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Thomas Paine    ■    The American Crisis Number 1  131


                    is injured by you. He expects you will all   we were unwilling to raise an army, and
                    take up arms, and flock to his standard, with   trusted our cause to the  temporary defence
              © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.
                      muskets on your shoulders. Your opinions   of a well-meaning  militia. A summer’s    IDEAS IN AMERICAN CULTURE
                    are of no use to him, unless you support him     experience has now taught us better; yet
                      personally, for ’tis soldiers, and not Tories,   with those troops, while they were   collected,
                    that he wants.                            we were able to set bounds to the  progress
                      I once felt all that kind of anger, which a   of the enemy, and, thank God! they are
                    man ought to feel, against the mean princi-  again assembling. I always   considered
                    ples that are held by the Tories: a noted one,   militia as the best troops in the world for
                    who kept a tavern at Amboy, was standing at   a sudden exertion, but they will not do for
                    his door, with as pretty a child in his hand,   a long   campaign. . . . Say not that this is
                    about eight or nine years old, as I ever saw,   revenge, call it rather the soft resentment
                    and after speaking his mind as freely as   of a   suffering people, who, having no object
                    he thought was prudent, finished with this   in view but the good of all, have staked their
                    unfatherly expression, “Well! give me peace in   own all upon a seemingly doubtful event.
                    my day.” Not a man lives on the continent but   Yet it is folly to argue against determined
                    fully believes that a separation must some     hardness; eloquence may strike the ear, and
                    time or other finally take place, and a gen-  the   language of sorrow draw forth the tear of
                    erous parent should have said, “If there must   compassion, but nothing can reach the heart
                    be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may   that is steeled with   prejudice. . . .
                    have peace;” and this single reflection, well   . . . Let it be told to the future world, that
                    applied, is sufficient to awaken every man   in the depth of winter, when nothing but
                    to duty. Not a place upon earth might be so   hope and virtue could survive, that the city
                    happy as America. Her situation is remote   and the country, alarmed at one common
                    from all the wrangling world, and she has   danger, came forth to meet and to repulse
                    nothing to do but to trade with them. A man   it. Say not that thousands are gone, turn
                    can distinguish himself between temper    out your tens of thousands; throw not the
                    and principle, and I am as confident, as I am     burden of the day upon Providence, but
                    that God governs the world, that America   “show your faith by your works,” that God
                    will never be happy till she gets clear of    may bless you. It matters not where you
                    foreign dominion. Wars, without ceasing,    live, or what rank of life you hold, the evil
                    will break out till that period arrives, and    or the blessing will reach you all. The far
                    the continent must in the end be conqueror;   and the near, the home counties and the
                    for though the flame of liberty may some-  back, the rich and the poor, will suffer or
                    times cease to shine, the coal can never   rejoice alike. The heart that feels not now
                    expire. . . .                             is dead; the blood of his children will curse
                      America did not, nor does not want force;   5  his   cowardice, who shrinks back at a time
                    but she wanted a proper application of that    when a little might have saved the whole
                    force. Wisdom is not the purchase of a day,    and made them happy. I love the man
                    and it is no wonder that we should err at the    that can smile in trouble, that can gather
                    first setting off. From an excess of tenderness,   strength from distress, and grow brave by











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