, 1869-01-17

-Drrarv psys af ChtidhnoA-Eariy
Dr,hcatx 1mpresafonA-ReuuArx
p,uctuh.fpns In Chnrcnea and Crneas
-absories hpout 8r,1Ston-Anetaot ot-
sss IN ua,hotacfam-xhe Qusf1erfy
H&vttWs
Specially Wsiss n for the Ctieato Ttiours.
NBv Yo11, Jau- ia. 1859.
Orestes Augustus BFounson's mind pre-
sents many Of the pheuon1eua Of the human
Ut derstandings In search oi theological
truth J; phenoncus, too, Of Fery Interesting
character. Few men hare struggled more
zca1ously or hboIed more earnestly than he
10 reach what they conceive to be the prin.
c1ples Ct religion. During very studlous
and act,se life he seems 70 hare been longing
constantly tor something which would feed
and satisfy his hungry soul. He Was once
Unigersalist. ard Is now Roman Catholic
two creeds that are The extremes o1 theology
between which It Is natura1 every miud,
anxious to bel1eye. should aactuate, and dis
sat,soed with one should rebound to the
other.
aoNBRR SURROUNDINGS.
Brownson vas born Ia 9tockbridEr, Yer
mont, September 16. 151;, aud seems 70 hare
had lonely and drcaTy childhood, having
TO juvenile companions aud 10 amusen1eats.
He 1trcd With old p ople. and, though very
load of reading, had neither p1pers nor books
except Bible, various commentaries On tue
scr-ptu1cs and rehgioua tracts, which, how
crer e1uJleat 10 themselves, have no absorb
Ing fascination for the youthful mind. BE
eeems to hare hzd aometaing Of Cowper'a
Temperament. While children Of his yeas
are occupied With toys md purely physical
pleasures, he WAS en,rossed with the cheer
Jul thought cthDw. he should eseape ettrnal
damna,ton. II Il not strange that With such
surround ngs be desired to become a clergy
man. It Is said be was convinced In bis
twelfth year that there was no salvation ont
Of the pulpit, and thBt mtnfaters we're the
only elect, the sole persons Incapable Of COM
rist1pg the unpardonahle Elm.
uSssrrLKn rnsoLo6T.
In bis afteen.h OF sixteenth yezt he went to
Bsl1ston, In this Slate. and, while thera.
Joined the Presby yteriau Church. He did not
rest very securely In IT, however. He was
1erpetua1ly doubling whether he had en-
braced The right faith and after leavlng
school auu coming Into cuntact With men ot
different mind aud trimmings, he was per
spsGed to cunnect himself With the CplIer-
salists-pot, however, before he had found
good reason therefor within himself,
Hee.t red the rniTeraalst. pulpit In his
twent1-eizh h yeaF preached ia New Eng
lima aud Ne~ YoEk with much success, ana
wrote for various papers and periodicals,
hut h 8ueh valy1ng and Inconsistent nao-
ner that be ee.med as unsettled as eyer In
his rtligiou opinlurs-
L SOCIAL RkFoRAEn.
About this time BFownson met Robert
Owen, and grew dtep1y interested iu the iat.
ter taeory of social reforms HI had large
and ardent hopes of lifting The masses u, q
ctndlrtnn OF high Intelligence aud inde..
pcndencs by political organization. lie
ttought he mad discovered the true relations
between capital and labor. and formed theo
flts which, U practical, would have BEEN in'
valuable. He nssistea to torn working.
nssn's party here--prohabsY the worst psacs
In the WorFa iur The success Of aGy such III.
| derluRtng.
| -USrAa1kSfsx.
I After feW molthA he despasred Of HI. ct
fota, md, meeting with Cn&anfnR'a writings
be concluded that UuItarlaussn was the need
Of bis spiritual nasuse. Hs TOOK charge o
| an unltAr.an cougrcgat1on In 1852, and de-
| lIyereo many sermons remarkable for vigpr
! ous thought and iofclhle legic+ Living a
I EpMbg1t re, he wns thrown Into the soeiet,
oi men vi tues aud more llbe. NJ culture thai
he had briorc kuoWu; began the stu y 9
1rtnch and Ger1nan literature, and widely e1
TENDED Lis theological and philosophical n
Ee2zchts.
NEW Hk11o1oS.
These led him TO the conclusion tha
Christianity was not vitll enough
| thai il was more matter or dca
torps uaat AT1ug truths. lie conceived thu
| there was great necessity for ne relig 'ou
! organization th-t the different chUTche
| ehouiu l'e United in common creed !; tha
1 .aS,1 Harr TT + -
| p,hce oi tis>rnsipD. doubt ant sectafian,sn.
| In Boston, In lesN. Ac cs.abIl. ned tt
| society fur Christian Union and Progre-
a. d b cpme its CLERICAL heau IN vhfca pos
! Nen be contlnled fur seven Ye.r:, Hheu b
| quit. Tue p1lptt altogether.
i THE no3io on Qu4RlERLY- REVIEW.
he 1l!sp%&nE 3eAr he ISSUED the Eostc
! QuEttt7f5 Rtr ttr, l0r which be e-weute ueael
! III lht ar11cle5 .or i've years, eudearotiE
t 10 eIcite fresh contest ia Chr-asiAnil
| rather than 70 advance u dcftnu the do
! | trinee OF any patt.euisr church. It VISA u;
Farsnt, hu~evtr, IN The Rtrts,e that he v.
| tsra,tuai1y cion Ing uway lruIn Prote,tsutis
town. q Catholicism. very muco, as Ur. En-
Of th,fst's Ehurch Is dott r nav,
i THEOLOGICAL EovRL.
81 earncst Was lie III his apprehension
The steady decay Of ia1th tha. in hIs tort
! third yeaf te Hrple and published an q,
. p1ated tract at a luctaphy hyslcQ-theoloaic sot
, ! q q callEd It = noyel. In II this lea sh
) character, Charles Elro d. p4ases throuss
u1soial esspepstn, and knows 60 splrttu
lest until TT becomes cnuvcrted t. Cur
ttsntty, and rcpoaea securely IN tue bosom
, The Lord.
Inc bNk wss mora able than intezes,in
: j ssvtre i - s4e.ucriy oi rouaaucs as Enc
t does It poett5 aud get it ran through aever
. ettalis4ta III trca1 htlsa1D, and ul3nt Ia
q dune 50 10 this country had no, sdr nul h
I shui aea his opln,ous befase the 6f,t tho
i sapd we're sold, hcse, snd BEEN unwiltng
a publish any moIo copsee 10 cons qucnee'
! RoAAS CATuuL1C1aA.
~ By this t!Eae Bfo~nson ~as popular
:: kuo~u d astrological a weaGhcrcock-a rep
;. 1at.tn ne had justly eafced -4ut no QUE "a
!. posed be would eve adnerr 10 auY cnurrh
a any t.rm OF. ia!th Tor Any EnE:h ot tssr
+ having uied neatly all crceds. aud hav1
=. =. been dissatisfied With all, hr atrlyed at t
- concIps1un.1nat the K.man Cathplc Unusc
-. wuicA be held Vas the saEne TO day us IN |
~ time ri Constantine, ~ns the true aud OF
!. 1eiir,on. He raid be had been aN his /
"a iast die yGfcd that Cod had done 80 eisl
~ cen ctu111ies be{nre. 50 hr cast himself II
:. :. the VI III Of f. me, sur1r1dertng asi specu
~ ttnn anA sll ideas that arc not hasnonsl
). ~itn tho teachings ci the Mothtz Churcn.
-. Thusa ". o had watched Ils .. ogress nj
/, roeitiTe be would not be With. hs Catho'
~ ~ i yeas but he disappointed theu conp!e
~ Is. III had :ound anchorage finally 10
o,py tea OF ttoubt~ and revcr Il .ce
any gAlr, howtrrr tt1opg, btewa him uc
"a Mat he con.,ders the 1oeks Of lnadrity i
Io athe.sm, where be himself bad so ufte1 8
1T ~ tsrrow1y escaped sb'pwree9.
~ ~ MS SINCERITY.
~ ~. Many persons t1tnk BroHuson is not Fl
-. convinced OF The truth Of his present sai
~ tat he adhcres 70 it because he has b
~. - oittn ri4sculed4 and he.Aates to GlFe :
"a "a canse ior comment and satire. They DO
~ IN NJ hith: He has Always been perfs<
-. tarpest and sincere. II be hao not bcen
- nuuld npi haye gone ir. n church to chu1
~ ste rerolu,tonized his meata1 lature. aud
~. CURED thu reputation u a4Facillas1hE
=. iacons's'eat sn'ete9; 4aesi1Es. i.
. Belief i a thing Of 1cnperanent erIn y
.,t e. teraans, Catholics, E1a arsns, a1, .tnc1i
.ns ..s 10 think u vc had spiritual microscope
~ 4. might determine y intants What Enald
rae their belief ~ saGlec1ag toelF e. efaa =
1et & fa,ty, training bare more to do With
M ~ theological opluioas shau fnhnT Of rs S
i;sd Wiling to admit
1so Ill natures are eithrE dependent Of i
d penueat; seeE 10 lean On tometa'ag e.. o.
~. side of Themselves; The latter are self
s s7i ac,rnt, .tll-contaiued, se1t-1rustfal. +
s.ao tend 10 form, dogua, Totsh1p; these t
~ ~ djvMnslit5. tre.tstnee, skeptacasua. b,
ged. soc. Mnn ~ ~ far1nsr nd has nnonasfinss
pfu- !ocGta ~ - ..t.iers ~ -is-. thsr T. II
ode found IN sasnons. s,aeas.,.s 80 ~ x1tevT~ 10 u"
4w In 1sA he begin toe publication Of Rr
ten, mi sous Quarar'y Rfss<.s, q sbis city and Do
ine9 And for TN - s.s..nt, dAraiad ;,
~ ~ 6-s..nsinaslou and dtfeQee OF Catholic
esn1e3. and vas the ahtest- advocate
!; ~. -. fsp1 Epraan Church has. had in a1lt
tnse. Il deceased seEera' sears since. par,
aek .. psani,'ry = saP EF. ti1 hne p1f'
pain. from the sucaPaeAl " s e. ai Ja,a ~ ~ ~
the It With matter, Owing ~ u aencase Ut
was MS eaAHAe -.
i L. For the sans sssn te tA-s 7s :! ha5a
naou. 10 attract FuellS aA1en s~+ -. Iii Iii =,
; her irG f15s art ote1. 1 .at,t.r ~, -,
.Aact likely 70 unae11aAe ~ y. y,
mot x1nce again IN LIS aAs5 sa -. er 1tse -
-haya 4ac1fni. he1lt0. 11E "A5 SatS fe.T ~