The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-06-27
JEAN JACQUES

JEAN JACQUES
 T WILL SCARCELY be denied that seThe M Crisis and Common Sense played a large part in the achievement of the independ- ence of England's American colonies, and some historians nave said that they were more pow Herful than the sword of Washington But Thomas Paine, the author Of these worlzs the man who christened 1the United States of 4Annerica, was unorthdox in religion and. it was alleged by his enemies, sometimes drank liquor to excess, occasionally made use of naughty words and often forgot to clip his finger nails So it happened that Americans .haves reviled the name and memory of Tom Paine, and repeat with relish all the hoary lies of his enc mics, and invent new islanders, and neither know nor care where his bones lie bur lied. A tiny monument at New Koch e, N. Y., and little memorial building in Boston arey| in the case of Raine, the sole exceptions to the prcverbial rule of the ingratitude of republics, Like Bolivar, the South American Iiberator,a Paine might have cried from his lonely death bed, 1T have ploughed il the sea
 1t is inteFe sting to note that the French re.1 public is not So ungrateflH to its founders. On this Sunday, as on every tsventy-eighth day of8 June the birthday of Jean Jacques Rousseau will be generally conamemoTated in Paris and throughout France. Like Paine, the author of Is.The Social Contract was hardly respeotables and he is known to Anericans not as the friend-one might almost say, the father-of fb51 Dl1t HS lHe duGnOf those T(lOnfeS- sions in which he laid bare all his weaknesses all his vices, aIial1 his petty sins and gave to- the world for tn le first and only time the spec tacle of nan who dared to tell the whole truth Kabout himself. But despite these revelations, France does not leave to its ultra radicals and social outcasts the task Of perpetuating Ros-' seau's memory The foremost statesmen of the repubIic have joined in the annual tribute 1 of respect to Jean Jacques M. Aristide Briand the former Premier, on such an occasion gave. this eloquent ekpIanation of. the French atti- tude toward Rousseau
 Jean Jacques was determined to speak il l of himself. Let others nske much of his Con lfessionss The day a man enters into history what matters his weakness and vretched lstory2 We keep of him only the enthusiasm he has stirred; and if he paid a sad price for his IghE peace to his pefishabIe shade. glory to his immortal thought!
 When a eovernIn ent when a whole peo- lple come to glorify master, the intention is to l fix durably an example, moment. of its na- lstionaI existence It is not Jean Jacques Of the weak flesh, but Jean Jacques of the high and noble thought, that we honor. For a phantom Igreater gigantic, is always with 1liIn, precedes I and follows him, masters and tightly wraps him round; 'tis Iiberty, his reason for living and suffering, his inspirer, his mother And beside him trembling, smaller phantom is I also Liberty-the Liberty born of the breath land cries and tears of can Jacques his child Iso weak that it was all but product of his faT1cy-DuJ IT was OUT liberty Which lives from him and through him and is now grown to be 6 Icentury- old tree
 Jean Jacques wandering shade, going the world around and leaving everywhere it's track and well nigh everywhere creating liberty, has lconle back to settle down in the spot where he ] had known rest and peace. 2
 In spite of subtle and murderoils attacks which really are aimed not 50 much at him as ] at his work, believe that it. is Important to IhonoF here the pure memory and glorious effi- l gy of hero-J Jean Jacques Rousseau. ' So France honors Rousseau. But of the hundred million people who live under the flag ! of the American republic which Paine helped to found, only few hundreds remember his birthday. A few gather in New Rochelle, per Ihaps few others meet in Philadelphia and Boston-and for the rest, silence. Why? Be cause Paine neglected his finger nails-or so his enemies alleged; and because he was an .atheist,'-he who began his confession of faith, written in the shadow of death, with the l statement, T believe in God'
 It may hot n a comfortable in not not to on inc ri