The New Rochelle Pioneer, 6 June 1914
Impressive exercises were held in honor of two hundred devoted and enthusiastic admirers of Thomas Paine at the Paine Monument.
Addresses touching on different phases of Paine’s life and work were made by well known speakers from New York, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and other cities. W. M. van der Weyde, President of the Thomas Paine National Historical Association, under the auspices of which the exercises were held, spoke on Gilbert Vale’s contribution to our knowledge of Paine and of Vale’s work in erecting the monument.
Dr. Henry Neumann, leader of the Society of Ethical Culture, Brooklyn, told of the ethical teachings of Paine. A powerful address on “Paine’s Contribution to Religious Liberty” was made by Harry W. Wilbur, secretary of the Society of Friends, Philadelphia. Edward McChesney Sait, assistant professor of politics of Columbia University, spoke on “Paine, Apostle of Political Freedom,” and Rev. Edward Swan Wiers, of Unity Church, Montclair, N. J., treated Paine’s work from the viewpoint of his contributions to religion.
During the exercises announcement was made by President van der Weyde that he recently has received the last fragment of the body of Paine. It consists of a lock of hair and was received from England, to which country Paine’s body was removed in 1819. Mr. van der Weyde stated that the relic will be brought to New Rochelle for interment and will be placed with the rest of the remains in the base of the monument in the near future.
The memorial exercises, by far the most successful ever held under the auspices of the society, took place at 2.15 o’clock. Those who had come to honor the memory of the great patriot were grouped about the flag draped monument. To one side, directly in front of the old Paine house, floated the rainbow flag of Thomas Paine. The whole setting was extremely impressive.
An interesting part of the exercises was the placing of many beautiful flowers on the monument by Mrs. Walston Ingersoll Brown, a daughter of Robert G. Ingersoll.