The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-02-11
THOMAS PAINE.

I
ly about Thomas Paine. The discus
sion has a tendency to make more of
the man and to give him higher celebri-
ty than his true title to fame warrants or
deserves. By Paine's special admirers
it seems to be held that to the efforts of
their hero mankind is immensely in
debted for political and religious free
dom. This is altogether too large an
estimate of the man. He did nothing
that entities him to apotheosis. Moth
ing that he accomplished would be
missed, had be never lived. Not that
it can beNor need be denied that he pos
sessed considerable talents; on the con-
trary, his career shows him to have
been man of ready parts, but of turbu-
lent and reckless character, opposed by
the constitution of his nature to govern
ment and authority, guided by no sim
cere convictions, an enemy to order and
to law, ready with smart and ribald
phrase to undermine the respect of un-
thinking people for political institu-
tions and religious faith, and only in his
element when society was in a ferment
and he could appeal with infiammatory
speech and sophistical arguments to the
passions of men.
A little attention to his history will
justify fully this estimate of the man.
AS Americans, we are too apt to exag-
gerate the value of Paine's writings in
the cause of our Revolution. That
those writings were immensely popular
for time is true. They were popular
because in the white heat of revolu-
tionary passion they gave expression
to the general determination for indie
pendence, translated the surging emo
tions of the people into speech, and sup
piled with turgid rhetoric and phrases
smartly turned the particulars of COM
plant against the mother country, and
the arguments for separation. A pam
phlet cleverly written at such a time
was sure to be universally read. But
this production, famous as it was in its
day, is nowhere regarded as a perma-
nent contribution to the literature of
politics and craftsmanship. 1t never
had place among the masterpieces of
political thought and wisdom. 1t is Of
interest to the American historian, but
of little or no interest to mankind at
large, and in fact is now seldom men
toned except when it is thought neces-
sary to extol Paine as the author of the
cage of Reason" On these occasions
it is brought forward with intent to
show that he who with skeptic ribaldry
attacked and outraged the spiritual
nature of our race has claim on the
gratitude of the American people for
services rendered in their struggle for
political freedom. 1t is skillfully at
Americans toward the cage of Reason"
by holding up to their admiration the
; author of Common Sense" Yet all
American historians agree that the eff
feet of his writings in behalf of the col
: onies has been greatly overrated. Ban
croft calls him "literary adventurer,"
who "embodied in words the vague
longing of the country, mixed up with
Paine left America he claimed with i'm
pudent assurance that he had set the
ball of the successful Revolution in mo-
ton. John Adams some years later
took the trouble to expose and confute
this absurd pretense. Paine, in fact,
had not arrived in America till the issue
had been made, and the contest virtually
begun. 1.-THE fact is" says Duyckinck
eye. Am. Lit.-"that Paine, admit
ting his merits to the full, was hum
BILE, though useful servant to the cause,
never its master" The following char
: acterization by an English writer hits
him off exactly: "His strong coarse
sense and bold dogmatism, conveyed in
an instinctively popular style, made
, Paine dangerous antagonist always;
but more particularly at time when
lower orders of both countries were to
be appealed to-" His famous pamphlet,
Common Sense" of which the outline
was suggested by number of literary
men in Philadelphia, who supported
, the Revolution, and to which Rush
, gave the name it bears, was in part an
= argument against monarchy from that
, Scripture which Paine treated in his
| other writings with dogmatic contempt.
While, therefore, it is agreed that his
) writings on the American war pos
sessed the talent of presenting taking
, and striking appeal to popular feelings,
, it will also be seen that history, in rat
ing them at their true value, places
their Importance to the cause far below
r that which Paine's admirers of the
3 present day undertake to assign to them.
Never restrained by integrity or by
? scrupulous habits, Paine committed q
D breach of faith with some of his emf
t nent patrons which lost him their favor
: and thereafter but little consideration
d was paid him in America. Returning
: to Europe after the close of the Ameri.
e can War, he found in the French Revo.
{ luton a congenial field for the employ.
ment of a mind which constantly re.
e belled against all established iRstitu.
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