Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-02-09

by sam Adams and his brother John,
OTIS, Hancock. and Others for years.
but the fiery innetuosity of Paine
started tho blaze that had been only
smolderius. soon. from the Lakes TO
the Gulf the cry for independence he
came general, and.on the Fourth of
July, 1716, Independence was declared.
In the seven years war that cnsued
Paine was private soldier under
washington. on drum head he wrote
sixteen numbers of pamphlets called
"'rhe Crisis" through all Of which he
denounced the crown and urged the
Americans TO patriotism. When Wash
ington's army was on the point Of sur
render he went to France and was
largely instrumental In securing n loan
which put the American army on its
feet with new life and enabled II to se-
cure the surrender of Lord CORVALLIS
and the triumph of the colonists.
The Revolution over, Paine went back
to England. Edmund Burke had just
published book against the efforts of
the French to secure n republican gov
eminent. Paine replied to Burke in his
Rights of Man." first part. His reply
created such an excitement in England
that republican clubs Were formed in
every manufacturing city. and n pop
ular song had for "A refrain
"Cod save great Thomas Paine.
His Rights of Man proclaim
From pole to pole"
This was sung to the air of God Save
the King''--thc original Of our "Ameri-
ca" The government was so alarmed
that 1t suppressed the Rights of Man"
and ordered the arrest of the author
and publisher.
The popularity of Paine in France
caused his election to the French As
sembly, as delegate from Calais, and
knowing that he was under orders of
arrest, he secretly made his way to
Dover and Immediately set sail for
France. He had not left the shores
of England half an hour before an Of
ficer of the crown reached Dover with
an order for his arrest. Paine took his
seat in the French Assembly at Paris
When the question Of killing the king
came up, Paine insisted that they should
Kill monarchy, but spare the man. For
this he was thrown into prison and
only by merest accident did he escape
death under the guillotine. That Is. he
was condemned to death, but escaped
The next day Robespierre, the tyrant.
was himself deposed and Paine soon
after regained freedom
II was in Paris that Paine wrote his
age OF Reason and. knowing that
he was to be Imprisoned he hastened
the completion of the first part, leav-
ing the manuscript with n friend with
instructions to publish 1t after his
(Paine's) death, for he was convinced
that Robespierre would send him to the
guillotine.
If Paine had not written that work
he would stand today very close to
the head of the class of those men
who made the United States" He was
honored by Washington. Jefferson
Madison. Monroe and all the fathers
whom the American people delight to
honor now.
But, with death staring him in the
face as n prisoner under the implaca-
BILE Robespierre, he wrote his last words
his purpose being to overthrow the
power of ecclesiasticism in human af-
fairs. He dipped his pen in lightning
and wrote, in lines of fire. words that
burned to the heart of every fraudulent
pretense of religion in his time, words
that are still burning, and the whole
so-called Christian world rose in its
might to denounce md destroy HIM
could string the story of his perse-
outions out to interminable length, II
your space and patience permitted. But
this l must say-If there Is any truth
in Mormonism, Paine was a John-thes
Baptist of the new embodiment of the
everlasting mind. No people on earth
should be less disposed to cast odium
upon the great 'infdels," so-called, of
the latter days. than the Mormons.
For II Mormonism has foundation in
fact, every Kicker" against the idiotic
theology of the Church" has been n
pioneer, In the name of God, blazing
the way for the fullness of times"
CHARLES ELLIS.