The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-14
JEFFERSON'S CAREER
THEME OF ]. M. BECK
Lawyer Pays High Tribute to
Statesman on Anniversary
of His Birth.
INFLUENCE IS STILL FELT
Excelled Washington in Some
Respects, the Speaker
Declares.

CHARLOTTESVILLE. Va. April 13.-At-
torney James n. Beck Of the New York
bar was the speaker at the University of
Virginia tonight on the anniversary OF
the birth Of Thomas Jefferson. He said
in part:
This day III years ago virginia, the
fruitful mother Of great men. gave to
mankind a true master builder
Thomas Jefferson was the most sue
cessful politician that the American Com
monwealth has yet given to the world. /
use the word politician in its original
and nobler sense. for. as the late Thomas
Il. Reed once aptly said. "a statesman
is a dead politician.
For a quarter OF a century the founder
Of this university dominated the politics
Of this country az no other man has be-
fore or since, and dead but sceptred
sovereign he still influences the minds
Of the people from his very grave on these
lovely hills OF Virginia. whence In life
came his mighty strength.
His extraordinary career IL the more
remarkable, for apparently his equipment
for the stupendous part which he played
upon the stage of the world was excep-
tionally slight A shy. difiident man. he
hated the morbid rage OF debate. rarely
spoke, and when ne did. his voice quickly
became husky and inarticulate. He loved
his garden more than the councils Of the
mighty and shrank with the diffidence Of
a woman from personal controversy, and
yet, paradoxical as IL may seem. he was
the most aggressive and militant leader
Of a political party that our history has
known.
His ruling passion and dominant char
acteristic was that OF a student. From
4. t,.sA h.N.,a h..
remained the unwearying and Jealous OBJ
server of almost everything which
challenges the attention of the human in
tellect.
From his earliest manhood jefferson
best voiced the spirit OF his time by pro-
claiming eternal warfare against every
tyranny over the mind OF man
Viewed in the colder light OF a later
age, his countless critics have charged
him with having been excessively sus-
piciOus OF his opponents motives. but
IL must never be forgotten that through
out the whole of his long public career
his political opponents continuously i'm
pugned Jeffersons motives and denounced
him as a demagogue, a Jacobin and an
anarchist.
For many years he accepted with
heroic composure a greater storm of abuse
than was possibly ever visited upon any
public man in our history. and II IN his
later years his pent up spirit found bitter
and at times unjust expression In his ana,
something must be allowed to a proud
spirit. who had for so many years ac-
cepted insult without reply. II the furious
tempest of his times occasionally drove
him from his true course. let II be remem'
bered that only one OF his contemporaries
the great souled Washington. always re-
manned true to the north star.
Freely recognizing his failings and err
OutweiRheA hy his
transcendent merits
AS one Of his most engaging biogra-
phers. Parton. has well said
"'He defended the honor OF the human
intellect when its natural foes through
out Christendom conspired to reviie de-
grade and crush II After Washington
he WAS tho best Chief Magistrate OF a
republic the world has ever known and
In some material particulars surpassed
Washington himself He enjoyed his ex.
istence and made II a bene:action 10 his
kind"