The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-05-26

| and reSourcefut intellect, lover of
\ liberty and hater of oppression, he
crucif1ed his personal ambition and saw
and felt and avenged the wrongs that
afflicted the countrymen. The seduc-
tions of wealth, the Establishments OF
power were alike poWerless TO impair
| his resolution, to warp mis- judgment,
! or to render less efficient the stroke of
| his battle axe. He saw that while arm
| ed resistance illumined very riVet III
| the armor of the victorious warrior
the conquered patriot is dragged to the
gibbet with treason branded on his
brow. | shall not follow Jefferson
through the murky night, when the
| stars one by one yelled their faces
| from the desperate colonists, nor inter
rupt his revery when his illustrious
compeer with uncovered head in the
| sleet and snow and ice of an Arctic
midnight, stood face to face with the
great God of Battles at Valley Forge.
l should like to have seen him in that
supreme hour, when he enjoyed the
! triumph he was anticipating for pos
! terity, and congratulated Washington
upon an ever memorable event that
changed the map Of the western hemis-
| phere.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the preamble
to the constitution of Virginia, abolish
ed the slave trade, the vicious doc
| trne of entails and primogentitures, and
| dissolved the unhallowed marriage be-
tween church and State. When the
! constitution arose out of the chaos
| that succeeded our independence he
was summoned to more arduous labors.
! AS Secretary of State his principles
were drawn from the purest of Demo-
cratic sources. His arguments were
! lucid, patriotic and convincing; his il
F., Illustrations singularly practical; his ex-
| pressions simple, manly and perspic-
, uous. History will sit in judgment
upon his virtues and actions: it may
| prorogue it's sessions until the in
! fluence and fragrance of his whole life
| shall complement a career unnatural
for it's completeness, and then it will
! convene and adjourn without day with
the only verdict it can render: Great
/ and good" When he wrote the Decla-
ration of independence he had done
enough for his country, it's beacon light
would thence illumine every dense and
dark pathway through all the files of
time" He had marched and counter
marched with his broken hearted couu-
trymen when there was scarce a voice
+ to encourage, but the whispering of
hope. He had witnessed with alarm
. the spectacle of a divided sovereignty
the friction of Congress and the CONT
mental army-correspondence filled
with acrimony and inspired both by re-
/ venge and envy, he had palsied the arm
of tyranny, broken the chains of colon
iaT dependence, and promulgated the
natural, imprescriptible and inalien-
able rights of man. Fortunate
ly for the cause of human freedom our
own government in it's theory and pro-
cedure was already in the course of fall
styling the predictions of the disciples
of despotism when he came to the
presidency to confirm and establish the
truisms Of his creed. He began by dis
closing the principles of his administra
ton, which were at the same time the
principles of the government, equal and
exact Justice to all men-peace and hon
est friendship with all nations, the pres
ervation of the State governments in
their constitutional vigor the arraign.
ment of all abuses at the bar of the
public reason. These" said he, are the
principles which form the bright
constellation which has gone before us
and guided our footsteps through an age
of revolution and reformation, the wis
/ dom of our sages and the blood of our
heroes have been given to their attain
ment They should be the creed of our
public faith. the text of civic instruC-
ton the touchstone by which to try the
services of those we trust. He retired
from the presidency the same patriot
who had written the immortal declara
\ a.,
in defeating to science. a temple at
once a splendid monument of his phil
anthropy and nursery for the genius
of the country where the lustre of his
own example would reflect the virtues
of Plato, and Pythagoras, and Socrates,
and Seneca, and Thraseus, who, like
himself, had labored to promote the
happiness of the human race. He sur
vived to Consecrate the temple, and on
the 18th anniversary of his Declaration
of Independence the sun rose to set no
more upon him forever.
| In the full possession Of his faculties,
and conscious of his approaching end,
his dying moments were tranquil and re-
signed-a beloved daughter the orna-
ment of her sex and solace of his de-
clining years was there, watching the
ldSJ DulSdIlOuS- llllGt V d III SilCliJ oOl
row, burnt incense at his feet and Lib
erty chafed his temples strewed roses
about his pillow Her great heart
throbbed in anguish for her dying son.
Farewell, she said, farewell You go to
the realms of eternal peace to meet the
spirits of Washington and of Adams and
Hamilton. l go to inspire with your de-
votion the children of mourning whom
you leave behind. Minerva repairs to
her sacred temple to cover with her
aegis the cons of your adoption To
gether wit hthe elder Adams Thomas
Jefferson descended to the horizon OF
life in an unclouded sky. AS if to Civ,
last impressive lesson to our country.
it was ordained that they should sink
to rest together on the anniversary Of
our independence. The brilliant suns
had golden setting and left behind
them long trains of golden lights. Heav
en- has opened wide her gates
harmonious sounds on golden hinges
turning.
If we would be true to the people,
let us recur again and again to the
, teachings of Thomas Jefferson, lest VIC
| forget. Lest we forget
| n WORTH TNC1TON