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S6e Life and Times
| of &
i Thomas Jefferson
* Being the First Part of a History of the United States
CHAPTER XXIX
One of Mr. Jefferson's reasons for go
ing to London was that the ambassador
of Tripoli was there readj t-> negotiate
with the United States it: reference ‘o
certain Americans who It 1 In • n cap
tured on the sea and carried into Mo
hammedan bondage.
For Tripoli was a ''barbary pirate"
stat*, which still kept up. on a limited
.B tie. the hoary feud between cross and
crescent. Christian nations had long sir. e
lost their crusading habit, and wars were
not being waged any more because of
d ■■ ■ .. f creed. Christians > spent
ft much of their time fighting fe'-’ow-
Christian w-re not disposed to Itarrass
infidel nations about art:-ies of fa: h.
But the Mohammedans 11 not who y
abandoned their anci--nt ways: hence, in
quarters where they were str ngest they
continued to do as was done by both
cross and crescent in the days of ’l'”
crusades—they sp .'■ j tl • Egyptia) s
The Egyptian who f till led the S ft; -
t r in one case v. as tl. • Mohamme 1
In the other, he was the Christ! : Law
s :'. authority in the »:.■• s * wis de
rived’ from th- Jewish Testament; in
the.other from tile Arab Koran. in
both cases law and g- spel is strongly
agdlnst the Egyptian Most !.;<tvriuns
contentedly describe tl • Mohammedars
Rs "barbar.' pir.te*. ‘ in the sense that
the crusaders were ; irates or that Drake
and Hawki: s w-: pirates. th.-y were
pi rates. They were :: tstin c. >tl:er
From th days ' G.-lfre •. Bohem-nd.
Tattered in! Richard, down to th se of
Don John of A'istrChristi:':. jr'.'<-s
had hurled themselves upon the Mussul
man. d -ing him injury t ■ t'.:f :. extent
of their power. The M 'damme lan retal
iated whenever he At the close
3f the eighteenth cent try th- lineal de
tcer.dant of the crusading customs, so
. hr as the followers of Mohammed were
concerned, made its. f manifest in the
- . ■ "Bari
ers," of all such seis as
wore unrble prevent ’.
To a religious world which had forgot
ten all abo.it the h -arc pledges to re
deem the sepulcher of Christ, and which
had no distinct re old--.’ion of the whole
sale manner in w .:. !. ’ Christian west
had formerly ■.l " Hohammedan
east this surv x ric. pi
was most irks me : 1 'd.o’is. It was
what would b - hist
etire as an a: : ism Therefore it
could not be too sc- •■rely condemned
"Barbary pirates ' was a name unite
g: : ■
to do in the . ight. enth v'ntnry what had
■. . ■ . ct . jh n the ixt nth or
even In the seventeenth. b .: w ..; a was
now clearly out of date.
But the Mussulman was a gr- .it tigat-r. :
and to kee.p him fr- m continuing the eru- I
>:....■ -
hi- n1 :: . • ite * - I
«* bought p ’.ice ; cm . a t a st a- J ,
price.
To this ingh r. 'is end had >me tl.e i
ttalhs sworn an I armte' m.r.-!.a.-*d to
bre: k the powers of Mahomet and re- •
deem the gra. • : 1 .hr st.
Xow t ■ infant repu . of the 1 nite.d
States, not versed in the ways of
diplomacy, had paid no tribute t.. tl.e
■ Bat i rates." The - • -• >i_u net -
ripened earl In th* pring - '
Amer.-an brig. Betsy, wa- joufied upon
Mor Spa*
cur friend, and Spain urgently requested
th-' sultan <>f to th*- pris-
on pts without ransom Ev**n j, r'ates
t■,• ir a® of >■ iu v .1 ’.’l t i • >■.. •• ’
Fuitan had no wish to affront a tribute- >
paying Chris' in. hke Spa. ;■ Besides,
the I uit-'.l States wes. perh ps. ignorant
of t'ne rules and had not mtend-d t-» \V'-
ft ■ stems ’ M liter
Iv c ’mpliment- i the infant repui'.:.’ wyn
the liberty of the Betsy's crew. No; he
would not exact money t is time Ac
cept these captm’-s with 'he compliments
of the sultan. Bit hereafter - '
Tills hereafter so n < :imr. Tin •• m re
crews, not knowing the law, .-.i i.i.■*
the hands of tile infideiy end the three,
captains wailed, beseeching Mr. .]<-:Terso’.i
t > get them out.
This matter caused Mr. J.-':'-: - n a
great deal of labor and aanoyaie - While
in England he had interviews and cor
respondence with the Tripolitan ambas
sador. but the difference between the
ransom demanded ai d the s im Mr Jef
ferson was authorized to offer was so
gr-at that nothing came of tre tedious
nnd protracted nego’i.itior.s
Mr. Jefferson was profoundly dissatis
•',d with the relations which existed be
tween Christian Europe and these t'-ar
b.trv pirates. To behold Great Britain.
France. Holland. Spain. Naples, the two
S: ill. s. Venice and Portusa! bargaining
with Mohammedan states for peace at so
mm h per annum was humiliating.
He believed that war—an issue of arms
upon principle like that—wouid not onlv
be justifiable, but cheaper in the Eng
r •>. Therefore he prop.'S'-d a by
which the nuisance could be abate!. Let
the Christians concerned agree among
themselves to furnish pto r.i a a fleet
whose special mission it sh-ild be .to
either compel the Barbary pow- rs to sign
treaties of peace without exacting subsi
dies. or to fight them off the seas.
Mr. Jefferson’s plan was the conception
of a statesman, and met with favor, but
unfortunately, congress could not back
him with the frigate which, under the
of his programme, it was the duty
of the United States to furnish So the
plan did not materialize.
Turning from historians to diplomat,
and contrasting the language us»d in the
one case and in the other, we beconie
Interested if not edified.
The emperor of Morocco was the chief
pirate of all Barbary pirates, and yet
when President Washington, in 1791. had
occasion to send a letter to this emperor
It was addressed "Great and Magnani
mous Friend." It seems that the old em
peror had recently died and that Presi
dent Washington was wilting to the son
fti e deceased—the father and son both
being pirates, mind you.
Washington says to the young emperor.
"Tl.e death of t’ne late emperor, your
father and our friend of glorious mem
,-rv .-■■ Receive, great and good friend,
iny’ sincere sympathy with you In that
loss!"
Oh what rare pirates are these. Who
wouldn't turn pirate to win such friend
B s Washington, and have him pose as
mourner? Ix>t us read on: "Permit me to
express the satisfaction with which 1
’earn the accession of so worthx a suc
cessor to the imperia! throne of Morocco
and offer you the homage of my sincere
congratulations! 1 !
Angels and ministers of grace, defend
us! The great George Washington hold
ing this kind of language to a robber.
Permit me to offer the homage! Congratu
lations that are sincere! Read on:
"May tlie days of your majesty's life
be many and glorious!"
President Washington then proceeds to
i hope, earnestly and somewhat humbly,
that the young pirate will treat thy Uni
ted States as liberally as the old dead
pirate had done.
' And the missive winds up with an as
' tonishing prayer that the "God whom we
both adore" <we pirates) "will bless your
imperial majesty witli long life, health
’ and success!"
Blessed pirates.
At tlie close of this amazing letter and
■ astonishing prayer are signed the names
of George Washington, president, and
Thomas Jefferson, secretary of state.
Verily, diplomacy has ways th atare pe
culiar. and language which is queer.
And when President Washington trans
mitted to the senate that treaty with
Tripoli which the senate ratified, the in
i' troductory sentence ran in these words:
"As tlie. government of the United
States is not in any sense founded on
i the Christian religion, etc."
This to soothe the Mohammedan pirate
I and to keep his prices within the bounds
. of moderation!
In view of such facts as these it might
, be well for historical authors to discard
the title of "Barbary Pirates." and to
put upon Washington's great friend of
' "glorious memory." a name which would
| reflect greater credit—upon ■Washington,
i As w" .1 as another could Washington
I r. sort to the wiles of diplomacy when
o. < asion demanded. Hence he could court
I the Mussulman witli meaningless bland
ishments am! bide the time when the
sword could cut this particularly difficult
I knot.
During his second administration Wash
ington believed that his country was
' strong enough to defy the Barbary pow
-1 ers. and lie called upon congress for half
a dozen modest little, battle ships to be
i u.-'-d in the Mediterranean. After tlie us
l ual lengthened debate, congress did final
ly vote the vessels.
I Nothing further was done until Jeffer
son himself was president We sliall then
see how this most tenacious of men car
ried out his original plan of bringing the
M iss .man t.o realize that the crusad-s
w- re over.
This recommendation which Washing
ton made jn >,j s nies-ace. was based upon
! the report which Mr. Jessi rson. as seere
l tary of state, had made to c ngress.
: That body hajitjg applied to him in the
i matter of the navy he advised the build
: mg of a sufficient number of vessels to
1 protect our commer. e in the Mediterra
: nean. On a count of suggestions like
i those he made in Paris nnd during his
' secretaryship. John Adams called Jeffer
son ti e father of the Ameri'an mivv
•TIA'PTER XXX
■ What did Mr. Jefferson do for bls conn-
1 try while minister tu France?
1 To answer fully would certainly be te
! dious a: ! would probable be useless. I
i Whale oil, salted fish, tobacco, rice, salt- I
; ed pork are important items in commerce.
I having much to do with the balance <f j
I trade and the prosperity of Individuals I
and of nations; but when the reader is ■
: seared that Mr. Jeff-rson struggled lane. :
■ hard and with partial success to prevail ,
I upon France to be lenient with, us upon '
i thos e subjects he lias perhaps ; -arm'd as j
ni’e h as he ear- s to kr w.
; The grip of the protectionist, the mo
' nopolist, was almost irreslstable in the !
1 France of that day. as it is in America I
■ now; .. mJ Mi. Jeffersoi.'s t.rnk was w-l!- i
j night hopeless Yet by gr- at persever- i
j an- e and the bringing to bear of tlie j
i pr-ssnri of Lafayette ; rj otl: r personal ;
i friends, he did manage : loos-m the j
i:. >n bands .< little. While oi; ;,mi sij
' fish from New England .-gsn to have
i better treatment: so did rice from the i
south. For tobacco he was not able to I
do nm.'fi. th.:t article of commerce being i
I in the control <.f the Farmers-General, a ,
■ corporation w!.i 'll held France by the |
i throat. The sum and substance of it all j
' was that Mr. Jefferson succeeded in get- j
t ting the United States treatt 1 as the most
favored nation. France not only yielded j
to him better trade relations than she I
j had ever, conceded to Dr. Franklin, but ;
' she agreed to pat her consular arrange- .
. ments with i:s on a far more satisfoctory '
I basis than Dr. Franklin had agreed to ;
. oecept
In s';...rf. Mr. Jefferson accomplished no '
marvels, but he did everything that w.:s ;
Be-;des h s p blic duties lie was kept ,
Ic.isy to varior.s other matters }
: which one of our nation:’! representatives '
>•: a : reign •• .at w.-.'d n iv disdain,
i Mr. Choate, who takes care of our dig
; i. ty at ti e court of St. Jani'-s. would
I probably refuse to buy lamps for nn
American friend, as Mr. Jefferson cheer-
■ fully did for Richard Henry Lee: and
M'. Charlemagne Tower, who emphasises
and illustrates cur national majesty- at
Berlin, would hardly moke the rounds of
tl.e jewellers' shops to select a pair of
spe t.icies for an acquaintance, as Mr.
; Jefferson did for Bellini.
i Things were different then, and Thomas
i Jefferson was often seen under conditions
| not more impressive than Chief Justice
T.-hn M.i: sua il's. when lie 'eie.ee 1 cab
: bages in the R'. hmond market and walk
ed home bearing a pleblan burden of
chickens and eggs, ham and sausages.
Fancy a chief justice of the supreme
court of the United States now going
along tha streets from market holding a
: bunch of squalling chickens in his hand,
will you?
Wasting no thought on his dignity. ;
Thomas Jefferson was happ.v in attending '
to tlie wants <-f his old friends. He would
ransack the book stores to get rare vol- j
times far George Wythe and James Men- I
roe and James Madison; for some other
correspondent he would buy a new
tongue for the harpsichord; to another he
would -'end a case of wine: and lie went
to a great deal of trouble to procure for
Mr. Mad.son tlie best watch that could be
made.
The state of Virginia wished to have a
marble bust of Washington, and Mr. Jef
ferson selected tlie sculptor tHoudon),
made the contract and conducted the cor
respondence with all tlie parties concern
ed An- w state house was being built in
Richmond; it delighted the ministers to
furnish plans ana specifications, copied
from a Roman remain which fascinated )
' this amateur architect.
I In the course of a friendly discussion
with Buffon, the French naturalist, as to
the respective sizes of animals in Europe
and America. Mr. Jefferson resolved to
bring forward as proof of his theory the
skeleton of a. moose. He wrote to Genr
c-al John Sullivan, of Maine, to get him
the skin and skeleton of a moose and to
ship it to France.
General Sullivan sallied forth on a
THE WEEKLY CONSTITUTION: ATLANTA, GA., MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 1903.
winter campaign, accompanied by a troop
of hunters, maxphed through the snow,
found a herd, killed a moose, had to cut
a road 20 miles through the wilderness j
and drag the carcass by hand. Having i
got the anima! to his home. General Sul
livan had to take off the skin, clean the
bones. ck tlie parts wanted, etc.
In line time Mr. Jefferson got the argu
ment lie need-'d for the convincing of
Buffon. He also got a bill of expenses,
which amounted to 5220. The Count De
Buffon handsomely confessed himself con
quered.
Ail Americans who happened to need :
help of any kind burned the way tj,Mr. ;
Jefferson's house in Paris.
Lion-hearted Paul Jones, seeking jus
tice from Denmark which had given up to
England , ■ r'.uin priz- s won from the mis
tress of the seas by the dauntless Jo:, v.
appealed to Jeflersyn, not in vain.
Ledyard, the Connecti'Ut tra eler. found
in out. niiijist- r a. friend who sympathized
with him. From Mr. J-'ffersen h- obtain
ed money and lhe int: i" ti"U. to people I
of influence.
He zealously aided ail Americans who |
were in distress, those who were pris- !
oners in tli-‘ hands of the "Barbary Pi- I
i rates," tlr .-e who were in trouble because ;
of violations of French maritime regula- ,
tions. and those who w-re simply short i
i of money.
He kept American colleges informed !
on tlie subjep:s ; scientific discovery .
and .speculation, curious books and learn- i
ed tlu-ori- - Agri.-uliural so- ieties he ,
supplied with ::• v -vl:-. plants, r.njj and
valuable suggestions. Tlie heavy upland ■
lie which b- .mu’ such a b’.qgsing to
Georgia and S ■ :th Carolina, was grown '■
from s°ed win-'ll ! ■ brought jrjr.iv from
Italy in hl? overcoat pocket. The glorious i
prop 'five i'l'ineiple made it a crime to
export tlie rough rlee from Its native |
home, and Thomas Jefferson, in the in- j
terests of humanity, became a smuggler. ■
The world his country, to do good his i
religion, lie. like Thonu'-s Paine, carried '
his benevolence wherever he went, and, ‘
just as w e tjpd bjji making efforts to erm- ■
f-T benefits upon Am-r! a. we see him do- I
Ing the same, thing for Europe. The pe- i
can nut is one of our grvat natural
sources of wealth -a fact that we. even at I
this day. are only beginning to realize. I
Mr Jefferson aemri nore that
a hundred years .;go; and !■■ intro.l : ■ d
it into France. James Madison sending;
him the nuts, lie wj> inter"-:-d in all i
sorts of useful inv-ntions. and his cor- :
respondents at home were kept informed
of w learned. !': on H-:rs. hel s
discovery of do-.ble stars to Watt's sne
c-ss with the steam engine, from the m-w
French theory about tlie rainbow to t..e
s rew-propel:er wliieh Parisian had just
invented, he was on the alert, qu: -k to
investigate and t>i report resuHs u> his
friends across the waler.
James Bri-•>•. t'ne celebrated traveler,
explor-a Afrioa in ~-.irr . vl tlie source
of the Nil-v -scaping dangers of every
d--s ripiiot f--',—r. drowning, starvation,
attack of wild man and beast, poison- I
oils serpent and ravenous eroeodil"-1-> ,
come tu'nt i t last and meet death in a 1
; ■ steps ot his own
house.
Something like th* of ,thi.s fat* be
fell Mr. J< While casually stroll- :
ing with friend one day near Paris.
1 mast, ... ■
-J horse. ..nd th.- frail boa', and -■<’ tpe I
■unhurt from a headlong pH-j> down l;is ;
mount .in, or from a dnrjpg v-mture a-cross '
the swoll'-n errent of a mountain stream, '
fe.l to tl: • ground and broke his wrist. ■
Awkward, but stoical, he grasped the
wound-'d right hand with his left, made I
i. ■ sign, and continued the scroll and the '
--onv-'i. u' ii ii. That evening lie made the i
usual entiies in those account books, us- j
i:.g the left hand. But the injury wits ■
si-r; It gave him great pain, and he I
n< ver r- i o’.a red the full us“ of the hand. '
Thus, writing lie time v- r« laborimts to '
bin., and ni... h of It ft.mi that time was :
don- v..:h 1..' i- ft hand.
Mr. Jefferson states that he continued I
his violin pr.ieti— up to the breaking out
of th-.- re\ o! inion. 11 is l-iograph--r, Henry
S RandalJj, thinks he did :..>t eu lreiy
quit lidd.itig >.:::il tins fracture of his
wrist.
In spite of Mr. Jefferson s positive |
statement that he "never took up" his |
violin at'tt-r the revolution broke out, I
Mr. Rauda.ll carries him on tv the ac- ■
cident in Fran'- ; bitt positively puts an
end to it then, in defiance of both Jes- I
ferson and Rat ail, Mr. William Eleroy '
Fortis k--<-ps J'ft rson fiddling with his ,
stiff wrist ail through his term of secre- '
tary of state, and holds him to it even j
while lie is jij'esldent.
A most remarkable composer of true I
biographies is Mr. Curtis, to be sure.
Perhaps, it was while Jefferson was j
playing with a. stiff wrist that .lie made I
tl.e rej. ita'.ion of which Mr. Curtis said '
he had -Of being tlie sorriest fiddler in •
CHAPTER XXXI.
The learned Parisian doctors advised
the .'offerers to drink the waters of Aix
Mr. Jefferson was himself something of
a surgeon—. 'Uld set a broken limb and
tie up an artery—and wcannot but
think he wished to travel for the sake
o: traveling. - -e lie would not have gone
to such a distance to drink wa'.c-r for a
bruised wrist.
Whatever his motive, he set forth
upon his travels-, drank water at Aix for
a while, derived no benefit therefrom,
and r-sumed his light wines as he con
tinued his journey. The diary in which
he recorded his experience indicates tiiat
be was not one of those who go about
merely to look at houses and trees, rivers
and mountains. He studied the people.
He wanted to know how they lived, what
kind of food they ate and beds they
slept on, what sort of work was d»me,
and what wages were paid. He entered
their homes, lolled upon their cots,
peeped into their pots, pried with tongue
and spied with eye, in the most practical,
prosaic, uncomfortable manner.
Delighted with his success, he wrote to
Lafayette that if he really wished to
know the condition of his own people he,
the marquis, must do what he, the
American minister, was then doing—-he
must go into the huts of the poor and
see for himself just how they lived.
That the French peasantry were
wretchedly poor, degraded, squalid and
ignorant to a shameful degree is true—a
truth which is disgraceful to the system
of king rule and priest rule which had
so long held them in absolute subjec
tion. Mr. Jefferson's opinion was that
.lineteen million of the twenty million
citizens of France were in a worse con
dition than the most abject victims of
poverty in America
Yet he notes that he had never seen
( • ( | «|*
» •
t
+
!
j
' n!* ( •
a drunken man in France. His sympathy
with the d ’wn-trodd»n nineteen millions
was profound; his indignation against the
I one million oppressors was hot and b;t
--i ter.
No words were strong enough to con
demn the heartless rulers who had en
slaved .and brutalized the masses in order
that the privileged few might revel in
riches beyond the limits of healthy, ra
tional desire.
To Washington, Monr e and others lie
wrote in most cont -mptuo':- terms of the
besotted kings, tha reckless, selfish no-
I hies, the cruel int lun’.ith s and injustice
i of the old word system; but his tone is
’ always that of a statesman deepened :n
convictions which lie ha I long held.
His repeated cry is: 'lf you want to
fully appreciate the blessings of our
democracy, come . ver here and see what
the other thing is' Come -and gaze upon
these swinish k ::gs. these queens who
madly gamble; these nobles who shirk
ei ery duty, plunder the tax payers and
, live riotously on the sp lls; these priests
I who are as greed;, as the peers gnd as
I corrupt! Come and gaze upon the toilers
I of the land, those who feed and clothe
| and serve their masters, living in huts
not fit for horse or cow; keeping body
; and soul together .-n food not good
I enttgh for a decor.- dog! Look at their
: ■ - s and fori
Their minds I , ' y have had no
■ schools. Ignorant, superstitious, well
l r.igh b'stl.ii. thej lost !1 conception
! of government; and their religion is a.
, ni- ..ninglv.-* form. To them t’ne state
I means a master th- y mast pay or be
damned here on earth; the church is a
I master they must pay or be damned in
; hell hereafter. Beitold in France the
ripened harvest o;’ : .e system! A du:!.
; coarse-mannered k;::g whose rapture is
to slaughter tame birds and deer; a
1 queen who is frivolous, headstrong,
' haughty and devoted to gambling; a no
: lillity which is rotten t ) the very core;
■ a. church which crucifies its savior every
! day in the week; a peasantry which has
i never known a, kind word or deed from
i those who are its self-constituted shep
l herds—a peasantry which has never
' known its masters save in the taxes
, which pl’.’.dered an the discriminations
which, heavj as a y '■<=. cut .ike a
:
I Washington, pleas.only engaged in re
i habitating Mount Vernon, could not rea.l
- ize what Jefferson w.mes-ed in France For
i this reason, as we . as others, he could
| never sympathize with the French revo
: lotion. '
In all the earlier ,-:nges of that mighty
movement Mr. Jeff-'san was as openly a
friend of the re:\ ".ters as his position
allowed. He of course became acquainted
with N-'-cker, the n: aist'‘r of mild reform,
ile knew that noble minded dreamer, Con
dorcet. v, .. . was to sacrifice himself in
the effort to uplift 1:1s felt wman;' and he
was in c.osest touch with ardent Laf.iy-
J.-ffersoii's r.. 4 aim :1 gr :. .1
upon which the refv’i m leaders could
meet to adjust their diff 'er.ces; and thej
I sometimes embarrassed him by the free
. dom with which they used it.
j The French ministers to whom Jeff- rson
I made ■ xplanatlon not cn'y took no or
' fen.-e, but, in effect expressed tlie hope
' that these reformers mig it continue to
have the benefit of J.’ffer'on's wise, con
servative advice.
That he was conserve tire is shown
by '.lie plan of compromise between toe
king and th-' liberal no!' • s which lie
I suggested. Let tlie monarch t ome for
ward with a cliara.-ter in w! hhe should
i grant liberty of the person, of the con
s, iene". and of the press; trIM by jury I
a representative legislature to meet an
' nually and control taxation; :<..d a minis
try responsible to the people
Unfortunately, the king xv.is contra .-d
!>v a. party which nu'useu concession;
while the reformers were dominated by
tion which den led mor* than Jef
ferson outlined. No compromise couid
I .• made; and t’ne t'-V"litti<m r died on.
Having seen for himself the miserable
condition of the French peasantry, the
interest with which Mr. Jefferson regard
ed the opening scenes of the revolution
may be imagined.
He saw the notables called together, the
high Leads of church and state. He saw
them cling to their j i ivil< g< s ref ng
to yield anything. They were prosperous,
they considered the system a glorious sys
tem. It has been good for their fathers;
It was good enough for them. Surrender
their privileges. Give up feudal dues!
‘ Tax themselves! Grant r- lief to the peas
ants!—never in the world.
'l he high heads go a s they came, very
high indeed.
But something must be done. The king
r.-eds money. And the people, so it is
said, are on the point of starvation. Tha
states general i« called, and Mr. Jefferson
attends the opening scene He witnesses
the preliminary struggle over the ques
tion of one general assembly where each
deputy shall have one vote, or three sep
arate assembles where any one chamber
can veto the action of the other. A vital
issue—for the assembly of tlie nobles
would veto the acts of the commons, even
if the assembly of the higher clergy did
not. Mr. Jefferson is there when the
royal sitting Is held, and when the king
in person commands the deputies to sepa
rate into three houses; there when depu
ties remain after the king has gone; there
when Mirabeau thunders his famous re
fusal to get out.
He is deep in the counsels of tl.e re
formers all along here. King—bearding
Is a pastime he is fond of; he has beard
ed a king before. Tradition says that
it was he who advised the commons to
declare themselves the assembly, leaving
it to the oilier two classes to say. whether
they would join or not. (1)
111 is present at the very first collision
between the people and the troops; he is
there when the Bastille is stormed—there
when the glory head of poor old De Lan
nay— from the end of a pike—stares
upon the wild multitudes of Paris. Mr.
Jefferson Is In Paris when the king is
brought from Versailles to have the badge
of revolution pinned in his coat and its
watchwords practiced on his lips. He is
there on that memorable night in August
when feudalism is offered up as burnt
offering, to appease the wrath of gods
and men. Sages take their places to '
write a constitution fop the new France; |
and they invite Mr. Jefferson to be pres
ent and to help—an invitation which flat- !
ters. but which must be declined. All
the time that he is heart and soul with
the reformers, he urges them not to at- !
tempt too much now. Leave something
to time. By demanding too much you
may lose all. Go slow.
They all respect him, confide in him.
iI) The British ambassador wrote at the
time ’hat Jefforson had given the Advice
here alluded to—vastly important advice!
■ look up to him. Around him is the halo
i of the success of the American revolu
j tion. He is an authority—a soldier in the
: sacred cause of civil liberty whose lau
j rels are still fresh.
Barnave, who was not afraid to cross
swords even with Mirabeau, is to be seen
at Jefferson's table; also De l.ame’h,
also Duport; also Mounier. Me know
that Jefferson was familiar with such
men as Montmorin and Necker. such
women as Madame Houditot. De Tesse.
arid Necker's brilliant daughter; but did
he know the angular, sharp-faced mem
ber from Arcis, Robespierre? Did he ever
chance to discuss science with Dr. Jean
Paul Mara: .' Did he ever hear thunder
ing at the Palais Royal the burly Dan
ton?
We know what he thought of the ora
tory of Mirabeau—life is bountiful when
it permits the same man to hear both
Patrick Henry and Mirabeau.
We know that he was acquainted with
the Girondin Condorcet, and that he
gave to Brisset, another Girondin, a let
■r of introduction to Madison; but did
! he eV' r meet the lofty-minded patriot,
Louv.-t, a third Girondin, whose book of
"Chevalier Fanbias" (so detested by
Thomas Carlyle) deals largely with the
adventures of the Count Pulaski, who
gave his life for us at Savannah?
j Among the young nobles whom he met
in his social rounds did he happen to
i know the gallant Viscount Beauharnais,
| and the gay wife of the same-sweet
. fa ed, soft-voiced, artfully artless Jo- t
I sephlne?
‘ The Abbe Raynal was a savant of some
| reputation—did he ever see the American
minister, and if so did he introduce his ,
. protege, Lieutenant Napoleon Bonaparte. ,
' Questions like these naturally occur to |
i the mind, but they cannot be answered.
' Owing to tlte bungling work of a crude
letter-press all of Mr. Jefferson s letters,
at the most Interesting period of his stay
In France, are unreadable.
CHAPTER XXXII.
Mr. Jefferson upon his arrival in Faris
had placed his daughter, Martha, in a
convent school. The other two he left In
Virginia with their aunt, Mrs. F.ppes.
The youngest, Lucy, died soon after her
i 'ather reached France, being about 2
years old at the time. In 1757 Mary Jef
i ferson joined her father and her sister I
in Paris, and was also placed In the
convent school. Martha is described as
being tall anil elegant, with a cairn,
sweet face, stamped with though: and
earnestness. She was modest; she was '
both gentle and genial; and she possessed
fine natural talents which she was faith
ful In her efforts to Improve. Her tem
■ per was sonny: extremes were inknown
I her; -he elevation of her father never I
; elated her unduly; and the misfortunes ’
wliic': came upon him, and upon her.
i could not break her spirit. "The noblest |
1 woman in Virginia." So said John Ran- i
i dolph, of Roanoke, who did not love her j
i her fathoy's sake. j
I Mary Jefferson is said ’to have been I
; i’ea ttifu: ”!', form and face, like her
: moT! ■r. "A finer child of her age I nev- r
. wrote Mrs. John Adams, who kept j
' ■ ’.-irl a while in London til! Mr. Jes [
'■ con’d send for her. "She was the ,
'. vori'e of every one in the house." She I
was one of those impulsive, warm ar. i ■
i ■ ilngit.g children whose throne is a fath- I
• r'~ ’it -’', and who must r tn to him with
be.iutifu! flower it has found, every .
beautiful picture it sees in the books; one
!wk must r :sh to his arms for ccnsola-
' :t when its little griefs come and weep
its way to ojmfi rt on his breast.
M: Jefferson had been enjoying the
're. j.-.m and advantages of his position
•'o much that ho came near making a
Ist k 1 : st daughter.
II- forgo: how long she had been at the
""'.' "'it until one morning In 1759 he re
d ’ n-’t'- from her In which she
' i- a '• "mission to become a nnn.
Allowing the note to go unanswered for I
d.i ■ or 'wo he drove to the had
the necessary explanations with the 1
eth >r superior: then telling his dough-1
lots that he bad come to take them away
from school, he drove off with them to
its home.
Engaging spe. ial masters, the education '
< f the young laill, s was continued, spe
• i.il attention being given to their music!
! and dancing Each of them spoke
I'ren 'i as fluently n< they did their 1
' mother tongue.
When Mr. Randall stated that, after ’
coming from the convent. Martha Jeffer-!
n was introducr-d into society, he prob- I
ably meant no more than he said, viz. .
that she began to meet Iter father's I
friends socially, receiving and paying)
isits in Mr Jefferson’s quiet way. Mr. I
Randall could pot have meant that Mar- ;
tha had not been in society previous to |
that time, for the letters he prints show!
that so early as 1757 she accompanied b a r j
father on hep social rounds.
Resolved into its real elements the epl- I
s vie becomes simple enough. The Ameri- j
, can minister puts his daughter in charge I
• : lhe mother superior, or abbess, of a'
. nvent to be educated. Sanctimoniously (
envir-'tied. the impressionable girl be-|
comes sanctimonious, inclining to nun
nery Tlie mother superior herself, no
abt. required that the minor child con
’ suit her father before committing herself.
At any rate, the suggestion comes to Mr.
Jefferson in a frank, open way. He acts
the gentleman with the abbess, for he
goes to her before seeing his daughter.
He acts the kind-hearted parent with the
. liild, for he utters no word of reproof.
He asserts his rights as parent, for he
takes hi s girls home. And he acts the
man of the .world, for he gives them other
tea hers, and throws them with people
v. ho are not so sanctimonious.
That Is all there is of ft—until Mr. Wil
liam Eleroy Curtis gets hold of the inci
dent, and then occurrences befall!
He makes Martha's letter to her father
a "tearful entreaty." N'o tear splotches
were in the missive till Mr. Curtis took
possession. Furthermore, he makes Jef
ferson a boor who sends for his children,
without a previous interview with or a
message, to, the mother superior!
Then having unceremoniously affronted
the abbess by sending for the girls, he
leaves off educating Martha, and immedi
ately plunges her "Into tlie brilliant
scenes of the court of Louis XVI, where
she soon forgot," and so forth!
The scenes of the court of poor .Louis
XVI were not so very brilliant in the year
1759. when the Jefferson girls were taken
from school, and there is no evidence that
either of them was ever introduced into
the "court scenes'' at all. If a Virginia
girl of the peculiarly noble type of Mar
tha Jefferson had been thrust immediate
ly into the stifling atmosphere of that
court, with its Polignacs. Its D’Artois, its
gambling queen and tipsy king—this
brothel, as the queen's own brother called
it—the probability is that the convent ,
would have gained immensely by contrast ,
• Sy * |
; Thos. E. Watson, j
h I ***
•) Author of •
h Story of France,” i
!j "Napoleon,” Etc, j
‘ Copyright, 1903, by Thbt. E- Watson’"JHl Rights Reserved
and the diplomatic parent would have
realized that he had over-reached him
self.
In the spring of 17S8 Mr. Jefferson went
to Amsterdam to concert with Mr. Adams
some plan to satisfy the hungry creditors
of the United States. Traveling in his
own carriage, using post horses, he pass
ed through Valenciennes, Brussels. Ant
werp. Rotterdam and .The Hague. Mr.
Adams joined him here, and they proceed
ed in company to Amsterdam, where they
got rid of the old debts by the compara
! tiveiy familiar device of making a ne-v
' one. Mr. Adams having executed bonds
to the amount of a million florins subject
to the approval of congress, the minister»
separated, and Mr. Jefferson extended his
journey tip the Rhine, visiting Cologne.
Frankfort. Heidelburg. Manhelm, Carls
! ruhe and Strasburg, he returned to Paris
I byway of the Marne
At the time Mr. Jefferson accepted the
diplomatic mission, he had supposed taat
his absence from home would not be
long. Two years was the length of his
term of office. But when congress nomi
nated him to the position made vacant by
i Dr. Franklin his stay had prolonged itself
five years
It was Important that ho should return
home for at least a few months. His pri
vate business required It; his family af
fairs required it.
Not till August, 1789 did he re ' ■
tice of the desired leave of absence, ar. 1
, it was November. 17-9. when he and his
! daughters reach'-1 No rfolk. They j 'r
neyed t war! home leisurely, for it was
■ not til! Christmas was almost upon 'hem
I that they reached Monticello.
In Richmond, where the logisfin nr-' was
in session, his loyal friend. Edmund Ran
dolph. met him at the head cf a dr:’’.!'.)'!
from the house to welcotne him home and
present congratulatory resolutions. (1)
Making suitable reply Mr. Jefferson con
tinued his journey, till he reached the
! home of Mr. Ep;es, his brother in law.
I where he spent some dtr.s.
As his carriage at length drew near
Monticello two days before Christmas
everybody on the place came streaming
down the road to meet him.
1 The negroes were in a state of excite
ment, which grew as they waited; end
i when at length they caught sight of his
carriage they broke Into shouts of wel
come. They whooped, they laughed, they
cried—they couldn't keep hands off. They
must take hold of something, .somewhere!
' Traces were undone, horses taken out.
stout slaves caught hold, and in spite of
all the master could do. the negroes
rush up hill with tlie carriage, some pac
ing in front, some pushing behind, some
i keeping at tlie win ds till the level ground
- « s reached at the t p; and old mister
I was at home again!
| The door wis plucked open and Mr. I
Jeffers -n was caught tip in strong arms 1
I and "toted" into the house in the midst I
. ot a deariuru of enthusiastic joy. wnieli j
I passed from the kissing of fits hand's to I
i the kissing of his feet.
I Bright shone the lights at Monticello
: that night; and late was the hour, no
! doubt, when the sounds of gladness died i
away and s'e-’p enwrapped the place—
• “big house, quarters and all. Ar..l after
everybody p! --e had gone t> bed and every !
l other candle w;,s out. wo have not the •
i slightest doubt that the home-eomlng '
'• statesman softly opened th** secret draw- i
er. in the private cabinet, touched rever
entlv the s mventrs of the dead wife who ,
had always greeted his return before,
and in the loneliness of the house where ,
all bat be slumbered, the old "wounds
which have bled enough" opened ones ;
more and bled again.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Nobody cares much to know whet •
■ average river rises; It is a matter of no i
particular c •:-• mence. and m:.l<e no ap- ;
’ peal to the imagination. But when one I
! looks upon the fountains from whence
the Danube flows, wh n one gazes down
' into the feeble beginnings of the Nile, tl.e
Amazon o* - the Mississippi, the feeling
must be altogether different. So it is
\ with the various governments of the
: world. The origin of the average estab
! lishment awakes no especial curiosity.
: challenges no espe.'Ml investigation; but
• when we come to deal with such a re
' public as that which our fathers built.
' so novel and so groat, the remote sources :
’ from whence It drew the blood and breath :
; of life to become Intensely interesting.
i Whose was the original idea, whose the
. plan? Who first unfurled its standards :
’ and fought its early battles? Whence
! or me the form of our republic and whence !
■ the spirit?
| The Puritan says. "It was I who led ;
j the way, planted the principle, developed ;
! the idea, gave it strength and shape, i
i caused its triumph. Flymouth Rock is !
; rhe comer stone of American democ- :
racy."
| The Cavalier says. "It was I who von- I
! tured first, suffered most, accomplished :
most. My footing here was permanent
I and secure before the Puritan was seen;
I had planted trial by jury, representa
tive government, and local sovereignty,
before New England ever heard of a Pil
grim father. Sword in hand, I had wrest
ed the charter of my liberties from Great .
Britain a hundred years before the stamp
act was heard of; and 1 was practicing
the leading principles of democracy while
the Puritan was hunting for witches,
offering large rewards for Indian s. a.ps,
selling King Philip's son into slavery,
torturing children to get evidence against
parents, .persecuting to the death any
body who was not a Puritan, denying the ,
right of citizenship to all who were not ■
Puritans, and straining every nerve to
establish the most repulsive theocracy
the world every saw." ,
Such are the contending claims of
Puritan and Cavalier. They clash at all ,
points. But the Puritan was quickest i
with his pen. He wrote the story to suit
himself. The Pilgrim Father s sketch :
was worded by bls son; and its modesty
is not its striking feature. ;
When the three ships of December 19, ;
IGO6, dropped down the Thames on their i
way to the sea. on their way to the new ■ :
world, they flew at their mastheads the ■'
flags of a new civilization, a new cm- i
pire. The Discovery, the Godspeed, the 1
Susan Constant, with the character of
King James 1, sail away from the old
home and steer jor the western world.
They plant the Christian religion at
Jamestown, established trial by jury. 1
and John Smith is the first man in the 1
new world to be tried by his peers, and to '
have his heart leap at the blessed words i ‘
"not guilty."
No king, no parliament, aids these he.
role adventures in their struggle for ex
istence in Virginia. When swamps are
<l) Conway says it was RanL-IJ'h. Parton
says it was Patrick Henry, who was the .
author of this public welcome.
:: cleared away, they do the work: v. -
- j savages assail, they do th" fig .
1 King James has graciouslv given l ■ ■ . ..
' piece of paper, that is ail. Th*::
t risk, the danger, the toil, the mit
s pain of hunger and disease. The • »
' glory of the victory. By sheer for:
' character, hardihood and coarag*, a
- I soldier-ruler," John Smith, beats down
‘ every obstacle, asserts his domin.m over
■ the white men of his little c Fry . >
"i the red men of the wild’ rness, -
settlement of Virginia, its co.. •
’ Anglo-Saxon civilization is r.■> , . ..• - t
question of doubt.
: "He that will not work shall r - •.:""
- Admiral John Smit::! Re?d-h<"
s whiskered, sh-rt but st" at ap’-'F
' American demccracy! Who c . •■- f .
■ a republic upon a nobler principle? it >
'; tlie “golden rule" of dem «'t:
' I The cavaliers murmure l; but t c
' ed. Soon it was remarked that • b ’
’! of the colonists w't'" wp re classed <
'| "gentlemen" ex (■’.!• d the other i -
’ I manual labor.
1 | In the year I*’>l2 b*-g.in a f irtl -
L ress in republican institutions R
’ * permission was given to the Li>- .1 'r.
I pany which controlled Virginia to s"
I a week in London and to h Id four g
urts in the year for the
1 of tlie colonial affairs.
• Here was the creation of a dem
. society in the very citadel of mon :’
! The company had authority t m
laws for Virginia, provided su-h laws
: were not contrary to those ■■■f Er-’ t
I Britain. What room for debate!
! We are not surprised when we res 1
i that the meetings were thronged a
I th-, ir discussions tumultous. No w "
! that the ambassador of Spain should '■ '
King James that the Virginia
were but a seminary to a s-’dit: vis p.i:-
j linment.
I In Spain the ambass?.*lor -o::'1 w
i ness. alm st any month In the year, t e
' burning at the stake of some poor wret .
who had ventured to think for h'.'t:.-*',
■ on questions which kings and pr!e-ts had
, declared were settled.
' In London, owing to the king’s w
‘ lack of foresight, leading citizens were
| hotly debating the fundamental bases
i of government. "Shall the will cf t-. ■»
I people control in the making of a law. or
I shall it be the pleasure of the king?”
But for that new charter, the more d'.s
--i cushion of the question would smell rank-
I ly of treason.
In the debate, victory- was by th-'
i popular party: Virginia was t? have the
, ess-".rials of free government.
! In the year 1619 (no Pilgrim Fathers y '
In sight!) every free man in Virginia w'
?e t > y- jte did so; and thus tl s-
■ representative to the general assembl"
. at Jamestown, which began t‘ make 1 ■ •
; for the people.
I Here was the cradle of American
' mocracy!
I In this first of reprosc-r-tative Assemblies
I held by white me" On ! 's continent
manj was made for hom--- rule: and te. '
' years later that dem. nd was expres-:v
eon eded No orders of the Lon lon
i pany were to be binding on the col'nv
; "unless they be ratified by the general
: assemblies” of the colony.
• This pap*-r bears date 24th July. ' '.
I What charter of free government
! .America antedates It?
1 When Cromwell overtnrn-M rnyn’tv
England, the cavaliers of V!rgl" ! a. ' <
, to church and king, remained stea*'.’
■With arms in their hands, they tr n .?’ ’
: for peace with Cromwell's comn -
er'. \ f 'rmal compact wes agree : '’•
■ put in writing, and signed The e -:!’:n
' article of that treaty rends;
! "Virginia shall te free from a'l *-X'-s
customs and !mpn.= !:in-ns whats ■ ‘ ”
Xone shall be Imposed without the c-'
I sent of the grand assembly” (of VI.--
' g’nla) “and neither forts nor cist’es sh|
Ii ~ erected, nor garrisons main: il’ ■••1
! without their consent.”
I Here was local Independence! Freedom
from taxation, freedom of trade, freedom,
from English troops and forts. Home
rule through their own representative”
Is It any marvel that, after Cromwell '
time, the minions of a restored end
shameless king should attempt to er
croach upon the liberties which Crom
well had sanct! ned, and that "Great re
bellion" should be the measure of Vlr
' ginia's resistance?
: Young Nathaniel Bacon, land-owning
: cavalier, was just as true a patriot when
• he led the embattled Virginians in ' "■•
| as young George Washington, land-cv: -
: ing cavalier, was when he led them n
1 1776. Home rule, civil liberty, just laws,
I good government were just as much at
' the bottom of the quarrel in the one cas«
as in the other.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
I We have already seen how tlr's inde
| pendent spirit flamed up again in 17'M
and 1765. when Nathaniel Bacons, a!l
• over Virginia, left their farms to main
tain their rights. We have heard the
orator talk, and seen the soldier arm.
We have learned that in all the colonies
the feeling was practically the same,
and that nothing was needed but lead
ership and organization to w! 1 separate
committees Into a confederation.
We have seen the younger Virginians
holding their private meetings apart
from the more conservative members
of the legislature; we have seen them
agree upon the committee of correspond
ence whose mission it will be to knit
the threads of continental union.
Whose brain originated the plan? Some
claim it for Richard Henry Lee. some
for Samuel Adams, some for Jeffers n.
It is Dabney Carr who came forward
to proclaim it, and to advocate it so
convincingly that no opposition is heard.
We have seen the first congress meet
and separate, having done little more
than establish the vital fact that the
continental congress was something more
than a sugges'.i.-n. It was a reality.
Other congresses follow, and we see
the beginnings of nationality. We stand
at the headwaters. We gaze down, down
into the iittle j arent streams with pro
found interest. With what artful man
agement the colonies are kept in line,
taught to keep step! With what diplo
macy the front ranks are made to go
Slow till lagging patriots can be brough:
up! How careful the extremists are not
to frighten the conservatives. Notice
that the fiction of "your maj-sty's loyal
subjects" is maintained to the very last
moment; and that the magic word inde
pendence fi-es not slip the muzzle until
all the colonists are in line of battle,
with George Washington in command.
Then note the earnest reaching out
for supports, for outside help. See tha
anxiety to protect the western flank
from hostile Indians. Nobody's aid is
Continued on Fifth Pace.