Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/23

 BROWNSON.

BRUCE.

tion. He organized the society for Christian union and progress in 1886, and served in Boston as pastor until 1843, when he abandoneu preach- ing, and gave himself to secular interests. He took the stump as a speaker in the interests of the Democratic party, opposing the Whigs with much vehemence and popular eloquence; helped to organize the Loco-foco part}' in New York, and supjxirted Van Buren for the presidency. He was too independent to suit party leaders, and when a new constitution was proposed in Massa- chusetts he sided with the Whigs. He pub- lished, in 1836, •' New Views of Christian Society and the Church,"' and in 1836-"37 published articles in the Christian Examiner, which gave him reno^\^l as a philosopher. He started the Boston Qxiarterhj Review in 1838, and was for five years his own editor and almost the only contributor. He advocated no special system either of philosophy or religion, but invited inves- tigation, stimulated thought in others, and sug- gested searching changes in politics and reform. In 1843 the periodical was absorbed by the Demo- cratic Review of New York, and Dr. Bro\^Tison continued a contributor. In 1840 he published, Charles Elwood, or the Infidel Converted, a novel, purporting to be the biography of a soul struggling out of bondage into freedom, from darkness to light. It was popular; awakened discussion, and had ready sale; but, regardless of his interests, he refu-sed to have a second edition issued in the United States, as his own views were undergoing vital change, so radical and extreme, that he found contentment of thought and peace of mind in the Roman Catho- lic church, into which communion he entered in 1844. The philosojjhy of liis faith seemed to lie in the close distinction he made between immedi- ate perception of intuition and reflex knowledge. His intimate study of the French philosophy of Leroux and Gioberti and Cousin was manifest in his writings, and in several instances brought him into conflict with the authorities of the church to which he had given his allegiance. Articles published in Brownson's Quarterly Review were subject to stringent criticism, and were finally referred to Rome. Notljing was found really deserving of censure, but Dr. Brown- son was asked to be more cautious in his treat- ment of certain themes. The controversy, added to domestic troubles, was so trying to him, that his liealth gave way, and in 1864 he discontinued his Review. When the syllabus of 1865 was pub- lished he defended it in the Catholic journals, and was charged with inconsistency in the emphasis of what he deemed truth and of the faith he professed, so far as Roman Catholic doctrines were concerned: and while he was held to be libei'al in one direction, he was regarded

as too severe and conservative in another. He was honored with an invitation to a professorship in Dublin university, which he valued much although he declined it. When he was seventy- two years old he left the east and settled in Detroit, where his son was living, and he there busied himself in re-writing portions of the works already published. Among them were: Essays and Reviews (1852); The Spirit Rapper, an Autobiography (1854); The Convert or Leaves from my Experience (1857); The Amer- ican Republic, its Constitution, Tendencies and Destiny. (1865): Conversation on Liberalism and the Church (1870). He died in Detroit, Mich., April 17, 1876.

BROWNSON, Truman Qaylord, educator, was born at Afton, N. Y., zVpiil 2, 1851. He was prepared for college at Colgate academy; in 1877 was graduated at Colgate university, and in 1883 from the Baptist union theological seminary of Chicago. He was subsequently pastor of a church at Three Rivers. Mich., from 1879 to 1882. of one at Albany, Oregon, from 1884 to 1887, and in June, 1887. was appointed president of Mc- Minnville college. McMinnville, Oregon. Under his administration the college enjoyed remark- able growth. He became president of Califor- nia college in 1896. and received the degree D.D. fx'om Colgate in 1901.

BRUCE, Archibald, phy.sician, was born in New York city in February, 1777; son of William Bruce, a noted English phj-sician, having charge of the medical department of the New York division of the British army. He was graduated at Cokunbia college in 1797, and from the medi- cal school of the University of Edinburgh in 1800. He returned to the United States in 1803, having spent the interim in European travel, and en- gaged in the practice of his profession. In 1807 he accepted the chair of materia medica and mineralogy in the New York college of physi- cians and surgeons, and in 1812 a similar chair in Queen's (Rutgers) college, New Jersey. He commenced the publication of the Journal of American 2Iineralogy in 1810, and acted as its editor from that time until 1814. He accumu- lated a large collection of rare minerals, and discovered and anahzed many %'aluable minerals. His paper On the Ores of Titanium occurring within the United States, was publislied in 1814. He was a member of a number of the leading scientific associations of Em-ojie and America. He died in New York city, Feb. 22, 1818.

BRL'CE, B'anche K., senator, was born in Prince Edward county, Va., March 1, 1841; a slave, but shared with the young son of his master, to whom he was assigned as a compan- ion and attendant, the advantages of private instruction. At the breaking out of the civil war