Robert Owen was born on May 14, 1771 in Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Wales. Being the 6th child out of 7 in the 1700 Robert was lucky to have any education at all, let alone the luxury to learn how to read. At the age of ten Robert was shipped off to London to live with his older brother, seeking a chance to further his education. It didn't take Robert long to find an apprenticeship in a large drapery business in Stamford (Lincolnshire). This was the first look Robert got inside factories of that time.
Because of his passion towards the working world Owen became a manufacturer in no time. Even though Robert wanted to give the people what they wanted, he wasn't willing to sacrifice his workers for it. A major contribution to the working world of this time came from Robert Owen, when he started working for New Lanark. New Lanark was a revelation in the industry of factory work. It was a cotton-spinning mill near Lenark, which took advantage of nearby water sources for power. "New Lanark made Owen's reputation as a philanthropist" (Kreis 1). New Lenark gave children (and other workers) the opportunity to work, learn, and live in a clean, safe environment. "In the preparatory classes all the children learned to read, write and cipher" (Donnachie 1). When Robert was first appointed to the job he was in charge of the "overall management and general policy. His employees did not at first enjoy his attempts to regulate and improve their lives and his paternalism was more rigorous" (Kreis 1) than previous management.
Once people got used to Owen's ways of running New Lenark, things fell into place. The workers were grateful for his help in the factory. Thing got out of hand when Owen's religion came into play. "Owen's explicit denunciation of religion evoked a mounting campaign against him which in later years damaged his public reputation and the work associated with his name" (1). Unfortunately after all his work to help the people, many of them couldn't look past his beliefs and tried to tear him down.
In his later year, Robert's ambitions grew larger than himself. His beliefs developed into much larger things, things that one man couldn't control by himself.
He was convinced that man's character was made for him, rather than by him and that social change would only come from calm reasoning with the leaders of society. He never believed in the independent power of the working classes and he could never conceive that within capitalist society there might be more than one rationally agreed interest.
Robert Owen passed away in1858, at the age of 87.
Bibliographv
Donnachie, I. (2003) 'Education in Robert Owen's New Society: The New Lanark Institute and Schools', the encyclopedia of informal education, www.infed.org/thinkers/et-owen.htm. Last updated: 21 October 2007. 10/21/07.
Kreis, S. (2000) 'The History Guide: Lectures on Modem Eurpoean Intellectual History, Robert Owen.' http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/owen.html. Last updated: May 13, 2004. 10/21/07.
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In Two Rivers, Caleb comes to a point in his life where he needs a break from everything, and everyone. He just wants some time to himself, he wants to take a trip, to "recharge his batteries". When picking a place to journey off to, "Robert Owen's utopian community on the Wabash River" (Barrett 141). was a place described. Robert's community was a place known for relaxation and comfort, even if it was a place of work. People, including Caleb, saw him as a soft man, willing to help others in a time of need.
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