Lanark

Cabinet 5

The cotton mill town of New Lanark, just over 2 kilometres from Lanark, was founded by David Dale in 1786.

Liberty and Equality Weighed in the Balance, and Found Wanting.

He was assisted by his son-in-law, Robert Owen, founder of the concept of utopian socialism. With a clean industrial environment, a happy workforce, and good business practices, New Lanark was a success, proving an excellent model for furthering social and welfare reforms. Yet no matter how ideal the situation, there is always dissent.

Although printed in Edinburgh, this vitriolic attack on Thomas Paine, his stand on established religion, and his advocacy of ‘liberty and equality’ may have reached readers (‘Shopkeepers, Mechanics, and Labourers’) in New Lanark.

Liberty and Equality Weighed in the Balance, and Found Wanting: In a Series of Arguments and Queries Addressed to the Farmers, Shopkeepers, Mechanics, and Labourers of Scotland. Edinburgh: Printed for J. Dickson, and J. and J. Fairbairn, 1793.