New-York tribune., 1876-03-25
The day of all that sort of rubbish is setting
Mr. COnkling must step aside.
THOMAS PAINE'S Bust.

THOMAS PAINE'S BUST
Mr.. Thomas Paine has still many admirers.
Some of these propose to place marble bust
of him in Independence Hall, Philadelphia,
"as q recognition of his great services Ill be-
"half of human liberty" We think tDat Mr'
Paine's revolutionary services have been over
rated. We are still willing to admit that ne
was sharp and clever pamphleteer, an adept
in n certain kind of political dalectlcs not OF
| the highest order, but with a hOmcly ana vlg-
OrOus way of asserting truths which should
never have been disputed His writings did
the service of newspapers when newspapers
were very few. The Congress used MN,
| and to the best of its power rewarded
| him. He was not, however, man 1Or
whom il was possible to do much. lie was
conspcuousy hard drinker even in those
days of hard drinking, AMI he disregarded
most social restraints. He does not seem to
have kept the friendship of the leading men
of the Revolution and he died in solitude and
comparative poverty. His memory is main
tanned hy those who think as he did, that
| Christianity is fraud and dclUsion. His
| political services are used to bolster up ms
reputation by those who would not have cared
much for his politics if he had been pro-
fcssed antagonist of their disbelief. There may
be historical propriey IN placing his bust in the
Hall. Its presence there can hardly be misin-
| terpreted. 1t will be recognized as the pre-
sentiment of Thomas Paine, the political writer,
and not of Paine, the feeble and Ignorant foe
of Christianity.
| In the exercise OF that charity which the
Bible inculcatcs. Paine may be forgiven much.
| He was an English democrat, who had been
| soured by tho incOngruitles OF the Establish
mcDt he had been haishly treated on account
of his crude notions; and he had been greatly
| influenced by the shallow infdelity OF the
| French Revolutionists, who repaid his devotion
TO the Goddess of Reason by shutting him up,
| and by intending to cut off his head for he
only escaped the guillotine 10y the accident OF
an accident. OF what Christianity really is,
we do not believe that lie had the remOtcst
idea. He thought that his quarrel was with
| the Bible when it was only quarrel with
Bishops. His criticism was OF that small
! kind which picks ont inconsistent texts,
! and discovers contradictions in passages
| which have not the most remote connec-
ton So far have we advanced that his best
| arguments, if they may be SD called, would
not. if first published to-day, attract the
slightest attention. nor would anybody think
them worthy of serious refutation. The Oppo-
ncnts of Christianity are now men OF larger
caliber greater knowledge, and more respect
able method. They perhaps do less mischief
that he did, because fewer people understand
them. Io was an iniidcl without science,
crudtion, or philosophy. He was simply \
sharp debater, cayiler, and a technical dis
putant. As such he was immensely admired
by minds of the same class, but il - a class FOR
which we cannot entertain the highest respect,
or 10 the guidance of which meihodical think
crs i'm tbesc. days resign themselves.
Such rs he was, Paine was admirably fitted
to expose the folly and the injustice OF king
craft, and to defend the cause of IA people
against oppression. He had learned iii a
severe school how dangerous and how uD-
scrupuOus is power unr,strdincd by public
liberty. He oomprchcndrd the value OF free
political discussion. which the English Ministry
regarded ~ much more dangerous than any
discussion Oi the truths of religion. The cause
of the Colonies commended itself TO his COM
mon sense; substantially il was the same cause
for which he had suffered in England. He
had robust way of dealing with shams and
prctensions; he was no respcctcr OF persons.
and hardly of himself. II his admirers ask
that a bust of him may be placed in lnde-
pcndcnce Hail. and the request is granted,
We trust that some suitable inscription will set
forth the special merit to which The cOnccs-
sion is made.