THOMAS PAINE.

Freethought Review, Volume I, Issue 8, 1 May 1884, Page 13

THOMAS PAINE.

An old slander on Thomas Paine, which has been revived recently, is thus met by Thomas Curtis, a wellknown old Philadelphia Freethinker, who writes as follows to the ‘ Boston Investigator ’: —“ In the year 1858, the Rev. John Chambers, pastor of the Broad Street Independent Church, of Philadelphia, announced in a sermon on Paine, that one member of his congregation knew him, and would testify to his great wickedness, etc. The gentleman referred to proved to be a Mr. Bruen, a retired wholesale merchant of New York, but at that time resided in Walnut Street, near 16th, Philadelphia. In company with Mr. Thomas Illman, engraver, and Mr. James West, shoe dealer, I visited Mr Bruen at his residence, the day after the announcement was made by Mr Chambers. Mr. Bruen stated that he had lived nearly opposite the house where Mr. Paine lived and died, and that he had often seen him. The following questions were then put to Mr. Bruen in writing : 1. Did you ever see Thomas Paine drunk or intoxicated? Answer—No. 2. Did you ever hear of Thomas Paine being a drunkard ? Answer—No. 3. Do you suppose if Thomas Paine had been a drunkard, or given to intoxication, you would have heard of it ? Answer—Most certainly, because the man was so prominent that anything about himself and life was matter of public comment. 4. What do you know of the condition of Paine previous to his death ? Answer—l was told, at the time, by a neighbor, who visited him in his last hours, that Thomas Paine died as he lived, an apostate to Christianity. The fads as here stated were published the following day as an advertisement in the ‘ Philadelphia Ledger,’ and no attempt at contradiction was ever made by Rev. John Chambers, or by Mr. Bruen, to both of whom copies of the paper were sent. Although this emphatic denial was thus publicly made, yet the following year the clerical gentlemen still continued their slanders, as they do at the present day.”