On Free Agency. Report from the Agricultural Department. The months of November and December having been favourable for Farming operations, the most of the ground has been turned up that is intended for Drill crop and Summer fallow; only about three acres remaining to be trenched for that purpose. There are about forty acres sown in Wheat, all looking well: the Turnip has turned out a good crop, and is now of great benefit to the Cows in this season of scarcity of fodder. About a quarter of an acre was sown in Carrots, one fall of which was pulled, and sold in Hamilton at Is. 4d. per stone, yeilding 8s. 4d. per fall, or £66. 13.4. per acre. The Oat crop, like the generality of the Country, was short, nor could a good crop have been expected, although the season had been favourable, the ground having been left by the late Tenants in a most foul and impoverished state. The Dairy of eleven Cows, which was not bought in till near the middle of June, has yeilded above £130. but would have produced more, had the Cows got green food in the house, which unfortunately was very short. J. Hutton Superintendent. ON FREE AGENCY. THIS is a question of the very first importance to the human race. A question the. misunderstanding of which has precipitated man into the most profound ignorance and abject slavery. The doctrine of man's free agency has spread devastation and death over the face of this fair world. Nothing but the false and imaginary notion of man's free agency would have raised huge armies to carry warfare into distant reIt is gions, to murder brother man. the fertile source of nearly all the evils that afflict mankind. I would ask the question, At what period of life does man become a free agent? Is it in the embryo? Is it prior to his being born into the world? Surely no. Has the infant in the womb of the mother any choice? Can it be born of white or of black parents, at will; of this or any other country? Has it a choice of being, male or female, rich or poor, strong or weak, wise or idiotical? The man who would answer these in the affirmative, must be traitor to every principle of rationality. Again I would ask, at What period of life does man become a free agent? Is it when suckled at his mother's bosom, and dandled upon her knee? Has he at this early period of his existence, a choice of what his future life will be? How is it then that so many poor, and miserable, wretched, blind, and naked creatures do exist? I would answer, because man has no power over the circumstances that have made him what he is. His organs are formed for him, the circumstances into which he is placed, are, altogether independent of him: man is then the creature of circumstances. If I was a free agent, I would not be bound by any chains, nor controlled by any circumstances; I would soar above this world, and climb the steeps of hea ven. I would visit the planets of other systems, and perambulate among the suns. I would survey nature's illimitable expanse, and number her countless worlds. I would visit the inhabitants of other regions, and fathom unfathomable space. I would discover nature's hidden laws, and make myself acquainted with allthings. But I have only to look to myself, and one moment's reflection convinces me, that this, alas! is not the case, I am bound by eternal laws, to a solitary speck in nature's vast domain. And suppose I› could defy gravitation's eternal law; a few miles above the surface of this ball, would be the limit of my elevation. The rarification of the air would not afford sufficiency of oxygen for the play of my animal functions. How then am I free?! Tell me this, ye who advocate for a phan tom. It seems to be one of nature's immutaable laws, that nothing can act, until it is first acted upon. And it is a well known fact, that if two equal forces act in opposite directions upon a hody, it will remain at rest, and would for ever remain, unless the one or the other gains the ascendency, or another force acts in another direction. It is the same with the mind of man. When he is assailed by two motives, equally powerful, and in opposite directions, the Will is suspended, and will continue so, until the one or the other gains the ascendency, and destroys the equilibrium. The Will itself is not free, but is com pelled, by circumstances, to adopt that which seems most eligible. Man, in every moment of his existence, is the creature of circumstances, all his actions are the effects of causes, over which he has no control. To be free, is to act without a cause; a thing absurd in the extreme, and which has no existence in nature. Man's whole life, from beginning to end, is one continued effort to gain happiness. This is not the case with man alone, but with all animated beings, from the least to the greatest. If man was a free agent, an effort would be useless, the volition of the will would be sufficient to gain the point. Was I a free agent, I would immediately become the happiest, the wisest, and the best, of all mankind. Man is hemmed in upon every side, the sphere of his action is circumscribed within very narrow bounds, he occupies but a very small portion of space, and a very inconsiderable point in eternity. Man is then the creature of circumstances, and not free. If it is true that the doctrine of man's free agency has, and still continues to be, the cause of much evil in this world; the Doctrine of circumstances must have an opposite effect; for light is not more opposed to darkness, than the doctrine of circumstances is to that of free agency. Opposite causes produces opposite effects. To the mind of the contemplative beholder, there is laid open to view, a scene trans portingly grand. The day has already dawned. The Sun of Righteousness already shoots his beams along the horizon of our World, and with a geometrical progression, marches forth towards the zenith of his glory. Zion's Walls already point towards the heavens, and promise soon to crown the human family with the blessings of Society. Hitherto, no Society hath existed, all hath been opposition, all hath been ill will and hatred to one another public murder, and private Animosity, hath been the theme; destruction and death, the glory of the world. are few, but few as they are, the work is begun, and ere long, will be crowned with abundance of success. The march of truth will be steady, uniform, and irresistible,-conquering in all directions; nor will She weary or faint in the way, until, She has for her diadem, the salvation of the world. The result of the doctrine of circumstances, with all its concomitant properties, will be a reign of triumphant peace. Knowledge will run and have free course, and be glorified; nor will it know any limit. The human race will be enclosed in the arms of benevolence, and send forth the anthems of one harmonious and universal family. If man In whatever way we view the Children of Men, either in the aggregate as nations, or as individuals, it is manifest they are the creatures of circumstances. was a free agent would he suffer himself to be pained, dragged through a wretched existence, and at last make his exit in agony? I answer no. If nations were free, would they suffer themselves to be overcome by other nations, to have their country invaded, their cities and towns laid waste with devouring fire, their stately temples and palaces levelled with the ground, themselves led captive into strange countries, and shed their blood under the iron rod of tyranny? I answer no. If provinces and towns were free, where would be the necessity of petitioning their Governors and Legislators for redress and for relief? With their freedom they would control the circumstances that surrounded them, they would emancipate themselves from thraldom, and rise superior to all their miseries. To me, the word freedom is a vague unmeaning sound, a phantom of the imagination, a non-existence. Ye advocates for this nothing, shew us the man that is free, and tell us wherein his freedom consists ? We have heard much about it, but it has never been exhibited to our view, nor made evident to our understandings. (to be continued.) The harvest is great, and the labourers Published by W. R. M'PHUN, Bookseller, 86 Trongate, Glasgow, (to whom all communications, from the country, for the Editor, are to be addressed, post free)— Sold also by D. CAMPBELL, 43 Nelson Street, Glasgow; at the ORBISTON BAZAAR; LONDON CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY, 36 Red Lion Square, and STUART, Cheapside, London; A. MILLAR, Hamilton; SUTHERLAND, Calton Street, Edinburgh; CALDWELL, Paisley; SHEPHERD & Co. Lanark ; A. PICKEN & Co. Liverpool; J. HEATON & Co. Leeds; COOPER, Birmingham; GRAHAM, College Green, Dublin; Lortus, 107 Patrick Street, Cork; ARCHER, Belfast. Edited by H. Kirkpatrick. Printed at the Orbiston Press. TO THE MEMBERS OF THE FIRST SOCIETY I DULY got your letter, numerously signed. A belief that such impressions (as this letter contains) exist on the minds of so many intelligent and respectable Individuals, is certainly gratifying to my feelings. Nothing on earth could be farther from my intentions, than that the Society should be injured in any way by the confidence which they have placed in me; and in order to guard them against all chance of this, I would recommend that the words of Individuals be attended to only in proportion as their actions tend to confirm their sincerity. We see Individuals make fine speeches, about "the Good of the Community;" and we see the sole attention of the same individuals directed to pampering themselves under the guidance of weak, foolish, and false ambition; which only tends to increase their uneasy feelings. They should either do something or be silent. But as even the children at Orbiston are now aware, that we are entitled to respect only in proportion as our efforts tend to promote the General Good of the Society, it is to be hoped, that even the weakest of our associates will see the folly of attempting to gain it in any other way. All the ill-will that exists among us, arises from a want of knowledge of our nature. It arises from the Old Notion that we are free agents, guided and governed by a judgment formed by ourselves. Yet no truth was ever more evident (when understood) than the reverse of this. But it is of no use to say this and to acknowledge it, if we proceed to act as if it were false. If we really perceive the Truth of it, it will have a most beneficial effect upon all our actions; for we shall then perceive that no hunian Being is accountable, beyond the natural consequences, for any of his actions, and consequently, though we may feel pity, yet we shall not be able to entertain a hostile feeling to those who act wrong. Those who are unacquainted with this subject, are apt to VOL. II. PRICE 2d. imagine, that Vice and Crime, under such a System, must go unpunished, and virtue unrewarded. No idea can be farther from the Truth. Make the action known, and by the Law of Nature, the Reward or Punishment will follow, as certain as any other event in the course of Nature. He who would seek any other punishment to be inflicted on any of his fellows, is himself under the dominion of Error. It is true that, besides this, Vice must be counteracted. That is, we must use all the means in our power to prevent the repetition of theft, and all such injurious actions; but still it will be found, that we can effectually accomplish this without having any angry feeling against the unfortunate individuals who, by a deficiency of Judgment, are thus made objects of pity in the eyes of the Community. We are apt to feel uneasy when any individual backbites and vilifies us, where we have no opportunity of making the Truth known; but when we reflect that the said individual must either believe what he states to be true, or know it to be false, and that in the first case, he has either been deceived himself, or our conduct has forced him to think as he does, (in neither of which points is he really to blame) or, on the other hand, he must state broadly what he knows to be false, which proves that his judgment must be disordered, for he truly injures himself more than others, and becomes an object of real sympathy in the eyes of the Community. We shall be astonished to perceive the wonderful simplicity and perfect efficacy of the Laws of Nature, when we shall see them in full operation without the intervention and counteraction of Force and Fraud, which ignorant men have been always so anxious to introduce in aid of them; for there is no vice or crime from that of mere personal or domestic filthi ness, to the foulest robbery or murder, to which these laws do not attach an adequate and corresponding punishment. And it does this by merely leaving the individual to the feelings which naturally B arise within him when the action is made known. Indeed, publicity forms a punishment rather too severe, and it ought never to be resorted to unless in cases of necessity; that is, when the individuals persevere in doing wrong and refuse to alter. In such cases we have only to let their conduct be known as it is manifested, and we may rely with the utmost confidence on the result. The Eye of the Community, and the inward feeling produced, will soon either create a change of conduct, or make the individual retire from the Society. It is an axiom in the New System, that in all quarrels. both parties are deficient in true knowledge. A real disciple of the New System could not feel hostility to the individuals who came to take his life, more at least, than he would feel to the rock which was about to fall upon him. He would no doubt, do all in his power to prevent injury in the one case, as well as the other, and he would accomplish his purpose as effectually without anger in the one case as in the other. Every individual who feels hostility to another, or who desires artificial revenge, is in an unhappy condition. He is suffering mental pain, from which nothing but sound knowledge will free him, and it becomes the duty of his more fortunate brethren to sympathize with him, and to do all in their power to communicate this knowledge to him. This doctrine also leads to the conclusion that, all praises of individuals is unmerited, seeing that each can only do what is least painful or most pleasing to himself; but still, we are so formed, that we derive pleasure from a reference to any of our actions which have been beneficial to Society, as we also derive pain from a reference to actions of an opposite tendency; and we continue to feel these emotions, whatever our ideas of free agency may be. These are the true and natural rewards and punishments; ard under a System of Justice, no other are requisite. For instance, If A. B. arise at midnight and ring the Great Bell for ten minutes, to the alarm and distur. bance of the whole Establishment, we are apt to think that he ought to be called to account for such conduct; but we have only to let the author be known, and the idea of having been made an instrument to disturb and annoy a whole Society, will be so painful to his mind, that all rational individuals will feel pity rather than anger towards him. In a letter lately published in the Register, signed W. T. the Writer seemed to imagine that we had begun, at Orbiston, "under false colours." The only meaning that I can attach to this expression is, that "we had acted on a wrong principle," and the mind of its author seemed deeply imbued with the notion, that, Mutual Co-operation was nothing without Equal Distribution. This notion does not appear to be well founded, because, Mutual Co-operation under arrangements which unite a whole Society as one family, and by which all the "profit" of all the Departments is equally shared among all the members; where all the land and workshops are the property of the Society and not of individuals; where all put in and all draw out from one store,-where all the children are treated as one family; and where the interest of no individual is placed in opposition to that of another; these certainly are advantages worth retaining, and all these advantages were comprehended in our first arrangements. Our leading object is, to "banish Poverty and Vice," and the first of these is the cause, in a great degree, of the last. Industry and Economy will effectually accomplish this, either with or without Equal Distribution; therefore, we really ought not to feel any thing like hostility to those who are inclined to retain the full produce of their labour. We should recollect, that they have no power to feel otherwise, and therefore we ought to wait patiently till a change in their inclinations be effected. I have just seen the 25th Number of the Register; with the exception of a few sentences of unmerited praise of individuals (which is contrary to the New System) it is an interesting document, and manifests abundant capacity in the Society for conducting it successfully; I trust they will be enabled to do so. I have great pleasure in hearing of your prosperity, and as a motive to union and good fellowship, I may state that, out of the Society, our "friends" are exceedingly limited in number, I mean our real friends, or those who manifest by their actions a desire to assist in the great undertaking. This will be the case while our object and principles are unknown. But it is a great consolation to believe, that our success is within our own power, and that the comforts will increase, as well as the Beauties of the Situation, with the age of the Establishment. This is truly a cheering reflection, when we consider what nine months have accomplished, ABRAM COMBE. ON FREE AGENCY. (continued from page 8.) The Riddle. Tell us ye proud advocates for freedom What one thing there is that is free, and where in all nature, it exists? Tell us, condescend to tell us, I beseech you, nor keep us longer in suspence, what thing there is that exists independent of a cause, and which has no controlling circumstances; for such must be the thing that is free, and such a thing I presume has no existence. Notwithstanding all the boasted free agency that is continually asserted by almost every sect of religionists, they, at the same time, continually preach and teach, that nothing, short of Almighty Power, is able to destroy the wicked desires of their hearts, and create right spirits within them. Is this not glaringly absurd? They are free agents, they can do any thing they choose, and yet nothing short of the Infinite Power of God can change the inclinations of their wicked hearts, or take away their abominable desires. This is strange free agency with a witness. But again, do not all religionists affirm, that it is in God we live and move and have our being. He is our Creator, not we ourselves. He is the Potter, we the clay. We cannot make one hair of our heads white or black, nor add one cubit to our stature. Would any of the advocates for free agency be so good as to inform us, for what purpose such large and expensive Priesthood establishments are kept up in the world? Are they not, according to their own principles, so many good circumstances, calculated as they think, to keep vice and immorality in check? For what purpose are there so many Sabbath evening Schools erected, in almost every town and hamlet in the empire? Are they not, according to their own principles, so many good circumstances, placed around the young and rising generation to improve their minds, and make them good and religious? For what purpose are there so many prisons and so many prisoners,-so many fines and confiscations,- -so many banishments and transportations for life,so many exhibitions of whipping and hanging? Are they not, according to their principles, so many good circumstances placed around the present generation, highly calculated, as they think, to make them good and religious? Those are the circumstances in which all the by-past generations of men have been placed, and which, to a demonstration, have been abundantly prolific in the production of Misery. Things are about to take a change. The grand rule for the formation of Character is discovered. The kingdom of darkness and terror will disappear. Our children will be surrounded with favourable circumstances. No more the Petty Tyrannical School-master with his whip, to lash into their infant minds the infernal idea of free agency. Kindness will take the place of cruelty; Love, and not hatred, will be the grand resultant. They will all be taught of God. The knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters do the channel of the sea. The day of redemption is at hand. The ransomed of the Lord will return, with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads, and Sorrow and Sighing shall flee away. Yes, in spite of the united efforts of all the powers of darkness, the world will be emancipated from a gulf of wretchedness. On the horrific ruins of infernal Legends, will be built a reign of Perpetual felicity. The Luminaries of this world will sing together, and all the sons of God shout for joy. W. S. METAPHORICAL SKETCHES-BY A. COMBE, THE RIDDLE, Chapter I-The Decree-The cause of Nature and Ignorance-Mysterious origin of Ignorance-The Riddle-The Commissions-Ignorance steals a march. THE Great and Incomprehensible Power, whose presence animates nature, and regu lates the universe, appears to have decreed, that Nature aud Ignorance should be the mutual enemies of each other, and that the HUMAN MIND should be EQUALLY LIABLE to receive impressions from either. It appears also to be a law, immutably fixed by the same authority, that "the desire of happiness," in man, should be the primary motive to all his actions: that this happiness should be obtained by following Nature under the guidance of Experience; and that Misery and Disappointment should be the perpetual attendants of Ignorance and Error. Man being thus created, as it were, a passive agent in the hands of these great contending powers, his mind, like an empty vessel, was ready to receive, from the ore or the other, whatever they chose to put into it. Himself "the creature of circumstances," without any control over their proceeedings; yet, notwithstanding, he was made, by the law of his nature, an accountable being; for, when Ignorance and Error got possesion of his mind, his happiness was forfeited, and 66 |