PUBLISHED BY SHERWOOD AND CO., PATERNOSTER ROW, Sold also by the following Agents: Benthem, Market Place; For est, Market Street; and Wroe, Great Ancoats Street, 2 PREFACE. Ir is with no sinall pleasure I now present to my sub. scribers the first volume of The MORAD REFORMER. Of the merits or demerits of the work the public must judge. Com menced by an obscure individual, got up amidst a multitudinous number of engagements, professing to be the organ of no party, and constantly aiming to discountenance the vices of all, the extensive sale of the work cannot but be gratifying to the feelings of its conductor. Conscious of the utility of the undertaking, I commenced in opposition to the persuasions of friends; and in the face of serious losses, which others had sustained by provincial periodicals, I have pressed on confident of success; and though I have had to brave many discouragements, I now take a gratifying retrospect of my twelve months' labour, and feel as vigorous as ever for commencing again with the new year. The preparation of the original articles which appear in this volume has been a great demand upon my time; and when it is considered, that, with a numerous family, I am entirely dependent upon my business for my support, and when my various other engagements are also taken into the ac count, I shall be believed when I say, that nothing but the pleasure I felt in the work could have induced me to persevere, I am often asked, how I find time for all my work; and my answer is, the time which others spend at the pot house, or in visiting and attending parties, I spend in active pursuits; and never taking any liquor at home or elsewhere, my head is seldom out of order; I lose no time in the evenings to extinguish my reason, or in the mornings to try to regain it; and thanks to a kind Providence, my health was never better for many years than it is at this day. Though the articles in this volume are various, yet one ob◄ ject has constantly been kept in view the reformation and hap, piness of mankind. It was never expected that this work would come in close contact with the most vicious part of our popu lation, and therefore its object has been rather, to arouse the energies of all parties to begin to labour among the dissolute, for the purpose of correcting their vicious habits, tracing the immediate and distant causes of the evils which af flict this country, I could not pass over the Established Church ; In and without a single ill feeling towards any of its members, I have not attempted to disguise my conviction, that it is one of the greatest obstacles to the peace, unanimity, and happiness of the people. The Reformier is now extensively read, and from the tone of those amongst whom it circulates, it is evident its reinarks are not forgotten. I presume that it has already done some good, and that the seed which has been sown will yet bring forth more fruit every year. Mo To all my contributors 1 offer my thanks, to those whose articles have not been inserted, as well as to those whose communications form a part of this volume; and I invite both to participate in the only reward I myself enjoy the pleasure and satisfaction of attempting to better the condition of man, ral reform is an exhaustless subject; and I hope I may look forward with confidence to all those correspondents, whatever their peculiarities in other respects, who approve of the object pursued in this work. As for myself, I can say, sincerely, that iny best exertions shall not be wanting to make The MORal Reformer increasingly useful. I expected to be able, at this time, to lay before my subscribers a particular statement of the financial part of the business; but I find it impossible to do so at present, I have sent parcels to about sixty places, from many of which no returns have been received; and as I have printed 500 copies monthly more than I originally intended, a considerable number are yet unsold. About 500 copies are sold monthly at half price; and when the commission, carriage, losses, and broken sets are calculated, those sold at the regular price will not yield more than half price to me. The expence of advertising has been very heavy: this, together with the duty, postages, carriages, and incidentals, amount to £45. This, added to the cost of printing, make the whole sum expended to something more than £200. When the numbers on hand are sold, of which I have no doubt, my own calculation is, that I shall be minus for the year about £25. This, besides all my labour, is certainly a loss; but it is much less than I had reason to expect. Most of the expences will not occur again; the work is now established, and pretty extensively known; and I proceed to a second volume without any diminution of confidence in the result. One great cause of loss in periodicals is the sale of odd numbers, producing broken sets, and therefore I have come to the determination of allowing any person engaging to take a dozen copies monthly, for the whole of the ensuing year, to have them at 3d. each. J. LIVESEY. Preston, December 1, 1831. No. 1.] THE MORAL REFORMER. JANUARY 1, 1831. [VOL. I. A STATEMENT OF THE IMMORALITY AND IRRELIGION OF THE AGE; AND AN ATTEMPT TO POINT OUT THE CAUSES AND REMEDIES. We live in an age distinguished for extensive research and strict investigation, and the effect of this scrutinizing spirit is visible upon all our social institutions. Men have not merely exerted their abilities in pointing out the defects of old systems, but, in many cases, have suggested and adopted salutary reforms. The policy of nations is a popular subject of discussion, and changes and reforms are constantly urged in reference to existing abuses. To enumerate and classify these, as they appear every day in the public prints, would shew that, however little seems to be accomplished, the people are alive to such changes as they consider necessary to improve the condition of society. Whilst, upon the whole, I admire this spirit of activity, it constantly occurs to me that our reformers are working at the wrong end, and to this chiefly is to be attributed the little fruit which has hitherto resulted from their labours. If a general change is looked for, each element concerned must first be fitted for that change, and especially that which gives tone and vigour to all the rest. All the wheels of a machine may be correctly placed, but if the power of the main spring be wanting, it cannot proceed. How many institutions, formed upon the best model, possessing the best external regulations, and speaking largely in reports, have neither energy or usefulness! Religious principle and moral character are wanting; these are the true base of every improvement; and were it possible to advance to the greatest degree of theoretical perfection, the permanent happiness of the people, without the influence of these, can never be attained. Most people are anxious to improve the bodily part of our institutions, and many are deceived by these attempts, but few have turned their attention to the life-giving vigour of moral principle and moral feeling, without which all beside is but as a dead letter. |