Morning journal and courier., 1892-04-08
TEN EYCK PRIZE WINNER.

TEN EYCK PRIZE WINNER. Z
John r. Robinson IL tho Victor
Paine Misjudged-His Services to
the American Cause.-The Deism.
The Junior exhibition was held yester-
lay in Battell chapel John T. Robinson
IF Hartford won the prize. He spoke on |
Thomas Paine: Deism and Democracy in |
the Days of the American Revolution"
He showed the relation of deism to democ- |
racy in a cogent, lucid manner. His pic |
ture of Thomas Paine was a sympathetic
and accurate one. His remarks on Paine |
were as follows:
Mr.. Walpole's we'll known saying, "Don't
read history! that know must be false!"
is at least half truth.
Party passion and religious prejudice
often guide the pen of the historian. It is
only when time has lent her healing infu-
ence that we can assign to a man his true
judgments of each yesterday. In 1851 the
withered body of Oliver Cromwell was
taken from its resting place and gibbeted.
Long before 1892 he has been accorded q
place as England's greatest ruler.
It is now more than century since
Thomas Paine first appeared in American
politics, but his name is still held in uni ust
remembrance. For the striking and
unique service he rendered to the cause of
our revolution we should honor him, and
if injustice surrounds his memory we
should delight to remove it. Not alone
to such a master of events as
Washington WAS the success of the
American revolution due There was need
of the boldness of Putnam to inspire the
updisciplined colonists at Bunker Hill.
There was need too, of Tom Paine and his
rough Fadicalism to stir up desire for in
dependence.
In the early months of the Revolutionary
war there was little talk of independence.
Only a few bold spirits like Samuel Adams
looked for 1t from the first. The colonists
were reluctant to break the bonds of union
with the mother country. There were
some men who looked into the distant fu-
| ture and saw that ultimate separation was
| inevitable. The general wish was for re-
| Cancellation. From the first Tom Paine
| felt that the country must struggle for
nothing less than Independence. Eng
lands vexatious policy gave him an op.
| portunity. He exerted all his power at
| the very crisis of events.
| Paine, by his pamphlet Common
| Sense" reached the hearts of the people.
Led on by this bold pamphlet, the people
became eager for Independence. When il
was known that Paine was its author he be-
came famous.
After winning great reputation, why
did he fall in public esteem? Why did hi
name become odiouss It was primarily
ed religion. Hi. Gage Of Reason, ;
in which he gives expression
to his deistic notions and endeavors to un
dermine the authority of the Bible, seemed
to Americans an outrageous piece of work
The author of such book appeared t,
them to be capable of anything that wa
bad. All manner of vice was attributed
| to him. Of his former friends scarcel,
one stood by him. Though Tom Pain
| was blunt and irreverant he was not tn
been painted.
In none of the leading men of our revo
luton was deism so pronounced as il
Paine Though Franklin was deist, u
ascribe little Of his wonderful influence t
his religious notions. It is hard to fin
out much about Jefferson's religious opir
; ions, but it is probable that his belief wa
| largely akin to Paine's. Vermont's revc
lutionary hero, Ethan Allen, wrote bool
; | "Oracles of Reason" only open to less cri
,, | icism than the Gage of Reason" beca use
was weaker.
Il All through the revolution Paine too
, an active interest in affairs. A part of th
| time he was an aide-de-camp to Geners
Greene. His most remarkable services
| the army were the stirring words whic
moved from his pen.
In the winter of rs, while Washington
forlorn regiments were fast dissolvinl
Paine determined to put new vigor int
, , the troops. At night, while the rest of tt
soldiers were sleeping, by the light Of tt
= camp fire he wrote "The Crisis
On the 23d of December it W.
read to the army. The wea,
soldiers were inspired to new couras
! and their voices rang out in cheers I
3 they heard these thrilling words: "The'
:. are the times that try mems souls. I'll
summer soldier and the sunshine patri'
4 will in this crisis shrink from the servi
,, of his country; but he that stands it no
deserves the love and thanks of man ar
: woman" A few days later the troo]
J. rushed to victory at Trenton, shoutin
=. "These are the times that try mems souls
The credit of that victory was Civ.
largely to Paine.
: Great as was Paine's interest in Il
8 French revolution, its bloodiness disgust
:. him. At tho trial of Louis Capet, whe
" he sat as one of the judges, Paine ".
l. both brave and generous. He alone of Il
70 judges opposed the execution
# the king. He dared the threate
legged cries for of the the life sps't "a
;, Soon afterwards he was thrown into pr
y on by Roespierre. By an accident he e
y capped the guillotine.
0 1t is unfortunate that Paine's litera
It career did not end befare he undertook b
/ cage of Reason" While this book
g tacks the inspiration and authenticity
> the Bible, it honors our Lord as gre
It philosopher. Written in a serious vain,
It is almost free from ribaldry. 81 believe
# hope for happiness beyond this life."
le believe that religious duties consist in
n ing justice, loving mercy and in endeave
f. ing to make our fellow creatures happy
|. Paine was vero in the days of '76;
q was despised in '96, after the appearan
70 of "The Age of Reason"
sr In 1902 he returned to America. {
n his arrival he met an unweleome rece
70 ton. After few years eff miserable 9
l. istence, the center of low class of a
8. mirers, the best he could get, he died
W 1909. The dishonesty, the licentiousnes
g. the meanness. in fact nearly all t
g. vices that have been attributed to Pal
It existed chiefly in the mind of his tt
le ducers. He was indeed coarse and u
" couth in his dress. In his last years j..
q had too strong an attachment to
"a brandy bottle. He shows intense egotis
n in some of his writings. But in spite
these faults there was kind heart
meath his rough exterior.
The city of Philadelphia, at the cente
g. NAL of our national independence, rsfus
r, to accept a bust of Thomas Paine. s.
- will yet End niche of honor for hiI
70 Rome waited 300 years for statue
Bruno. In charity for his faults and
follies, and in profound gratitude for
service of devotion, let us remember Pal
- as one of the true patriots of our revol
ton, whose hatred of tyranny and love
q human rights, coupled with a keen natur
wit and lucid manner Of expression,
10 much to establish our independence
7. There was place in that day of strugg
10 for the Puritan of New England, for Il
Ronanist of Maryland, for the Huguen
10 of the Carolinas, for the churchman
). Virginia, and for the deist Paine.
POLITICAL.