Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 09: Little Journeys to the Homes of Great ReformersHubbard, Elbert
History
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 09: Little Journeys to the Homes of Great Reformers
Hubbard, Elbert
Reformers
When we consider, for the feelings of Nature can not be dismissed,
the calamities of war and the miseries it inflicts upon the human
species, the thousands and tens of thousands of every age and sex
who are rendered wretched by the event, surely there is something in
the heart of man that calls upon him to think! Surely there is some
tender chord, tuned by the hand of the Creator, that still struggles
to emit in the hearing of the soul a note of sorrowing sympathy. Let
it then be heard, and let man learn to feel that the true greatness
of a nation is founded on principles of humanity, and not on
conquest. War involves in its progress such a train of unforeseen
and unsupposed circumstances, such a combination of foreign matters,
that no human wisdom can calculate the end. It has but one thing
certain, and that is to increase taxes. I defend the cause of the
poor, of the manufacturer, of the tradesman, of the farmer, and of
all those on whom the real burden of taxes fall--but above all, I
defend the cause of women and children--of all humanity.
Edmund Burke, hearing of Paine's presence in England, sent for him to
come to his house. Paine accepted the invitation, and Burke doubtless
got a few interesting chapters of history at first hand. "It was equal
to meeting Washington, and perhaps better, for Paine is more of a
philosopher than his chief," wrote Burke to the elder Pitt.
Paine saw that political unrest was not confined to France--that
England was in a state of evolution, and was making painful efforts
to adapt herself to the progress of the times. Paine could remember a
time when in England women and children were hanged for poaching;
when the insane were publicly whipped, and when, if publicly
expressed, a doubt concerning the truth of Scripture meant exile or
to have your ears cut off.
Now he saw the old custom reversed and the nobles were bowing to the
will of the people. It came to him that if the many in England could
be educated, the Crown having so recently received its rebuke at the
hands of the American Colonies, a great stride to the front could be
made. Englishmen were talking about their rights. What are the natural
rights of a man? He began to set down his thoughts on the subject.
These soon extended themselves into chapters. The chapters grew into a
book--a book which he hoped would peacefully do for England what
"Common Sense" had done for America. This book, "The Rights of Man,"
was written at the same time that Mary Wollstonecraft was writing her
book, "The Rights of Women."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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