The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-01-30
IN DEFENSE or THOMAS PAINE.
Rev. Alfred W. Martin Reviews
Great Freethinker's Life.

AT Ranke bah last evening Rev. Alfred
w. Martin delivered orr Ok his most In
lsFtstIns ana Instructive lectures. He iaIk-
sd Tor an hour VI the life and woeks Of
Thomas Paine. He freely admitted the
si4of Jennings os The so~ea-Aed inH4ei. but
pointed TO the bright side Of the truth
concerning MIN. as well as To The aar k
side. In substance he said
iao1nas Paine was a skeptie. That
honor must be ACCORDED to him. it IL his
means one who shades his eyes 20 lock
steadily AZ an object derived from 4
Greek werd with that meaning. Such was
Pains. He shaded his eyes Of all pre- fn3aes
and passion 10 look steadily AZ the facts Of
religion. and tha result was that he became
great believer. He doubted IN the inter
csss OF faith. In the interests OF faith he
denied doctrines taught by the church as
truth. Painss nay was only an uncouth
way OF saying yea. lie was after the
hisi piles that covered IL. He had the
courage 10 call superstiiioas sugersttions
because be ioved truth and his fellow
men. The Christian churches STEPPED In
Paine's real nature and achievements call
him an lnAdel' an 'nnhalever.' But who
best known book. car say that he was an
unheiieTer?'
Dr. Martin read passages from the book
showing conclastvely that Paine believed
IN God. though not the God Of Augustine
aad Milton; In Jesus, though not IN the
Christ 81 the creesis. in Immortality, though
he did not dogmatize. about ''psarly gates
and golden crowns
Continuing. Mr.. Martin said. "A granier
Christian never hreathed. TIE Age OF
Reason opens with this noble sentence
Il believe in one God, and no mare. and
] hoie for happiness beyond this NE. | be-
lie.e In the equality OF man. In this same
hook we read The world IL my coun-
try to DO good my religion
When wifi the Christian critic read this
book and Quit his Infamous false charges
Think Of H. this very man. catumnisted.
1taSss.a
society ~ Observation-Disclosures whose OBJ
ject was the extinction ~ prejudice the
spread % morality and the diffusion Of
faith in God. To Thomas Paine we owe
this phrase, These United States OF Amer
tea must become inslene ndent' and also
this exquisite definition ef religion; RE
fruits OF his heart
Read wha, Paine saws about the nible
ard then turn % the last edition % the
'Fncyclopeda Britannica 10 the article
'isihle ana ~ once you viii zec how much
more radical are ttx Views Than those of
Paine. And saas article WIS written by
q Scotch Presbyterian The fact IL that
most ~ paine's eplnlnns have become old
fashioned In the light q modern scholar
shin.
he sure be vas not refined gentleman
In Our sense OF the term. He often drank
ZOO much; hut Christian ciergvr1en kept
him company. He loss his temper Some
times. hut what amount ~ orthodoxy viii
Insure \ man against such iosSs Let Il
net 30 forgotten that II was Paine who
interpreted tbe swnet humanity ~ Jesus
sud he'nei deliver us from nrlsstcraft and
suneFs'fs!on mans character must be
tsAge3 II the nghs ~ tiae sgp In which he
lived and Judged fheS paine'~ character
stands nntaFnlshei ~ the stains of Chris
tian vlfursrattan AMI abuse.
Judge not said fe@us. lest va Re
Judged Waalt that shev who profess to
hs> followers af Jesus followed his exam
uia and refraincd from Judging wrongly
ard xhamefuv he man who gave hts
Ufe-fAoGff 70 asnaneinAte America sf,pnu the
thrsN OF political ard religious slavery
Thomas Tsaine's creed was "a simple rs
y vas sublime The world IL my c0ug.-
Try, 20 10 gpod rny Telsgi0nsr And I ven
ture IA believe that ~ Jesus anre here
on earth snd hal 90 choose between this
crees 8ast the Westminster Confession =
or ttss Thirty ~G2ins Articles h. would ar
hesif.tsngfy rhGase re rreef - Thomas
Paine for IL - the esseFce OF ali that
Jesas taught On how ~ live