The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-06-25

out pity, on the starving multitude, and
listened without emotion, to the cries
of her unfortunate people.
jefferson looked with contemptuollS
Amusement upon the French Court feast
ing and dancing at Versailles, while the
hungry people roared and surged through
the streets of Paris.
Slowly comes a hungry people, as
lion creeping higher,
Glares at one that mods and winks be-
hind "a slowly-dying fire."
The glamour of royalty did not seem
to affect this stern republican, who re-
jected with scorn the divine right of
kings.
In one of his letters he writes thus of
the Monarchs then occupying the proud
est thrones of earth:
while / was in Europe | often anus
ed myself in contemplating the charac-
| ters of the then reigning soveregns of
| Europe. Louis the Sixteenth was a
| fool, of my own knowledge, and i'm de-
| spite of the answers made for him at
| his trial. The King of Spain was fool,
and of Naples the same. They passed
| their lives in hunting. and despatched
| two couriers a week over one thousand
| miles to let each other know what game
| they had killed the preceding days. The
! King of Sardinia was a fool All these
were Bourbons. The Queen of Portugal
| BraganZa, was an idiot by nature. and
| SO was the King of Denmark. Their
| sons, regents, exercised the powers
| of government. The King of Prussia,
| successor to Frederick the Great was a
| mere hog in body as well as in mind
"Gustavus. of Sweden, and Joseph of
Austria, were really crazy, and George
| of England. you know. was in a straight
| waiStcoat There remained then none
| but old Catherine, who had been too
| lately picked up to have lost her com
| mon sense.
| I'm this state BOnaparte found Eu-
| rope, and it was the state of the rulers
| which lost it without n Struggle. These
| animals had become without mind and
| powerless. and so will every hereditary
| monarch be after few generations"
| Every fibre of Jefferson's being sym
| pathized with the unfortunate people
whose sweat and blood had been wrung
from them for centuries. to feed these
| royal animals. and every hour in Europe
| added to his hatred of the mOnarchical
| system.
| In February. 1877. he left Paris. and
| Travelled incognito through the fairest
provinces Of France, investigating the
home life of the people. their houses
| food and modes of agriculture.
| Besides attending to his diplomatic
duties and making commercial treaties
with all principal nations Of Europe,
Jefferson found time to correspond with
leading scientists upon chemistry, astro-
nomy. geology and natural history He
collected and shipped to the United
States seeds and plants Of all kinds sui
table to our climate, and procured for
| Button, the great naturalist, specimens
of the animals and birds peculiar to
| this continent
lished his celebrated Notes on Virginia."
which attracted universal attention. and
| passed through several editions.
Whilst making treaties. writing philo-
lsophica essays, and watching the Rev
| olution. this remarkable man invented
an improved plough. which was awarded
a medal by the Royal Agricultural So
| ciety of the Seine. and was exhibited
to William c. Rives, Minister to France
in 1858. as The Prize Plough of Thorn
as jefferson" afterwards he invented
| the revolving chair, now found in SO
| Rice was largely consumed in France.
| and anxious to know why the American
| article was unable to compete success
| fully with that raised in Southern Eu-
rope. he made journey across the Alps
| in 1877. into the e-growing districts.
and being unable to procure some inn
proved seed rice. which he discovered
there, on account of laws prohibiting its
nNp AT ip, ba Hlla1 tb. .of II
coat with the best rice, of the best
rice-producing district of Italy, and sent
it to Charleston. 1t came to hand
safely. was distributed in quantities
Of ten and twelve grains to planters. and
being carefully tended, furnished South
Carolina the best rice in the world.
SECRETARY OF STATE.
After five years of unremittlng toll |
for his county and mankind. Jefferson
was compelled to give attention to his |
private affairs. and left Paris in Octo- |
Der. 1889, with his two daughters, ex-
recting to return within a year. On
November II. 1899. he landed safely at
Norfolk. and found IN invitation from
Washington to become Secretary of |
State
With reluctance. but acting under a
sense of public obligation, he accepted |
the office. and entered upon its duties
Accustomed. as Jefferson must have |
been. to the uncertainty of political |
events and the mutations of public SEN
timent. he was profoundly astonished to
find that powerful party had come into |
existence in the United States, which dis |
trusted the people, and favored a strong, |
if not monarchical government.
At the head of this party was the See
rotary of the Treasury. Alexander Ham
ilton a man of rare ability and lmuues-
tionahle courage, but without faith i'm |
republican institutions or in any form of |
government not possessing monarhical
features.
That such were Hamilton's opinions
can not he doubted
In Madison's debates of the Conven-
tion we find Hamilton reported as say
ing that:
''ln his private opinion he had no
scruple in declaring, supported as he was
by the opinions of 80 many of the wise
and good, that the British government
was the best in the world"
He declared that the Senate of the