ed democracy grows ambitious and evolves a lust
for power, men say, "Back to Jefferson!"

In business, when employer forgets employee and both forget their better
manhood, we say, "Back to Robert Owen!"

We will not go back to Robert Owen: we will go on to Robert Owen, for
his philosophy is still in the vanguard.

Robert Owen was a businessman. His first intent was to attain a
practical success. He produced the article, and sold it at a profit.

In this operation of taking raw material and manufacturing it into forms
of use and beauty--from the time the seed was planted in the ground on
up to the consumer who purchased the finished fabric and wove it--Owen
believed that all should profit--all should be made happier by every
transaction.

That is to say, Robert Owen believed that a business transaction where
both sides do not make money is immoral.

There is a legal maxim still cited in the courts--"Caveat emptor"--let
the buyer beware.

For this maxim Robert Owen had no respect. He scorned the thought of
selling a man something the man did not want, or of selling an article
for anything except exactly what it was, or of exacting a price for it,
by hook or crook, beyond its value.

Robert Owen believed in himself, and in his product, and he believed in
the people. He was a democratic optimist. He had faith in the demos; and
the reason was that his estimate of the people was formed by seeing into
his own heart. He realized that he was a part of the people, and he knew
that he wanted nothing for himself which the world could not have on the
same terms. He looked into the calm depths of his own heart and saw that
he hated tyranny, pretense, vice, hypocrisy, extravagance and untruth.
He knew in the silence of his own soul that he loved harmony, health,
industry, reciprocity, truth and helpfulness. His desire was to benefit
mankind, and to help himself by helping others.

Therefore he concluded that, the source of all life being the same, he
was but a sample of the average man, and all men would, if not
intimidated and repressed, desire what he desired.

When physically depressed, through lack of diversified exercise, bad air
or wrong conditions, he realized that his mind was apt to be at war, not
only with its best self, but with any person who chanced to be near.
From this he argued that all departures in society were occasioned by
wrong physical conditions, and in order to get a full and free
expression of the