Owen, Robert

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

Robert (1771-1858), a wealthy cotton spinner of Manchester, England. He was a native of Newtown, Wales. He was a man of ability and of philanthropic views. In 1814 he organized a new company, including Joseph Fox and Jeremy Bentham as members. They established mills at New Lanark, Scotland, and operated them on the principle that they should be managed for the benefit of the wage-earners. No children were employed. Improved houses were provided at nominal rent. A system of insurance against sickness and helpless old age was inaugurated. All profits over five per cent were set aside for the improvement of the village and the comfort of its people. Later, Owen retired from the management of the mills and devoted himself to the spread of socialist ideas. He memorialized Parliament on the subject of obviating poverty by the establishment of cooperative villages to which the poor might be removed. He himself established the cooperative community of Orbiston in Lanarkshire and a second socialistic community at New Harmony , Indiana. Neither proved successful. In his later days, he was a leader among the spiritualists. Owen's views may be had in detail from the following quotation taken from the Britannica: He recommended that communities of about twelve hundred persons each should be settled on quantities of land of from 1,000 to 1,500 acres, all living in one large building in the form of a square, with public kitchen and mess-rooms. Each family should have its own private apartments, and the entire care of the children till the age of three, after which they should be brought up by the community, their parents having access to them at meals and all other proper times. These communities might be established by individuals, by parishes, by counties, or by the state; in every case there should be effective supervision by duly qualified persons. Work, and the enjoyment of its results, should be in common. The size of his community was no doubt suggested partly by his village of New Lanark; and he soon proceeded to advocate such a scheme as the best form for the reorganization of society in general. See Socialism ; New Harmony