uninjured by Mr. Owen's acknowledged publication of his own speeches after he had sold them. What would be said of either of us if we printed separately our speeches for our own friends, after agreeing to leave the discussion with a publisher on fixed terms." The assertion that Mr. Campbell gained much afterwards is an evasion of the question, and sueing him for eighty dollars was love, "mighty socialistic love."] B. Grant. The part in Brackets was quoted by Mr. Holyoake. P.S.-If you really have an "open page" (or platform) I shall be happy to fill it fortnightly with corrections of your other pages. This Postscript, was of course omitted, lest his readers should know from it and from the introduction the conscious insecurity of those whose boast is Reason and Freethinking: Holyoake and Co., could not live six months before their readers, if they allowed this liberty of reply in their own columns, which they pretend to offer, and the appearance of which fairness, is their reputation, whilst allowing what they offer, would destroy it. Let them try: let their readers demand it. Especially as the same gentlemen sometimes falsely and unjustly complain they may not speak in our Chapels or School Rooms; yet attack those in their own periodicals, whose communications, they dare not receive in reply. If any Free-thinkers regard this as boasting, let them apply to Holyoake, and see if he will not shuffle out of giving a direct answer, either allowing, or denying admission to his pages. Mr. Holyoake, whose general boast is that he is content to let his statements stand without rejoinder, not only inserted Mr. Owen's letter as an authoritative answer to a statement put in their own shape, but found it necessary to insert an additional defence, in the following evasive comment on the above partial quotation. Mr. Holyoake observes:-"The reader, who remembers Mr. Owen's letter, Reasoner 394, will be at no loss to estimate this passage. If Mr. Owen's lawyers enforced his claim, it is proof that they knew the sale was uninjured, yet if Mr. Owen had been a party to enforcing the claim for eighty dollars, (which he does not appear to have been), it would have been no mighty socialistic injustice, seeing that Mr. Campbell gained 20,000 dollars by Mr. Owen's instrumentality and fame. Mr. Grant made a mistake of 420 in 500 dollars, and covers his agregious want of exactness, by accusing Mr. Owen of meanness, when he has failed to prove him wrong." Here we see this ingenuous moralist, first resorting to the artifice exposed in Owen's letter, of referring to Mr. Campbell's subsequent gains, as if this excused Owen's dishonesty, in selling again what he had sold to Campbell, who took all the risk. Secondly; he assumes, that Mr. Owen's word is decisive, where his honesty confessedly fails. Thirdly; he assumes, that his readers willoverlook the expense of reporting, &c., paid by Campbell, which would be more, as Mr. Holyoake knows, than the twenty pounds or eighty dollars, which Owen sued for across the Atlantic, after he had sold his articles twice. And, therefore, admitting (which we do not) that Mr. Owen's account of the number of dollars is true, the mistake is not so egregious. Fourthly; Mr. Holyoake dexterously asserts, that the moral question is, how many dollars Mr. Owen unjustly deprived Mr. Campbell of? where, as it is more to the purpose, whether it is true that he did so act. And the answer is; he did not rob the defendant of so many-" only eighty." Again; we say, even if true, only the more mean as well as dishonest. It is like a man resenting the indignity of being said to steal five sovereigns, and proving the charge false, by admitting that he stole only two. This is dexterously altering a question of honesty, into one of arithmetic. It is still more rich to find our casuist, declaring his client right, because the lawyers defended him, and therefore, in their estimation, he had not injured the sale of Campbell's book, by selling half of it to Owen's friends. This is a rare defence, "my lawyers say I am right." Any cause may be gained in this way, even that of Mr. Owen, who accepted a sum for copyright, and left all the actual expense and probable risk to Mr. Campbell, and then sold his own speeches. Let Mr. Holyoake try the plan with the Cowper Street discussion; no doubt, it might be more agreeable to him and his friends, but it would not be any more honest, than Owen's acknowledged conduct. The final shuffle, that "Mr Campbell gained 20,000 dollars by Mr. Owen's instrumentality and fame! to say nothing of the fact, that Owen's injustice was committed before any dollars were gained, for his book was out first, though he had sold it; the dishonesty of the defence, worthy of the cause, is seen in the acknowledgment of Owen, proving that his fame which reached his own friends, would give himself additional unjust gains, to be added to the eighty dollars, and the expense of the reporter which Owen escaped by the compact so dishonourably violated. He himself says, "I added my own speeches in the debate, for my friends who wished to see them, but not a word of Mr. Campbell's;" then Owen would receive in extra dollars, his advantage from his own friends, who would not buy Mr. Owen's speeches over again, in order to see those of his opponents. Thus we bring home to the new moralists, a distinct case of fraud and meanness-dishonesty defended. Mr. Owen did sell his part of the discussion, and then hastened into the market with his own speeches a plan consistently defended by his followers, but reprobated by all honest men. Reviews and Criticisms "The Treasury of the Four Evangelists," compiled by ROBERT MIMPRISS, "Author of the system of Graduated Simultaneous Instruction, &c. THIS work is too well known, and too highly recommended, to need any special advocacy of its claims on these pages; and this notice is given, rather to make known the general praise bestowed upon it, than to add one more testimonial of its worth to the already long and distinguished list; among which may be found, the names of some of the most Eminent Biblical Students in the kingdom. It would be well if those who "wrest scepticism to their own destruction" under the pretence of exposing the contradictions of Scripture; and who really expose their own ignorance, would provide themselves with a copy of this Harmony: of which, for their special benefit we furnish the following idea of its plan. The Compiler Mr. MIИPRISS gave a lesson to a Bible Class on the life of Christ, and afterwards illustrated his harmony in the following manner. He called four boys before him, and asked them separately what they would tell their parents, about the lesson they had just heard? The answers as given stand thus. 1st BOY. We went to school, 7 and the Gospel history was explained to us. 2nd BOY. 4 We all had our Testaments, and the Gospel history was explained to us. 3rd BOY. 2 The master called us into the writing room, and 5 the journeys of our Lord were shown to us on a map. 4th BOY. 1 When we were at school, in the afternoon, 3 we stood in a class to read about our Saviour; 6 and some of the particulars of his life were drawn upon a black board. There appears something contradictory in those four statements; and yet nothing can be more consistent, when the sentences are read as they are numbered, thus(1) When we were at school in the afternoon (2) the master called us into the writing room, (3) we stood in a class to read about our Savior, (4) we all had our Testaments, and, (5) the journeys of our Lord were shewn to us on a map, (6) and some of the particulars of his life were drawn upon a black board, (7) and the Gospel history was explained to us. It would be well if the author of the Infidel's Text Book; would provide himself with a childs copy of the Harmony, repair forthwith to the nearest Sabbath School, when in the course of the afternoon, he will probably acquire a greater knowledge, of the Gospel histories, than his platform blunders, prove him to possess. To teachers of Sunday Schools the Пarmony will prove an invaluable companion, as an addition to the text, there is a fund of information, on the Geography of the Holy Land, on the manners and customs of the East, ample illustrations of new Testament narratives, from the Old Testament prophecies, and to the whole is subjoined some practical reflections, collected from the most approved sources by the indefatigable compiler. For the use of ministers and students in theology, a quarto edition, with maps, is now in course of preparation, we are glad to hear that already nearly 1500 subscribers to that edition have been obtained. REPORTS OF PROGRESS: A LIST OF LECTURES DELIVERED DURING 1854. PLACE. DATE. ATTENDANCE. Doughty Street, Lambeth Walk, Ragged School... Jan. 3 N.B.-The Lectures this fortnight in London, were given during the most severe weather, or the attendance often would have been much larger. Christ's Religion. "PROVE ALL THINGS; HOLD FAST THAT WHICH IS GOOD."-1 Thess. v. 21. HISTORY OF INFIDELITY. THE "ATHENÆUM" ON COMTE'S WANT OF ORIGINALITY.* WE have twice called the attention of our readers to the claims of M. Comte's "Positive Philosophy," and shown that his threefold states of the human intellect are no regular successive developments; in fact, that as a Philosophy this Positive System is a failure. The author of it does not appear to be any more successful in his doctrine of education, based on the supposed dependency of the sciences; while it is further maintained that he is only a plagiarist of the notions of German metaphysicians. The lower infidel party in England have hailed with delight a translation and paraphrase of M. Comte's lucubrations; but they are not capable of forming any enlarged estimate of the merits of his system, or of his own claims to be an original thinker. M. Comte seems to have imitated other discoverers, who find things before they are lost. The Athenæum has certainly no prepossessions in favour of spiritual religion, though it is generally a fair critic of science. We have, therefore, chosen to present our readers with an article from that paper, containing an elaborate estimate of M. Comte's system, scientifically considered. The Infidels to whom we refer, are very ready to inform their readers of any articles in the Athenæum which lean their way, or applaud any of their books; as in the article on " Babe Christabel" (Feb. 4, 1854), which is somewhat Socialistic, and is hailed with delight in the Gazette of Secularism (Feb. 12, 1854), though the editor of that periodical, true to his principle of "loving darkness rather than light," is not in much danger of informing his readers respecting the depreciation of their new idol Comte, in the following criticism. The piece we are about to quote drew an answer from Mr. G. H. Lewes, but this was replied to by another writer, and Lewes retired, while the Athenæum authorities declared themselves still sceptical as to the original thinking manifested by M. Comte. "We agree with Mr. Lewes, when, in answer to Sir William Hamilton's remark, that Comte is somewhat unaccountably taken up in * "The Positive Philosophy of Auguste Comte." Freely Translated and Condensed by Harriet Martineau. Chapman.--" Comte's Philosophy of the Sciences." By G. H. Lewes. Bohn. K |