OWENITES in Sydney

SYDNEY GAZETTE.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY-4, 1840.

OWENITES.

LATE on Friday evening we found the subjoined letter in our letter-box, up to that moment we were not aware of the fact that Sydney contained a disciple of the infamous OWEN—the quasi PHILANTHROPIST—the amiable SOCIALIST. That practices akin to those recommended by the monster OWEN have been, and probably still may be, prevalent in this Colony we make no doubt; but that practices in themselves so infamous should find avowed advocates among the free population is to the last degree apalling. We are not aware that any open attempt has yet been made to propagate the licentious principles of this arch-fiend, but should any be made we trust the "powers that be" will interfere and put a stop to the endeavour. Surely in this community we do not require any additional incentives to vice. We are friendly to toleration, as much so, probably, as those who denounce us for advocating, what they are pleased to call, intolerant and bigotted principles; but our ideas of toleration have their limits. To tolerate profligate vice under the specious guise of charity and universal philanthropy, would be a crime of the blackest hue in an individual, and infinitely more so in a Government.

Our correspondent informs us that OWEN has been " received by all the crowned heads in Europe, and several Sovereigns in America!!" Who the Sovereigns are or were in America, we have no idea, having no knowledge of any Sovereign in America save the Emperor of Brazils; possibly our correspondent means Sovereign States in America. He tells us that the Sovereigns approved of Mr. OWEN'S principle, but were at a loss to know how it could be carried into operation. We believe every Sovereign in Europe is professedly a Christian, and if so how they could reconcile Mr. OWEN'S system with their professed creed we leave Princes and Potentates to decide. We do not doubt the assertion of our correspondent; unfortunately the air of the palace is not the most genial to the growth of Gospel truth. Her Majesty the Maiden Queen of England, has honored the Social System by receiving its author at her Court; whether she is one of the Sovereigns who have signified their approval of Mr. OWEN'S system, we cannot at present say. We only know that Mr. OWEN was received by Her Majesty with the usual courtesy observed on such occasions towards presentees. If Her Majesty is indeed an admirer of the social system, her conduct towards the late Lady FLORA HASTINGS was certainly most unaccountably incongruous, and betrays a malignity of disposition towards an individual irreconcilable to ROBERT OWEN'S social principle.

" Why you should call him monster I am at a loss to conjecture, unless it be that you never knew him, and were too great a bigot to hold conference with one called an Infidel."

The word monster, according to our best Lexicographers, means " a thing unnatural or horrible," something repulsive and terrible in its nature, opposed to virtue and morality. ROBERT OWEN in the first place, is an Infidel, that is to say he chooses to deny the authority of Scripture. ROBERT OWEN teaches that marriage, whether as a civil or religious compact, is a barrier to social happiness, a fetter upon social freedom. We need not, we think, go any further into ROBERT OWEN'S social principle to justify the epithet monster, as applied by us, to designate him ; but says our correspondent, ROBERT OWEN'S " greatest enemies have never dared to say so much of him as you have done." Possibly not, we are in the habit of calling things by their proper names, when we know them, but we rather think the merit of being the first to denounce ROBERT OWEN'S system as monstrous, does not belong to us, we should be very sorry to think so, notwithstanding the regal compliments that have been paid him. We find that at a public meeting at Cheltenham, on the 27th of September, 1839, the following resolution was carried by acclamation, " That this Meeting is of opinion, that Mr. Brindley has fully and irrefragably substantiated all his charges against the foul system of Owenism, viz., that it is an immoral, blasphemous, and atheistical system, that it entirely denounces marriage, all religion, and openly avows a disbelief in God." After reading this let not our correspondent say we are singular in calling ROBERT OWEN a monster, but we will go a step further, and we will tell the defender of OWEN that all who entertain OWEN'S opinions are monsters, and that the law of the land ought to banish from civilised society every wretch who dares to espouse such principles, whatever may be his private opinions ; and we would further say, that if one spark of right feeling inhabited the breast of that individual who has solemnly sworn to maintain and defend to the utmost the religion of " JESUS CHRIST, GOD blessed for evermore," that she would banish from her councils, and her presence, the Minister who, in his official capacity, dared to "obtrude so infamous a wretch upon his Sovereign's notice. Well may the Christian lover of the land of his nativity exclaim with the Patriot Statesman, O, my country! how necessary the admonition, "put not your trust in Princes," but " shall I not visit for these things ! saith the Lord, and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? Yes, as sure as GOD'S promises are yea and Amen, an apostate nation will be visited. We do not presume to speculate on the measure of punishment, neither will we take upon ourselves to predict the means that may be employed by infinite wisdom to manifest its displeasure ; but if we may be permitted to draw inferences from passing events, we should say, that England is at this very moment paying the penalty of her apostacy ; but to return to our correspondent's communication, and our reason for giving it insertion, as we stated above, we were not aware that a disciple of OWEN had reached these shores, but finding that such is the case, we feel it to be our duty to proclaim the fact, in order that the public may be prepared to defeat the insidious poison which this disciple of OWEN may contemplate infusing into this already too demoralised community. And to the Owenite we beg to say that we must decline any further communication from him ; in his letter he avows himself an unqualified disciple of the licentious monster ROBERT OWEN, and as such unworthy of anything, save our pity for his errors, and our prayers for his conversion.

Sydney gazette 1840,