more plainly speaking, to erroneous and false teaching. The mischief has been done by undue attachment to man, and unblushingly perpetrated by a succession of men called clergy, who I am sorry to say have been the greatest destruction to mankind of any other class of individuals that ever dwelt on the face of the earth, by leading people astray, and turning them from the truth. They have "poisoned the fountain of life, "—they "have taken away the key of knowledge,"-have made merchandise of the souls and bodies of men! They have prohibited freedom of thought, and deprived the conscience of the just exercise of the judgment of the people, whom God by his Gospel makes free.

Unitarians, bear in mind, I beseech you, how I am strenuously advocating the cause of your professedly avowed creed, which is the Bible; at least the Bible, and it only, was the openly ac knowledged creed of the original Unitarians, for which they have suffered exceeding great persecution, even unto death! So that if you act consistently in this enlightened age of Christianity, when no persecution abounds, you can have no objection to allow the Bible to speak for itself, and of being its own interpreter, and in this admission you are constrained to listen to, and weigh the truth of the sentiments which I advance, which if you compare to the Bible, you will prove to be found there, as "the very doctrine of God the Saviour."

Though I am an original Unitarian myself, yet I cannot help confessing that I am rigidly opposed to the clerical influence, and priestly domination by which many of those distinguished by the name of Unitarians of the present day, are chained down and grossly entangled! Many of them admire, and contend for the priesthood, as well as other sects. But I have no hesitation in avowing, that I am the decided foe of every species of priestcraft and intolerance, in whatever shape or guise these may appear, whether habited in the gorgeous vestments, and armed with the temporal authority of a worldly establishment, or in the lowlier garb, and with the modified pretensions of Dissenterism.Whether exercising the sway of man's authority, and lording it over the conscience, under the name of Pastor, Elder, or Preacher, or whether bowing to, or crouching before the brandished Crozier, in pomp and triumph, under the episcopal jurisdiction of the hierarchy of a Pope or an Archbishop, I feel equally opposed, as the proceedings of the workings of anti-christ.

The desired object at which I am aiming in these short addresses, is, to admonish men of the necessity of opening their own eyes, and searching for truth, which would render them in religious and political matters completely independent of their fellow men, by inducing them to become acquainted with the Scriptures, which would make them free indeed; satisfied that the knowledge of divine truth alone can rescue them from that debasing thral

dom and subjection to human authority in which, in opposition to the genius and spirit of Christianity, they have for ages, by the craft of designing men, and their own folly, been kept bound and fettered! My opposition is not confined to any one denomination, but to all religious establishments, and to all systems of corrupted Christianity among Churchmen and Dissenters, seeing that the smaller sectarians as well as the higher churches, have their various grades of priests, and that all of them in a variety of ways in the same spirit, labor under the pernicious and doleful control of priestcraft!

In order to prescribe the ready remedy for rectifying these gla ring abuses, and the redressing of all religious grievances, I would seriously call the attention of my fellow sinners to a consideration of the manner in which "the Great High Priest and Bishop of the souls of men, Jesus Christ, who was the last Priest who officiated on earth by the Will of God, to offer sacrifices for sins, offered himself without spot to God, that all men applying to the Father through him, might be accepted in him, as their Redeemer and Mediator, and how "he has left his people an example to follow his steps." He has instituted and established Laws in his Kingdom, or Church, for the government of his children, which are neither grievous to be obeyed, nor burthensome to be borne. In their assembling together for the purpose of worshipping him as their head, and acknowledging no other, they have unerring examples for what they should attend to, and are to act as a free, independent and sovereign people, as they are all in the Scriptures described as "Kings and Priests unto God," and are strictly prohibited being men worshippers.

The New Testament prescribes nothing for them calculated to attract the attention, or to excite the admiration of any who would feign swagger to "make a fair show in the flesh," or who would "have itching ears" to hanker after strange doctrines couched in "swelling words of vanity," and dressed in luminous orations.

And being seriously ayprehensive of perverting the truth by listening to "enticing words of men's wisdom," or by secretly putting their own glosses on the sacred Oracles, they give no long harangues or exhortations themselves, but hear the Scriptures teach the language of inspiration, and talk to, and comfort each other by the word of God; and instead of "feeding upon husks," seek for the bread of life, and living waters, to traverse through and feed upon the wide fields of luxuriant pasture open to them in Revelation, and to have continual recourse for instruction to the Records of the Legislation of the Kingdom of God.

They desire no preachers, no expositors or expounders of the Word, but those whom God hath sent from, and commissioned by himself; no standing Ministry, but that of the Apostles, and to have an attentive ear to it, and though the poor heralds of God are long dead, and their memory generally disregarded, if not

almost forgotten under the shroud of oblivion, in consequence of the vast number of various pretended successors who have stepped forth in their stead, still they speak language not displeasing to the ears of the disciples of Christ. And notwithstanding the mean and despicable appearance of the Apostles, and the lowliness and obscurity of their character, yet it may be confidently asserted, that "the children of light," deem them more worthy of credit, than the most renowned and learned Rabbies, the wisest of philosophers, or the most respectable of living tribunals. Farewell!

The exposition of the views, (see page 553,) which led the Practical Christians to organise themselves into a new Associa tion, has been inserted from a wish to attract attention to a remarkable sign of our times, and from a feeling, that this manly statement of Adin Ballou deserves a wide circulation. Neither time nor ability at present permits a thorough discussion of Associated Labor. But not on that account should an expression of faith be withheld, that these Associations are among the most encouraging manifestations of our age. The failure of Owen's miserably contrived, worse executed scheme, has done much to disgust men, with any plan of combined industry; because most people are so busily absorbed in their own affairs, that they judge rashly and superficially. It is matter for rejoicing, therefore, that the Practical Christians, have made the next attempt at realizing the benefits of Association, if for no stronger reasons, yet because it will put down the boyish and weak cry, that radicalism and Atheism are synonymous. Loafers and idle aspirants are not the only discontented persons in our communities. In all denominations of Christians are many who can no longer resist the conviction, that property should not be the basis of society, that wealth should not be the test of worth, that commerce should not, and need not be a preying of the able upon the weak, of the well-informed upon the ignorant, of the cunning upon the simple; who have at last listened to this horrible spectre of pauperism, which with skeleton form, that nothing fattens, stalks in our midst, crying, Give, Give, and are satisfied that a civilization, forever multiplying paupers, as our present civilization is doing throughout Europe and this country, must be rotten. There are thousands, in all the free states at least, who begin to think it an outrage against humanity, that multitudes should live for nothing but drudging, degrading, unceasing mechanical toil-when so plainly nature teaches us that labor was meant to be, and ought VOL. VIII.-72.

tastes.

to be the means of calling out rejoicing energy, and health of body and of mind; and who conclude, therefore, that all should labor, but none to excessive exhaustion, and that all too should have leisure for the culture of their highest powers and purest There are thousands who are persuaded, that simple enjoyments, aye! the highest delights of gratified taste should be, and may be shared by the many, instead of luxuries being monopolized as they are, by the few, to their own harm, and the community's loss; and not a few shrewd men think they see, that vast economies may be introduced into the common modes of producing and distributing wealth, in place of present waste. In a word, there are very many good Christians and good Men, who are Utopian enough to believe, that the end of life is to live, and not merely to get a living; who are persuaded that not the few alone, but the many, all indeed, can and should learn and enjoy, and live in kindness and justice. They are convinced that the tendency of Christian love, and of democratic institutions is towards this state of equality, and have little faith therefore in the sincerity of the religion or the wisdom of the policy, which does not seek hopefully, boldly, the elevation of every individual in every class, by organizing such social institutions and habits, as are fitted to develope all powers of mind and heart. Now it may well be, that Associations will be a necessary step in the process of this Reform. But whether necessary or not, it seems probable, that they will be thoroughly tried in this country, before a long time shall elapse. Still a reflecting man will scarcely regard Associations as the last phase of the great revolution, which has been so long in progress, from servitude to freedom. He will rather look upon them as merely a transition from the present Utilitarian and Selfish Era, to a later state of Justice and Peace, the Era of Individuality. Associations are the ganglions of a new social Organization. Success to our friends at Mendon, Newton, and elsewhere, the success they deserve. There is reason to hope too, that some plan of Associated labor will be tried in Ohio. Let these various plans be different! As they all must necessarily be experiments, the greater the variety in modes the better. The men and women who enter into these Associations, will probably be called to make sacrifices, perhaps great sacrifices. But society at large and the race will learn from their trials, from their success, invaluable lessons. Any who may wish to know more upon this subject of Associated Labor, are referred to the "Practical Christian" published at Mendon, Mass., to the "Future" published in New York, to the "Phalanx" published in Philadelphia, and lastly to "Brisbane on Association." Readers will probably by no means agree with all the views presented by the different writers in these publications. What then? Why should we be forever taking one-sided and partisan views? Must we be always wholly opposed to or wholly

in favor of measures or men? The true wisdom is to gather the gold from all streams. Meanwhile, who cannot sympathise with the sage and moderate, readet, now smiling at the extravagance or angry at the rashness of these remarks? So wishing to part on good terms and in good humor, let us wind up with the following amusing jeu d'esprit.

W. H. C.

A STORY FROM THE GERMAN OF NUTCRACKER.

There was once an old gentleman, who had grown very much fatigued with his existence; in fact, he was so tired that he didn't know what to do. He looked back from where he stood in his gouty shoes, upon that still, clear spring out of which flowed the pure waters of his childhood. He saw the beautiful flowers on the grassy bank, the tall trees, and the colors of the gay birds as their plumage flashed in the sunlight. But he had now become so old and gouty, that verily! all these right merry things only set him to yawning. He also saw how he had been instructed in his early manhood in the fine arts, some architectures, and high-built churches ornamented with many a shooting, golden spire; he remembered what graceful poems he had been used to read, and many strange and fantastical speculations upon the stars, mythology, and the like. He well recollected his old companions those, who had been his playmates; those with whom he had jested, and laughed, and wept. But alas! what were all these things to him now. He felt cold; he had got the gout; his teeth were all rotted out of his jaws; poor, old gentleman, what could he do, but make him a wicker-basket; therein might he sit,

Safe and secure from all harm,

And keep those gouty toes of his-warm.

The translator learns from a friend, that the basket, is nothing but one of Brisbane's Phalanxes, with a strong cover corded down to a thick white-oak pin-and that the old gentleman with the gout is-Society. Y. Y.

THE DIAL.

We have said not a word of the Dial, for we are slow to praise our own family, and the writers in this Periodical, are our dear friends. Therefore, one word, only, Readers! Believe not the Geese, who have hissed their loudest at this new comer. Such foolish creatures cannot save the Capitol. The Dial marks an Era in American Literature; it is the wind-flower of a new spring in the western world. For profound thought, a pure tone of personal and social morality,-wise criticism,-and fresh beauty, the Dial has never been equalled in America. Subscribe for it as you love yourselves.