The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-10-27
NEW ROCKS

Vrginian-the author of Sociology for the South, in
more recent work. observes, that ''the annals of
revolutionary Virginia were illustrated by three
''great and useful men, The mighty mind of Jeffer
fson lifted to pull down. the plastic hand OF Madison
'to build up, and the powerful of Washington
"to defend, sustain and conserve" "The true
"greatness of Jefferson" says the same au-
"thor in another place, ''was his fitness
'for revolution He was the genius oinnov alton the
"archtect of ruin, the Inauguration of anarchy. His
mission was to pull down, not to build up. He |
"thoS every thing false, as well in the physical
Gas in the moral world. He fed his horses on pota-
"toes and defended harbors withgun- boats
sit was contrary to human experience and human !
"opinion. He proposed to govern bows without the
"authority of masters the control cf religion
"plying their place with lassez aire philosophy and
'moraity from the pages of Lawrence Sterne. His
character like his philosophy was exceptional-in-
"vauablein urging revolution but useless if not
dangerous in quiet times" Madison although a
sharer OF Jeersons counses, and the successor of
his administration, ranked by opposing partisans
among the followers of his school, and inheriting
much of the odium which justly attached to some
of Jeferson's experiments, was almost his OPP
posite, and, considering their intimate relations his
political compensation. The highest attainabe good
was Dedu lucdl JEFFERSON was the phi
losophy of experiment that of result
The latter thought of living-the former how to
live. The union of Madison with Hamilton in wri-
ting the Federast papers, several numbers ofwhich
are of their joint production, conclusively proves
that he did not greatly value party distinctions,
that he could cordially and faithfully work with
an opponent for a common object, that he looked
upon differences of opinion with toleration that he
| voc a M Of isn Nd ro4b
of distractions and crochets-an Anglo-Amcrican
statesman rather than French encyclopaedia. As
President he gave evidence of administrative
rather than speculative tendencies His reluctance
| to declare against England, his concessions to
what he believed the truer views of the Federalsts
on the United States Bank and other questions
and the political calm which, during his last term,
succeeded the violent strife of parties in the first,
are the best evidence of the practical and ne qid
| minis character of his mind The life of such
an individual, is not likely to be very in
teresting, because in fact there is but little in
dviduaty in such life. Mr.. Madison was not
only representative man as embodying a sort Of
practical average of the knowledge, wisdom, virtue
republicanism and patriotism of his time, but was
actually for the important part of his life en-
ployed representative capacity; outside ofIcgs-
latures, Councils, Congresses, Conventions and Ad-
ministrations quorum pGrs magma fait, he has hith
erto been unknown. Nor will Mr. Rives' biography
so far as published reward any curiosity which
may exist as to the boyhood and early life of the
fourth President We have brief genealogical
resume of the Madison family which began in the
year 1868 to figure as land holders in Virginia. in
the person CT John Madison, of the "Northern
| "Neck." Ambrose Madison the grandson of this
John, and grandfather of James, emigrated to
what was the then western fronter-namely the
| county of 0range-where he settled on that same
estate of Montpelier, which subsequently became
the property of his distinguished descendant and
which is now owned by an opulent banker of Balti-
more James Madison was born at the house of his
maternal grandmother, Mrs. Conway, in King
George county, on the 10th March, ISL. He was
the oldest child of seven that lived to maturity
We have the names of his instructors and the date
of his introduction to the academic shades of
"Princeton," then under the presidency of DR..
| Witherspoon. We have, moreover, a few senten-
ces, in which his associates at college of subse-
quent distinction named-a letter or two which
we by means concur with Mr.. Rives in regard
ing favorable indications of the correct and easy
style to which Mr.. Madison subsequently attained;
and then on the 38thpa of the firstvolume-which
has G60-we have the beginning of the year 1774,
and pretty much the end of the life of James Madison
for the discussions thenceforth are of "measures
"not men, As to any living picture of the boy
Madison showing q fatherhood' and promise of
Madison the man, we might well have been left
! to the general presumption which exists in favor
| OF the birth and adolescence of every human being
| and of a very respectable, prudent, reserved
| learned and distinguished man, having been good
and studious lad. Mr.. Rives gives us nothing to
discountenance such presumpton; on the con-
trary, the little he says the point is calculated
to encourage it. Mr. Madison's entire life, wheth-
er as boy or man, was clear from reproach
as it appears to have been barren of the sort
of incidents which lend interest to biography
In his preface Mr.. Rvcs informs us that he was led
! into the task he has undertaken BY no ambition of
authorship but regarded it rather as a consci-
entiOus duty imposedupOn some one, to endeavor to
rescue the memory of so distinguished a man from
the oblivion which threatened it, and which the
accidental circumstance Of obtaining many anthem
tic and valuable materials through 'public charge
"confded to him." and others trusted to him by
| private courtesy, seemed to make obligatory upon
himself. In attempting to perform this useful and
honorable labor, the motives for which we have
no doubt are truly assigned, the distinguish
| ed author is entitled to public thanks. at
'is only within the last two years that his
AbS nave Dctu LuGntu 10 the SUBJECT, ana MS
duplication to it during that period has met with
"daily interruptions and sometimes long suspensions
''rom the necessary calls of other duties" We fear,
therefore, that Mr.. Rves has 'not had time to be
'brief." His own familiarity with Virginia politics
and general revolutionary history has tempted
him into too extensive and Improbable excursion
into that well-expored and amply described field
| We are compelled to observe that we have not as
yet much evidence of his possession of new and val
liable materials hitherto unpublished whether per-
! tanning to Mr.. Madison as an individual
or as connected with the great events of his
! day. The work contains few letters with
| which the public were not acquainted, and
those of no great interest In attempting to write
the life of Madison Mr.. Rives seems to have expe-
rienced the embarrassment common to writers who
attempt to mdividualize representative men and
| cooks who endeavor to take a single crab out of
basketfuI. The individual is found to be confusedly
and almost inextricably attached to Others The
cook solves the difficulty by dropping all the animals
that cohere, into the same pot, and Mr.. Rives has
rather too closely followed this example. His book
! is, therefore, as he himself seems to be aware a
mule, begotten between history and biography,
lacking the personal interest o. the one and the
| satisfactory completeness of the other. The sue
| ceedlng volumes may supply somewhat of
| the denclencIes oil the frst-but the plan of the
work is, constrained to say radically bad and
its completion the model indicated will consigu it
| to place beside MarshalPs Life of Washington
a most respectable and valuable book-without
which no library would be complete, but which is
of that domestic and tay-at-home class which is
always to be found i'll its case.
| We should do injustice TO the publishers, Messrs
Little, Brown & Co., if we failed to express our
admiration of the very beautiful style in which
this extensive work is printed and bound In this
respect there is nothing to be desired.
Messrs. Cushings & Bailey have also sent us the
| following works from the press of the Appletons:
New York
PARTIES AND PRINCIPLES. Manual Of Political In
ttlgence Exhibiting the Origin, Growth and Character
o! National Parties. With Appendix containing yau-
able and general statistical information BY ARrfUR
HOLMES vol l2mo, PIP. %A 1859
glance through the pages of this little volume,
indicates that it attempts and quite successfully
achieves, the useful task of presenting clear and
impartial history of the parties which have sue
ceeded each other in the American Republic since its
organization 1t commences with the protest of
the Colonies against taxation, and ends with the
election of Speaker Banks Also
MARY LEE By KATE LIvERMoBE. New York and Lon
don 1860
very attractive chid's book-nicely illustra
ted, and beautifully printed and bound. Also