Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1858-04-23
LIFE AND CHARACTER OF
THOMAS PAINE.

AANAAGAO a RAAN1s
The New York correspondent of the
Boston Journal, nas the following graphic
description of this bold infdel and bias
phemer, which will be read with interest.
We believe that history acoords to Paine
the merit of aiding, by his political wri-
tings, the cause of the Revolution but
his bold infdelity, equalled only by that
which disgraced France, could not be toll
Grated in this country -
THE 2lst anniversary of the birth Of
Thomas Paine was celebrated in this city
on the 2Slh ul.; about fifty men and wo-
men danced and sat down to supper
Mrs. Earnest l.. Ross was chief speaker,
or, rs the term is the Orator Of the
Evening The speech would have done
great credit to the women in France, who,
in the Reign Of Terror, gathered around
the guillotine, and sung and yelled with
delight, and danced fer joy, as the heads
fell into the basket by the dozen: And
the position of the Orator" aud the
principles avowed. shew what this world
would be, if the sentiments of their chief
could become the pervading ones of the
land
As the Nelo York Tribune, in giving
: an account of the deifcation of this Inf
del Chief, has attempted to place a gar
land on the brow of Paine-to hold him
up along side of the Patriots of the Rev
olution, and make him model for young
men of America-and as Paine died in
, this city and passed his last days here, il
f may be timely and profitable work tC
give the leading incidents in his life ant
= see how worthy he is as man TO b'
= placed on the samepedestal beside Wash
ington, Wetherspoon, and other worlhie
a of the Revolution whom the American
Q people delighted to honor.
e Thomas Paine was born in Thetford
- England, in the month oil January, 1897
=. His father was Quaker in principle anC
k staymaker by trade. Thomas for tim
e followed his fathers business. lie th"l
= became grocer. He was next in th
5. government employ, and was dismisse
n for defrauding the revenue. He becam
IS a married man, maltreated his wife, an
e finally abandoned her. He made the az
i quaintance Of DR.. Franklin in Paris
d When the acquaintance begun, Paine wa
living in garret, and was catching pre-
r carious subsistence as a writer. He cor
at cluded to visit America, and try his fol
le tune in our infant struggle with Englan,
W He reached Philadelphia in the yea
te IVA, and soon after published his polit
le cal tract called {" Common Sense"
IN This little tract on the Revolution ell
Is waited Paine 10 some eminence as pol
tician. He was made the confdant
he important political secrets-he betrayt
his trust and was dismissed from his po
in with disgrace. The charge against hi
7 was that he had violated his official oa
and was destitute of general integrity al
. marked for general talsehood.
is In the month of February, 1877,
%. sailed for England. Upon his arriv
=. there he printed his book called II
n - Rights of Man." in reply to the writin
40 and speeches Of Burke on the Fren
bo Revolution. He was tried in Englal
M for sedition. He escaped and sailed 1
m France, but not till he had been outlaw
ne in England In 1891 he was memb
,ot Of the National Assembly in France, al
his voted against the death Of Louis XIV
and for this act he lost caste with the j
cobins.
I'm He came again to America. In IL
~ he began his = Age OF Reason He h
.a neither Bible nor Testament when
m composed the first part, and his mott
for publishing this book was, that the /
liticaI revolution would be followed by
&C. religious revolution. Men had trodd
in down kings Paine now supposed I'll
would tread down God and the Bib
md and the overthrow Of religion was the
nat, vorite chimera Of the author.
n7' He was arrested for political erin
'ou and thrown into prison, where he
lhe mained eleven months. He was now
confirmed drunkard; and such were
habits, that Munroe, his faithful trie
~ was compelled 10 abandon him.
Next we ind him attacking Gene
Washington, in violent and proiiig
her letter Of sixty-four pages. lie den
,itb Washington all :" GeneraIship' ip'-ealIs
anv great battles " Insignificant skirmishes'
and thus addresses the Father Of
Country: i" As for you, sir, lreaeher'
ara. in private friendships, and hypocrite
public life, the world will be puzzled
decide whether you are an apostaie OF