The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-07-07

| For the first time in the history OF
the world we are agttatins the prop
osition of getting government on Il
business basis. We are eliminating
| The economic slack and taking up
| fost motion.
! The highest ambition OF every
good business man today is to be q
| good public servant. and this was
| the controlling impulse in the heart
of Thomas jefferson.
| Thomas jefferson carried no ex-
| coss baggage He wa feet 10 and
| weighed $50 pounds. ne used ali the
/ body he had
| He rode horseback until his eigh-
tieth year. Two particular horses
that he owned and loved have come
down to us in history. One Is Will
dare and the other is Eagle.
! This horse Eagle Thomas Jeffer-
son rode up the-h!ll~ IL the sai.si
| There he tied old Eagle To "a post
and went in and took the oath or
office as president Of the United
States. Not only did he do this once.
| but four years later he did the same
thing, riding the same horse.
| Was any horse ever so honored be-
Tore To have carried on his back
tho kinglfest man that America has
produced on such "a momentous or
|
twice was enough
The last time that President Jefyer-
son took the oath OF office he had to
! elude valiant captain OF militia
who insisted ala acting as escort for
| him.
Jefferson simply beat him to IL. and
after taking the oath OF Office he
mounted old Eagle. turned his head
toward the White House, and rode on
an easy trot down PennsylvanIa ave
nue.. He met the escort in brass
buttons. gilt and braid and feathers.
coming up the street, looking for
their man. Jefferson declined their
invitation to turn about and ride at
iheir mead. circling the capitol. on
the plea that he had work to do
To him there was something greater
than military display: something nobler
than to make noise and attract at
rention And that one thing TO him
was 10 serve humanity.
Jefferson was a great writer and had
"a peculiar. distinct literary style ali
! hts own He gave us a lesson In the
use Of the. neripd, His verb always,
fetches up. He said things Clearly.
distinctly. succinctly. forctbly and wen
The idea was clear in his mind. and he
had skill to express II just as clearly
on paper,
He could not make speech, how
ever He was no orator And the few
times he attempted to speak in pub
lie he always carried his manuscript
with him. There was one time when
he attempted to make speech with
out his manuscript and failed, sitting
down without giving his message.
Jefferson had founded the University
ne ri
fairy under way when some of the
students were guilty of gross mig
conduct.
Jefferson believed In the honor sys-
tenn He founded the public school
system of America on this idea, He
had such faith in humanity that he
believed II the scholars were nor too
much interfered with that they would
do what was right. best and proper.
Jefferson believed in the divinity of the
child. His faith was In the demos
Jexerson said. THAT country is
governed best that is governed least
lie believed in doing away with cor
poral punishment He did not believe
In the death sentence. He did not be-
lieve In slavery, and by his viii all
OF his slaves were freed. And these
slaves he had NOT bought; they came to
him by Inheritance and were part OF
his family.
But on the particular occasion in