第1章 MY DEAR SIR(1)

In contemplating，the public characters of the day，no one among them appears to have more nearly adopted in practice the principles which this Essay develops than yourself.

In all the most important questions which have come before the senate since you became a legislator，you have not allowed the mistaken considerations of sect or party to influence your decisions；so far as an unbiased judgement can be formed of them，they appear generally to have been dictated by comprehensive views of human nature，and impartiality to your fellow creatures.

The dedication，therefore，of this Essay to you，I consider not as a mere compliment of the day，but rather as a duty which your benevolent exertions and disinterested conduct demand.

Yet permit me to say that I have a peculiar personal satisfaction in fulfilling this duty.My experience of human nature as it is now trained，does not，however，lead me to expect that even your mind，without personal inspection，can instantaneously give credit to the full extent of the practical advantages which are to be derived from an undeviating adherence to the principles displayed in the following pages.And far less is such an effect to be anticipated from the first ebullition of public opinion.

The proposer of a practice so new and strange must be content for a time to be ranked among the good kind of people，the speculatists and visionaries of the day，for such it is probable will be the ready exclamations of those who merely skim the surface of all subjects；exclamations，however，in direct contradiction to the fact，that he has not brought the practice into public notice until he patiently for twenty years proved it upon an extensive scale，even to the conviction of inspecting incredulity itself.

And he is so content，knowing that the result of the most ample investigation and free discussion will prove to a still greater extent than he will yet state，the beneficial consequences of the introduction of the principles for which he now contends.

With confidence，therefore，that you will experience this conviction，and，when experienced，will lend your aid to introduce its influence into legislative practice.I subscribe myself，with much esteem and regard，My dear Sir，Your obliged and obedient Servant，New Lanark Mills ROBERT OWEN

[Original Dedication of Second Essay.Second Dedication of the Four Essays in subsequent Editions]

To the British public FRIENDS AND COUNTRYMEN

I dedicate this Essay to you，because your primary and most essential interests are deeply involved in the subjects of which it treats.

You will find errors described，and remedies proposed；but as those errors are the errors of our forefathers，they call for something like veneration from their successors.You will therefore not attribute them to any of the individuals of the present day；neither will you for your own sakes wish or require them to be prematurely removed，beneficial changes can alone take place by well-digested and well-arranged plans temperately introduced and perseveringly pursued.

It is however an important step gained when the cause of evil is ascertained.The next is to devise a remedy for the evil，which shall create the least possible inconvenience.To discover that remedy，and try its efficacy in practice，have been the employments of my life；and having found what experience proved to be safe in its application，and certain in its effects，I am now anxious you should all partake of its benefits.

But be satisfied，fully and completely satisfied，that the principles on which the New View of Society is founded are true；

that no specious error lurks within them，and that no sinister motive now gives rise to their publicity.Let them therefore be investigated to their foundation.Let them be scrutinized with the eye of penetration itself；and let them be compared with every fact which has existed from the earliest knowledge of time，and with all those which now encircle the earth.Let this be done to give you full confidence，beyond the shadow of doubt or suspicion，in the proceedings which are or may be recommended to your attention.For they will bear this test；and such investigation and comparison will fix them so deep in，your hearts and affections，that never more but with life will they be removed from your minds，and your children's from the end of time.

Enter therefore fearlessly on the investigation and comparison，startle not at apparent difficulties，but persevere in the spirit and on the principles recommended；you will then speedily overcome those difficulties，your success will be certain，and you will eventually firmly establish the happiness of your fellow creatures.That your immediate and united exertions in this cause may be the means of commencing a new system of acting，which shall gradually remove those unnecessary evils which afflict the present race of men，is the ardent wish of Your fellow subject，THE AUTHOR.

[Address prefixed to Third Essay.]

To the superintendents of manufactories，and to those individuals generally，who，by giving employment to an aggregated population，may easily adopt the means to form the sentiments and manners of such a population Like you，I am a manufacturer for pecuniary profit，but having for many years acted on principles the reverse in many respects of those in which you have been instructed，and having found my procedure beneficial to others and to myself，even in a pecuniary point of view，I am anxious to explain such valuable principles，that you and those under your influence may equally partake of their advantages.

In two Essays，already published，I have developed some of these principles，and in the following pages you will find still more of them explained，with some detail of their application to practice under the peculiar local circumstances in which I took the direction of the New Lanark Mills and Establishment.