The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-08-26
THOMAS JEFFERSON.
SOME INTERESTING RECOLLEC
TIONS OF THE GREAT
STA 7ESMAN.

1
Centennial Of the University Of virginia.
Eearly in december, 1924, travelled
from Washington to Fredericksburg
where stayed all night. lido not know
how was known, but gentleman called
me and asked me to his home, and !
spent pleasant evening. l saw some
young Virginian ladies there, and !
thought they we're very charming. |
was amused with the curiosity which my
new friends showed to- hear from Eng
land. A gentleman came up to me and
asked how left Mr.. Campbell, the poet,
Luckily had lately called on him in
London On some business about rela-
ton OF his who thought Of emigrating to
America, and l could therefore give q
satisfactory answer, At Frederickiburg
/ first tasted corn-bread, and / used it all
the time that lived in Virginia. i wish
that could have it now. From Freder-
icksburg had two days rather UNI
pleasant journey to Charlottesville in the
stage-coach. The roads were bad, the
accommodations not good, and the COM
pany Indifferent. The young men of the
present day can hardly conceive what
this road was then, for suppose that
there is railroad the whole distance.
At the university / lived at least two
months in the house which was assigned
to me in great solitude, and during bad
weather it would have been still worse II
! had not experienced the Kindness OF
the proctor, Mr.. Brockenbrough, whose
wife's sister / afterwards married. The
professors had embarked in an English
vessel for Norfolk, and they had very
long passage. The ship was described to
me as something like an old haystack.
1t could just float and go before the wind.
had more wisely embarked in one OF
the New York American packets from
Liverpool. Since that time the English
have learned to build ships for the Amer
lean trade. When my brother professors
arrived at the university, they found me
eating corn bread, and already a Virgin
ian by taste and habits. Things were
rather rough, but l have always have had
and still have the faculty Of making my
self happy under any circumstances. A
few days after my arrival at the unlyer'
sity walked up to Monticello to see Mr.
Jefferson. made myself known to his
servant and introduced into his great
room. In few minutes tall dignltied
old man entered, and after looking at me
a moment, said Are you the new prof
fessor of ancient languages" replied
that was. He observed you are very
younc," to which / observed that | would
grow older. He smiled and said that
was true. He was evidently somewhat
startled at my youthful and boyish ap'
pearance, and ! could plainly see that he
was disappointed. We fell to talking,
and | STAYED to dine with him, He was
grave and rather cold in his manner, but
he was very polite and | was pleased
with his simple Virginian dress, and his
conversation, free from all atfectatlon. l
remember this interview as If 1t took
place yesterday
During my solitary residence before
the university opened | visited Montl-
cello several times, and occasionally
passed the night there. thought that
Mr.. Jefferson became better satisfied
with the boy professor, and we talked on
all subjects. He saw that took great
interest in the geography of America
and in the story Of the revolution, and he
told me much about it, but in very
modest way as to himself. He showed
me the original draft of the Declaration
of Independence, and he could clearly
see that | was i'll habits, as | have always
been and still am, a man who preferred
plain republican institutions to the out
ward show and splendor of European
kingdoms-when l say republican insti-
tutions, mean genuine republican, for a
republic may have the name, and very
little besides that | value.
often saw Mr.. Jefferson between this
time and his death. When he came on
his horse to the university he generally
called on me. His thoughts were always
about this place of education, of which
he was really the founder; and though
the first few years Of the university We're
not quite satisfactory, he confidently
looked forward to the future, and to the
advantages which the STATE would derive
from the young men who were educated
in the University of Virginia.
| remember well long conversation
which | once had with Mr. Jefferson on
George Washington. He spoke of him
freely and generously, as a man OF
great and noble character. Mr.. Tucker,
in his life of Jefferson, has given the
character of Washington as Jefferson
wrote it, and it is, perhaps, certain that
the character was written at the time
when Jefferson spoke of Washington to
me, though he told something more than
the written character contains, but moth
ing that is contradictory to it. The char
aGter is exceedingly well written, and il
proves that as a mere writer Jefferson
might have excelled most men of his
day.
| discovered that Mr.. Jefferson was
well acquainted with Pol ybius, who is
not a good writer, but man of excellent
sense and the soundest judgment. The
last time that saw Mr.. Jefferson, when
he was suffering from complaint which
caused his death, he was reading Pliny's
letters, and we had conversation about
passage. A few weeks after, when
was at the Sweet Springs during the
summer vacation, 1 heard of his death
There was much foolish display in Vir
ginia, and the United States was honoreC
for his services, for his talents, and fol
his grand and simple character. H
ought to be revered by all who enjoy thC
advantages of being educated in his uni
versity, and ever remembered as one o
the great men whom Virginia has pro
duced. His great deeds are recorded OF
the epitaph which he wrote for his owl
tomb.