Northern Star and Leeds General Advertiser – Saturday 09 February 1850
THE NATAL DAY OF THE IMMORTAL THOMAS PAINE
Was celebrated at the Literary and Scientific Institution, John-street, Tottenham-court-road, on Sunday evening, February 3rd, by a festival. Nearly four hundred persons sat down to tea. After the tables were cleared, and the outer doors opened, the rush for admission was terrific; every nook and corner of the institution was crammed to excess, and many turned away, sadly disappointed, at not finding even standing room. The statue of Thomas Paine (modelled by the notorious spy Edwards) was placed on the platform, amidst an enthusiastic burst of applause.
Mr. J. W. Watson having been called to the chair, the magnificent organ and Apollonian choir struck up the grand chorus of “Freemen rejoice” which was hailed with much applause.
The Chairman expressed his delight at witnessing the magnificent assemblage before him, met to do honour to one of England’s greatest men. (Loud cheers.) There was but one drawback to their pleasure, namely—the death of him who so ably presided last year—Henry Hetherington. (Much applause.) He had been a reader of the works of Paine for thirty years, having first commenced at Leeds in Yorkshire, when it was difficult to get fifty together to express their opinions openly, and after the lapse of that period he saw no ground to change his opinions; but, on the contrary, his opinions had been more and more confirmed. Let Paine’s political opinions be moulded into law, and then a social remedy would be found for our grievous wrongs (hear, hear)—but the accomplishment of such an object was no child’s play—as they had priestcraft, monarchy, and propertycraft to their opponents. During the past year, he (Mr. Watson), had gone to Thetford in Norfolk, the birth-place of Thomas Paine, to ascertain whether any information could be obtained relative to this extraordinary man. He met but one person, an aged quakeress, who said she knew Thomas Paine personally, he having been a visitor at her employer’s, who resided at Dunkirk, in France, during the first revolution, but she either knew nothing or refused to give any information respecting Paine. The grammar school in which Paine was taught still remained. All hoped to see the principles of Paine in practice, and sure he was that a few years under them would find the world wonderfully improved. (Loud cheers.)
Chorus—”Now pray we for our country.”
Mr. Walter Cooper rose, loudly applauded, to give the first sentiment as follows: “The people, may they not only know that union is strength and knowledge is power, but endeavour to produce the first and acquire the second.” The sentiment embodied two great principles of human progress, union and knowledge, these alone could save the world. With union the people were powerful. Without knowledge what are they? This was an excellent commentary on a certain verse in a certain old book,—”get understanding.” With union and knowledge the people would certainly not remain slaves; but slaves they would remain so long as they delegated their power of thinking to others; never mind, although priests tell you, they are delegated by God, think for yourselves. (Great cheering.) Mr. Cooper here entered into a statistical account of certain prisons and penitentiaries, showing that the large majority of criminal inmates had been either scholars or teachers at Sunday schools, and alluded to the want of knowledge amongst the people in bygone days, as illustrated in the burning of the philosophical apparatus, library, and house of Dr. Priestly, the cries of to hell with the Pope, death to Thomas Paine, and live the king, the parliament, and constitution; thus mortgaging the bodies and souls of their children, whilst Paine was enforcing the glorious truths of common sense in America. (Hear, hear.) But times were changing, and he hoped the people would give an extra impulse to that change by leaving those infernal dens—the gin shops—and crowd the free discussion halls. (Tremendous cheering.) The people must unite to assist the great principles of Reform. France was not perfect, and great anomalies existed in America, and a greater man than Paine must arise and preach social equality. The great territory of America served the American at present, or they would speedily be as bad off as we are in England; but fortunately America possessed political power, and when she possessed social knowledge, her people could have what they pleased. (Loud cheers.) Lady Esther Stanhope, the niece of Pitt, had in her writings said: “My uncle admits that Paine was right; yet he prosecuted him. Knowledge was spreading.” Fraser’s magazine had an article on “Labour and the Poor,” which startled everybody who read it. Fraser said: “If thousands of starving tailors and needle women be English society, this the work of the devil, and to hell with it as speedily as possible.” (Tremendous cheering.)
Mr. J. Campbell supported the sentiment.
Mr. Thompson gave the second sentiment, as follows:—”Thomas Paine, the champion of civil and religious liberty, may the time speedily arrive when the truth and justice of his principles will be universally acknowledged, and when the people of all nations will have free Common Sense to recognise and defend the Rights of Man.” He had much pleasure in giving that sentiment, because Paine had sent forth sentiments to stand on their own merits, without the aid of persons or names. Paine was a thoroughly virtuous man. The ancients said the best test of virtue was self-sacrifice, and Paine had endured persecution and imprisonment, and nearly lost his life. He had always deemed it his duty to serve the people, and not a faction.
Mrs. Matthews, in rising to support the sentiment, was greeted with loud applause. Paine had put forward prominently his political opinions, but he knew that little real good could be done whilst men’s minds were clouded by superstition, and hence he issued the Age of Reason. He had been hunted by priestly fiends and their satellites, and under such circumstances no just rejoicer could have been of small service to the Americans to have possessed the sword of Washington, and lacked the common sense of Thomas Paine. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. J. W. Linton, who had just returned from Switzerland, and had travelled all night in order to be present, was greeted with much applause. He said the Italian patriotic were still determined to regain the liberties of their glorious Italy. (Loud cheers.) The men of the continent would speedily rise again for liberty. Strive and others were still imbued with ardour for the cause of Germany, and Kossuth and Dembinski were still on the borders of Hungary. He trusted that England would be ready for a commonwealth, and that her sons would re-echo the Italian sentiment—”For God, our Country, Humanity, Liberty, Equality.” (Loud cheers.)
Mr. G. J. Holyoake gave the third sentiment—”The Press! the great agent in the work of human progress; may its future operations be governed by the principles of justice and impartiality, and its mission be to promote peace and brotherhood among all the nations of the earth.” Mr. Holyoake alluded to the exertions made by the late Carlisle, Hetherington, Cleave, and their Chairman, and said they had made the comparatively free, and the people have now the courage to discuss liberal sentiments. Paine had been called a destroyer of gods, but that was a mistake. Paine was a reverential spirit; he had put forth sentiments on that side of the question that would be looked for in vain elsewhere; and he thought it one of the highest testimonials a man could have, when one who differed from him expressed so much. (Applause.) Mr. Holyoake alluded to the committee formed for the purpose of freeing the Press from its restrictions, and appealed for subscriptions to aid the cause. The strongest proof of the necessity of a Free Press was this: when nonsense was put forward, it found plenty of abettors, but when common sense was so. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. R. Hart said he must risk, or rather court some unpopularity, by declaring that he did not coincide with the principles enunciated by Thomas Paine. Then why was he here? Because he believed that Thomas Paine was honest and sincere, and deserved the meed of approbation from every good man. (Loud cheers.) He had been for some years connected with the provincial press; and on occasions like this he knew it was usual to laud the Press; but those who did so invariably exposed it when they got home. He believed the Press to be a wide-spread evil, and the greatest curse they had.
It represented the people as vicious—libelled them in every possible manner, and was itself most dishonest; but this was the fault of the people. Let them mend themselves, and then the Press would become what it should be—a looking-glass, sending forth a true reflex. It was not by the sword, but by ideas, the change must be brought about. (Cheers.)
Mr. Stallwood, in support of the sentiment, said he agreed in a great measure with his friend Hart as to the character of the press, but surely he (Mr. Hart) could not mean all: there were exceptions.
A Voice: The Northern Star. (Cheers.)
Mr. Hart: Yes, all without exception.
Mr. Stallwood: Well then, he must differ with Mr. Hart. A friend had mentioned the Northern Star. Now, he was not so selfish as to see only the Northern Star. In the past they had Carlile’s Gauntlet; surely no one would charge Richard Carlile with dishonesty. Hetherington in the conducting the Guardian, and other papers; nor could he believe that George Petrie, the author of the beautiful poem Equality, dishonest, when he contributed so largely to the columns of The Man. (Loud cheers.) Again, there was their worthy Chairman, who had sent forth to the world a little work called the Working Man’s Friend. He hoped, if we viewed our Chairman through his consistency, we should by his brokenness advocate truth and justice. So much for the past, and now for the present. Would any one venture to say that Thomas Cooper’s Journal was dishonest? And had they not a Political Instructor beaming with philanthrophy, truth, and justice? (Loud cheers.) And did not the teetotallers deem the Working Men’s Friend honest; and surely the Spirit of Freedom was not to be deceived; and some friend had most opportunely placed in his hand the Democratic Review; surely the editor of that journal could not be said to lack either boldness or honesty in proclaiming his sentiments to the world. (Great cheering.)
And now for the Northern Star; but allow him to say first, he had now—like his friend Hart—to ask himself why he was there, having attended Paine’s celebrations for the last twenty years, and most thoroughly agreeing with Paine’s political sentiments—although he differed with him in theology, not because Paine went too far, but, because he did not go far enough. He could say, most sincerely, there was no part of his duty he attended with more pleasure, than these—”Paine celebrations.” (Loud cheers.) He thought it would not be denied for a moment, that the past and present editors and conductors of the Northern Star, always possessed courage and honesty sufficient to give vent to sentiments akin to those propounded by the man, whose memory they met to-night to honour. As a proof of this, he pointed to the Leader and reviews in that journal; and, sure he was, that there were several partials, who would acknowledge the Leader department was conducted honestly, fearlessly, and faithfully. (Loud cheers.) Lastly, there was Robert Owen, and others of their social friends, connected with the press—and were these to be classed amongst the dishonest? (Cheers.) He looked forward to the time, when there would be more weekly papers advocating the cause of the people, and a national daily paper, gathering up and enforcing the democratic and social views of the people. The principal reason for his rising was to ask Mr. Holyoake, if it would be prudent to propound some of the practical proceedings intended by the committee to which he had alluded, in order to induce more support, pecuniary and otherwise, to the good object they had in view? Did the committee intend that petitions should be sent to the House of Commons, or did they think of again risking Coldbath-fields, Clerkenwell Bastile, or Tothill-fields prison? If they intended the latter, he had suffered in Coldbath-fields before, and was ready for another breeze. (Loud cheers.) He agreed with the politics of Thomas Paine, and hoped to see such an union of the people, as should cause them to be reduced to practice, and then he thought they might soon march on to the community of property. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. Richard Moore said, as one of the committee, he just wished to say, that the Press committee did intend to petition the house, and cause a motion for the removal of all restrictions from the Press to be submitted for its consideration. As to the second question, whether it could be fought by bringing out a paper unstamped, in defiance of law, it had been before the committee, but nothing decisive had been done on that matter, but for his part, under the present law, he thought it quite impossible.
“The market Chorus” from Masaniello was given and encored—when the “Marseillais,” was judiciously substituted, amidst rapturous applause.
Mr. Stallwood moved a vote of thanks to Mr. Watson for the able manner in which he had presided, which was seconded and carried unanimously.
Mr. Watson bowed his acknowledgement; and thus terminated one of the most numerous assemblages ever met to do honour to that noble of nature, Thomas Paine.