Religion and the Public Schools in 19th Century America: The Contribution of Orestes A. Brownson by Edward J. Power (review)

516BOOK REVIEWS sectarian tradition that is closer to Stone than to CampbeU.AU of this is not easy to sort out, and the church members in both traditions have had their own difficulties with a history that never seemed as relevant as the effort to reproduce the primitive NewTestament church. Most historians recognize that the Disciples of Christ have long since acquired the status (or obloquy) of a denomination, but Hughes shows that Churches of Christ have also moved from sect to denomination—aU the while rejecting both terms. Fighting for their own uniqueness, these restorationists acquired a reputation for argumentation, if not beUigerence.Their arguments, however, were as often within the family as outside it. One cannot help noting that many of the leaders highlighted in this book are acclaimed as "author, preacher, and debater" (p. 347, but also see pp. 77, 151, 199 etpassim). Many clergymen publish their sermons; these sectarians pubUsh their debates. In his final chapter, Hughes confronts the troubling problems of gender and race, issues not yet fuUy resolved. In these and several other respects, Hughes concludes,"the monolithic nondenominational temple that Churches of Christ had undertaken to buUd almost two hundred years before was in serious disrepair " (p. 385). If aUowed, this book, rich in notes, in Ulustrations, and in scholarship , can greatly assist in the necessary rebuUding. Edwin S. Gaustad University ofCalifornia, Riverside (Emeritus) Religion and the Public Schools in 19th Century America: The Contribution ofOrestes A. Brownson. By Edward J. Power. (NewYork: Paulist Press. 1996. Pp. v, 182. $13.95 paperback.) Edward Power's monograph arrived at my office on the 120th anniversary of the death of Orestes A. Brownson (1803-1876). I opened the package with great anticipation, and I was not disappointed. Power is an excellent writer who combines great analytical abUity and sound interpretations with smoothly flowing prose sprinkled with occasional colorful imagery.The cover needs special mention.The dominant image—the American flag attached to a pole capped with a crucifix—reflects Brownson's four-decade attempt to demonstrate that Catholicism was compatible with America. The image also shows that Brownson elevated the spiritual over the temporal. Professor Power very ably depicts Brownson's overriding theme throughout this work. The movement for pubUc education—the common school movement—spread during the first half ofthe nineteenth century. But whUe reUgious homogeneity vanished as CathoUc immigration increased, the question of reUgious instruction in the public schools took center stage. A brand of non-sectarian Protestantism usually became the legislative and pedagogic solution. Brownson, a BOOK REVIEWS517 journalist and a highly reUgious person who had firsthand experience in practically every reUgious denomination that existed in nineteenth-century New England , entered the fray and became Horace Mann's antagonist—even before Brownson converted to Catholicism in 1844. One of the ironies of the Brownson educational legacy is that years later he was often accused by the CathoUc hierarchy of being supportive of pubUc schools. Power, however, clearly demonstrates that Brownson fought Horace Mann's attempts to centraUze curriculum decision making at the state level, to ban religion from the school house, and to strip poUtical education from the classroom. Power comes down on the side of Mann in this debate. Power is at his best when he analyzes Brownson's views on authority and responsibiUty in educational matters.He does not go easy on Brownson and considers his theory of authority and responsibUity to be fragmented. Acknowledging the importance which Brownson placed on the role of the famUy as primary in the educational process, Power maintains that Brownson puts us "in a bed ofphUosophical quicksand" in determining who has precedence in secular educational matters—church, family, or state. In the final chapter on CathoUc schools, Power brings into perspective Brownson's views on education from elementary to higher education and seminary education. Power criticizes Brownson for his lack of common sense and tact in several articles written between 1854 and 1862. While one can see Brownson often writing "good news—bad news" articles, Power argues that Brownson's negative tirades and barbs outweighed his cajoling and supportive remarks and often left his reading audience and the hierarchy seething in anger and dismay...