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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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