Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1877-11-22

nourishlny the iirst witt, ten.pe,unce al
the latter with abundance"
''iie lives immHred within the Bastiie
word"
! How perfectly that sentence dcscril
YOU! ihe Elstile in which you are il,
INJURED is the word "Calvin;sm."
'Han has no property in man.
What splendid motto that would ha,
made for the New York Observer in I!
olden time!
"ihfSso:l'l is my country: to do goo,
my religion
ASA you again whether these splendi
.'tterances came from Tie lips of 4 drunke
beast?
DID THOMAS PAINE DIE IN DysT1T,,r,o
AND WANT?
The charge has been made over and owe
again. that Thomas Paine died in desti;u
ton and want-that lie was an abandone,
pauper-an o,lfcast without friends ant
without money. This charge is lust a
false rs IL" >'.t
Upon bis ,e'urn to this country in 1902
lie Was Halth y.t0.ii0O, according" to hi.
own statement nlide at that time in the
following letter addressed to Clio Rick,
man.
My DEAR FRIESD:-Mr. Monroe. who
Is appointed Minister Extraordinary t,
France, takes charge of this. to be deliver.
ed to Mr.. Este. banker in Paris. to be for.
warded to yoU.
Il arrived ut Baltimore the 3Oth Of Octo-
Der. and yoa can have no idea of the agta-
ton which my arrival occlsioned. From
New Hampshire to Georyi;. Tan extent OF
l.ooo miles, every newspaper was filled
with applause or abuse.
Ny p. ol,erty in'this country has been
taken care of by my friends. and is worth
six thousand pounds sterling. which put
in the funds will bring me four hundred
pounds sterling year.
'.ReEem5er me in affection and friend
ship to your wife and family, and in the
circle OF your friends.
THOMAS PAINE"
\ man in those days worth thirty thou
sand dollars was not i pallper. That
amount would bring IN income of at least
two thousand dollars per annum. Two
thousand dollars then would be fully equal
to live thousand dollars now.
On tils. l2tl of Jaly. 1909. the year in
which he died. Mr.. Paine made his will.
From this instrument We learn that he was
the owner OF Il valuable farm within 30
miles of Ne" York. H. also w:s the
owner Of thirty shares in tie New York
l'hsen:X Insurance Company. worth up
wards Of fifteen hundred dollars. Besides
his. some personal property and ready
money. BY his viii be gave to Walter
Morton. and Thomas Adds Emmet. BROTH
u Of Robert Emmc, two hundred dollars
,ac'l, and one hundred to the widow of
tiiiH Palmer.
Il i: possible that this will was made by
| paurcr-hy Il destitute outcast-by a
nan WHO suffered for the ordinary neces-
aries OF lie.
Bat suppose. for the sake of argument.
hat he was poor and that he died a beggar.
loes that tend to show that the Bible is an
Inspired book. AMI that Calvin did not
'urn Servetns? DO YOU really regard
'overty as Il crime? If Paine had died "A
aiiiionaire, would you have accepted his
eliyious opinions? If Paine had drank
othing but cold water. would YOU have
epuaiated the five cardinal points of Cal
inism! Does an argument depend for its
orce upon the pect,niary condition Of the
erson making it? As 4 matter of fact,
lost reiormcrs-most men and women of
pnius. have been acquainted with poverty.
'cneath covering Of rags have been
,und some of the tentlerest and brlyest of
carts.
Owing to the attitude of the churches tor
he last fifteen hundred years. trlltl-telinr
us not been a very lucrative business. As
rule. hypocrisy ha. worn the robes. and
onesty the rags. That day is passing
way. You cannot now answer the ary,-
lents of man by pointing at holes in his
oat. Thomas Paine attacked the Church
ihen it was powerful-when it had what
;as called honors to bestOw-When it was
ne keeper OF the public conscience-when
was strong and cruel. The Church
'aited till lie was dead. then attacked his |
eprtation and his clothes.
Once upon time a donkey kicked
on. The lion was dead.
CONCLUSION.
From the persistence with which the Or
hodox have charged for the last sixty
ght years that Thomas Paine recanted. |
nd that when dying he was filled with re-
lorse and fear; from the malignity of the
ftacks upon his personal character. had
that there must be some evil
ence of some kind to support these chars-
). Even with my ideas Of the average
onor Of believers in superstiton-the dis
piles of fear, did not quite believe that
] these infi'mies rested solely upon poorly
Tested lies. had charity enough to sup
ose that something had been said or done
y Thomas Paine capable of being tortur-
| into "A foundation for these callmnies.
nd | was 'olish enough to think that
zen You won,I be willing to fairly exam
Ie the pretended evidence said to sustain
lese charges. and give your honest con-
usion to the world. suppose that you,
ring acquainted with the history of your
,untry, felt under certain obligation to
honas Paine for the splendid services
ndered by him in the darkest days Of the
evolution. 1t WAS only reasonable to
oppose that you were aware that in the
idnight of Valley Forge the ''Crisis," by
holnas Paine, was the first star that gilt
red in the wide horizon of despair. l
ok it for granted that you knew Of the
oll stand taken and the brave words spo-
n by Thomas Paine, in the French Con-
,ntion, against the death OF the king. l
ought it probable that you, being an
Iitor, had read the Rights of man."
at you knew that Thomas Paine WAS a