The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1867-05-10
"REMINISCENCES OF THOMAS PAINE.
By LAURIE TODD.

yer. SaIHeF duu were SuON-CFaILSLme1
in the same workshop, forging boFs,
shoe nails, 1 making sbiBgle nails. /
was in Carver's house, that. by the move
menIs OF Providence, sat down between
two of the most inveterate in6dels that
ever beheld the light of the sun. They
we're both mecbanics-CsrYer a black
smith, Paine a stay maker. They were
both unlearned men, bat we're of strong
mind; for the Devil having made human
nature his study for six thousand years,
will never employ fool when be needs
a jOurneyman. Carver, Lis wife, and
Paine. having been inhabitants of the
same town 10 England, at their Ere side,
be being present, learned his history
from his crsdle-and saw him in all bis
native defOTmity, and traced him with my
own eyes to his grave.
Carver kept porter house on q small
scale on the corner Of Thames and Tenn
pie streets; at the same time he doctored
horses, and mended their shoes. Il was
noieed abroad that Mr.. Paine kept his
head quarters in this domicile; a small
two-story frame building, whose outside
bad neither seen a Whitewash nor paint
brush, since the surrender of CORVALLIS
at Yorktown. Hundreds of his old pol
litical and free thinking friends resorted
hiIher 10 meet him. l witnessed some
Of their interviews; but oh. what conster-
nation! instead of the pale-laced man of
thirty-siX, when he wrote Common Sense,
they beheld an old remnant of mortality,
drunk, blOated, and half asleep. Very
few of the better sort ever returned.
Mr.. Paine was sensible of his forbid
ding appearance, and generally was very
morose when strangers were intoGuced
And old lady from Scotland wished an
introduction. We entered his room.
Said l, Mr.. Paine, this is Mrs. Bruce,
from Scotland" '.Scolland," be repea,
ed, ga country of bigots and fanatics"
'Yes," said l, 'but it's the only country
in Europe where every man. woman and
child can read the Bible and write their
own name" Our stay WAS short When
we got on the pavement, "What do you
think of Mr.. Palmer" / inquired. II
think be is fou (drunk.) but och man.
she added, "what an aagfW' judgment
looking face he's got"
His chief companions were jourDeymeu
mechanics OF the baser sort. One even
ing l stepped into his room. He was
setting forth the Bible to dozen of these
characters, and painting it in the black
est colors When he ceased, / said,
"Mr. Paine, you have been in Ireland and
Scotland" He had. Scotland, com
paretively speaking, is full of Bibles;
every one reads it, and it is their chief
school book" This he conceded. "Tbey
have very few Bibles in Ireland. and there
are very few who can read them, and
those v ho can read, are prohibited by the
priest from looking 10 the Bible" This
also was conceded. CHOW, said l, Mr..
Paine, if the Bible was bad book, those
who used it most would be the sUOrSt
members Of society, but the contrary is
the fact, for while our jails, penitsnliaries,
state prisons, and aims houses are filed
from Ireland, this day there is not a
Scotsman, or woman 10 any of them, and
such was the fact at that time. Observe
this was forty five years ago. Besides, "
! continued, 81 see in this room a few of
my own shOpmates. In months past,
when they read the Bible, they went TO
church with their families. There they
rested from the labors of the past week,
kept their children under their eye, rose
early on Monday morning, and entered
on the lsbors of the week with sound
head, and a quiet conscience.
And what are they now? Having
heard the lectures of blind Palmer, and
read your Age of Reason, they became
free thinkers: and if they continue in the
same course they now are following, they
will soon be free drinkers also. 'And
what are they following?'' said Pane.
Said l, They now go to the tavern on
Sunday, sit drinking, smoking and talk
ing politics, their children in the streets
or fields, learning everything that is
wicked; having spent fifty or sixty cents,
each one comes home late, and better
than half drunk; he has headache next
NOR ming, and perhaps is unable to work
till 2 p. M, thus losing half days wages.
Disease and death soon follow. when his
widow and orphans are sent to the alms
house,"
l continued: ''Mr. Paine, Hume, your
self and other free thinkers, ell profess to
write for the good of society" He
assented. We'll" said l, (which is the
most useful member of socIety-be who
spends his time and money in the tavern,
leaving his children to grow up curse
to the world; OF. the man who leads his
children TO church on Sunday. keeps them
IN sight through the day. and thus pre-
seI yes them from the path of thr Destroyer
besides the saving of his money and the
preservation OF his own health?
The clock in the room struck ten IS l
spoke the last sentaBce; two candles were
burning on the table; he took one. and
walked Cd to bed without saving word.
His dieciplts.Hnd l looked 90 one anetber
Tor moment after; after q few friendly
remarks on The same subject. each man
went to bis own house. They never all
returned, and some of them walked no
more with him.
On subsequent evening, be told me
The particulars of his remarkable escape
from death, but the narrative is too long
Tor thIs article. l viii state the particU-
lars 10 my next, only remarking, by the
way iGat when he stepped speaking. ]
| said, What did you think at lac time of
tins wonderful preseryation?'' He said,
the FGtes had ordained he was not 10 die
at that time Said l. '.Mr. Paine. I will
tell you what think; you know YOU have
written aud spoken much against there.
ligion OF the Bible; you have sxtoIled the