The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1847-02-21
Professor BrOwnsOn's Lecture on the RevO-
lutiOnary Spirit OF the Age

Professor Brownson's Lecture on the Revo-
lutiOnary Spirit OF the Age
| Professor Brownson, who is SO well kno wn
| throughout the country as man of great intel
lect and learning, delivered discourse on Tues
day evening last, in the Tabernacle, to an au-
dience of about 2500 persons, en the "Revoutiona-
ry Spirit Of the Age" 1t was listened to with
intense interest throughout. Our reporter took
pretty full notes, and made report of this lee
ture, which is foows:-
The subject which have chosen for this evening q
lecture the revolutionary spirit of the age In
ing this subject, shall take the word revolution In
somewhat enlarged sense-so large indeed to make
subject really though not formally the spirit of tn
age itself for if we lock close at the age in which we
live, we shall find that if i be not exactly revolutionary
yet revolution its eminent characteristics and if
wish to distinguish by single ephet, we shall term
it the revolutionary age. There may be two sorts of
violence. There may be revolution that is not in the
strict sense Of the term, brought about by violent
changes Of op non-s revolution tina. brought about
by the gradual development of principles, till
mems minds changed that the old insti
tutions fall Of themselves, and substi
tuted in their place. take the word in both of these
senses, and shall speak of revolution in both. II
we teke glance at the age live n and the present
that very few appear to have settled institutions
there more or less OF uneasinessa spirit dscord
or vague. for something which is not but which i. be-
lieved will be better and for which you efforts
or less Marked made for the purpose of changing the
existing order and OF introducing something else.
This is universal. 1t appears in this country as
well in the old world. 1t is looked upon as the
reach that elevated state of earthly veil being as well
a. OF moral being which they capable which
certainly desirable. This is felt by all persons Of all
ind the question Of change is before mems minds The
right change and the question OF the proper
efecting CHANGE also come up. Nor is this peculiar
to this precise epoch in watch live. This desire
change has been marked in modern society for three
al.
they have been revolutionary centuries There has
been a general want Of stability Of institutions
stability in mems habits-in msnners-in customs
Perpetual changes go on, and these changes have
often been effected by war; by insurI ection and re
voution TILL finally we adopted the right OF revolutions
and, indeed no small portion of country men
hold to the sacred right OF insurrection We hold
the people have right Whenever dissatisfied with their
institutions 10 change them, in any which
to them coed, without reference to pre- existing laws
Another class Of persons pretend TO say that these
changes may be brought about by violent means-that
all institutions ought to be progressve-.hat in this
world nothing can, ought to be, fixed Eve-y thing
going onward, and should 60 onward and that who
ever attempts to resist progress in the internal
| external concerns Of man, is enemy TO his
race and wars against the laws Of Gods universe This
last class carrying their views further than that say that
generation may follow generations and alter a lapse
OF ages the race has made progress that is
nusl state of progress from childhood manhood aud
from manhood to old and that the progress does
stop with the individual but ia supposed to attach
to all created animals and that it is not true, DR.
johnson says that the beaver of to-day builds his house
| as well as did the beaver of four thousand years
ago; but that the beaver and all animals are in a
state of continual progress; snd only this, but they
the globe itself is state Of progress and only
the GLOBE but the whole universal ystem and bot only
the whole universal system but some go further, and
that the very of the universe also progress
sive We have men among who claim TO be phoso
ophers-we have men Of the day, who call themselves
members Of this movement" in the language OF the
day-great friends Of humanity-men Of fine senti
us to harmonise ourselves az indiv Suals so that we
may harmonise our race-and then harmonise the
globerior the sake Of the planetary system and
then for harmonsing the universe with its Maker
These doctrines however chimerical they may seem
are put forth by men who not destitute Of learning
or OF the kindly feelings OF nature and who publish
them extensively to the wordestablish for
the ameoration OF and establish church
to examine the views Of those who hold to the right Of
violent revolutions for they connect themselves with
the doctrine Of progress shall say few words the
doctrine of progress itself II 10 out Of the church.
say, the doctrine Of progress Ia tho leading doctrine OF
the age may say that is the characteristic Of the
the Mchnlets and Qunets-your own prominent men out
Of the church-your Channings, Rpleys, Greeleys.
ss h 81 and
and may be assumed as starting point in the argu-
ment. The term progress" implies motion II in
tho moral world moral motion The general definition
of II may be from the imperfect to the perfect. Now
believe is law well ascertaned that there can be
motion without something from which that motion must
come without there being something which the nstru
ment OF motion must rest basis II would be hard fo
counter bird to fly i he had no pressure on the stmo.
there il something for your machinery rest upon II
you assume that all things are in progress the
of the universe, even progressve-you assume
that all is in notion and that nothing IL at rest end
then you assume, what Is philosophical absurdity,
Wis that you can have motion without rest-that TO
thss remark, attributed TO Archimedes, you could
move the world without something wherein to rest
your lever You then deny that action and reaction
always equal From these remarks GEEK TO establish
this principle that whenever you seek for notion sc
may say progress which only species OF molten,
you want something at rest Az in the universe
nd
strongest arguments for the existence of Supreme Be-
ing this very motion Of the From this pro-
coed TO apply this same principle to progress" You
cannot have progress without something which you
can restroom which you will either or be moved
II you take the action of the human will for instance, II
may be changed, but that which wills the motion must
itself remain unmoved, else cannot act peIisrm
any motion itself. This principle ia universal-yor
have in mechanics and every thing else On that prnc
pie ysu build when you construct your machinery and
this which shows that the idea OF attaining perpetual
motion IL absuTdy, because action and reaction be-