The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-08-21
Some Famous Men:

Thomas Jefferson is not so well re-
membered as the devoted father to his
little girls as is Jefferson the political
leader but on both counts he should
be known to fame. Tender as wo-
man was the strong, brainy man, the
largest figure by all odds in the heroic
period of independence declaring and
constitution making. Devoted to his
wife, and never quite reconciled to her
early death, he had more than ia
ther's love for his children. He was
a dotard on babies, and for the girl
baby, child or grandchild, he had
fondness that was extravagant: Seven
children were born to Thomas ] efferson,
all girls but one. They all died in
childhood, saving one, the oldest,
Martha afterwards Mrs. Randolph.
When their mother died, in 1882,
leaving him with three girls-aged re-
sp ctively 10 years, 4 years and (the
youngest) months-Thomas Jcffcr-
son, The man of whom we rarely think
except as a splendid figure in public
affairs, giant intellectually and ply
sically, even in age Of giants, because.
in Mrs. Randolph s words, "their chief
nurse" He attended in person to
their incubation for smallpox, and
was loath to leave them to other hands
! when Congress for the third time call
ed upon him to 60 to Europe as a
Plenipotentiary. Wherever his busy
life as a diplomat, statesman, Vice
President or President carried him, he
always found time to scribble notes to
his small children and grandchildren
notes that were full of child talk such
as only heart full Of genuine child
love could instruct the pen of man
to write. And as they grew, his let
ters kept advancing in seriousness at
an even pace with their intelligence.
1t is a pity that Jefferson's $ letters to
his children and grandchildren have
not been published by themselves, so
arranged as to show their proper Sc
quence.
Many of them are long aad full of
homely philosophy, which might we'll
furnish instructive and entertaining
reading to the children of this and all
coming time. As models to show fond
fathers how to write and talk to their
young children, especially their girls,
the charming epistles of the Sage of
Monticello to his daughter Martha
"My Dear Patsey"-are without any
rivals in American literature. Queen
Victoria has in her possession one of
these remarkable letters Of Jefferson
to his little daughter Martha when II
years of age. It was given her by the
Jefferson family at her own request
when she was only Princess Victoria
and herself mere girl. One of JEFF
ferson's granddaughters wrote this
about him: "Our grandfather seemed to
read our hearts, to see our individual
wishes, to be our good genius, to wave
fairy wand to brighten our young
lives by his goodness and his gifts. p"
He romped with them like child when
he was gray, fddled for their dancing,
invented games and pastimes for them,
and joined in all their sports. Abra-
ham Lincoln was as fond Of his boys
as Thomas Jefferson Of his girls. That
sad face, all of whose portraits haunt
you after you have looked at them,
with their mournfully anxious express
sion, found its chief motive to relaxtion
in the play he had with his little boys:
He never governed them, but was just
sort Of big playfellow for them.
People who were disposed to critlclse
thought he let them do too much as
they pleased, but, being a child-lover,
he could not help it. The decorum
of Cabinet meeting, in the days when
every Cabinet meeting was council
of war, big with the fate Of the Union
armies and the Union itself, was often
suspended for few moments while
little Tad ran in, climbed on to Father
Abraham knee, and got a license to
do something or other that was frisky
and irregular. So, too, the softest
spot in General Grants heart was the
same, his love for his children.-Ne'o
| York Times.