Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1871-01-13
Ground to Powder.


.sitsof his former homo, and former resting
place. Directed byafew friends, it is covered
overwith significant quotations from lis poll.
tical religious writings. As Istool there and
reflected on Ills genius, his apparent power
aud real weakness, I thought of Christ strik.
ing prophecy, and It's singular fulGl,ncnts
aOn whomsosyert this stone shall fall, it shall
grind him to powder"
Thomas Paine's carccr was full Of promise.
lie welded a pen whose popular power has
rarely been eqaalcd, never, perhnps, excellcd.
His "Rights Of Man" published in England
during the exciting scenes Of the French
Revolution, reached tho circulation of over
million Of copies. His sCommon Sense,"
of of'Independencc, is said to have severed the
last links that bound the colonies to the moth.
cr country. Six days before the battle of
Trenton the first number Of his "American
Crisis" was read at the head of every regi.
ment, and first aroused, it is said, the droop-
I ing ardor Of the disheartencd people
When at length that independence was Sc,
cured, to which his virous services in the c"b,
met, the field, and with the pen, had afforded
no mean conclusion, no honors seemed, to u
triumphant Republic, too great to be avshed
upon him. General Washington received
him with peculiar honors rs his guest. The
National Congress appropriated $4,000 as a
testimonial Of the nntion's esteem. New
York presented him with magnificent cstatc
Of three hundred acres ut New Rochelle
Pennsylvania voted him grntuity of $4,000.
New j Jersey offered him homestead within
her borders. Virginia failed by only IL
single vote in tho attempted appropriation to
him of a tract of lind valued at $50, 900. at
is doubtful" says tho historian Botta, "wheth
or any writer ever possessed in higher de.
gree the art Of moving and guiding the null
titude at his will "No writer" says Thomas
Jefferson, elias exceeded Paine in familiarity
Of style, in pesspicuity of expression, happi-
ness Of calculation, and in simple and unas
suming language"
Such was the man, who drinking in The ir
religious philosophy Of the French Enclyclo.
paedists, undertook in his cage of Reason"
mt the end Of an otherwise memorable life,
to subvcrt the principles, and undermine tho
authority of tho Christian religion. lie did
not deny but asserted the existence of God,
tho claims Of conscience and the reality of nm
immortal existence beyond the grave. lie
simply set his lance in poisc to dcmolish the
Cross of Christ. In vain did Benjamin
Franklin bescech lin to rcprcss work so
shocking to tho religious scnsibiltics of man.
kind. 'Among us" said tho sage, cit is not
necessary, as among tho lIottentots, that a
youth to be raised into the company of men
should prove his manhood by beating his
mother" Paine persiste His "Age of
Reasou;'> for the moment, cutrivaled the
vide spreud popularity Of his "Common
Sense" and his "Rights Of Man" The
Z Church of Christ seemed for the moment to
trembe under the blow. Christian men fear
cd for the safety. Of their faith before an Mt.
tack SO audacious, from pen SO powerful.
Isuttho lance that struck the Cross Of Christ
was shiyercd into thousand pieces in' his
hand II;
His assault .was as powcrlcss to moye the
Rock Of Ages, as tho thunderstorm to shake
the granite hills over whose heads the harm.
less anger plays, The stone whichth build.
ors refused, fell npou him and ground him To
powder He is left without q sect, and al.
most without7a follower. His services to IL
berty have been obliterated from the memory
of mankind, by Ills assaults upon religion
IIo is known to but fow, save as the represcn
! tative;of the coarscst infdelty. Even th'
broad minded Quakors would not yield to hi
bones a final resting place in their Christian
burial ground. He was Inferred upon hi
y own. farm But even death brought no re
pose: Half a century ago. from his violate
tomb, his reninins were removed to England
An enthusiastic friend anticipated for thcr
q Harn, welcome, but none were so poor as |
!, do him reverence. Dispersed, as by tn
8 Judgments Of the Almighty God, not owe
the place Of their final burial has history re
corded. His works l,aye we'll nigh disappear
cd from fame, his very bones from thci
grave. And tile namo and life Of Thoma
Paine, sremsin d monumental testimonial I
I, the trutR, Of the prophecy, ..Un whonisosys
j this stone shall fall itsshpll grind him I
powdsf. lfeps "a lyman db1ott.
~ y. isf 5 sr.ss4
Az lac.