Show paine has almost no influence on thinking in the united states f by THOMAS A r DISON in new york times has almost ost no influence on present day thinking in tile tho united states because he is unknown to tho the average citizen perhaps I 1 might eay ay right here that this is h a national lose and a deplorable lack of understanding concerning the man who first proposed and first wrote those impressive words the united states of america but it is hardly strange paines teachings have been de barred from schools everywhere and ilia his views of life mi misrepresented 1 until his memory is hidden in shadows or he is looked upon as of unsound mind we never had a sounder intelligence in this republic he was waa the equal of washington in makin making 10 american liberty possible where washington performed paino paine devised and wrote the deeds of one in the field were matched by the deeds odthe bottler with ilia his pen washington himself a appreciated paine at ills hia truo true worth franklin know knew him for a great patriot and clear thinker 11 ho was ft a friend and confidant of jefferson and tho the two mus must toften often have debated the academic and practical phases of liberty I 1 consider paine our greatest political thinker As we have not advanced and perhaps never shall chall advance beyond the declaration and constitution so BO paine has had no successors who extended bis big principles although tile present generation knows little of paines writings and although lie has bag almost no influence upon contemporary thought americans of the future will justly appraise his work I 1 am certain of it truth is governed b by natural laws and cannot he denied paine spoke truth with a peculiarly clear and forceful ring therefore time must balance tile the scales certainly we may believe that washington had a considerable voice in the file constitution we know that Jef jefferson Terson had much to do with the document franklin also had a hand and probably wag responsible in even larger measure for the declaration but all of these men had bad communed with paine their views were intimately understood and closely correlated there iq i no doubt whatever abat the two great documents of or american liberty reflect tho the philosophy of paino paine |