, 1880-08-23
The Great Cheese.

Ourreaders, perhaps, have heard of Mr..
Jefferson's big cheese, which played such
part in the celebration of the 4th Of
July, in 1909. At Cheshire, town in
Massachusetts, there then lived Baptist
minister from Virginia. named John Le-
land, whs knew Jefferson and Madison,
and knew what they had done for rellg-
ious liberty in the Old Dominion. He
determined to do his part towards sup
porting President Jefferson.
From the pulpit, one Sunday, he invit>
ed every person who owned a COW, or cows,
to bring the whole of one days milk to
great cider>mill belonging to an old Rev.
olutisnary soldier, Capt. John Brown.
The people. responding with enthusi-
asm, made festival of the day appointed,
and brought an extraordinary quantity of
milk to the old mill, which had been pre-
pared to receive it.
The machinery worked as it was hoped
it would; strsng young farmers manned
the1evers; and when the cheese had been
pressed, Elder Leland mounted block,
gave out hymn, and held religious
service over it. Finally, he dedicated to
the President of the United States which
he described as the greatest cheese which
either the old or new world had ever seen.
1t weighed sixteen hundred pounds af~
ter it was we'll dried; and then the ques-
ton arose, how to transport such mass
Ave hundred miles to the city of Wash
ington.
Elder Leland undertook the task. He
waited until the middle of the following
winter, when there was plenty of snow
on the ground; then he had it placed
upon sleigh, and drove tito Washington
himselt-a three weeks journey.
He was received in every town with
cheers from the Democrats, or Dems, as
they were called, and with .jeers from the
Feds. Few people then said Democrat
or Federallst, but every boy was familiar
with Dems and Feds.
On reaching the Presidents house, he
presented the cheese with a suitable
speech, and Mr.. Jefferson addressed him
in reply, concluding by having knife
brought, and great piece cut out of the
cheese, which he requested the Elder to
take back to Cheshire, that all the donors
might have taste of it.
The rest of the cheese was saved until
the following Fourth of July, when there
was grand banquet in Warrington, in
tent near the navy yards, at which
hundred and fifty guests sat down. In
pursuance of his pan of softenlng poll-
tical asperities, the President invited
beth Dems and Feds to this feast, which,
we are told, was so unusual course,
that the company were embarrassed, and
not as merry as people should be at 4th
of July dinner. Mr.. Gallatin makes this
remark about the cheese in letter to
his wife:
"The mammoth cheese was cut On
Monday (the Fourth); it is said to be
good found It detestable."
Let US hope that Mr.. Gallatin was not
good judge Of cheese. He ought to
have been good judge, for the cheese of
his native Switzerland had been noted
for ages for its excellence.
Perhaps, however, he was put out of
hunor by painful event which occurred
during the repast.
Some mariners had been placed as SEN
tries to keep back the crowd from press
ing into the tent, and one of them thrust
his bayonet into a mechanic who uttered
some offensive words when he was order
ed away. Mr.. Gallatin, who was one of
the best of men and Republicans, was
deeply indignant.
1.-THE very sight Of bayonet," he
wrote to his wife. I" to preserve order
among citizens, rouses my Indignation.
l never want to see the
face of soldier in our cities and inter-
mixed with the people" p Youths Com
panion.