asd would kiil the heirs , the rightful owners—those ur . just jedaes and wicked stewards Bay that we blaspheme when we tell the truth—that we are madmen , liars , spoilers , destroyers ; but wisdom is justified in her children . We care not for their misrepresentation , their calumny , their abase ; we know that we are in the right ; they know it too , and therefore they avoid discussions with us ; they dare cot ask us questions , for they dread our answers ; thfy harden their hearts ,-but we take Christ' s advice respecting all such— " Love your enemies , bless them that corse you , do good to Item that hare you , and pray for them which despittfully tse yon and persecute you . "
Christ's celebrated sermon on the mount—what is it bn : a mannal of Chartism—a manual for Chartists ?—of comfort to all in tribulation , cf encouragement to all who agitate , cf exhortation to leave off worldiiness , and ia beware of f «^*« prophets . 4 i Many false prophets thai ! arise , and shall deceive many . " Has it not been bo with us ? " Beea-use iniquity Ehall abound , the love of many shall wax coid . " Has it not been so with as ? Have not seme been seduced from us , others been ahsnitsd ? " But he that er-Jures to the end the same siall be saved "
There were many who believed in the doctrines taught by Christ , who acknowledged them to be just , and yet would cot confess so much openly , leat they should become marked men , and be put cut of their synagogues . So with us . Chartists have been turned 03 t of religions societies , and cut of employment for no other crime bnt Chartists . And on the other hand , there are others who folia w , not for the sake of the c&a- ^ e , but for tie loaves and fi . sb . e 3 . Again , a farther point of comparison . I own a point not mn : h to tha atuit of either Chartism or Christianity , but cases of ctfe-c : are stronger proofs than even eases of excellence . An auditional example is , that there was a strife among the disciples of Christ as to who should be greatest "Lsi him , isaid Cferist ) who weald be greatest among Ten be tha least . " He himself was so . He was their
EtiTaLt , as well as master . He stooped to wash th-ir Tcrj feet ; but in thus humbling himself , hs tx ^ Iled biffiilf—h = showed himself tne grtatest . Ccrst wished for more labourers in the £ dd—he £ mpiojed nil who offered their & . rvicts whether at the Srs :. or at the eleventh hoi ^ r—hs wiihe-d none to be driven cut—he wished not that the usefulness of any one fhcald be lessened , but riiher in zri-assd- Ee sough * , n ^ t to engrcss all the honour , all the merit , of 'he good work to himself—wLtther dene by iiiTsself cr by others—he sought only tae B ^ Txnc ^ mzzi ol the csnse , and he Bent forth his disciples into eTery town and vilUce to promote its progress . We have mis-Eionaries who meet with a similar reception to those of Christ that is , they are better received in some places than in cther 3-
J-stis Christ said a man s loss should be of CJ 3 ora household , bnt be also said that he who was not willing to leave father and mother , or son or daughter , to follow the good cause , and to snfFer all manner of t-ril for it was not worthy of it . They were to leave wealth for p-verty—a home for a wilderness—to take jap the Charter , and meet all adversaries and all adversity in carrying it forward . Christ ' s sayings and dolngswere misrepresented—his motives misrepresented ind tis character maligned , as ours have been—his principles- were hid from , that is , they were not received by the worldly wise , bnt were revealed unto babff—unto the simple-mindeii and the sii ^ is hearted . We Cbartkts do not scruple to do Chartis ; business on t ? Sabbath-day , and we have been reprehended for tils by the platter-scraping scribes and Pharisees of our daj . Christ waa an enemy to all humbug and hypocrify . If he were living , would he not lash our chief pr . ests ?—not with a whip cf small cords . Bat
" Our weapon is the whip of words , And truth ' s all-teaching ire . " "R *' "at Christ most lamented , what he found the hardest to remove , the moit diEcuit to overcome , was ti tpatfcy . the delusions , the prejudices of the people - theHiswves . There was not only the difficulty of getting [ men to receive the truth ; but when they reeeivea it . i there was the greater difficulty of getting them to retain j it , ond the utill greater difficulty of getting them to ; presfcTTs it pure from all admixture of error , for ens-Eiies came after him and , sowed tares . Ee saw that preaching plain doctrines was dry work ; that abstract ; truths were cot easily understood or relished ; that ] iney needed familiar images to render them intelligible ; j the sense to be shofn by sensible examples . He ; therefore preached in parables , and bis Christian parab ; es are es applicable to cur thBC 3 ; as suitable for our
Purposes ; aa well adapted for Chartism as for Cbristi&nity . Witness the parable of the sower . Have we Zut had those who received the seed by the way side , sad the f ;; w 3 s cf the air , Corn Law Repealers , have come and eangb * sway the seed ? Again , have we not had others who heard tie word , and understood , it , and loved it , as all who have any love of truth muBt do ; but they lacked persistive constancy , for when tribulation o ? persecution came because cf the word , they * ere offended , and baviDg no root , withered away . Again , have there not been others who received the * f « d , but the cares of this -world and deeeitfulness of riches , ehoked it like weeds , and it became unfruitful ? lastly , have net others , and , thank God , they are the gftat majority , the rest are but exception * :: are there lot Eillioas wlio have retired th ? " se-cd into ; good
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ground , who have heard Chartism , understood it , borne fruit , and brmzht forth . a < me an hundredfold , some sixty , some thirty ? "He who hath e ? ra to hear , let him hear . " There is also tbo parable of the mustard seed , which is said ta be the smallest of all seed ; fcut grows iato a giant tree : so it is with the seed of truth , when sown into the heart , it is a mere word , an idea , in-risible ; yet , let it take root , 1 st it be nonrished , and it will grow , it will expand , it wili ealarge itself , it win bee , me too great for what contains it ; it will " burst forth and scatter its S 3 eds abroad into other hosnnis ..
To whom shall we liken the Tories- ^ they are like old bottle ' s in which if you put new wine , the strong acd vigorous wine of Chartisra , wine made from the very viae of Christ , it will be too much for t ' u < -ni , they will crack—they will fly—atd the Whics are like those ol . > tvorn-out clothes , these tattered garments that if ycu patch them with the st .-nt broaOcloth of chartism , the new tears away the old , so that there is not much difference between the two . Both travel in the highway of the world , they go thTon ^ h the wide gate—we have entered the straight gate of principle—we hav « taken the cross of Chri-t for our guide-post—it points not to Buckingham Pskce , r . or to Lambttb Palace , but to Heaven , an'l the Charttj is nailed to it , an everlasting scroll , in which is written our title to freedom here and to happiness hereafter .
Thrre are mare parallel casss in the parables ; but I am afraid of taking up too innch of your time , of tiring year patience ; I will , therefore proceed Wi-h the other points ' of comparison . Have not the Chartis * B as nruiy and a ? heavy complainta to make acaiiiit the Bishops and Archbishops as Jesus Christ had aqainit tht scribes sn < i pharisets . He boldly reproved them in their very presence , and Bams of our brt-tbrpn fcave dose this at Norwich and ofner places . But Christ bowed to existing laws , and H ) do we , nettbat we revere th : m . but tfcr . t by law we may mend the law . We have bten tempted by Corn
Law II jpealew , and we have reshti-d their temptation as Christ was tempted by the devil in the offset of his ministry . The . ! evU took him fasting , " and it is when we are hungered , when thsre i 3 a famine in the ! and that the Corn-Law Repealers come to ns and tell us of the -cheap bread , the cheap sngar , the cheap timber , the cheap everything that shall be ours , if only we will yield to their proposals , if only we will agitate for them ; but we bid them get behind ns , for they savour not ft . e Charter . And now th- rich are subscribing to give alms to the poor whom they have begcared ; bnt we tell tt » m tks . t the widow ' s mite is worth all in onr eyes , and more than all when given for the Charter .
The same kind of enemies that conspired against Christ conspire against tu , and for the same reasons , because we are opposed to their class-robberies and classcajoleries , and as the chief priests anS elders wcuUl have taken him long before they did tzke him , had they not feared the" people , so it is their wholesome dread of the people and that alone that keeps the Bands of our oppressors off us . Christ was betrayed by one of his own disciples , and it was a disciple of the Charter—they are professing Chartists that seek to betray u ? . A robber was loosed and pardoned in preference to Christ , and onr Government is more inclined to favour the worst felons and indeed actually does .
2 \ ow these are s few of the parallel cases or points of resemblance between Chartism and Christianity . I could adduce many more , but let these suffice . They are sufficient to show that a strong , a close analogy ex ^ ts between the two , and that no man can be a Christian unless he be a ChaTtist , and rice versa Onchi not this to be matter of comfort to us—cf consolation— yea , of exultation . Does it not shew that in working cut our political redemption , we . are actually at the same time working out out spiritual salvation The bishops may tell ns differently but we know that they are not Christians—their lawn sleeves and silk goTOs , their fcnshy wigs are not the wedding garments
of Christ—all who are not CLartist-: are not Christians . It is the evil we are striving to lesson—the good that we wish to put in its place that entitles us to the appellation of Christian Chartists . We are doing the work of God on earth—we are instruments in his hands , and thick ye not that the afflictions we endure in endeavouring U remove arSiction from others will not be rewarded hereaf ler ? If we wipe away the teais of injured excellence , of innoceEt distress , wiil not God wipe a—ay the tears from our eyes ? Yes , and were it not so , there is surely sufficient reward for doing good in the satisfaction of onr own consciences—for virtue rewards itself , ccrcpensatts itself .
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ADDEESS OF THE COililllTZE afpot . vted to sl'p £ ri . \ te . \ d the erection of iue homtment is memory of 1 he laie he : ; bt hum .. To the Chartists of 2 Ja ; : chtder and district , a :. d all tltosc in the L ' rMed Kingdom who support ikoie principles , namdy the nahis and liberties of ike u ? to ' cpeop ' e of Ai-hidi ihai tiisHn ^ uislied patriot iras the uitszcerv ' mj , unconquerable , and persevering advocate till deulh . Brother Dzmocsais and Co workers in the jughteous cause of tbl-th a . nd justice , —ytu , who with us , are Striving to redeem yourselves frc-m political bondage , and for the sa . vation of your country from impending , end if judicious iteps are net speedily taken to avert it . inevitable ruin .
Tne tens of ttcussnds t-f you who assembled at M : mch £ Eter on Good Friday last to witness the cereinony ef the laying of the foundation stone , and cur numerous friends who rtsided at a distance who re d irorn the newspapers the proceedings of that day , and cf tte grand and numerous demonstrations on that occsfIod , will , we feel assured , be anxious to ascert-iin what progress we have msde in cur patriotic and responsible undertaking . It is therefore with feelings of pleasure and gratification thst we hereby inform you that we are gvttisg on with it rapidly . The monnnient is-already raised twelve i \ et from the ground , and . will fee coiiFiderably higher bj the time this appears in prii . t . There are four stor ; e nu . son 3 constantly employed at it , and will be until it is flnif bed , the architect , thtir employer , having guaranteed to have it completed by the lGth < -f Aycust ntxt , ' . he same date on which the ever-memorable but cruel and atrocious Pctsrloo Massacre took p ! a : e in the y . -nr 1919 .
To form a striking c ^ ntnut betwixt the two days in the two separate years , and to sh- ^ w the onwaru march of democracy and the omnipotence of public opinion , we have cx :-rted onrfelves on behalf of its completion , and it is our intention to loose no time , spare neither pains nor expense so far as is consistent with our duty as public servants , in preparing at once for a national derno ^ tration , to be held on the 16 th of August nest , to celebrate its completion , and thus hand it down to poste ity as a national token of respect for virtue and integrity .
To enable us to perform the task wkich W 9 have set ourselves of getting it finished , a- ~ d , if possible , pa : s 5 for ,, we take this , the first favourable opportunity , to raske an humbls , but urgent appeal , to cur brother Ciia : tist 3 , 2 . rd the Democrats generally tlircugbcu * : the empire , who wi ? h to Ehovr their respect for , and attachment to , those prirdples of which Henry Huut , Efq . —as decidedly one of the bravest , most faithful , and ULSxchiriK alvecates that ev = r lived in any age , or any country , for a contribution of their mite for so worthy an obj-ct .
Any donat . oi . s or subscriptions , however small , will be thankfaliy received , &nd duly acknowledged , when we publish our b-lar . ee-sheet of the income and expenditure . Our desire is to make it a plain , neat , and elegant token of esteem ; such a one as will be worthy tht life , character , concuct , and principles , of the dan whom it U intended to honour—to Land it down as a persrmiScation of great princip ' , which will be creditr . ble to onrsfclves . wio have bren entrusted with its erection , and we trus ; will reflect a never-dying honour and admiration on the heads and hearts of those who ihall contribute towards carrying the intention of the committee into full effect .
We hereby Ik ? most sincerely to acknowledge the pecuniary aid rendered us a& in , likewise to tender our gratt ' ui thanks to the Chartists and Trades of Manchester and district , for their assistance , and the prompt and enthusiastic manner in which they responded , in their acclaiming thonsands . to our last app&ai for a demonstration of public opinion , when the foundation si&ne was laid . In an especial icanner do we thank Feargus O'Connor . Esq ., for his kind and punctual attention , for his valui ^ e exertions , srMch were properly appreciated , and for coming to accommodate the committee upwards of two hundred miles , at his own expense , and , at that time , great inconvenience to Limself , to make good his Dromiss , and perform a public duty .
"We beg likewise that the Rsv . William Hill , Editor of the Northern Star will accept our thanks for the long , excellent , and faithful report which he gave of tbe proceedings of the people on that day . We pay the same compliment to Mr . Joshua Hobson for bis liberal donation of tbe printed circulars ; and all those frieads who hononred us with their presence from a distance—Messrs . Cooper , of Leicester , Harney , cf Sheffield , and Jones , of Liverpool , &c We desire thus publicly to acknowledge the services of the excellent musieians ;
the ladies and youths whoso numerously graced the procession with their presence , and in short , all who before , then , and since , have taken an active pirt in connection with us in so laudable an undertaking . We hope they will not think us presumptuous—and asking for too much by making another call upon them collectively—and by thus telling them that we rely upon their support and presence , if possible , at the forthcoming demonstration . We feel assured that we shall receive their patronage in getting it up , and cheering us on in our arduous dnties .
Th § committee have passed a resolntion authorising the secretary to forthwith specially icvite the successor of Henry Hunt , Esq ., the man of the people , Feargus O'Connor—hoping that after this has met the eye cf that patriot he will make no other engagement for that dayr bat will hold himself in readiness , and free ; so that , if possible , as lie laid the foundation stone , lie may take his proper position when the top stone is laid . -The last processien , as allowed by competent judges , outrivalled anything of the kind in Manchester for numbers , order , and grandeur . Such a one as the gold of the factions , their press , and exertions combined could not convene . Still we flatter onaelTea that the desire cf the imperishable , industrious portion of the community to see the splendid monument—and a whole train cf circumstances which leader it necessary to give anothtr irrefutable arrament of the unanimity and
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• sower cf the many to the tyranical and monopolising few , will tend to make the coming one even outstrip the latter , and bysucn testimony of our unity , numbers , sobri « ty , and good order , strengthen the agitation for liberty , and hasten the popular ( and never to be stopped by ail the powers combined ) movement for the natural and immutable rights of the now excluded and consequently enslaved millions . Brother Democrats , —To more widely and universally ixtend public opinion in favour of the principles contained in the Peopla'B Charter , to show that we do not wish to tike all tha credit to ourselves , that we in
Manchester and district do not wish to monopolism all the glory , but rather make it a national subject , we humbly but emphatically call upon the Chartists and friends in every large town and district in Great Britain to send a delegate who shall be present to represent them at the demonstration ; so that the active , good , and true , from all parts , might witness the honour paid to virtue , and by that means stimulate them to step out of the routine of their former energies f jr the salvation of themselves and country , —always bearing in mind that the most prominent feature in the lifd of a public man is , that he prove faithful till death .
We call upon the good men of London , Bath , Birmingham . L « eds , Sheffield , Liverpool , Glasgew , EdinbnTgh ,. Sanderland . Newcastle , &c , to send delegates , because by so doing it will give an impetus to the agitation for liberty by sending the democratic fire which will be then kind lei in every breast through the lergh and breadth of tfee land , to bnrn up the embers of apathy and indifference now larking in any patriotic bosom , and plant in their stead a motive and stimulant wbich mu > t urge them forward resolutely and determinedly iD the gigantic struggle , until their labours are crowned with success , by arriving at the wishful goal cf freedom , namely , mental , religious , and virtuous political regeneration .
To carry out efftictually the preceding recommendation , we advise snd request the sub-Secretaries of tbeNational Charter Association to lay the suggestions before the members of the CK-neral Council in their respective localities , for their approval , or © therwise . If the former , as early as convenient , discuss the propriety of electing sober , talented , and judicious staight far ward men as delegates , and forthwith collect funds to give their quoti-towards the monument , and bear expences . We also make the same appeal to the county delegate meetings , hoping they , likewise , in their collective capacity , will give the matter a due consideration ; and if they agree with our project to exert themselves in its favour . The Committee keld a long and proper discussion as to whether wo have the power , without being considered to have outstepped the power delegated to ns , by offering a suggestion to the members of the New Executive , -which ended in a
resolve" That in or . l&r to make the gathering of good men from various parfc 3 of the country to be doubly useful to tbe movement , and answer two purposes , we most i especially suggest that they , the members of tbe Executive , discuss the propriety of calling a National conference of delegates to be held on the followiDg day , August 17 th , in the Carpenter ' s Hall , Manchester , when perhaps a friendly understanding could be established , all ill-feeling and bickering amongst leaders put an end to , the plan of organization read , discussed , and if necessary , revised , and all jealousy for ever
b . inished from our ranks . Dmjrences arise frequently through misunderstanding—men who have done wrong unintentionally are denounced and looked shy uponwho if remonstrated with could be made acquainted with their error and have some chance of reform , and for the want of which the c * use sometimes loses both their talent 3 and influence . If this desirable end coud be achieved it would give an opportunity for the delegates when assembled to adopt other meatures which they in their wisdom might deem necessary and prudent for the advancement of the cause . ' *
To the trades of Mancheat 9 r we say that we are right glad once more to have an opportunity of giving them a chance of coming put and identifying themselves with the popular movement for the rights of labour , and by their joining as trades , to set an example to those who have hitherto let reason slumber , and inconsequence have been apathetic We rejoice to have it to record that the bricklayers , carpenters , pninters , mechanics , fnstian cutters , smiths , and spinners have already made a move in the right direction , and we hope and trust that others betwixt now and then , will see it their duty ( every other scheme having failed ) to go and do likewise .
We wish m js ; resp 3 cfcully to say to the aristocratical portion of the Trades , who have hitherto stood aloof :. nd treated us with indifference , suspicion , or contempt , that in oar opinion , judging rationally from passing events , that the same circumitances are at work still which have brought down the wages of , and impoverished other trades , and will continue , if not checked , and operate alike npon theirs also . Let us seriously impress upon you the necessity of beholding the signs of the times . Remember that the system is like unto a round ball set going from tho top of a hill , every turn it receives inci esses its velocity . R-member that while Nero was fiddling Rome was
burning . Read , we bestech you , the history of the rise and fall of other great natioua , and compare it with ynur own ; and if you are determined that politics shall not . be discussed in your assemblies as trades—if you have not yd begun to study or penetrate into tbe state of the country in all its minute and inward woTkitgs —if you still persist in excluding tke mos-t esstr . tial ingredient from your deliberatiorB , do for once take a more general and outward view , and then ask yourselves , nny of you , whether the b' . ack cloud which now hanigs over thousands of your fellow-creatures , who were once in tolerably good circumstances , will not overshadow you witn its dreary and gloomy despair ?
Do you not know that every scheme which gonius c- u . d discover baa been Bnatchcd at by capitalists , for the purpose of obviating the necessity for manual Jaboar ? Has not this been done , and is it not now being done , both at home and abroad ? Yes , thousands are being thrown out of employment , to wander in despair in the streets , creating poverty and hunger in their domestic circles . Encroachments r . re daily made upon the rights of labour , and wages are reduced . In twelve months no fewer than 118 , 000 have been compelled to leave their country to setk a living in another , not b * -en able to obtain one in their own ; and it must be evident to every sound thinking mind that in proportion ; ls evtry industrious labourer leaves this country and joins with its competitors , it must , in the same ratio , impoverish us , s . nd strengthen our rivals .
we are now in an unnatural , artificial , ruinous competition of nation against nation , of master against master , aDd cf artisan against artisan . T ! se word cornpttition means neither more nor less than blood , sorrow , gr ' iaiis , anil tears : it mean 3 if you do not beat us iru : of t " .: e niurki-t—if you do not starve as to death , we \> il ! " t e .-it you out of the market—we will starve you to death . . Money is bfcing taken ont of circulation , which injures i-hoi-keepera , destroys the best market , namely , home consumption ; cottage property is sinking in value , in cor . sequer . c 6 of tenants not being able to pay rents , or arc compelled to leave them to live three or four families in a house . Poor-rates are rising almost every wttk . In one town , not more than six miles from Manchester , there was a discussion in the Court Room , in the year 1830 , as to whether the
rate iliould bo Is . 6 d . or Is . It was resolved by the ratepayers to try the latter , and if -fauna iiisufficieut , to make another grant It was tried ; it met the demand , and left a surplus . But now , in thesame town ( Stoekport ) the same rate amounts to the extraordinary snra of eiyht shillings , and even that is not sufficieaSto meet the demands . Cimrcbea are beiag buiit on almost every hill , for a full-bellied and well-clad backed parson , to preach contentment and submission to an almost empty belly and caked back . Iho industrious millions who wish employment and food as a right , hre insulted and degradingly mocked by beffging Ietur 3 . Bastilrs are bfeing built irnd fitted witii- tho system-made victims . The pawnbrokers' shop shelves are actually bending beneath the clothing of the miserable and starving working classes . The furniture brokers' warehouses are crammed with articles of
furniture , which people out of employment have been driven to sell to obtain money to purchase something to eat , and keep them from either going to a bastile , go cut to beg , or be literally starved to death . We read of numbt-ra of poor men in one part of the country being glad to get up a cow which had died of a fever , on purpose to eat to stop the cravings of hunger . We read of another poor man who was in the act of boiling a dog to eat . Can an allwise , merciful , omnipotent Creator and Ruler of the universe , the God of nature , of truth , justice , and pnrity , who bas sent abundance for all , were it not for misrule and selfishness of men , look down with his irrespective and impartial eye upon such a wicked and atrocious system as this with hia divine approbation ? No ; perish the thought ! it
would be direct blasphemy , having revelation and the immutable and eternal book of nature to gaze upon , to suppose such a thing . To carry thi 3 black catalogue a little further , wo bear complaints justly made from every quarter . The dissenting religious societies are crippled , and cannot many of them carry on for want of funds . Benefit societies are going to rack ; one of the best lodges amongst the Odd Fellows sunk £ 60 in two quarters only . The bankrupt list filling more and more every week . The land of the country monopolised by the few , and locked np by class-made law from the many . We see the Whigs and Teries only carrying on a factious fight ; we have a Government which will not listen to , nor remove the miseries under whieh tbe people are groaning ; we are pestered with a corrupt and factions press , whose apparent object is to keep the
people divided while those whose interest they are paid to serve , is robbing them daily ; in fact , nothing bat ruin and misery stare the industrious people in tbe face , and slavery and wretchedness of every description will be the lot of their offspring and posterity . Let the trades only 'view this but faintly-drawn picture of the system which is Bending crime , poverty , mnrder , disease , and prostitution , with their concomitant evilB , through the land . Let them reflect seriously upon the position in which they stand—let them remember that another dark dreary winter will come and increase the stagnation in trade , and that employers now can take almost any advantage , and they will not only respond to our call and the call of millions of their fellow-creatures , bnt they will come forward in a tone and spirit of repentance for their sins of omisiion in not coming tc cur standard te ' ore . Tha Chester ib net the object
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of a party , it givea to all alike , if virtuous , It is a righteous instrument ; and bad aa our condition is , we believe there are sufficient elements in Great Britain to give plenty to aU , both of food and clothing and shelter .- We have examined all projects put forth by faction to benefit us , and have conscientiously come to the conclusion tliat the Charter and that alone , will be a lever to lift us out &f ou * difficulties . We entreat , most urg « ntly but respectfully , the Editors of the Northem Slar . ' Briiistt Statesman , Common wealthsman , and Chartist Circular , to assist us by inserting this address in their current-publications , " aa " they ^ are devoted to the interests of the people , and dve us their help in every way which to them shall appear beet calculated to forward the object . We virtually appoint and empower them to open books for subscriptions from friends in their district . If Hunt had been a general , he would be . honoured with either a marble
or a copper monument . We also appoint Mr . George White of Birmingham , to receive money in that town and district Mr . Q . J . Harney of Sheffield , Messrs . WiU hams and Binns of Sunderland , Mr . Sinclair of Newcastle , Mr . Bartlott of Bath , and Mr . M'Cartney , Liverpool . ' . : ¦ ¦ . ; ' - . ' ' . . . ¦ ¦ ' . -. ¦ ¦/ . . : All monies for the monument to be sent to our treasurer , Mr . T . Scholefield , Every-street , Manchester ; that gentleman having , on the good faith of the resolution passed at the last demonstration , - which promised to render him support , . p .-jd part towards the monument , and pledged himself to see that the other ia paid when finished ; uuless , therefore , we receive some assistance from the thousands who voted on that occasion , pledging themselves ' .. to contribute their mite , he will have to make a serious sacrifice , in addition to what he has done already . He has given the ground and all his labours , and many pounds besides . need
We not say that this is an act which but few , moving , as he does , in society , that few parsons , at any rate , would be guilty of towards the much calumniated and persecuted by the factions , bat revered and esteemed by the working classes , Henry Hunt , Esq . Those from the surrounding town 3 are hereby informed , that the procession will assemble at half-past ten o ' clock , in the chapel-yard belonging to Mr . Ssolefleld , where 4 he monument is erected ; A large platform will be provided for the committee , the press , and speakers . The chair will be taken at eleven o ' clock . When tfee monument has been viewed , and the speaking over , tho procession will form in Every-street , and march , accompanied with bands of music , fligs , and banners , through the streets , a route which Will be laid out , .- .. . . ' ¦ . Carriage a will be provided for the delegates from a distance . ¦
A tea-party and ball will be held in the evening . Every arrangement the committee promise to attend to- . ¦ ' .. . .. . - .,. ¦¦' ¦ In conclusion , we intend to do our duty * and feeUeve that you , to whom this humble appeal is made , will do yours ; and may you and wo work harmeniously together , until every nian possesses his rights and liberties , and may the Ruler of the Creation stamp your and bur exertions with the seal of his divine approbation . Until then , We remain ,
In the bonds of Friendship and Brotherhood , Your humble Servants . Signed , on behalf of the Monument Committee , William Griffin , Secretary . Every-street , Manchester , June 8 th , IS 42 .
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CHARTISM , JOHN COMPANY , AND CABOUL . " It is the height cf virtue in Hindostan or Affgbanistan never to keep faith , withaFeriugbee !"—A Woolwich Cadet . —Northern Star , 27 th March , 1812 . The accounts lately received of our position in Affghaniatan are anything but , satisfactory , and we must point te our motto for the truth of what we hate hitherto asserted . Guuzneo . has , surrendered ,, arid the Commandant , Colonel Pa ' mer , with his regiment of Sipaheea , 1000 men , laid down their arms , on condition or being marched in safety to Cabjul . But the terma were hot-adhered to ; the natives wtre massacred ,: anil tho European officers . werektspt for ransom . G ^ eat encouragement this for our : native troops to prosecute this deadly strife , this war of extermination ! Another body of our troops under General England suffered a check with some loss at ( Juetta ; on the march to Candahar , to receive General Nott , and were obliged to retreat and wait fGrreinforeements ;
Mark how nicely they tninco their words in the various despatches I and people hero at home talk of a gamo at war as a schoolboy or sick girl wbuM talk of a game at chess , or some old dowp . ger recount her triumphs or disasters tuid fight over the' tattles ; of tho last night ' s rubber . Sale has again made a gallant sortie from Jellalabad , and burnt Akbar Khans' camp and re-Captured four guns lost at Caboul , but Colonel Dsmire with a number of brava men were killed . We fear much . that" General Pollock will find immense difficulties in his way in marching to Sale ' s relief ; as the road (?) from the Khybor pass to Jcllalabad , within fifteen miles of the latter , is very rough and stony , " leading over an undulating hilly country , which is
cut by deep ravines , having a descent of 2100 feet before ' reaching the plain in which Jellelabac ? " stands . " From the Khyber Pass to Jellalabad tha distance would " b 9 about seventy or eighty miles , consisting of barren and stony plains , and also through harrow gorges and high hills , and through the Laudi Kuani Paaa , where there is au elevation of 3400 feet The Kuyber Pass is a narrow ravine between steep hills , and twelve milea in length' The elevation at the top ' U about 3000 feet , and four miles from the top , on a conical hill , which rises up in the centra of tha pass , is the fort of Ali-Musjid . It appears that General Pollock with , the Bengal division , has gained pesse&sion of the entrance of tha pass , and taken the forts commanding It , ... but the question now seems very pertinent , haa he fought his
way through the twelvo miles , has ho carried the fort of Ali-Muvjid in tae centre , and has ho got out of the pass ? We fear tho ciiffijulties ho will have to encounter will be great , and his loss already baa b- ; en very consiiierable ; and once more , with the aid of the Duke of Wellington , we : call immediately on Ministers for a compromise , and an honourable withdra * jr ;* . l . The Commons House of Parliament has shewn us many .. adepts lately in the former , av . d it would be ' a fine opportunity for ' Shoy-Hoys' to descant upon audinundate the reading public with specimens of their oratory , liberality , feelinc ; 3 for the oppressed , disiuterestedaes . s , and patriotism . The opportunity bhould not be lost , and their power of eloquence , now at such a grievous discount ; , might find credence even at a Lord Mayor's feiisi , or among the
saints of Exeter Hal ! . It is . stated that forged orders were brought to Col . Palmer at Ghuzne-e , by Rohilla Khan , from Gan . Elphinstonaand Major Pottinger , and that tb . 3 people of India have a reniarj-ahlo facility in imitating ¦ writing , coata of arn-3 , Ac , and that they make a common practice of forijin ^ encu orders and communications as serve tht > ir purposes . To corroborate thi 3 we will recount an anecdote which \ vo heard from Sir Charles Metcalfe some years ai-o , himself . When be was resident at Ddlhi , the capital of the once-fanied isjogul Empire , h ' e . wasono day undergoing the operation " ' -of shaving , and notica'l , after a ' . tira . g , that his hnj % am , or fcarber , ( commonly crclloilin Jionzal a Nappy , ) was fidget ting about Lim in an extraordinary manner , smirking , grinning , and big with some portontoua events , which ho seemed burning to re ' ato to the Sarca Sahib . The Nappy has invariably a twofold ! .
employment , a chronicler ofdaily events , aa -well as tonsor , in the former of which he is completely at home Presently , he asked Sir Charles if ho remembered a case which he had decided a few days ago , between two Mobanimt'lan merchants , rcsi > ecting a large sum of money , one of whom claimed the whole from the other , for which ho produced iu Court a bond duly executed and attested , and lefially witnessed . Sir Cli'tries . said he Lad apt forgotten it , unit was a very extraordinary affair ; but the other merchant also , although he lud fornierly denied ..-any knowledge whatever of such a bond , now , admitted hia rival's claim , fcut produced in Court a receipt ia full for the whole amount ! The receipt in full was found to be perfectly correct ; the seyeral parties withdrew forthwith , and tho case terminated , apparently to the satisfaction of the Court
But Sir Charles wns yet to be enlightened , and through the medium of his Nappy . " These merchants were at -variance- ; ' -. each was . striving to circumvent the other , and ruin him in his property and the estimation of the world . By means of a forged bond be thought to effect this ; and in its operation shewed such a complic ition of candour and cunning , that the World thought him a perfect martyr , and the other a swindling villain . The poor browbeaten -wretch in vain decJ . ired he-owed' -him . nothing—that the bond was ; i forgery : justice demanded a speedy settlement , and he was ordered to pay the whole sum into Court the next day ! The creditor and debtor made their respective appearances , at . the .- "' timt >
appointed with their train of friends and acquaintances The bond was produced and all was in order , and paymentiwaa immediately to take placei by erder of the Court . All Bet-medi ' to . gp on smilingly , and , like Sbylock , the holder of the bond demanded nothing but his due . A char-ge came o ' erithe spirit of b ^ dream , and lo ! to his astonished vision a receipt in full . was produced ! To dispnte it would have been worse than useless ; the adversary had fought him with his own weapons , and " Non mi rScordo V was the order of the day . In the words of the D ^ lhi Nappy , after acquainting Sir Charlea with the whole of the circumstances and making him laugh at the result , " White man may beat black man in tbe field of battle , but devil himself Cau'fc beat black man iu justice couit ' . "
For the eake of the hostages , for the sake of Generals Saie and Nott at Jellalabad and Can 3 abar , and all the brave men belonging to us ; for' the ' sake uf pur honour , safety , and moral superiority in India , I 6 t us for once show an example to the world , and kt civilization put a stumbling black in bur unholy paths , and show that ¦ we are capable in reality of being "the envy ' ohii admiration" of nations at home and abroad . Let Sir Robert Peel dwell amply on the Duke of Wellington ' s statesmsn-Jite avowal , and let him order forthwith an houonr * able withdrawal .
But we must have men of another stamp fc ! an Ellenborough to effect this , and no time must be lost . Shall we uieHtion one who would be peculiarly adapted- 'for such & sexviw ti £ aliveV ? Colonel Ss-udamore Winde
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Steel , formerly Quarter Master General of the Madras army , and latterly Secretary to Government in the political department at Madras . We have had the happiness of being personally acquainted with him , and we can attest his merits and capabilities . A Woolwich Cadet . Chichester . June 0 t . li , 1842 .
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THE GOLD COINAGE . BY THE QUEEN—A PROCLAMATION . ViCTOBiA R . —Whereas ft has been represented unto us that great quantities of the gold coin of this realm deficient in weight are now in circulation , contrary to the tenor of two Proclamations issued , one by his late Royal Highness George Prince Regent , in the name and on behalf of his late Majesty King George the Third , beating date the 1 st of July , 1 S 17 , and the other issued by his late Majesty King George the Fourth , bearing date the aixth of February , one thousand eight -hundred and twenty-one ; and there being reason to beiicve that due attention is not paid to the weighing of the said gold coin , and the directions given in the Acts of Parliament now in force with respect to the
cutting ,: breaking , or defacing such pieees thereof as are found te be of less weight than those declared by the last of the aforesaid Proclamations to-be current , and to pass and be received in payment ; we do by this our Royal Proclamation declare' and command that from and after the date hereof every gold sovereign of less weight than five pennyweighta two grains and a half , and every gold half sovereign of less weight than two penny-weights thirteen grains and one ei g hth , be not allowed to be current or pass in any payment whatsoever ; .-. and we do hereby strictly require and command nil our roving subjects , and particularly all the officers , collectors , and receivers of our revenues , Btriotly to conform to the ordera hereby given , and to the directions and legnlations enacted and established in the
several Acts of Parliament now in force with respect , to the cutting , breaking , and defacing such pieces of the said gold coin aa shall be found deficient in weight : and we do hereby further ordain , declare , and command that the said gold sovereigns and half sovereigns of the weights last above described sball pass and be received as current and lawful money of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , every such sovereign aa cf the value of twenty shiUinga , an 4 every auch half sovereign as of the value of ten shillings , in all payments whatsoever . GiVin at our Court at Buc&iBgbam Palace , this third day of June , in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-two , in the fifth year of our reign . .
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN . ;¦ On tie above p .-ockn * ation , the Chronicle observes—The op . ration clthie PiiVy Council law will be attended
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with . great injustice to the public , many of whom never heard of the Acts of Parliament or proclamaVioija on whick the present order U founded . ; About onethird , perhaps , of the gold circulation ia nnder irei ^ kt , and yet passing current without let or challenge . A large proportion of light gold has been / iasued trqmtha Bank of England , who have refuaad to Issue sovereigns of fall weight-when the exchangea were unfavourable , and their buUion ; stpres at a low ebb , to , prevent further exportation for profit According to coinage weignfe , 1 , 0 . 0 . 0 sovereigns should be equal to' 211 bs . 4 oz . 16 dwts . 10 griiins . According to the Queen ' s prpclcmatidn , they will be allowed to pass current , if equal to
5 dwta . 2 ^ Rtaina , or 21 lbs . 3 oz . 4 dwts . 4 grair . r , making a ( lifiFerence of 1 cz . 12 dwts . 6 grains , which , at £ 3 17 a . 10 ^ d . per cz ., is equal to £ 6 5 s . 6 ;) ., or 12 s . 6 d . psr ct ., or l ^ d . per piece . Many of tha Bovareighs now ^^ current , and ' . half sovereigns , will be found below the new standard weight , and \ tae ¦ holders must , in that case , sell them to a bullion dealer , or present them ¦ for exebj-nge at the Mint . The receptiod which the hpl ^ er of a light sovereign would recsira from the officer" of the Mint we can easily imagine , Init no information or guide to the public oh this suVj ' iot has , as . yet , come cinder oar observation . Every sovereign mu 3 t « ow be weighed before it i 3 taken in payment , add mucli confusion and delay * wiil piobably a-risa
consequence . Tub Gold Coinage . —The measure of the Gov- mment , in calling in the light coin , is likely to give more currency to Baiik not « 3 , and especially to those of tha Bank of England , as these when of small denominatiop . 3 are far more reaclily passed , and without the inc&rivehienee of weighing . Ifc is unquestionably the duty of Government to appoint the Eant of England itarsceiver-general of light coin , at the actual value fey weight , in order to-get the currency in at sound state as soou : is possible . A notice has been posted at thfe B ; ii : k of
Eugland ,. partly meeting the o ^ ecuons urgua , tut stiil being of rslief to the large holders xathej ; t ' a : iu the smaller and more defenceless ones , and we . uiuat repeat , as we have said above , that the only nielh o ii o ! withdrawing the light coin . is by establishing Guvernment receiving offices and for the very smallest sums . There is in fact , no other security against the re-circulation of light sovereigns for which the holders may only have . received the actual Value , in weight . Iu the country districts the branches of the Bank of England should be directed to exchange , and at once defect the deficient coin . The notice is as follows :- ^ ¦
- ' . "'Bank of England , June 9 , 1542 , "At ths request of the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners * of ber MajeBty ' d Treasury , and for the relief of those who have in their possession the gold coin of this feingdbm below the legal current weichi ; , " Notice-is hereby given , thnt from and » f ter this i ! ay any quantity of such gold , in amounts < &f not less than £ | 50 , will be taken at the public-office of the Bank of Bbgland at £ s 17 a . io ^ d : per ounce , from the hours of nine o ' clock in the morning to three in the afternoon , until further notice . "
Light - Sovereigns . —It is almost impo-sible to describe the inconvenience , annoyance , and . confusion created throughout the metropolis by the publication of Her Majesty ' s proclamation relative to the present gold currency . Taese have been felt more or less every day since that document wa 3 published ; but on Saiur < lay last they were at their height . It is hardly necessary to observe that most of the working classes in London are paid on Saturdays ; too many of them not till a very late hour . Upon these classes the rumours -which had been in circulation for tee two or three days previously had no practical effect until they eame into the marfcets on Saturday to purchase ttsir necessaries for the coming week . They then found to their suTptise and annoyance that most of the shops refused to take
any gold whatever , and others would only change a sovereign upon a deduction of a shilling or sixpunce , whether the coin was heavy or light . We allude particularly to the populous districts of Lambeth , the London , Borough , and Kent roads , and down to Bermondsey . . A report was circulated , and obtained very extensive credence , that the Queen had called in all the old sovereigns at 193 , and that after next menth they would not be received for more than 15 s . This tended greatly to increiase the pressure on the working classes , and sovereigns were readily parted with , in many in-Btances . for 18 b . How far the evil here noticed was occasioned by the somewhat ambiguous reading-of the
proclamation it is not necessary to inquire , but certain it is , that most extravagant notions were circulated and believed aa to the actual loss that would accrue on a sovereign which had been rejected as light . This was varied from sixpence to five shillings , and will sufficieritiy account fur the panic which prevailed generally amongst the poorer holders of gold coin . It is probable however , that the worst is now past , and that before the next market day the great mass of the working classes wi'l have a mow correct notion of what the proclamation is intended to convey ; if not , some means will probably be devised for preventing a repetition of the pressure of last Saturday . —Times .
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-LOUD ASRtEY'S BILL . A new measure has bean introduced to ths Commona this week , with every prospect of being carried by acolauiatiou—a bill to preveat the evils recently disclosed in the mines and collieries .. This is a sfeiking instance of the practical advantages of inquii 7 ; and the late Gjvernmenfc , much as it was twitted with its commissions , is entitled to some share of approbation for the freedom and readiness with which it inquired into anything and everything . Some time ago there was an investigation into the employmeut cf the children in factories ; and it was diECovered that mismanagement and mercenary brutality had gradually built up ' a system which was distorting arid crippling the rising generation of our most important districts . A law was . passed to prevent the ccntinuance of that
evil . ; It Was tisen a , lleitd that the condition of children in other ; employments was even : worse ; arid tha exsrtiona of L » rd Ashley procured tha appointment of the Children ' s Employment Commissioners ; They have examined into the s ' . ato of -young- pGrsens in one branch of industry , mines and collieries ; and in the course of th < jir iriquyry they hav 8 disclosed more than tbe sufferings of the children alone , for they fjuhd-. the case of the women in many places no less pit ' a . ble . The frequent coincidence of great individual wealth with national distress has been remarked as oae of the charactenstics of England : the Report of the Commissioners exposes , in conjunction with the highest civiliaation in the world , whole sections of the people suDk in * iho lowest barbarism . In some districts
infants are condemned by their parents to perpetual labour , at a work—to call it beyond their strength in saying -nothing , for it dooms ; them , to premature adolescsnce , dkeasa , : and misery ; it is go conducted that the infant is cairied almost from the cradle to that moral degradation and physical suffering in which he is to perish ; and it is performed in placc-s so st ait aud noisome , and bo perilous , that tbe very beiDg in them is a fate from which bruteB would ba shielded . Familiarity with ( Jar ; g 6 r and misery , and seclusion from moral or civil control , foster in the grown men feelings of ferocity and recklessness , of vrhich the deftnceless children and women are the victims ; --arid the latter are driyen from thtir domestic duties to bear iiitolerable : loads .: ' Theehiid of the most refined civilisation has rolled in his carriages , pejehanca reading , to beguile the way , of distant lands and savage races , over those murky labyrinths where the British
troglodytts ( . f the nineteenth century lead a life degraded by the traits of savags society , including the worst of all , - the subjection of the female sex to the condition of a beasti . of . burden . We know all that is eniiured by the Icaian squaw ; any child could tell you thai : the women of Polynesia perforrn the drudgt-ry of life '; but it comes upon moat of us with the efi ' .-ct of- painful surprise , tliat a whole class of the count : ? Wjiiiun of Queen Victoria undergo a more horrible aud degraded fate than , any which savage life ciitaiiti upon the Et ; x . Existence in some of the mines nii ^ i'iii ' s to diiil r from that of savages chitfly in that it is imritd fr ^ m tho tun an air , and that the toil never ends . K < ro "^ s a Meld for the exercise of the superabundant corporate philanthropy of . Great Biritaia ! Societies for the emancipation- ^ -ay , even of Blacks— : need not seuk for objects of sympathy ia distant quarters of the globe ; they have ^ them here , under their very feet ¦"¦¦ ¦ ..- . ' . ' . ' ; . ' . : . ' -- . . "¦ " - ' ' vr ' . '¦ .-
To know thesg things , and not t » begin a change at once , were . scarcely possible , * aud Lord Ashley ' s bill will instantly extinguish the most hideous evils . It will totally prohibit the employment of fema ' es in the mines anil collieries ; boys under thirtsen . yo- ' irs of age will be exelu-- ! fed ; the cancelling of existing apprenticeship-indentures , and the forbidding of ali aucn tpprenticeship for the future ,, will eiuaEcipate a class of white slaves ; and children will no longer bo intrusted with the duties of engineer ! ' —a practice which " produces some of the most wholesale disasters and recklessntss of the present system . To this meaiuie little objection --w hinttid . Something is said about the limitation , of : age for boys ; f- r it is supposed that they cannot after twelve years of nge contract « ' the pecBliat b ^ ud of the back" which befits a collier—grown men ,
it might be said , do not cripple $ o readily as infants . ' The instant -withdrawal of all female labour does not appeaj to cause any apprehension on economical grounds . Csunting onthe endurance of their helplesa dependents the men lead a very irregnlar life , alternating fits of debauchery with fits of industry : deprive thoui el the aid which they now exact from the feeble , and they must divide amongst themselves that work which will not be altogether , superseded by improvements in the mines ; and it seems to have beeii found , in practical experiments , that the families are no poorer , and of course incalculably happier , ¦ where the ¦ women are excluded from the ; mines and left to their domestic duties above ground . It ia very seldom that a meaaurfr receives such approval : fromi all ttections of OppositioriJats and Ministerialists ^ as Lord A shl ey ' s bilL--SBectoldr . ' . ¦ . : - ' . : ' ¦ : ' .: ^ V ¦ ¦'¦ : ' : ; : ¦¦'¦¦ ¦ - .
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L ^ st wjiek , m warwioksbire , a young man named Mills , who was engaged as tinder-keeper in Wright ' s wild beast show , met bi 3 death in the followiPgshockiBg manner : —He , with the headkeeper , went into the denof the lioness for thepurpose of cleaning or repairing it , when the superior having occasion to leave the den for a short time . Mills was left alone with the animal , which sprang upon him and lacerated him in the most dreadful manner . After lingering in great agony till the next day , death terminated his sufferings . —Norwich Memury
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| ^_ _ JTjI E NORTHERN STAR . 7
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THE JSBW PATENr COMPOSING MAGHINE . Hitfcerto in spite of some abortive eiperiaients , the compositor branch of the printing business has been deemed ssenre from the operation of machinery in diminishing the demand for manual labour . This security is now , we suspect , at an end , for we think that no ipractical printer can examine the new patent "Composing machine , " now at work , and exhibiting at 110 , Chancery-lane , without being satisfied that it will lead to a greater change in the coraposLtor-department than the steam-press has done in the branch technically called prcss-wcrk .
Although the public are generally tolerably familiar with the art and mystery of putting types together , we would require to begin in some sort ab inilio , in order to render a verbal description intelligible . Not that the machine itself is complicated . It combines in its construction , beauty , precision , and simplicity . - Any compositor may understand its action in ten minutes , may work it after an hour's practice , and should be able to do so with facility in a day . But let us reuiind the general reader of what is the business of a compositor .
A compositor , in " setting up , * ' as it is called , stands at a frame , supporting his cases ,-. which contain the type , each letter having its separate box or compartment . Holding the composing-stick in his left . hand , he picks up the types with the thumb and fore-finger of the right , conveying them with a rapid motion to the composing-stick , which is adjusted to the exact breadth of the particular . work he is engaged on , be it quarto , octavo , or the column-sfzj of a newspaper . Each line must be justifled , that is , extended to- the full breadth and rendered tight , which is efftjeted by placing more or leas space between the words , and by dividing words where an entire word cannot be introduced at the end : of a line .. When the composingstick is full , the : inaas is lifssd out ( an operation of some dexberity ) and placed on a galley , the compositor re-fiUing his " stick" as before .
The labour of putting typos together aoes not require niuch of absolute musculat exertion , but it requires great activity , considerable dexterity ana facility of hand , with no small portion pf endurance . A clever compositor will put together as many as 2 , 000 types in an hour , but the average is about 1 . 50 . 6 . In this calculation the spaces which divide the words are included , for though' of course , they do not appear in print , they must be picked up by the compositor as well as the letters . , ... ' . Now , the new " composing machine" enables two
individuals , with the subsidiary aid of two or three boys , to put as mai ) y types together in an hour as can be done by four clever compositors , and that , too , without a tithe of the physical power required by the present mode of composition . Htsnce , too boys , or two intelligent girls , may perform the work of four men ; and tho type by this process is put together in a continuous series , without the necessity of dividing the copy as it is called—a necessity which frequently causes inconvenience when work is in a hurry , by reason of one man having his portion of copy donn before another .
The " composing machine" is a patented invention , by Messrs . Young and Dalcambre , who have now triumphed ever former obstacles , and produced a felicitous contrivance .. On entering the room where the machine is at work ( 110 , Chancery-lane , } the yisiter perceives what one of our contemporaries has termed " something of the appearance , viewed in front , of the interior of a cottage , piano forte . " At the instrument aits a young lady , the copy before her , precisely in the attitude of one about to charm a drawing room . Suppoce she is about to co >» pos& tbe words Northern Star , she touches the key which communicates with the letter N , and immediately the letter flies down an inclined plane ,
through an open channel cut in a brass plate , and straightway it will be found in its proper place . The other letters follow ; and the completed words are propelled by a whoel , along a b / ass slide , towards tho person ; who justifies— that is , whose business it ia to divide the continuous stream of metal words into lines of th 9 requisite leugth . For this purpose the justifier is provitied with a box , divided into compartments , containing spaces of different thicknesses , with hyphens , the marks indicating divided words . Bub we do not know that we can better describe the ihstrnment than by quoting a poition of the description already given to the public :- — '" - . ' - ' . . ¦ - ; . V :- . .. " •' ..: ' - : ' ' ' . ' -.:
" The machine itself has something of the appearance , viewed in front , of the interior of a cottage piano , and has seventy-two keys , precisely of the shape of the k ^ yB of that in strument . To these keys are attached upright steel rods , which communicate with the same number of brass channels at the top of the machine . These channels contain a complete fount of type , each channel having its proper letter . At the back of the machine is an inclined plane , with thirty-six curved channels , all of equal length , into which the letters ars niade to fall , and through which they proceed to a sort of spout , down which they are gently forced , by an ingenious eccentric movement , towards the person who justifies .
" The key , when struct , moves a small lever , which , as it were , cuts off a letter from the column in the brass channel . The lever instantaneously resumes its position , aud the column of letter , by ita own weight , as instantaneously descends , the bottom letter being ready for the lev ^ r to Itt it out immediately it is required ; aud so on till the whole column of that particular letter may be exhausted . The latter , falling into the curved channel on the inclined piano at the back of the machine , descends into the spout before spoken : of . This spout is very little wider than the type -which falls into it , letter by letter , with its face toward * the person playing the machine . This spout
is curved cbwnwards , from its mouth for ten or twelve inches , and , when the machine commences work , is filled with quadrats the whele length of such curve , as a support for the letters to fall on . The eccentric Hiovemert alluded to touches the letters abova one-third up as they fall into the spout , and gently forces them through the curve , and thence along a horizontal chauntl of brass towards the justifying box . Here tha type ia drawn into what the compositor would call a stick ; and when the proper numbei of lines have been justified , they are taken out and placed in a galley precisely as the composing stick is emptied . Any process nioro simple to ' effect such a purpose it would seem impossible to accomplish . "
The person playing the machine must possess the ordinaiy intfellitjence necessary for composing ; and the type thus composed is as liable to be filled with blunders as by the present mode of composition . The player may omit to touch a key—may misspell a word —may omit a sentence ; or , if tho copy be mf . iiuscript , commifc boiuo of those mistakes which occasionally inflict " agony of agonies" on the ssjuls of sensitive authors . But the facility with which the vwdus opemndimaybi : acquired is ovinced by the circumstance that the machine is worked by youBg women , with the assistance of boys ,
who are ttus occupied : —The young women are alternately , for two hours each , employed in playing tha machine , in justifying , and correcting . ¦ Two of the boys are engaged in filling the seventy-two channels with their respectiva letters , two in dLstributing ths type , and the fifth boy in giving motion to the wheel by which the type is pushed forwards into and along the spout towards the justifying line . The work done at present is at least equal to that which could be accorapVished by four able compositors , at about a third of the expsnee , while the machine occupies no more epacs than a
psauo . The maker of the machine is Mr J . O . Wilson , of 10 , Ferce-ral-sti-eet , Clerkenwell . Its ezpence is shout £ 100 , aud the one now in operation vrsa made in about five weeka .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), June 18, 1842, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct758/page/7/
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