Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-02-01
From the Christian Register.
INTERESTING LETTERS.

! INTERESTING LETTERS.
| The following letters have been OBJ.
aimed by soi:itaiion and are sent to the
lress BY the permission OF their yenera-
ole authors. The character, standing.
4nd age OF the writer's, the one in his
eIghtieth, the other in his eighty
year, give them peculiar interest, and
hey cannot fail to be read with great
pleasure. Il is delightful to witness this
Kind OF correspondence between these
| ,wo distinguished men, the asperilics OF
party by which they were al one tins Sc
para'ed worn down, and nothing remain
| ing but the interchange Of sentiments of
unieigned Kindness and respect. II is
| charming to see an Old age like this, re-
,aiulng even under its decays and nfirml.
hes, the intellectual vigour unimpaired !:
! and displaying amidst its SHOWS, the
srccnness and freshness of the summer
OF life. Ii is an enviable and priviled ged
Height to which these great men have
attained; from which they are permitted
to look down upon an extensive and
emlnenIly happy country, enjoying the
! Fruit OF their Iabors and sacrifices, more
Ian reaizing their boldesl antcipations j;
and regarding them with that gratitude
and respect TO which their magnanimity
and distinguished patriotism SO e,nphati-
caly emile ,hem.
The letter OF Mr.. Jefferson was writ
ten soon after an attack upon him by the
I" Naive Of Virginia." and when there
was u strong expectation of war between
Russia and Turkey; this will explain
some illusions in them. C..
From Mr.. J:BtrSon to Mr.. .4dams.
MONTICELLO, JUNE |, 1922.
j. is very long, my dear, sir, since |
have written TO you. My dis,oca ed
wrist is now become so stiff that | wric
slowly and with pain; and, therefore,
write as little as can. Yet it is due to
mutual Friendship to ask once in while
how we do The papers tell us tina,
Gen. St4rNe is off at The age Of ninety
tafee.--*t..ss still lives, at about the
same ace, cheerful, slender as a grass
hopper, and SO much without memory
that he scarcely recognises the members
of his household. An intimate friend OF
his called on him not long since. 1t was
difficult TO make him recollect who he
was, and sitting one hour, he told him
the same story four times over. Is this
life with laboring step
TO tread our former footstcps' pace the round
Eternal Ito beat and beat
The beaten track-te see what we have seen
To taste the tasted-o'er our palates to decant
Another vintage
It is, at most, but the life of cabbage,
surely not worth a wish. When all our
faculties have left, or are leaving us one
by one, sight, hearing, memory, every
avenue of pleasing sensation is closed,
and a,numy, debility, and maluaise left
IN their places, when the friends Of our
youth are all gone, and generation is
risen around Us whom we know not, is
death an evil
When one by one our ties are torn,
And friend from friend is snstch'd forlorn
When man is left alone to mourn,
Oh, then, how sweet it is to die!
WHICH trSiioH1S ii'ilDS TcIuSc tiClr weight,
And films slow gathering dim the sight;
When clouds obscure the mental light,
lis natures kindest boon to die
| really think so. l have ever dread
ed doaing old age; and my health
has been generally SO good, and is now
SO good, that dread it still. The rapid
decline OF my strength during the last
winter has made me hope sometimes
that see land. During summer en-.
Joy its temperature, but shudder at the
approach Of winter, and wish could
sleep through it with the dormouse, and
only wake with him in spring, il ever
They say that Starke could walk about
his room. l am told that you walk we'll
and firmly. lean only reach my garden,
and that with sensible fatigue. l ride,