went together." Ceremony, pageantry, and all the paraphernalia of power
had no effect upon him. He examined into the why and wherefore of
things. He was perfectly radical in his mode of thought. Nothing short
of the bed-rock satisfied him. His enthusiasm for what he believed to be
right knew no bounds. During all the dark scenes of the revolution never
for a moment did he despair. Year after year his brave words were
ringing through the land, and by the bivouac fires the weary soldiers
read the inspiring words of "Common Sense," filled with ideas sharper
than their swords, and consecrated themselves anew to the cause of
freedom.

Paine was not content with having aroused the spirit of independence,
but he gave every energy of his soul to keep that spirit alive. He was
with the army. He shared its defeats, its dangers, and its glory. When
the situation became desperate, when gloom settled upon all, he gave
them the "Crisis." It was a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by
night, leading the way to freedom, honor, and glory. He shouted to them
"These are the times that try men's souls." The summer soldier and the
sunshine patriot, will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his
country; but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man
and woman.

To those who wished to put the war off to some future day, with a lofty
and touching spirit of self-sacrifice, he said: "Every generous parent
should say: 'If there must be war, let it be in my day, that my child
may have peace'." To the cry that Americans were rebels, he replied:
"He that rebels against reason is a real rebel; but he that in defense
of reason rebels against tyranny, has a better title to 'Defender of the
Faith' than George III."