The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-01-18

Starts EvioEycr 1t is well known
that Mr.. Brownson. one of the most viz.
orouS advocates Of Porcry now. was for.
mcrly an atheist Of the extremes sort.
lie some time ago gave The following &C.
count Of the origin of the Free scjlool
movement:
At i 10: without IN flat | l. ave
mentioned the name Of Frances Wricht.
the favoritc pupil Of Jeremy Be,tham.
and famous inilel lecturer through onr
country. some twenty years ago for [
happen to know. what may not be known
to You all, that She and her friends were
the great mover, in tic scheme Of c1i.
less education. now the fashion in our
country. ! knew ili. remarkable woman
well, aud it was my shame to share. for a
tinic. many of her views, for which ask
pardon of God and my couutrvmcn. I
was for brief time il her confidence.
and one Of those selected to carry into
execution her rlars. The great Object
was to get rid Of Christianity. and to
convert our Churches into Halls Of sci.
eucc. Tho lan was not to make open
attacks on religion. althour, we nj sht
b-,alor the clergy and bring them i..to
contempt where we could but to estab.
lish n system of state. VIC sail. n0fi94al
SCHOOLS. from which all religion was TO
he excluded. in whc, nothing was to be
taught bat such Lnowlcdao rs is yeriGa.
bic by the senses. and to which all IA.
rents were TO he compelled BY law to
send their children. Our complete plan
was to take the children from their "a.
rents at the age Of twelve or eighteen
months and to have them nursel. fed.
clothed and trained in these schools at
the rublic expense; but at any rate. We
were to have goddess SCHOOLS for ali the
children of the country. to which the
parents would be compelled By law to
send them. The first thing to be done
was to got this system Of schools cstab-
lished For this purpose q sccre; society
was formed, and the Who'll. country was
to be orgaui2cd somewhat on the plan Of
the Carbonari Of Italy. or as were the
revclutiousts throughout Europe by Ba,
card preparatory to the revolutions of
1870 aud 1850 This organization was
commenced in 1920. in the city of New
\ ork. and TO my own knowledge was eff.
fected throughout a considerable part of
New York State How far il was OK.
tended in other States, or whether it is
still kept up | know not, for | abandoned
it in the latter part of the year 1880,
and have since had no confidential rcla.
'ions with any engaged in it, but this
much | can say, the plan has been sue
cessfully pursued the views VIC put forth
have gained great popularity, aud the
whole action Of the country on the sub
ject has taken the direction We sought to
give it. have observed too. that many
who were associated with us and relied
upon to carry out the plan, have taken
the lead in what has been done on the
subject. One of the principal movers
OF the scheme had no mean share in Or
ganizing the Smithsonian Institute. and
Is now, | believe, one of the representa-
tires of our government Mt an Italian
court. 1t would be worth inquirinc. if
there were any means of ascertainiug,
how large share this secret infidcl So
ciety, with its members all through the
country unsuspected by the public, and
to each other, vet all known to
4 central committee, and moved by it,
have had IN giving the extraordinary i'm.
pulse to goddess education which all must
have remarked since IS30-an impulse
which seems too strong for any humau
power now to resist"
1t cannot be denied, that Mr.. Brown.
sons opportunities for gaining the above
lave been unsurpassed.
How far to believe them, every one must
Judge for himself One thing is certain;
hat the present school system is bring
ng forth fruits, and will bring forth still
more hereafter. which by no means con-
radict Mr.. Brownsou's account Of their
paternity - Church JoSvrai