'40 Of Systems of Equality, continued. Bk. iii. 



add a little to what I have already said on sys- 

 tems of equality, instead of leaving out the whole 

 discussion, by a tendency to a revival of this kind 

 at the present moment.* 



A gentleman, for whom I have a very sincere 

 respect, Mr. Owen, of Lanark, has lately pub- 

 lished a work entitled A Ncio View of Society, 

 which is intended to prepare the public mind for 

 the introduction of a system involving a commu- 

 nity of labour and of goods. It is also generally 

 known that an idea has lately prevailed among 

 some of the lower classes of society, that the 

 land is the people's farm, the rent of which ought 

 to be equally divided among them ; and that they 

 have been deprived of the benefits wdiich belong 

 to them from this their natural inheritance, by the 

 injustice and oppression of their stewards, the 

 landlords. 



Mr. Owen is, I believe, a man of real benevo- 

 lence, who has done much good; and every friend 

 of humanity must heartily wish him success in 

 his endeavours to procure an Act of Parliament 

 for limiting the hours of working among the chil- 

 dren in the cotton manufactories, and preventing 

 them from being employed at too early an age. 

 He is further entitled to great attention on all 

 subjects relating to education, from the experience 

 and knowledge which he must have gained in an 

 intercourse of many years with two thousand ma- 

 nufacturers, and from the success which is said 

 to have resulted from his modes of management. 



* Written in 1817. 



