Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-10

not practical farmer-had so many men
and SO many animals to each equal plot
of ground. He was continually introduce
ing new seeds and new machinery from
abroad He employed Italian gardeners
and taught his negroes to burn bricks
and forge nails.
He had no sense of humor. was always
serious, and the gravity with which he
regarded strange contrivances which he
was forever .nyenting or importing gave
him the local reputation of an eccentric.
From boyhood he was a great gossip. as
his voluminouS correspondence shows.
Even while President he wrote to his chill
dren and grandchildren Of the most
trivial things dear to the youthful heart.
He loved children and flowers and used
to help his grandchildren plant rare
exotics which he had sent to him. He
always had the curiosity of a child, and
was always cool in temper. He had alb
solute self-assurance, and his belief in
the infallibility Of his theories amounted
to egotisnl. He was glutton for work
and spent no hour of the day in idleness.
All of his business transactions were ac
cording to written contract. He kept an
account Of every cent spent and the
Yield CT every acre Of land.
He was a musician also. In boyhood
he learned the violin and after his mar
riage further improved his talent with
this instrument under an italian music
master. For awhile he practiced three
hours a day, and he often played duets
with Patrick Henry. When he travelled he
carried a small fiddle in his luggage.
A British officer before whom he once
performed declared long afterward that
Jefferson was the most skilled amateur
Violinist he had ever heard. In Europe
he cultivated an acquaintance with the
great musicians OF his time OF music
ha 's1rhjS is the faVnrita qsinn
of my soul, and fortune has cast my lot
in a country where II is in a state OF
deplorable barbaIism.
He did not use tobacco IN any form nor
was he ever known to swear. Although
gambling was then a pastime in the
drawing rooms Of prominent families,
Jefferson never risked more than a few
shillings at cards. backgammon or lot
to. He wrote against gambling and
would not allow card in the possession
of his negroes. He bred the finest of
horsefesh, but would never enter any of
them in the races, nor would he ever at
tend a race himself. although that form
Of amusement was the most popular
among country gentlemen of his time
He went to shows of all sorts, and his
diary recalls how he spent various sums
for seeing Caleb Phillips, a dwarf" also
for seeing a trained pig, a lion. seal
an alligator. an elk. "a elephant, pup
pet show. a balloon ascension, a wax
figure of the King of Prussia etc. Some
of these entries were made while he was
President
He was a very temperate drinker-
would not take ardent spirits or strong
vines But he approved of light wines
for health and wrote that mo nation
is drunken where wine Is cheap, and none
sober where the dearness of wine sub
stitutes ardent whisky or spirits as the
common beverage. 1t (wine) is in truth
the only anticote to the bane of whisky"
He wrote that it was his rule to half
It's effects by drinking weak wines only"
His dislike for liquor continued until
when on his deathbed he could not be
persuaded to take brandy strong enough
to suit his doctors. 1t was one OF his
rules to drink but one glass of water
day, and then after exercise.
He was vegetarian for the most
part, eating meat, he said, as a condi-
ment for his vegetables rather than as
an aliment.