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would willingly live well at the public expense, who had drank 
away the little money, if they brought any at all, at the tavern, 
and who would not work, but desired to say a great deal. Mr. 
Owen had gone to England on account of business in the month 
of July, and during his absence, a complete anarchy had been in¬ 
troduced into the new community. At the end of October he 
arrived from England at New York on his return, gave lectures 
there, in Philadelphia, and in Washington, upon his system, 
made some proselytes in Philadelphia, and came back to New 
Harmony. He lamented over his people, and brought the situa¬ 
tion of anarchy in which they had fallen before their eyes so 
plainly, with the consequences resulting therefrom, that they 
invested him with dictatorial authority for one year. 
In the eastern states there is a general dislike to him. It was 
thought unadvised that he issued a proclamation to the Ameri¬ 
cans on his last arrival in New York, in which he told them, that 
among many virtues they possessed great faults, among which he 
alluded to an ill-directed propensity to religious feelings, and pro¬ 
posed himself as their reformer in this respect. I heard at that time 
unfavourable expressions from persons in the highest public offices 
against him; and one of them gave Mr. Owen to understand 
very plainly, that he considered his intellects rather deranged.* 
In one family alone, where theory took place of experimental 
knowledge, did I hear conversation turn to his advantage. 
After all this, I came with the utmost expectation to New 
Harmony, curious to become acquainted with a man of such ex¬ 
traordinary sentiments. In the tavern, I accosted a man very 
plainly dressed, about fifty years of age, rather of low stature, 
who entered into a conversation with me, concerning the situa¬ 
tion of the place, and the disordered state in which I would find 
every thing, where all was newly established, &c. When I asked 
this man how long before Mr. Owen would be there, he an¬ 
nounced himself, to my no small surprize, as Mr. Owen, was 
glad at my visit, and offered himself to show every thing, and 
explain to me whatever remained without explanation. As the 
arrangement calculated for Rapp’s society was not adapted to his, 
of course many alterations would naturally be made. All the 
log houses still standing in the place, he intended to remove, and 
only brick and framed edifices should be permitted to remain. 
Also all enclosures about particular gardens, as well as all the 
* [This is, perhaps, the most charitable idea that can be formed of the actions of 
such reformers, as well as of a “ lady” heretofore mentioned, who has unsexed 
herself, and become so intoxicated with vanity, as enthusiastically to preach up 
a “reformation” in favour of the promiscuous intercourse of sexes and colours, 
the downfall of all religion, and the removal of all restraints imposed by virtue 
and morality!]—T rans. 
