The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-21
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH OUR PRESIDENTS
By

T1 HE FIRST four Virginia statesmen
'.n n" pccanc Pres. dents of this
j SSnuniry~-Wash. nstou. Jefferson.
Madison ana Monroe--wcrc not
bread winners from necessity. All Of
tnem were sons or Rich mcn-plnntcrs
VINO mad turned the fertile soil OF Viz
S S.dr., 10 Srsat personal advantage and
were handed proprietors who. had then
eet'teb bosn loclted in tic moths.
country would have been entitled to
G ank as sIu!res Of commanding in.
inndnd AS IT. was. they were tho
,anned hrlstocrucy of the colonies. and
LII, ,neir chlldren were not laugh, TO he
!IeFo that they would hive to hustle
door. "' sac
Had he been SO inclined George
Washington might have made the Jour
my Oh HE without strenuous pcrsouaJ
Snort. AZ thn age OF eleven has father
ui'u. ''dElhS an estate which was am.
tnc 70 provide literally TOR tho nCed.
OF MS entire family Laurence, Mi,
cincst son b% former marriage, who
was an oxford man and the husband
G:,it rne ia uEhler OF tue rich William
iiirihH, inherited the noDl. domain
Sl inc POTOMAC, which he named Mount
vernon In honor Of the admiral under
~hom liz had served Il while in tho
Mes, indies. From the hrst II was
arranged that George should BECOME
nosseSSor OF the old homestead on the
IhPpahannock ana should be brough.
Up as planter with that end IN
But IL was ordered otherwise Tho
yonng man was not TO devote himself
exclusively to the management Of that
iG'tilc estate on the Rappahannock
re inherited Mount Vernon. married
Inc rich Mrs. Martha Gusts who
brought him another fortune Of 800
po9, ana settled down TO live the life
OF Virginia country gentleman. He
was an cNcellcnt man OF business, and
nan he been compelled to depend IN
his own cNer,ion Tor his daily bread
""uld NAYS made II great success OF
u Although he was so well provided
AGAINST want. he never hcsitated 10
accept Tees for his services, AK sur-
N'Eor' and actually came into posses.
ZION OF considerable sums OF money
m that way. Lord Fairfax. for WHOM,
u" surveyed an immense landed cstat.
III the Shenandoah region, was a liberal
patron. Aiierward Washington vas
appointed public surveyor and he
never neglected 10 demand the fec 10
which he was entitled
lltd ne so elected, the lifc Of Thomas
Jefferson might have been one of com,
baratlHc ease and freedom from ex-
hhhs'inG effort; instead. no made il
2 record OF prodictous labor aud won
horiul accompan .rnent a, HIS ma
Jhrity, he came into posscsaton of one
OF the finest landed estates in VIr.
Sinih. He knew nothing O! farming.
haFihS ".cn college bred and latcr,
a las student AT shHdwcll he applIod
agriculture that he soon became tho
model successful planter Of tho dis.
tTtct
There was something almost un-
cam" about the induEtry OF the builder
ni Monticello. He rose n, : in the
morning, winter and summer and be-
gan at once TO set in motion the bus
!n"ss OF the day. lie was master or
the details OF hts large estate and
nothing escaped his vigilance All m,
time. too, he was fitting himself for
admission 10 the bar, was an invcter.
ate reader OF everything TO be found
~ me literary market. and kent I'm
Greek, Latin and French. II a t!;he OF
his h!oEraphers accounts OF h!s ,c
iivitE Is fact. the author Of tho Dcrlur
alton must have earned his daily bread
before he ate H.
ThrouEhour his entire public career
Jefferson was a hrcadwinnor Of tho
most successful type. Before n. hc
anne cnErossed In State and national
iha!rs he had entered into the active
practice Of HIS profession, and in ecvnn
rcars hts clients had been so many
that h. had more than doubled his
estate. There was much litigation in
Virginia in those days. and the keen
w'tted lawyer profited largely from
II. Time came when h" needed even
more than all his clevcrncss could Sc.