New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-13
POPILAR OBJECTIONS TO CHRISTIAN
ITY,
A.. A LECTURE BY DIR. BROWNSON.

DIR. Orestes A. Brownson gave last evening, in the
Academy of Music, lecture on Popular Objections
to Christianity" The audience was very large, the
aises and gallery being completely filed The Cath
ole clergy of this and the neghborng cities were pres
ent in considerable numbers, among them Archbishop
Hughes and Bishop Laugbin.
Dr. BRowssoS was loudly applauded when he rose
to speak. His intention he said was not to speak OF
all the objections urged against the Church, but of
those only which were most urged in our time and IN
our country. The earlier Professionals alleged that the
Church was not true representation OF Chrstlanity
after that Proesants came To say that Catholcs were
not prosperous, and that although Cathohcty might
be very good religion to live by, 1t was very Dad
religion to die by The objections of Professionalism to
the Church in different ages were the measure Oh
the Professionalism itself. At first, when l was re-
ligous, it brought objections on the score OF re-
lgiOn; now, when il was declining into the mate
rial, its objections were material. Cath0nclty was
charged with depressing the individual lie OF mem
but man, though individual, was, he said, under the
law Of society and truth. Wherever the moraiity
ard principles Of the Catholic religion were lncuca'ed
they fully recognized this individusism. In no coun
try there much servity IN the two princlpsi
Protestant countries England and the United states
nowhere else was there 50 much snooDery ana nun
keyis. And this not due to the character OF te
reople but to their Professionalism. lndlylduhlism
was sustained by Cathoicty. What could the true
Catholic fear from public caprice or from popular
passion The Church had been charged with iayor
ing superstition Now superstitution was very Dau
thing-perhaps not worse than infdehty llsught"J--
but il was not favored by the Church Her reverence
for the sanctities was not superstition: ohe Knew a'
these bodies would live again. And among rIot.st.
arts a. dangerous 20 see the new moon over tne c
shoulder; horse shoes doors
and in the Protestant county OF Amerlca there were
men who gained living by communicating with dead
men. and a million of people VINO believed IN their
spirit ranuine Again II was charged against Cstho-
lcty thai degraded human nature, and was debas-
mo 10 the human reason. But it only denied the abi
itV ofreason 10 know what was above reason. 1t was
CHARGED that il retarded the progress Of humanity.
He Aid not recognize what called the progress Of
the race but still there was an advance, due how.
ever pot 10 the efforts of man, but to the SUI
nerrstural lnterpositiOn Of God. Spain, Portugal
and Italy were contrasted with England and Anne
lea. But Spain, Italy and Portugal were in their
decline, and in ages past, when the empire at its
bigbt they were far Catholic than now. No
race Of people had been civilized by Protestant
ism. Professionalism exterminated. The civilization
Of the United States the propagation OF people
which had been civilized by the Church centuries
ago. While the Indians Of this country settled by
Protestant English were mated, the aborgines
of the country immediately to the SOUTH settled by
Catholic Spanisrds, were still estSnt; the Mexican
had more than three -fourtbs OF Aztec blood. The
Church did not ipvsO stssm-sngines end selsgrspbs