The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-08-11
JEFFERSON AND HAMILTON.
The Man of thought and the Man of Ae
ton.

The writings of Thomas Jefferson have just
been published in nine volumes. They form
Gently been made to the political history of
the country. Most collections of this kind are
to be regarded as the mere materials of his
tory, valuable for occasional reference, but
hardly worthy of thorough perusal, except by
the professional historian. But the great in
fuence of Mr.. Jefferson, the independence of
his views, the extent and variety of his attain
ments, and the vigor and felicity of his style,
render his writings far more interesting in the
shape in which he left them, than any work
can possibly be of which they may afford the
materials to subsequent writers.
Thomas Jefferson gained, during lifetime,
and to this day maintains greater ascenden-
cy over political opinion in this country than
any other man who has ever lived. He has
completely inoculated the public mind with
his ideas, and although it is nearly half GEN.
fury since he retired from the administration
of the government, his influence on the tone of
political thinking in this country, does not
perceptibly begin to wane. Ifthe amount and
durability of mans influence is the guage of
his intellectual character, we shall be compel
led to regardJ eferson as the greatest of Amer
lean statesmen Hamilton, the only one who
has any claim to be considered his rival for
this distinction, possessed the highest order of
administrative faculties, and if intellect had
no other forms than the logical and executive,
neither Jefferson nor any other statesman
could successfully contest the intellectual su-
premacy which many of our best judges are
accustomed to claim for him. But though
Jefferson had great administrative powers, he
belonged re.her to the world of ideas than the
world OF action: If the executive mind some
times produces the greatest immediate effect,
the speculative or philosophical mind exerts a
more permanent influence, and controls other
ages than its own. He is the greatest states
man who best understands the people he aims
to influence, and whose political system is most
perfectly adapted to their character. The in
situations of Scion would never have been sue
cessful at Sparta, nor those of Lycurgus at
Athens had the great merit of those celebrat-
lawgivers consisted in the fact that they had the
skill to cut the garment so as to fit the people
who wear it.
Whatever opinions may have been enter
tanned in the year 1870, no rejecting man can
doubt now, that Jefferson had clearer per-
ception than Hamilton of the character of our
people, and superior sagacity in adapting his
political ideas to their wants. The public YER
dict was long ago given, and every year makes
it more nearly unanimous that the policy of
Jefferson is the true one for this county
Jefferson governs the next generation after his
own, while Hamilton's influence on the polit-
ical opinions of the country scarcely survived
him.
An anecdote which is related in these vol
umes illustrates the difference between the in
tellectual characters of Jefferson and Hamil-
ton. At small dinner party given by Jefferson.
while Secretary of State, the room being hung
around with collection of portraits of re-
markable men, and among them those of Bacon,
Newton and Locke, Hamilton asked who they
were. Jefferson replied that they were his
"trinity of the three greatest men the world had
ever produced" Hamilton paused for some
time; "the greatest man." said he, "that ever
lived, was julius Caser." Men give their
warmest admiration of the class of minds that
are the truest types of their own. The states
man belongs to a higher intellectual grade
than the scholar, because it requires more sa-
gacity to understand the present than to know
the past. The philosopher holds higher
rank than the statesman, because he is in ad-
vance of his own age, and by carrying forward
the human mind, contributes to the progress
of the world. Hamilton was only a statesman,
consummate one, most certainly, but still
only statesman. Jefferson was an intellect
ual "trinity in unity" he united in himself the
characteri of scholar, statesman and philoso-
pher, and his works furnish evidence that in
each of these characters he was eminent.
There is no part of Jefferson's writings
whose interest is so fascinating as his cores
pondence, till the period of his retirement from
the Presidency till the close of his life. One
knows not which most to admire, the versitali-
ty of his mind and the wonderful variety of
its resources, or the singular sagacity of his
views and careless felicity of his style, or the
native freedom with which he comments on
the character of his contemporaries In speak
ing of the political controversies Of his own
time, he in one place remarks, "the true histo-
ry of that conflict of parties will never be in
possession of the public until, by the death of
the actors in it, the hordes of their letters
shall be broken up and given to the world"
1t may be safely remarked that Jefferson's own
correspondence will do more to elucidate the
political history of the country than that of
any other distinguished actor in the past rev.
dictionary period of our government.
1t must not be imagined that politics and
political histo:y are the only subjects touched
in these volumes. On the contrary, they en-
body the views of the author on an almost in
finite variety of subjects, philosophical, moral,
religious, scientific, literary and educational
and are repository of valuable ideas on nearly
every subject which can interest the human
mind. The excellence of Jeffsrson's style of
composition is so generally acknowledged, that
it may not be uninteresting to know his views
on the general subject of style. In letter to
Edward Everett, written in 1923, after discus
sing certain points of Greek Grammar, he
says:
81 acknowledge myself not an adept in the
metaphysical speculations of grammar By
Analysing too infinitely, we often reduce our
subject to atoms, of which the mind loses its
hold. Nor am l friend to ascrupulous pur-
ism of style. l readily sacrifice the niceties
of syntax to euphony and strength. 1t is by