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Wednesday, February 28, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Through
THESE EYES
Jim Williams, Columnist
Making sense of
‘Common Sense’
Not long ago I was read-
ing the late Christopher
Hitchens book “Hitch-22,”
which was a fond look back
at the life of a brilliant writer
who was suffering from late-
stage esophageal cancer.
He frequently mentioned
Paine. I had to admit that I
was unfamiliar with who
this guy was. Unsatisfied
with this revelation, I did a
little Google sleuthing and
discovered who and what
Thomas Paine was — only
one of the most important
figures in the history of our
country.
Paine wrote “Common
Sense,” or what he called,
“the little pamphlet.”
This “pamphlet” was a
rallying point for what
became the Declaration
of Independence. Initially
published anonymously in
January of 1776, “Common
Sense” was written by an
Englishman. At first, the
working title was “Plain
Truth.” Starting out as a
series of letters, it became
too large to publish in that
form so Paine later elected
to publish it in pamphlet
form. “Common Sense” pre-
sented to Americans during
this time the most concise
argument for freedom from
British rule when many
Americans were still unde-
cided about which direc-
tion the country should pro-
ceed. What made “Common
Sense” such a great book
was that Paine wrote it in a
way that the common person
could read and understand it.
“Common Sense” was
written in only four sections,
outlining each argument for
independence, noting the dis-
tinction between society and
government, and explained
the origins of monarchies
and heredity succession from
both a historical and biblical
perspective. Paine argued in
such a way it was clear that
monarchies were obsolete
and were no way to govern
a new country based on free-
dom and liberty.
More importantly, Paine
laid out in precise detail the
disagreement with British
rule. He explained in simple
terms how ridiculous it was
for a small English island to
rule a huge and unexplored
continent. He also pre-
sented a big-picture view of
America as more than just a
British colony; it was now a
new country made up of peo-
ple from all over Europe and
beyond. The book allowed
Americans to see how
British rule and it’s actions
against America were not
only immoral, but would see
America as a British colony
dragged unnecessarily into
British wars.
Paine’s pamphlet was
the most popular book of
the entire revolutionary era.
Paine made political and
moral ideas easy to under-
stand for the common man.
The book brought Americans
together to debate political
issues of the day. Disdaining
large words and complex
phrases, Paine wrote in a
concise, simple way that
helped make the book acces-
sible to all Americans. Even
Americans who were illiter-
ate could hear the book read
in public gatherings and
become part of the debate.
Despite this, many of the
colonists were unsure about
whether to declare indepen-
dence or remain loyal to
British rule. Many in fact
were leaning toward rec-
onciliation with the King.
But the moving words of
Thomas Paine eventually
inspired the colonists to get
off the fence and into a fight
for their independence and
the future of their country.
In addition to “Common
Sense,” Paine wrote several
other pamphlets worthy of
note. “The Rights of Man”
offered Paine’s defense of
the French Revolution. His
views on this led to some
jail time, and nearly got him
executed. It appears that the
ruling French didn’t take too
kindly to an Englishman stir-
ring up the locals with talk
of social welfare, advocat-
ing policies like progressive
taxation, retirement benefits,
and public employment. Not
to mention voting for their
rulers instead of having them
appointed for them by the
ruling monarchy.
Later, Paine produced
probably his greatest work,
“The Age of Reason.” Here,
Paine promoted deism, and
challenges institutional-
ized religion and the legiti-
macy of the Bible. You can’t
say that Paine didn’t know
whom to piss-off in his life-
time. Despite his influence,
only six people attended his
funeral.
The
importance
of Thomas Paine and
“Common Sense” to the
founding of this country can-
not be overstated.
In 1805, just a few years
before Paine’s death, John
Adams wrote, “I know not
whether any man in the
world has had more influ-
ence on its inhabitants or
affairs for the last thirty
years than Tom Paine.”
I’m sure I would have dis-
covered who Tom Paine was
at some point, but I’d like to
thank Chris Hitchens for his
wonderful book, “Hitch-22,”
which exposed me to the
writings of Thomas Paine as
well as many other things.
Look for a column about
Christopher Hitchens in the
near future.
4 OUT OF 5 MEN SAY THEIR HAIR
FEELS STRONGER, LOOKS THICKER...
ROUNDABOUT: Council
will decide at
March 14 meeting
Continued from page 1
The art will remain on
display at City Hall through
February 28. The committee is
to meet to determine on a rec-
ommendation on March 1 and
will present their recommen-
dation to the council in time
for a decision at the March
14 meeting, Abbenhuis said.
All three of the artist pro-
posals have local connec-
tions. John Fleming from
Seattle, Washington has col-
laborated with Jeff Wester of
Sisters’ Ponderosa Forge and
IronWorks to create “Butte.”
Wester’s work is well-known
in Sisters Country and appre-
ciated for its form, function,
and artistry.
Danae Bennett-Miller lives
in Tumalo, and her son Logan
graduated from Sisters High
METAMORPHOSIS
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The Barclay/Highway 20 roundabout will be an artistic focal point by fall of
2018. The city council will decide in March on what that art will be.
School last year. The heron
sculpture located in Barclay
Park is her creation. Her
proposal is titled “A Land of
Contrasts.”
“Mountain Helix” is the
entry from Roger White
Stoller of Portola Valley,
California. He has a brother
who lives in Sisters and has
made numerous visits to the
area.
The art installation is
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Mailing address: PO Box 1175, Sisters, OR 97759
Phone number: 541-797-4023.
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