The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-12-01

THE TRUE THOMAS JEFFERSON, by
William Elleroy Curtis, with twenty
four full page illustrations. Price $500.
Publishers: j. B. Lippincott Company,
Philadelphia.
This is the latest addition to the inter-
esting series of true biographies which
the house of Lippincott started years ago
The average biography is written by
friend or disciple who carefully removes
all the warts from the man about whom
he writes, and gives a euogy that has
no room for the faults that are insepara-
BILE from the noblest who has lived,
Paul Leicester Ford's THE True George
Washington, and Sydney George
Fishers 1.-The True BENJAMIN Frank
lin and The True William Penn" are
all as interesting and absorbing as Mr.
Ford's Story of an Untold Love-"
and much more valuable. Paint me
as am, warts and ALL would have been
the admonition of Thomas Jefferson, and
Mr.. Curtis if he tried to do so has failed.
He splits hairs in his effort to point
out Inconsistencies where none really
existed. Mr.. Curtis is an accomplished
newspaper man, who knows how to make
history readable and fresh, and his best
work has been done in this volume. The
literary style is in the best
newspaper style-making of every
thing a story that has point
and pith. If to get this point and
pith, it was necessary for Mr.. Curtis to
dilate too much upon the traditions Of
political enemies that ascribed vices to
the sage of Monticello he does not hest
tate to do so. When you have finished
reading the book-and if you start to
read it you will go to the end-your i'm
preston is that the author is almost car
ried away from his political moorings,
which are of the Blaine school, by re-
counting the versatile talent and notable
deeds of Mr. Jefferson, but saves himself
by barking back to the stories that were
put in circulation in 1900 when Mr.. JEFF
ferson was defeated for the presidency
and so completely disproved before 1904
and 1903 that Mr.. Jefferson was elected
without formidable opposition. You can
see that the author is not like Henry
Watterson, to whom the book is dedica-
ted, a disciple of Jefferson, but that in
an hundred ways he is carried away by
his admiration of his rare qualities and
impcrishable services to the Republic, to
Liberty, to Religious Freedom. He re-
CARDS jefferson as "the most picturesque
character in American history" and says
che exercised a more potent and perma-
nent influence upon his own and succeed
ing ger than any other man, not
excepting Washington The estimate of
Jefferson by Henry Watterson. to whom
the hook IS dedicated, is excellent, and
we give it in full. The Kentuckian
wrote:
Il do not like to see two names upon
a title page. But l will say this: Though
not a hero worshipper, l am too good
a partisan to question my principal: and
Jefferson has been not alone my file lead
er, but guiding star in my political
armament. am used to measure all sys-
TENS, to try all causes, to determine all
policies. by the rules laid down in his
philosophy To me he stands out, after
Washington and Franklin, the one clear
figure in our early history. a perfect Doric
column; wanting the brilliant levity of
Hamilton; the sturdy, but narrow, spirit
of Adams; surefooted and far-seeing'
not merely a statesman of the first or
der but a very principal in the domain OF
original thinking and moral force. The
minor circumstances of his private life
may interest me- but could in no wise
change my perspective. because | am
fixed in the belief that he was an up
right and disinterested man, who con-
sidered his duty to his country before all
else. u
Such inconsistencies as appear in his
career are but proofs of this, since he
never can wholly be true to his convic-
tions, or potent for good in affairs who
does not adapt himself to the changing
exigencies of the times, suiting his actions
TO his words, his words to his actions,
according to the course of events.
know of no vanity SO illusory and mis-
chievous as that emanating from the ordi-
nary yet needless boast of consistency.
No man is the same at five and forty he
was at five and twenty. Nor does the
world stand still. To apply principle to
practice; to ally traditions with prog
ress, to stand squarely upon ones feet,
yet m co a little ahead; to refuse to
bar the door to truth, though consistency
fly out Of the window these are the
lessons Statesmen need most to learn if
they would serve the State and sur
we the time: and Mr. jefferson had
studied all their actual requirements and
marked all their moral lessons. More
than this l care not to know"
From drawing by Walter Appleton