The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-11-10
s
THOMAS JEfFERsoN AND JOHN AID

ANS. sa
There is no chapter in American history
| which can be read with more unalioyed pleas.
ure than that which tells US Of the friendship
| which marked the last years Of these devoted
patriots They had been rivals---the head oi
contending excited parties. Each in his turn
had been preferred by the American people to
the other, for the highest Office within their gift
They themselves had pArtaken Of the bitter
Jefferson was elected TO the Presidential chair
in place Of Adams, (saysa a cotemporary,) the
latter broke ovor all ordinary rules of courtesy,
so far as TO leave Washington suddenly, ON the
evening of the third Of March, because he
would not remain 10 witness the Inauguration
OF his rival on the fourth. Yet these men, (says
the same wri,ef,) these American patriots,
when their political campaigns were over, and
they had retired, the one 10 his Monticello and
the other to his Montizillo, and were passing
quietly down the vale Of years, these former
foes turned to each other with mutsaii esteem
and affection, and looked upon each other as
brother patriots and fellow laborers in the
great cause oftheir country's freedom and pros
perity. a3 $40 aa4 5slsapa sse sfgssI OIL
4. While thus in their retirement, walking
thoughtfu!ly. ,.tt ....,.s.,,
"Os the silen', solemn shore
Of that vast ocean they must sail 10 SOON
The following beautiful and touching cores
pondence passed between them Il was about
three years before theis simultaneous death,
which occurred on the 9Th Of July, and the 6fti.
eth anniversary Of our independence.
The letter Of Mr.. Jefferson was written soon
after an attack upon him BY SNative OF Vir-
ginia, and when there wasa strong expects.
ton Of q war between Russia and Turkey !;
this will explain some illusions in the let
ters = OFT ftJQcSA eJfTLHJCFaQ
FROM Mr., JEFFERSON TO Mr.. ADAMS
goesa sd Mosrlc EIIo, June ], ,la22.
ut is very long, my dear sir. since have
written to you.g My dislocated wrist is now
become 30 stiff that write % slowly and with
pain; and, therefore, write as little a. cam
Yet itls due te mutual friendship to ask once
in while how we do? The papers tell u
that Gen. Stark is off At the age Of ninety. three
still lives, at about the same age, cheer.
ful, slender as grasshoppey, and 20 much
without memory that he scarcely recognizes
the members Of his household. An intimate
friend called on him not long since. II was
difficult to make him recolicct who he was, and
sitting one hour he told him the same story
four times over. In this lifs-with laboring
step. aa,
"To tread our former footsteps: pace the round
Eternal ?-to beat and beat
The beaten track-to see what we have sssn- ~
To taste the tasted-o'er palates to dcscant
Another yintage'''
''lt il al most the life Of cabbage, scarcely
not worth a wish. When all our faculties haye
left, or are leaving one by one, sight, hear.
ing, memory, every avenue Of blessing .ensa-
ton is closed, and athumy, debility, and ina
laise lett in their piacs when the friends Of our
nd nan k.. -.
en- around US whom we know not, IL death an
evil? at ,fa1f ~ sa 7 3s baF
"When one by ono our ties are torn,
And friend from friend il saatchsd forlorn;
When man is left alone to mourn,
Oh then, how sweet it is ode!
When trembling limbs refuse their weight,
Z And 6:ms slow gathering dim the sight;
When clouds obscure the mental hight,
'Tis natures kin6est boon to die :"
81 really think so. / have ever dreaded a
doating age; and my health has been generally
so good, that dread it still. The rapid de.
cline of my strength during the last winter has
made me hope sometimes that see land Dur.
ing the SUMMER enjoy its temperature but
shu,lder at the approach Of winter, and wish
could sleep through it with the dormouse, and
only wake with him in the spring, if ever
They say that Stark could walk about his room.
| am told you walk well and firmly. / can on.
ly reach my garden, and that with sensible "a
tigue. ride, however, daily; but reading is
my delight ! should wish never to put pen to
paper; and the more because Of the treacherous
practice some people have Of publishing ones
letters without leave. Lord Mansfield declared
it breach Of trust, and punishable by law. ]
think Vt should be pen,tentiary felony; yet
you will have seen that they have drawn me out
in the arena of newspapers. Although know
it is too late for me to buckle on the armour Of
my youth, yet my indignation would not permit
me passvely to receive the kick of an ass.
ITO turn To the news Of the day, it seems
that the cannibals of Europe are going to eat
ing one another again. A war between Russia
and Turkey is ike the battle Of the Kite and
snake whichever destroys the other, leaves a
destroyer less for the world.
''Ths pugnacous humor Of the world seems
to be the law of his nature, one Of the obstacle
TO too great multiplication provided in the
mechanism of the Universe. The cocks Of the
hen-vard kill on. another; bears, bulls. rams,
do the same and the horse, in his wild state
k,lls the young males, until worn down with
dge and war, some vigorous youth kills him.
hope we shall prove how much
happier for man the Quaker policy is, and that
the life OF the feeder 10 better than that of the
fighter; and it is some consolation that the
dessoation by these maniacs Of one part Of the
earth, is the means Of improving it in other
parts. Let the latter be our Office and let us
milk the COW while the Russian holds her By
the horns, and the Turk BY the tail. God
bless you and give you health, strength, good
spirits, and as much life as you think worth
having.
"THoMAs JEFFERSON"
Mn. ADAMS REPLY.
MosrEzILLo, June il, 1912.
"DEAR Sin: Half an hour ago received,
and this moment have heard for the third or
fourth time, the best letter that was ever written
by an Octegenarian, dated June LIST.
81 have not rprained my wrist but both ny
arms and hands are SO owe vcrstrained that ] can
not write line. Poor Stark remembered moth
ing and could talk Of nothing but the battle Of
Bennington. So" is not quite 90 reduced.
cannot mount my horse, but can walk three
miles over a rugged, rocky ain, and have
done it within month yet feel, while sitting
in my chair, as if could not rise out and when
risen, as if could not walk across the room
my sight is very dim, hearing pretty good,
memory poor enough.
II answer your question-is death an evil 2
1t il not an evil. It is blessing to the individ
! ual, and the rest Of the world yet we ouyt mol
TO wish for it till life becomes insupportable.-
We must wait the pleasure and convenience oi
thc sGreat teacher. Winter is as terrible te
me as 10 you. am also reduced IN it to the
life Of bear or a torpid swallow. i canno
read, but my delight is to hear others read anG
l tax all my friends most numerically and ty-
ranicslly against their consent.
"rhe ass has kick"d in win all men say The
dull animal has miss, the merk.
| The GLIB. is threatre of war; it's inhabi
tants are all heroes. The latle eels in vinegar
and the anamalcules in perper water; brliev'
arc quarrelsome. The bees are as war!ih'
as the Romano, Russians, Brtions or French
Ants, catterplllers, and cankerworms are 'h'
only tribes among whom have not seen bat
ties, and Heaven itself, if we bellve Hindoos
Jews, Christians, and Mebometains, has not
ways been at peace. We need not trouble our
selves about these things, nor fret ourselves be
cause feveil dosrs but safely trust the 'Rulel
with his skies Nor need we dread the 81
proach Of fdotage, let it come, it 1t must.
it seems, still delights in his four stories an