Blue-grass blade (Lexington, Ky.), April 4, 1909
THE PAINE CENTENNIAL
But little more than two months now intervene before the date set for the Centennial celebration of the great patriot whose feet trod American soil, to take place at New Rochelle.
What are the Freethinkers of America doing, they who have profited mentally by his labors, to make this event the success it must be?
In another column is a letter from Secretary Elliott, stating what has taken place in foreign lands to commemorate the name of Paine and, as he suggests, America of all nations on earth cannot afford to be laggard in this respect. The Christian world will ignore the event; it may strive to detract from it. The promoters need not look in that direction for support, but the Freethinkers, ever the vanguard of liberty’s great army, they who keep up the fight Paine fought in his day, must not neglect this opportunity.
During the past few weeks the daily newspapers of the country have printed columns of news about Paine, his great services to the nation, to humanity and to all posterity. This is, in itself, encouraging in the extreme. It is an indication that, in spite of bigoted historians, the name of Thomas Paine is growing into greater reverence and will, ere long, be accorded its rightful place in American history.
The Huguenot Association of New Rochelle, descendants of the famous French organization, have arranged to purchase the old home of Thomas Paine, and the homestead is to be converted into a sort of revolutionary museum for the benefit of visitors, in which some of the Paine relics are to prominently figure. This Huguenot Association is a newly formed body, and its unaided financial resources are inadequate to the demands made upon it by the purchase of this property and its proper equipment, and as this project is of such national importance, they desire to enlist the support of every patriotic citizen in the work it has undertaken.
Next to the Centennial itself, which has been arranged by the Paine Memorial and Historical Association, is the saving of the Paine home, but it is of the Centennial we would now direct immediate attention.
Thaddeus B. Wakeman is president; James B. Elliott, of Philadelphia, is secretary; and Dr. E. B. Foote, of New York City, is treasurer of the combined Paine Societies. It is to their efforts that the Centennial must look for its success, but it is to the financial help of the Freethinkers of America that these gentlemen must look for the means of making it a success.
It is needless to say that plans are now being carefully laid for a splendid program of music, songs and speeches, the detail of which will be announced later. The problem of carrying out that program is to be solved only by the united help of all friends and admirers of Paine.
The Blade’s Editor may not be able to attend the Centennial, although it is his earnest desire to do so. To the end that help may be given, the columns of this paper are open to the friends and managers of the movement for the purpose of communication with those who can and are willing to aid. If you cannot attend, you can help to some extent by making a donation to the movement and striving to make this demonstration a new challenge to the orthodox institutions of the land.
Notes
We are in receipt of the initial number of The Common Sense Bible Teacher, and it is all that its name implies. It is published in an acceptable magazine form, and its plan is to conduct a sort of class among its readers for an interpretation of the entire Bible text in the light of evolution. It means, in the end, a new translation of both the old and new testaments under the guidance of evolutionary truth, and is destined to accomplish a work of great usefulness in destroying myth and superstition. It is edited by C. L. Abbott, of St. Paul, Minn., and ought to receive a wide circulation. It is a quarterly publication. Single copies sell at 25 cents. Annual subscription, $1.00. Write for sample copy free.
Among the pamphlets that recently have come to our desk is one by Eleanor Kirk, of 59 West 89th Street, New York, entitled Black and Blue and Other Happy Studies. It has 32 pages and while made up of reminiscence it contains enough of modern philosophy to pay one for having read it.
Wait not until a man is driven to crime by the iron law of necessity, a woman to dishonor, but put forth a hand now in time to avert the sin and shame.
One new subscriber from each present subscriber would mean that our present circulation would just double itself.
Send a contribution to Dr. E. B. Foote, 120 Lexington Avenue, New York City, to aid in preparing for the Paine Centennial.
Any of our friends desiring Dr. Wilson’s A Trip to Rome, or Dogfennel in the Orient, by our late editor, C. C. Moore, we have copies on hand which we will sell now at one dollar each and prepay all postal charges thereon. Order a copy now.
Gone are all the gods from High Olympus. These appeal no more to the wondering minds of men. Gods are but crude conceits of the world’s infancy, the coat of many colors with which it clothed its ignorance.