The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-03-24
Progress Of the New Philosophy-Idealism
and Materinllsm,

=
and Materialism.
We give toe day report, as far as our limits vii
permit, of the third important and extraordinary
lecture Of Professor Lyell, who may by his talents
and research, justly be considered at the head o.
the modern school Of Gsologsts. This lecture was
even more fully attended than either of the others
by some Of our most wealthy and respectable citi
zens large portion Of which belonged to the
strictly religious class Of Presbyterans Me'hodists
Baptists, &C.; including few of that portion, VINO
believe in direct opposition to the SCRIPTURES, tina
every one will be saved, and are hence called Uni
versaliss of which latter class, the editor CT the
"Tribane," we believe, is leading member.
The progress of the material and ideal philosophy
in the present age, appears to be moinentous and
rapid. 1t is leading to species of teetotalism in
christianity-a sort of milk and water state, by
which religion is Invested of all its fervor and en-
thusiasm confined with squares and paralleloerams
and sript of all its ancient and beautiful grandeur
mystery, faith, and sancty. The tendency OF all
this is to reduce religion TO species OF mathematl'
cal philosophy, in which every thing must be de-
monstrated and proved by lines and angles, and no
thing left for the exercise ofthat high and holy faith
which as we are taught by its founder is the very
frame work of the Christian religion.
These movements Of ideasm and maeralism,
sometimes ONE preponderating, and sometimes ano
ther, originates IN Boston, a curious hot-bed Of
learning, nfdelity, honesty, philosophy, and Chris
tanity. The leaders Of these movements are talen'
ted, shrewd, aud subtle men, and IN our judgment
are at heart generally all indels They so to WORK
very cautiously, and gradually make their ap-
proaches in order to sap the foundations OF Christi
anity. They in this respect seem TO have learnt
wisdom from the daring and reckless examples Oh
Fanny Wright, Robert Owen, and others ana
therefore, they begin by mixing up transcenoenta.
ism Fourier's plan of association, and geological
doubts about the oge ct the earth and celestial mag
netism, and the Graham bred, and living on squashcs
and turulps, and haH dozen other new'fangled no.
tons, with the Christian religion, and thus slowly
and cautiously unsetle the previous firm belief OF
christians in it, deprive il Of grace andsanctty and
bring il down 10 the standard of their new philo'
sophy and associated system CT society. when
this is accomplished they then start new project
and come cut boldly with an attack on the authenti'
city ofthe Bible, as this new set OF philosophers have
actually done. For it is but few days since, they
published their call for convention " to discuss
the cr.dibihty Of Scriptures" the leader OF
which, Emerson, also came on here to broacn
his new philosophy at the Tabernacle, and through
his organ in this city, the Tribune" promulgated
them in Print. In Boston, also Mr.. Lyell the emil
nent Geologist by whose lectures we learn, In rea-
ton to the worlds history, that, He who made II,
and revealed its birth to Moses, was mistaken IN Its
age ,"-frst delivered his lectures. And while bos-
ton thus starts all the new branches of The ideal and
material philosophy, in this city they appear to be
taken up with avdity, and propasated by the "Tri-
bune," which appears to be the exclusive organ OF
these new philosophers in this city. And conse-
quenly, in its columns, daily find full details Of
Transcende ntalism, Fourierism, Grahamism, Ideal
ism Squashism, Materalism, Magnetism, Brisbane
ISM with the new system Of association, spun out at
full length, by which the present ,imehonored state
ofsociety is shown to be altogether wreng- we
have beer going a wrong principle from the days
Of Adam downward, and that therefore all our pre-
sent social system must be scattered to the four
winds Of heaven!
Now then, let the sober, stable, and Christian
portion Of the community, who believe that the
Mosaic account of the Creation is correct TO the lie
ter, as well as the spirit, and who do not want TO
see our present social system broken to fragments,
by this new school Of philosophers, reflect ON the
natural tendency Of all these doctrines When Vol
,aire and his contemporaries were promulgating
their new systems of philosophy and society, which
revolutionzed the religion and government Of
France, the same revolution would have taken
place in England if two men, very nearly equal to
the Apostles, had not risen up in the persons OF
John Wesley and George Whitfield. They saved
the Protestant religion from destruction and the
Roman Catholic priests saved their part OF the
Church And as it was then, so will il be now !;
and, according to our humble judgment, the ancient
principles and practices Of Christianity-that pure
and holy faith, which is the substance Of things
hoped for" are in great danger Of subverson by the
principles oil these new philosophers. Too many Of
our clergy appear TO be much absorbed in looking
after their salaries that they have not time TO step in
and stem this torrent, which must inevitably sweep
all it carries its bosom to the ocean OF infdelity.
We repeat thai, in our opinion, it would not be at
all astonishing, if amid this strange admixture OF
transcendentalsm, and tee-totaism, and material
lem, and magnetism, and idealism, and Fourierisn,
broached by Emerson, and Locke, and Brisbane,
and Greeley, and ethereal eminent and worthy men
in their way, that Christianity would be overturned
for time, if not destroyed unless, perhaps, two
other great men, Joe Smith perhaps or one side, and
some good Catholic on the Other-(not Bishop
Hughes for he ha n't talent eneugh)-should rise up
and put these philosophers to the rout. But where
should we 60 to find Whitfield or Wesley in this
degenerate age!
City Intelligence.
TEMPERANCE AT THE Police OSFIcE.-A NUN.
Der of the officers attached to the lower police efce
have organized "PoEce Temperance Society,"" O
which one of the efficient Justices is the fountain
head. This is all right, and reads upon nobody'
toes except the landlords in the neighborhood of the
Tombs. They will suffer some, and in gooc
cause.
JANE KELLY AGAlN.-This woman, who was com
IN