Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1846-03-05
TOM PAINE. THElNFIDEL.


TOM PAINE. ThELNFiDEL.
Wan. D. Reed. Esd. r.eently delivered IN
eloquent lecture bsioe the Mercantile Libra
~ Association OF Philadelphia. upon thc
Late aud Timss" OF Tom Pains, the innlel J.,
Of which the I~nlaises si,e ,h; following in
teresiins sketch A
Thomas Pain. wssa citizen Of the world
and vi eour.: an..sl,en OF sveg. part OF a. Born
IN Great Britain, has Mas sn exhe aui an ou,-
law. Nsturslixsi ia Ansrioa. he r~cnoonsed
her moivatc repablitani,ni. loo tao exaggcr
atIons OF Frcnrh democracy. A citizen OF
France. he bccsme er-ogfeio AN Inmate OF tie
Cogeiergerio; aud wsiglad. not grateful, TO es-
cape vita a h-s upon ms shoulders, Buried la
an Amencan viliiigc. the grave was violated.
aud Ia. bones oi q restless c~Osnopotite were
Nlumc1 and carried abfuad IN solemn mock
cry of the holy IN n OF OLD. Mr.. Reed pro
cseded, without dcoogating from the actual
value oi Paine's services during the revolution
10 dehn. aiid na1k their worth, and 10 correct
the notion which IA lle b. WAS ID anxious 60
cultivate. that lac wls By common consent re-
garted - a great bcneiactog TO America.
Thomas Paine. thc child Of hum5le, though
reputable paints. Was born at Thetlurl. al
the county of Noriola, Bngland. in 1872.
His father was a member ut the Society OF
Friends. aud hts mother was an Episcopalisn.
According TO his own story, Paine was an IN
hiel in The nursery. Mr.. Reed alluded 10
tht> statement OF the deceased, as given in
his Age OF Reason. and comment a upou
II Ia u truly beautiful strain. The old man
o. sixty, n sait (iOg such b. was when these
words were wtitten)I tnyvliiIg b1ck in mem
or to the hours OF infancy anl peTsusding
himself at the age oil seven year. that he was
a reasoning inddel. The boy standing upon
the garden steps, with the flowers aud Staging
birlsaround him. with tbs sound OF familiar
prayer in his ears. seriously rellecting upon
thoughts OF blssplemy. And fifty years Of
terwaris, the childless. fientlcss mlu. who
never knew the s~of,enins influence OF homes
tic relations, amid scenes OF blooi and car
mage. al which his h,ir, bold a. IL wa, would
sickcu-.or he wrote his Age OF Reason in
the midst OF the X ign Of Tenor-b)as;iully
recorded las pcr-cycung obturate scepiicisin
OF all an Gods written word. which could not
b. csmPas-ed either b, hs childish or his ma
,urd intelligence. .
On The tall vi RobsspicnS. when ule pTi-
sons were openrs. Fame. With a lew other
SURVIVORS. worn out b. distress ot mind aud
diseese OF body. ives S;tst liberty. Soon al.
ter he published the secoud part oi his Age OF
Reason, the blasplr,mics OF which. ssid Mr..
tktta " tuNPNLfu W NAlNNA ANA N-uIts sui
ssquenil, ia lSg2, Paine returocd TO the Uni
ted States He OF last took refuge on hisfarni
near Rochelle, wlicrs h. FINGERED ia ob-curi-
y untl biz death, ia 1879. at the sgr OF scv-
enty-two.
Abiding to- BIZ death-bed scene, Mr.. Reed
closcdhis lecture 10 the most impressive man
Der. Paine dreaded bring left alone, of being
ldt 20 darkness, and screened like a terrified
chIid tor his nursc sni the light. lie Insisted
on has nurse reading aloud, but IL was not 80
much IN crd.r TO take sulacc from what she
read a. 10 BE- satisfied by the sound of her
voice hat she was athsud. About ten years
after Painc's death, C1bbett made pilgrimage
10 New Rochelle, di,iatcrred N. Wondering
bones. aud removed them TO Great. Britain.
IL was, said NJ. Reed, a piece of Indecent
and Intellectual mockcTy. The bones Of the
scotler were looked OF by such OF the British
people a. knew anything about them, with 40
more regard than the anatomical student be-
slowed OF the unknown carcase before him.
And thus ended the story OF one who WAS n-
dowed with abilities that might haye made
an impression o. the world, and have lel, a
memorable trace behind him-an actor ia
scen.s OF commanding interest," patriot IN
Grated ufahS ire<ruresrsagpSs.~h but withsl.
aspiration which alone dignitied hum.n,fy-
ms aspiration Tor q reward which The "wo,ld
neither gives nof takes sway,"-the miny,iry
oil The highest human qualitirs-,he love ~
virtue aud oi truth. with a meek aud humhls
sense OF the power with which God had en-.
bowed IA. anlthe love OF freedom. with De.
cent reverence Tor authority and exa,noIe
which constitute the perfection oI hn,na,
chafAc'et-,hAt Of the conservative and chn..
uan patriot.