Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-03-22
Miscellaneous.
For the Bugle,
THOMAS PAINE.

For the Buge.
THOMAS PAINE.
Mn. RoBIssos,-Dear Friend,-we see in the
Bugle, you have given a sketch Of Thomas Pains
character, from the Boston Post.
We could furnish you with we'll authenticated
additional important particulars refuting every
event in his life which is there sketched, which
would entirely change the features of the portrait.
My dear Friend, as well might the Post endeav-
or to change the Leopard's spots, or wash the Eth
opian white, Us to metamorphose Thomas Paine,
the libertine, into a moral, or a good man. There
are persons still living who were personally ac-
quainted with him, and knew him to DO a debauchce
in the full extent of the word. Are we to consid-
or Thomas Paine a model Anti Bible Reformer ?
Are saints so sparse among Anti Bible champions,
that they are forced to cauonize Thomas Paine
Are we to suppose he IL tho brightest star in the
Galaxy of the illusiriOus dead who died in the an
ti-Biblo faith? Or what claim has he to the char
actcr of n Reformer, except his vulgar invective
against the Bible, may be called by some a refor-
mer? No, he was a doformer, aud if alive would
not promote any of the reforms now in progress.
1ustead of being n Temperance man, he was ha-
bitually incorporate. lie was a practical oppres.
sor of woman-he was twice married, his first
wife oied N less than one year from the effects of
i'll usage-the second wife obtained q divorce from
him in three years after marriage for brutal treat
msnt.
lie resided in the State Of n. York, surround.
ca by negro slaves, and Notwithstanding his clam.
or in behalf of 'the rights Of man." he neither
wrote nor uttered a word against slavery, although
especially importuned to do SO.
LiberQtor, February %, 1S49.-This shows that
his motto was NOT "The World is my Country; To
do Good is my Religion" But waving the cousid-
Grafton Of Thomas Paine's moral character for the
present. There is a universal desire manifested
by mankind to have some idea of the personal ap-
pearance Of distinguished individuals. and Us this
has been wholly overlooked in the sketch of Mr..
Paine's life which has appeared in the Bugle of
March LIST. We will give q short description of
his personal appearance from the pen of NJ. NJ.
Noah the celebrated Jew, who in noticing the eel
ebration of Pains birthday 1.-THE 10th Anniversa-
ry) thus describes his personal appearance as wit.
messed by himself.
1--WE once paid Tom Paine a visit, in company
with Jacob Frank, editor Of the Public Advertiser.
He lodged in the second story of a house in Pearl
Street, above Peck Slip. His sittipg-room was
nearly destitute Of furniture,-a plain pine table,
a few wooden chairs, a bottle on the mantlepiece
With a piece of a candle in it, and a broken look
ing-glass, were all the visible Accommodations of the
great writer. He soon made his appearance from
his bed chamber. Has figure was rather tall and
somewhat thick set-his hair was dishevelled, and
filed with feathers and light down-he wore a tat
tered nightgown tied round his waist-stockings
which had once been white, and leather slippers,
and, we believe, no breeches or pantaloons-it be-
ing & warm summer day. His face was bloated,
ana his small piercing eyes twinkled over a huge
nose covered with carbuncles nearly as large as
Bardolph's. His whole figure and appearance in
Dictated the character of Il sofa person who had
been accustomed to good society, but who had fall
en- from his high estate. He commenced talking
on local politics-was remarkably bitter and Sc.
we're, using harsh and reviling language towards
Cheetham, and all who in those days had taken
sides against him; and we saw at once that he was
only the remnant of that eminent genius, who had
played so conspicuous a part in the great theatre
Of our revolution. He was positively gross and
vulgar ia his language and manners-blew his
huge nose occasionally with q piece Of newspaper,
and abused every one by the wholesale. lie was,
however, occasionally interesting, and went over
his "reminiscences of the French Revolution and
tue utiT-Drcuutu coCdpee q a mnu iloH IL
guillotine-related anecdotes of his colleagues in
the French chamber in l793-and of his friend
DantJn, whom he represented as a true patriot"
We have in our possession a description of Mr.,
Paine's personal appearance, from several individ-
uals, which all correspond with the foregoing de-
~scription. We selected Mr.. Noah's as the most
unexceptionable, as none can charge him with re-
ligious bigotry. We have a work in our possession
written by Uzal Ogden, Newark, New Jersey, en-
titled "Antidote to Deism," in answer to Thomas
Paine's Gage of Reason in which the author
speaks Of it as a fact of public n~otoriety, Thomas
Pain was a drunkard, and describes him as carry
iug the evidence of it in his face, Antidote to De-
ism, Vol. l., page Is. End Vol. page 294; this
work was published in 1875, fourteen years before
Mr.. Paine's death, if the picture had been untrue,
access could have been bad to the original. His
intemperance he could not CONCEAL, nor had he to
all appearance any wish to conceal it" So says
his Biography. E. W.
Yr the Bugie
MUSINGS.