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Letter to Editor
December 20, 1802
Jenks' Portland Gazette. Maine Advertiser
Portland, Cumberland County, Maine
What is this article about?
A correspondent satirically critiques Thomas Paine's ideas on government from 'Rights of Man,' calling him a paradoxical heretic whose works like 'Common Sense' deserve to be forgotten.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
From a Correspondent.
HO-KUS-PO-KUS; or, Tom Fool biting of his own toe!
Paine, in his Rights of Man, part second, chapter third, says, The government of a free country is not in the persons, but in the laws—"But as laws may be bad as well as good, a government of laws may be the best of all governments, or the worst of all tyrannies."
But Tom Paine is a man of paradoxical heresies, and consequently of a bewildered mind. He wrote a book entitled Common Sense and the principles of it were an attack upon good sense: but the book descending to the tomb of forgetfulness, and the best fortune that can attend its author, is quietly to follow its fate. Tom was not born for immortality."
See Paine's second letter to the people of the United States, second paragraph.
HO-KUS-PO-KUS; or, Tom Fool biting of his own toe!
Paine, in his Rights of Man, part second, chapter third, says, The government of a free country is not in the persons, but in the laws—"But as laws may be bad as well as good, a government of laws may be the best of all governments, or the worst of all tyrannies."
But Tom Paine is a man of paradoxical heresies, and consequently of a bewildered mind. He wrote a book entitled Common Sense and the principles of it were an attack upon good sense: but the book descending to the tomb of forgetfulness, and the best fortune that can attend its author, is quietly to follow its fate. Tom was not born for immortality."
See Paine's second letter to the people of the United States, second paragraph.
What sub-type of article is it?
Satirical
Provocative
Political
What themes does it cover?
Politics
Morality
What keywords are associated?
Thomas Paine
Rights Of Man
Common Sense
Government Laws
Paradoxical Heresies
What entities or persons were involved?
A Correspondent
Letter to Editor Details
Author
A Correspondent
Main Argument
thomas paine's views on government by laws are paradoxical and heretical; his works like 'common sense' attack good sense and should be consigned to forgetfulness, as he is not destined for immortality.
Notable Details
Quotes Paine From 'Rights Of Man' On Government Of Laws
References 'Common Sense' As An Attack On Good Sense
Title: 'Ho Kus Po Kus; Or, Tom Fool Biting Of His Own Toe!'
Cites Paine's Second Letter To The People Of The United States