The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-09-03
soREsTEs A. BRoWNsoN NOTABLE
CONVERT. So

Few men have left a deeper impress
sion on American Catholic letters than
Orestes A. Brownsons From the time
of his conversion into the Church in
October, 1874, he welded a vigorous
and active pen in behalf of itse doc
trines and it's philosophy, engaging
not only in, controversy against
Protestants and their tenets on one
side, but condemning, with the zeal of
a convert, the prevalent apologize
attitude Of his fellows Catholics on the
Brownson was born at Stockbridge,
Vt, on September Is, 1903. He was
reared g. Congregationalist. In Octo-
Der, 1922, he Joined the Presbyterian
Church, but two years later, repealed
by the doctrines of unconditional
election and Reproduction, he. became a
Universalist. He was ordained a
Universalist minister in 1926 and for
three years preached and wrote as
such. Then he denied all Divine rev
citation, the divinity of Christ and
future Judgment and associated him
self with Robert d. Owen and Fanny
Wright in the publication of The Free
Enquirer. This journal carried on wal
against marriage, property and re
ligion.
Friend Of Workers.
Brownson was early Influenced by
the ills of the working classes and
established in western New York a
journal in favor of the Workingmens
Party. At that time the introduction
of large industries. under the CAPT
talistic system had reduced many
workers to a condition bordering on
slavery. He aimed, not at a class
war, but at arousing all classes in an
effort to alleviate the condition oi
the workers With this object in
view he established his own paper
The Philanthropist. The year follow
ing found him a Unitarian, pastor oi
the Unitarian Church at Walpole
N. H.; two years more and he was
a Congregationalist and pastor oi
First Congregational Church at Can
ton, Mass. In 1886, he organized in
Boston the Society for Christian
Union and Progress and in 1885
founded The Boston Quarterly Review
His philosophical and political essays
attracted considerable attention and
brought him into touch with leaders
of national thought. t'.'s r. ~
Meanwhile he had published his
New Views of Christianity, Society
and the Church. in which he rejected
Professionalism as pure materialism and
Catholicity as mere spiritualism, ex
afting his own Church OF, the Future
His socialistic tendencies became
more and more pronounced and ii
July, 1910, he openly urged the aboli
ton of Christianity as he knew it, &C
copied the doctrines of Locke and
Mirabeau regarding the heredity
descent of property, and condemned
the wage system. Brownsons was al
this time considered one of the lead
ing political writer's of the Democratic
Party, and Van Buren,, then candi
date for a second term, blamed him fol
his defeat. the doctrines advocated by
Brownson in his article being used BY
the Wings as political capital on the
grounds that they represented the true
aims of the Democrats. a
So great was the criticism against
Brownson that he made vigorous
defense of his policies, in which he not
only regained his prestige, but made
himself stronger than ever He was
therefore at the height of his popular
ity' as an essayist and political writer
when in 1874 he joined the Catholic
Church. This step had been preceded
in a measure, by the publication Of