New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-04
ON THE SOCIAL QUESTION.
JouN GRAHAM BROOKS GIVES THE FIRST
LECTURE IN A COURSE OF SIXTEEN.

s1AMENNAIs'' THE SUBJECT CONSIDERED BEFORE
THE LEAGUE FOR POLITICAL EDUcA-
N-NON-MEMBBRs ADMITTED.
John Graham Brooks gave the first OF course OF
sixteen talks on Leading Personalities OF Our
(,a,turv :" Yesterday morning before the League
for Political Educa non. in the Mendelssohh uiee
Club Hall No ll9 West Fortieth-st. The hst OF
subjects includes Lamennais, Mazz'hi' lie ny
Owen Lassaue Marx Carlyle. shaftesDurS, NIL"
Ruskin Morris. Spencer. Scharfhe Johh pu,"s
Sidney Webb. Arnold. Strauss and Renan Out
,oovas ~, such great names as those Of Ibsen and
Tols,o, because the lecturer explained. ne had as
vet been unable 10 get definite idea OF the ann oi
those writer's The lectures will deal ohi' VII" ',e
social message Of the different individuals cO'su
cred with only much Of the personal eeii'e"' "'
1, q necessary for the comprehension Of the FORMER
7, cannon he left out altogether. said Mr. Bro"Ks'
for the social question is full Of the personal ere
rnent and we cannot deal with 1t without taxing
this into account.
Tho srhiact Yesterday was "Lamennais." and the
,oc.urer showed how the Church which concemhco
b,ro IN MS lifetime had gradually adopted MS views
IN NOW the Pope had used language. IN the
y,ncvcIjcal OF 1884, the labor question whlch
might have come from the very lips OF the great
apostle OF democracy an.
"Tauennais's message" said Mr.. Brooks, rs
row such a commonplace one that IL is haro io' US
IN understand how IL stirred mems souls In the
dev when it was first delivered exciting even 'he
;.,ors ,,bo we're attempting 10 put II into type
e. sucb an extent that they could not go on WIN
choir work " was simply that religion oelohss az
,,ch ~ Monday and TUESDAY az 10 sunday that
=. -, ,a brought into politics and business ana
,,,o all our life: and that the Cnurch couIu nave
reason for existence except IN so iar as " U.s."
a.. ,,ss, machinery and stately TRADITIONS 10 o''"e
about universal brotherhood l., 49,
.vou what has CHANGED since 'heh III INC
- Ca+holic church," continued the lecturer.
the spirit o: change-the EFFORT 10 reouce 'e
-, 80 ,be nractical-is as eternal in these as IN
49, pro,os,ant churches: and It was only '"e'Ne
yoars after De Lamennais had been '@l1 !" d
tanners grave when Dr. DoilhIe' SV"' ~
r,roh bls famous message that the democracy h"d
s .bot the Church n It wished TO continue.
ms, now use its great machinery 20 make Iel so"Ie
.. .h.se democratic dreams. Five years ago Fro-
,osso- uarnack said that the churcnes' Ca'"O''0
"a p,o,os,ant alike could only justify tner eA-
.s.ence on the ground that they ala IN soc'e'S .
,rfrgs hat De Iamennais dreamed and now hu-
rooe Is being filled from Catholic sources VII" an
20 ~ combinations whose object Is universal
brotherhood and not q year passes III WIZ" wv
or three congresses are not convened tor the pu.
~ vose a. -. seet5e how the Church can DO its WORK
for ends TO which Felix de LanehhaiS gave HIS
speakin- OF the attitude Of the present Pope
toward the social question, Mr.. Brooks said:
Long before any one ever thousnt VI ~, "a had
come TO the sd ne conclusion as De Lamenhais' IN
lss ne called meeiins 10 Sons sn1 nowhere is
there q sterner impeachment OF Inequality than
in his encyccal OF 1891 The very rch, ne $40.
lay upon the masses YOKE tHAt Is H''' ''''0
Sn6re those noticed in the audience yesterday
Mrs Elder. Mrs Robert Sands, Mrs Edward cur
u.s. the Rev Laughton Williams ana MIS-; tiG'f ~
he lectures and considerable number nave taken