LONDON WORKERS, SECULARISTS, ETC. 99 



put into practice on the first opportunity with a completeness 

 and success that was most remarkable. 



He tells us that his numerous visitors, latterly numbering 

 two thousand every year, were more amazed and delighted 

 with the schools than with any other part of the establish- 

 ment ; and that during the visit of "a lady of the highest 

 rank of our own nobility — after inspecting the dancing, and 

 music, and all the other lessons and exercises out-of-doors, 

 of the infants and children in their playground, while at- 

 tentively witnessing their kindness of manner to each other, 

 their unaffected, unrestrained, joyous happiness, and remem- 

 bering their efficiency in their indoor exercises — this lady said 

 to me with tears in her eyes, ' Mr. Owen, I would give any 

 money if my children could be made like these.' And truly 

 those who were trained from infancy through these schools 

 were by far the most attractive, and the best and happiest 

 human beings, I have ever seen. Their manner was unaffect- 

 edly graceful, and, when spoken to by strangers, naturally 

 polite, with great innocent simplicity. The total absence of 

 all fear, and full confidence in and affection for their teachers, 

 with the never-ceasing expression of perfect happiness, gave 

 these children of working cotton-spinners a character for their 

 age superior to any I have yet seen." It was also noted how 

 this training improved the physical appearance of the children, 

 and many visitors declared that they had never seen so many 

 beautiful girls and boys as in the schools at New Lanark. 



The effect of his system on the adult workers was hardly less 

 remarkable. To stop the continued pilfering of bobbins and 

 other small articles used in the mills, he invented a system (un- 

 fortunately not explained) by which the many thousands of 

 these articles which passed from hand to hand daily were so 

 recorded automatically that the loss of one by any particular 

 worker could always be detected. In this way robbery, large 

 or small, was always discovered, but no one was ever punished 

 for it. The certainty of discovery, "however, prevented its 

 being attempted, and it very soon ceased altogether. 



Equally novel and ingenious was his method of avoiding 

 the necessity for punishment, or even for a word of censure, 



