10th October 1820
This day hath been mark’d by such a stirring of the Soul as I have not experienc’d these many months past. I am return’d this evening from St Peter’s Field in Manchester, that ground which bore witness last year to scenes of such terrible discord, and yet I found myself this afternoon fill’d with a Joy most unexpected – nay, a Joy I dare say was place’d within my breast by the Almighty Hand Himself.
I had journey’d thither to examine the new water-wheel mechanism at the mill near by, but found myself drawn across that now-quiet field where so many fell beneath the sabres. The autumn sun broke through the clouds as I stood upon that troubled earth, and I confess I was overcome. A vision came upon me – whether sleeping or waking I cannot with certainty declare, for I had sat down upon a stone to rest – and in this vision I saw the very machines I labour to perfect transform’d into instruments not of mere Commerce, but of Deliverance for the Common Man. I beheld spinning-frames and weaving-engines operated by the Poor themselves, their children fed and school’d, their countenances no longer mark’d by the desperate want I witness daily in these manufactories.
The Book of Joel speaketh true: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” I am neither young nor old, but perchance the Lord seeth fit to grant such glimpses even to an humble mechanic who worketh with his hands amongst wheels and gears.
The question hath pursued me these several days past, plac’d into my thoughts as surely as if an Angel whisper’d it into my ear whilst I labour’d over my draughts: If the Lord saw fit to place a great fortune of ten thousand pounds into my stewardship, to dispense amongst my fellow men as an act of Christian charity, to whom would I direct such bounty, and for what moral purpose?
I have turn’d this matter over in my mind with great Seriousness, and my answer is thus: I would establish a School of Mechanicks for the sons of labouring men, that they might learn not merely to serve the engines of Industry, but to master them, to improve upon them, to become themselves the architects of Progress. I would endow Workshops where Invention might flourish amongst those whose hands are already skilled, but whose minds have been denied the cultivation afforded to men of Property. For is it not written that we are to be stewards of the Gifts God hath bestow’d? And surely the Gift of Reason and the capacity for Ingenuity are scatter’d amongst all ranks of Men.
Furthermore, I would direct a portion of such bounty towards the Widows and Orphans of those who fell upon this very field where I stood this day. Their suffering continueth whilst the Nation concerneth itself with the Queen’s Trial and matters of State. These humble souls require bread and shelter, not merely prayers – though prayers I offer aplenty.
The vision I experienc’d this afternoon hath fortified my Belief that my work with mechanical contrivances is not merely worldly Labour, but a calling plac’d upon me by Divine Will. Each improvement to the efficiency of an engine, each innovation that might ease the burden of toil, bringeth us closer to that Kingdom which our Saviour promis’d. I have been too long troubl’d by doubts – wondering whether my tinkering with cogs and levers serveth God or Mammon – but today I felt with perfect Certainty that the two need not stand in opposition.
The dreams that visit me in sleep have of late been fill’d with visions of machines not yet built, of movements and mechanisms that seem to operate by Laws I have not yet grasp’d. I record these visions faithfully in my sketch-book, for I believe the Lord may speaketh through such night-time visitations, even as He spoke to Joseph in Egypt, granting him understanding of Pharaoh’s dreams.
As I departed that field this evening, the sun setting across the horizon in hues of gold and crimson, I felt such Gratitude for this Life, for the Gift of a mind that delighteth in understanding how things work, and for the Hope – nay, the Conviction – that my labours might yet serve some Higher Purpose. The tumult and agitation that troubleth this Kingdom shall pass, but the improvements we make to ease the lot of our fellow creatures shall endure.
I am reminded of the words of the Psalmist: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” And so I do rejoice, even standing upon ground water’d with blood and tears, for I have seen in vision what might yet be accomplish’d if men of good will direct their Talents towards the elevation of their Brothers rather than their exploitation.
May the Lord grant me strength to continue in this work, and may He forgive my moments of Doubt and Despair. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and we are call’d to labour towards its establishment here upon Earth, through whatever means He hath granted us – be they Sermons or steam-engines, Prayers or pulleys.
Early Industrial Britain and the reform unrest frame this entry’s setting, with Manchester’s St Peter’s Field – site of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre – looming over the inventor’s reflections on faith and machinery. Peterloo occurred when cavalry charged a peaceful crowd demanding parliamentary reform, killing at least a dozen and injuring hundreds. In its aftermath, the government passed the Six Acts to suppress radical assembly and the press, intensifying surveillance and curbing dissent. Public outrage helped sustain the reform movement through the 1820s, alongside the Queen Caroline affair that polarised opinion. Though change was delayed, pressure culminated in the 1832 Reform Act, expanding the electorate and redistributing seats.
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