The following is the third in a series of inside looks at the current exhibition in Princeton University Library’s Ellen and Leonard Milberg Gallery in Firestone Library: “The Most Formidable Weapon Against Errors: The Sid Lapidus ’59 Collection & the Age of Reason.” 

Curated by Steven A. Knowlton, Librarian for History and African American Studies, the exhibition celebrates the collecting achievements of Sid Lapidus, Class of 1959, who has devoted many years to the acquisition of rare books that trace the emergence of Enlightenment ideas and their influence on politics, medicine, and society, creating a powerful tool for understanding the ideas that have shaped modern American society. 

In his 1794 book The Age of Reason, Paine addresses religion. He attacks orthodox Christian claims about God, the Bible, and the church. Instead of urging atheism, Paine proclaimed deism, in which a one-personed God is known through reason rather than through revelation and dogma. Paine’s conversational style made deistic arguments accessible to many readers. In the United States, it both contributed to a brief flourishing of deism and provoked reactions that helped usher in a great revival of trinitarian Christianity in the 19th century. 

In this satirical print, Paine is lampooned as a crocodile in women’s undergarments, part of a procession of republicans whose political reforms lead to the overthrow of traditional religion.

The exhibition is open through June 8, 2025 at the Milberg Gallery in Firestone Library. Please visit the website to view the gallery’s opening hours and for information about public tours and how to visit.