The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-03-27
DISTINGUISHED
CATHOLIC LAY MAN
oRESTEs A. BRONSON WAS RE.
cEIVED INTO THE CHURCH IN
1s44-A WRITER OF NOTE.

Orestes Augustine BroWnson was
born at Stockbridge, VT, September
16, 1903, writes James N. Kearns in
Columbian and Western Catholic. A
unique man in his maturity and also
novel and peculiar in his youth. His
childhood was spent with distant rela-
tives who raised him in the rigorous
creed of the Congregationalists. He
had strong propensity for reading
caused undoubtedly by the fact that he
had no companions. And the books
possessed by his relatives were few,
yet of the better class rather too deep
for boy of his teens Still he thor
oughly grasped the topics of each, and
being DESTROYS to pursue this good
habit he would visit neighboring farm
ers for the purpose of borrowing what
Jew books they owned. Absolutely dis
franchised from attending any school
till he was Is, Brownson learned arith-
metic, grammar and had more than the
ordinary ability to compose language
before he was 16. In the year of
1922 he joined the Presbyterian church
with view to becoming missionary,
but soon abandoned this object be-
cause of the strictness of that creed.
A few years later he became enrolled
as a Universalist minister, believing
that this faith better harmonized with
his religious principles, he already
having rejected the doctrine of pre-
destination. But his stay in this sect
was of short duration. In the year
1923 he interested himself in the prin-
ciples of Socialism put forth by the
famous Fanny Wright and Robert
Owen. So influenced was he by these
liberal thinkers that he renowned all
Divine Revelation, the Divinity of
Christ and Future Judgment. His en-
thusiasm for this cause, that of social
reform, developed into the formation
of the Workingman's party, whose OBJ
ject was the uplift of the poor by po-
Iitical organization divorced from
every phase of religion. Realizing the
futility of this movement he soon re-
| signed. His next venture religiously
was his entrance into the Unitarian
church in 1882. To this he was per-
suaded by the writings of DR.. w. e..
Charming, believing that the Unitari-
ans did not hold much to Christian
| ity His zeal and energy were evil
denced by the manner in which he
preached, lectured and wrote. In 1888
he published for the first time The
L POct0n Ol1a RnVinW
The articles in this review were on
various subjects. Those treating of
politics created such commendatory
| criticism that he soon became recOg-
nized as a leader of the Democratic
party. Brownson's temperament was
so vigorous and his views written and
stated with such firm resolve to up
| hold them that he was upbraided for
being the cause of Van Buren's defeat
in the race for the presidency. Some
of the principles which he preached
during the campaign were so remote
to those of Democracy that the Wings
claimed them to be that towards which
Democracy was tending. A few of
these bordered on Socialism. With his
courage undaunted Brownson defend.
ed his position with such manly force
and argumentatiVe precision that he
opened a great career for his future
life.
But such was not to be. Having
during his life been a persistent
searcher for religious truth and having
entered and departed from several
sects in the march for that truth
Brownson finally had reached his de-
sired goal. 1t was in the year Of 1874
that he applied for the sacrament OF
baptism to Coadjutor Bishop Fitzpat
rick of Boston. After several months
of instruction during which many OBJ
jections to the faith raised by him
were satisfactorily answered, he be
came.a convert and so remained unit
his death. Whilst member Of the
church he was looked upon with love
admiration and respect by Catholics
as the powerful layman editor and or
ator. BY his adversaries of other de
nominations he was held in high es
TEEN, though frequently he excoriateC
their religious and social views in his
Icriticisms with an unrelenting spirit
Throughout America his Quarterly Re
view which was published in Boston
and edited by him, was eagerly await
ed for by renowned scholars. So grea
became his fame that the Review wal
the first American publication to bt
circulated in England and the first tx
be printed in several languages fol
distribution in Europe. On several oc
casions members within the church
found grave fault with some of his re
. ligious views and went SO far as II
exhort the Holy See to reprimand hin
for his acts. Regardless of such /;
criticism Brownson proved his loyalt.
to Catholicity by the manner in which
he defended Pope Plus in his condem
nation of Syllabus of Errors" and il
generally upholding Catholicity.
/ Shortly before his death Brownsol
suspended publication of his Review
because of domestic troubles causes
by the death of his two sons, the sc
lcession of the south from the uniol
and the advanced age which he hal
reached. Moving from New York Il
3 Detroit, he spent the few remaining
i years of his life in contributing Ii
/ several Catholic publications and writ
. ing two of his famous works, .Th'
Spirit Rapper' and The American re
public" one Of the most pEofouns