The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-11
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH OUR PRESIDENTS

lone armed with a club 10 fell you. ono
bearing spade TO bury you. one hav-
ing diamo"d to buy you. and ono
with n heart TO win you. viii you
come in and take your CHANGER"
Not IL do not like your company
Come 10 my study In the morning at
s. and will tell you why. John
Adams"
What followed is not matter Of
record. 1t was not expulsion. tor
Adams received his diploma with high
honors.
Neither Thomas Jefferson nor his
iN'c"d, James Madison. cared especial
IS for any form of diversion which in
vowed muscular activity. The former,
heir to splendid estate, was deli
cate in his early years and almost ab-
normally studious. At the age wncn
other boys attach such great import
ance to what Is gong on IN the open,
he found his chief diversion In Greek
and Latin paradigms. At line under
the tuteiaEe of tne parish Clergyman,
Cambridge man manner Douglas, he
was deep in the study Of the classics
and had made good beginning III
several OF the Romance languages.
Then followed his brilliant career at
William and Mary his coming into
possession of ms patrimony and his
cnotcc of the Law as n profession.
1t was while he was reading law uu-
der the supervision of George Wythc
that jefferson had his little ding.
Ills brilliant preccptor, then at the
head Of his profession in Virginia,
probably came as near being a sport"
N his earlier days as the rather limit
cd opportunities In the provincial CAPT
tai permitted. Wythe was endowed
with personal magnetism that drew
most of The bright young men of the
colony into his company and for five
ycars Jefferson sat at his feet as re-
Ceptirc rs was Paul at the feet of
Gamaliel. Fortunately for him, he
found It difficult to establish the taste
for high rolling. The time came
when he turned his back on those once
fascinating rerela at the Raleigh tav-
ern, got rid OF his racing stable and
retired TO the new home he was build
ing at Monticello
During his travels and residence
abroad jefferson found little recrca ton
in the various forms OF gaming so
prevalent in court and diplomatic cir
clcs In Eng and and ON the Conu-
ncni playing for high stakes was uni
versal, but the polished American held
himself aloof In ono of his letters
he admits that quiet rubber of whist
has its charm, but he supplements ri
by confessiny his preference for al
game pt chesS with his frlc"d, Madison,
a volume of Eurpldes close by. with
which to occupy his mind while Mad
ison comes to a detorminatioI."
Jnmcs Monroe an Athlete.
Slight of figure and som, wha' deu-
cate in appearance, James Monroe
was an athlete from his earliest boy
hood. HES propensity to keep on the
move" manifested Itself very early Ia
life and was still In good working
order when lie went TO the White House
at the age OF ffty-eight. Like Wash
inSton. he was almost clalrvoyant In
his Knowledge OF the open, but he was
not so eager tn dig UP Greek roots as
his father would have had him. Spence
Monroe was u man Of abundant means
and but little education, and he had
decided that his son should become
a scholar. For time IT seemed very
doubtful whether his lauda BILE prefer
cnce stoo much of a chance, but final
/ " the young man managed to get into
William and Mary creGitably and every
, thing looked roscate.
Before young Monroe had been in
Williamsburg three months lie was The
acknowledged leader in every form OF
sport known to the college man of that
day His activity as a promoter of
| outdoor pastimes did not meet the un
qualified approval OF the college au-
thoritics. but he stood we'll in his