Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-10-25
THEY LOVED BABIES.
PRESIDENTS Who TOOK SPECIAL DE-
LIGHT IN CHILDREN.

Jefferson Was ExtraVagantly Fond of Girl
Babies iii, Letters To His Daughter and
Grandchildren Lincoln Was "A Big Play
fellow with His Boys.
Other presidents before Mr.. Cleveland
of course have reioiccd In babies With
the exception of Washington who, rs the
patcrnal parent of the whole country, may
hc said To have had the finest baby of them
all, our great presidents have all been hap
by fathers. And when we speak of our
great presidents we refer To those who
oycrtoppcd the rest either by reason Of
their own personal greatness or 10y virtue
of the exceptionally great events In our
history with which they were associated.
Washington Jefferson, Lincoln and Grant
those four certainly are on the list.
What other name, ought to stand i'm the
same rank with their, we will not stop
here 10 discuss OF these famous four only
the first was childlcSs.
But Thomas Jefferson was a babies
president He was confirmed baby wor-
shipper, and when hc got through enjoying
the delights of baby play as father, he
began all over again and enjoyed them
still more as "A grandfather The domestic
side of Jefferson life is one of the idvls OF
our history. Tender aS "a woman was the
great, strong, brainy man, the largest fig
urc by all odds i'm the heroic period OF in
dependence winning and constitution max
ing. Devoted 10 his wife and never quite
rcconcilcd 10 her early death, hc had more
than a fathers love for his children. He
was a dotard on babies, and for the girl
baby, child or grandchild he had a fond
ness that was cXtraVagant. seven children
were born to Thomas Jefferson all girls
but one They all died i'm childhood, say
ing one the oldest, Martha, aftcrward
Mrs. Randolph. When their mother died,
in 1882, leaving him with three girls
aged respectively 10 years, years and Ohe
youngos) months-ThomaS jefferson,
the man of whom we rarely think except
rs splendid figure in public affairs, a
giant intellectually and physically even in
an age of giants, became, in Mrs. Ran
dolph's words, "thcir chief nurse" He
attended in person 10 their incubation for
the smallpox, and was loath TO leave them
to other hands when congress for the third
time called on him To go 10 Europe as u
plenpotentiary
Wherever his busy life as n diplomat,
statesman, party leader, vice president or
president carried him, he always found
time to scribble notes TO his small chill
dren and grandchildrcn-notes that were
full of child talk such rs only heart full
Of genuine child love could instruct the
pen of man to write. And as they grew
his letters kept advancing In SERIOUSNESS
at an even pace with their ntelligence.
1t Is pity that Jeffcrsons letters to his
children and grandchildren have not been
published by themselves, so arranged as To
show theirpr sequence. Many OF them
are long and full of hOmely philosophy
which might well furnish instructive and
entertaining reading to the children OF
this and of all coming time. As models,
10 show fond fathers how 10 write and talk
to their young children, especially their
girls, the charming epistles Of the sage OF
Monticello 10 his daughter Martha-"my
dear PatSev"-are without any rivals in
American literature. Queen Victoria has
one OF these remarkable letters OF Jeffer-
son to his little daughter Martha when IL
years of age in her possession. 1t was Civ
en- to her by the Jefferson family at her
own request when she was only Princess
Victoria and herself quite q mere girl.
One of Jefferson's granddaughter wrote
this about him: "Our grandfather seemed
Ia read our hearts, TO see our individual
wishes, to be our good genius, To wave a
fairy wand 10 brighten our young lives by
his goodness and his gifts" He romped
with them like child when he was gray,
fiddled for their dancing. invented games
and pastimes for them and joined in all
their sport.
Abraham Lincoln was rs fond Of his
boys as Thomas Jefferson was of his girls
Unlike Washington, the stately George,
who had far more real majesty in his make
up than the royal George, whose dominion
ne broke on this continent we can easily
think of Father Abraham rocking the
cradle and trying To quiet or amuse the
children. That pathctically sad face, all
of whose portraits haunt you, after YOU
have looked at them, with their mournful.
iy anxious expression, found its chief mo-
tive 10 relaxation in the play he had with
his little boys. He never governed them,
but was just n sort of big playfcllow for
them. People who were disposed to criti-
else thought he let them do too much as
they pleased, but, being child lover, he
could not help it.
The decorum of cabinet meeting In |
the days when every cabinet meeting was |
n council of war, big with the fate of the |
Union armies and the Union itself, was |
often suspended for few moments while |
llNAit Ihu Iii ILL., 'lllilD'u pu u EdiI'F |
Abraham's knee and got license TO do |
or other that was risky and r-
regular. 80, too. the softest spot in Gen
eral Grant heart was the samc-his love |
for his children Chary of speech TO the
world at large and reticent even with
those individuals who had his confidence,
the great commander was merry tattler
TO his little ones. Those of them who sur
vive him tell many charming stories of
their childhood in which the most famous
soldier of the age figures, like Lincoln and
Jefferson, as one of the child lovers fra
.ernity. Baltimore sun.
Picturesque General Wolford.