The Van Buren press., 1875-05-04

The Boston Globe publishes the fol-
lowing letters, which have never been
published in the works OF either these
two Presidents:
FROM MR.. JEFFERSON TO Mr.. ADAMS.
MONTICELLO, June lst, 1922.
1t is very long, my dear sir, since l
have written 10 you. My dislocsted wrist
is now become so stiff that write slow
" and with pain, and therefore write as
little as can. Yet it is due to mutual
friendship to ask once in awhile how
you do. The papers tell US that Gen
Starke is off at the age Of ninety three
A. still lives, at about the same age,
cheerful, slender as a grasshopper, and
so much without memory that he scarce
ly recognizes his own household. lnti-
mate friends of his called on him not
long since. 1t was difficult to make him
understand or recolect who he was. and
sitting one hour he told hlIa the same
story four times over Is this life ? with
laboring Steps
To tread our former footsteps pace the round
The beaten track-to see what
To taste the tasted-oer our pallets descant
Another vintage
1t is bat most the life of cabbage,
surely not worth wish. When all our
faculties nave left, or are leaving us one
by onr, sight. hearing, memory, every
avenue Of pleasing sensation, is closed,
and -. debility and mai ase left in
their places, when the friends of their
youth are all gone, and generation is
risen around us whom we know not, is
death an evil?
really think so. have ever dreaded
doting old age. and my health has been
generally SO good that dread it still.
The rapid decline ofmy strength during
the last winter has made me hope some
times that see land During summer |
enjoy Its temperature but shudder at
the approach of winter and wish could
sleep through it with the dormouse, and
only wake with him, il ever. They say
that Starke could walk about his room.
| am told you walk we'll and firmly. |
can only reach my garden, and that with
sensible fatigue. ride, however. daily !;
but reading is nay delight. ! should wish
never to put my pen to paper, and the
more because Of the treacherOus practice
some people have ofpublishng ones let
teis without leave. Lord Mansfield de.
cared it breach Of trust and punishable
at law think it should be a peniten.
tiary felony yet you will have seen that
they have drawh me out into the arena
of the newspapers. Although know it
is too late for me to buckle on the armor
Of youth, yet my Indignation would not
permit me passively to receive the kick
Of an ass.
To turn to the news of the day, it
seems that the cannibals OF Europe are
going to eating one another again. A
war between Russia and Turkey is like
the battle of the kite and snake; which
ever DESTROYS the other leaves a destroyer
the |, ss for the world. This pugnacious
humor Of mankind seems to be the law
of his nature-oue Of the obstacles to
too great multiplication provided in the
mechanism Of the universe. The cocks
of the hen yard kill one another bears,
bulls, rams, do the same and the horse,
in his wild state, kills oil the eyoung males
until worn out with age and war. some
vigorous youth kills him hope We
shall prove how much happier for man
the Quaker policy is, aud that the life of
the feeder is better tlian that Of the
fighter; and it is some consolation that
the desolation OF these maniacs Of one
part of the earth is the means of iM-
proving the other parts. Let the latter
be our office, and let US milk the COW
while the Russians hold her by the horns
and the Turks by the tail. God bless
you and give you strength, and as much
of life as you think worth having.
THOMAS JEFFERSON.