The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-12-08
THE CRISIS" NOT A NEW
BOOK TITLE in AMERICA.
KITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.

WRfTTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
Thomas Paine. one Of the most devoted,
une1f1ng n effective OF the pamphleteers
a01 the Revolutionary period. wrote a series
oe papers entitled The Crisis" Mr.. Win
zDeon Chmchil Is. therefore. not the first to
umploy that tide. There was another crisis
h American history other than that of the
Ctv1 Waf period
4 The title a Tho Crtsis' was not even
original with Paine. but had been used sew
efal times before he made It famous. It
wa used b. Samuel Cooper In q pamphlet
ogalnst the excise. published In Boston In
I5t4. ana By Q writer IN London In LIES. for
u pamphlet IN defense OF tho colonies
tagAinss the policy OF the stamp act. Ac-
ooeding to Tossing. "Cycl. Z. g. Hist"
nc. the title was also used in London in
x75-l7N for . series Of papers TO be con-
sinued weekly during the present bloody
otvfl va In America"
Pesne hsa attached himself with enthusi-
aDm 70 the cause OF freedom and was al
ready amous among the patriots as tho
0ntbor OF The paper entitled
0on0A~ He not only served the cause
seeEsa a. . troopsr in General Roberdeau's
M. called sths flying camp"
Il = told Of him that at this time Of
signalling distress he found relief in per
pseuAuy Wrangiing about mathematical
OeoAlems With another ~oracer."
- - ~ 0A8AAAAeCO VA lAAl oAA AAA
DalD Thomas Paine participated. A let
6ae WEatee n The British Army. describing
~ sapturo of Fort Leo. connects Paine
Mn hat event In q somewhat grotesQue
0nnAae He relates that on the appearance
x ~ BE1tish noops before that fortress.
Stho rebels 0ed like scared rabbits" leav-
- h their intrenchments some poor
DeeAL . feW greasy proclamauons. and some
e thaS sooundrel Common Sense mans
aottagat which Ne can read at our leisure,
~ that ~ have got one OF the impreg-
nabae esaoubeI OF NJ. Washington's 70
Il W1s n the midst OF the dizmay and dAs-
0c60 Ct tn retreat across New jersey
eha4 paan0 WaD aroused to begin that series
e insplEing pamphlets which at once BE-
oamolamou under the title Of THE Crisis
ana which continued to appear At intervals
Until The close Of the war.
Paine's Extreme Poverty.
Between December. 177s. when the first
pamphlet Of that series was published, down
70 December, l7sa. when the last one left the
printers hands, this indomitable man pro-
duoed no less than sixteen pamphlets I'M
DIR the 0ms general title. adapting his
Aao6agD In each case to the supreme need
o6 The hou.. and accomplishing all this lit
eraFY labor In . state Of actual poverty
poverty - great that on one occasion. short
" aftee his return from France. he was
Obliged to apologize to his friend Laurens,
then At the siege Of Yorktown. for some de-
lay IN forwarding to headquarters a pair OF
0eW boots which that gallant officer had Or
aered IN Philadelphia, by the naive confess
Gaon that he had not then in hand money
enough to pay the bootmaker.
Paine has told the story OF how, on the
oc1ambling retreat from Fort Lee, he be-
gan Il Newark the first number Of The
Ctisis," and continued writing It at every
AHarA a4oDH a&se s,nte1 f. 1rol fipfShe6 and
1O1e6 from the press at Philadelphia on
b 18th OF December. Just four days before
that On which Washington announced to
some OF his onicers his purpose to recross
b Delaware. md to strike the enemy At
xfenton.
Those were the darkest days Of the Revo- |
1Bt3oa. Even Warrington had then writ