The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-05-14
THOMAS JEFFERSON, For Whom
Montana RUer and County lUere Named

dor the precedence at dinner he felt
was his right.
Not alone the British ambassador,
but SPANS representative, had his
feelings outraged on this occasion,
and for the same reason; but neither
of these offended parties were in
/ clined to criticize the dinner that was
later set before them. 1t has been
claimed that Jefferson took this way
of settling an old score, because of
the scant courtesy shown him in
England. But the most sensible ex-
PLANTATION is that of William ElIery
Curtis, who suggests that it was a
carefully conceived plan to break
away from European forms and cere-
monies.
It is often stated that Jefferson
! rode into Washington unaccOmpan-
led; tied his horse to a tree, and then
walked to the place where the inau-
| g~uratiOn ceremony took place. This
is now denied. He walked, it is true,
and alone, but only too and from his
not distant boarding place.
JeffersOn's was a many-sided ma
ture; and his versatility surpassed
that of any of our presidents to the
present time. He was a linguist,
speaking four languages besides his
own. These were Italian, Spanish,
French and German, and he was a
Latin and Greek scholar. While he
did not like mathematics, he could
; caluclate an eclipse. A pillow he in
l vented won a gold medal when on
2 exhibition in Paris, and this was but
1 one of several of his inventions. He
loved music, and when his wrist was
= diabIed, preventing him from play
f ing the violin, he sang we'll, and was
= always humming while horseback
riding.
l. His skill as an architect is perpet
e uated in his residence of Monticello
which he planned; superintendent the
making of the bricks and the cutting
l. and preparation of the wood which
: was used in it's construction. He al
a so was the founder and the architec
It Of the University of Virginia.
e Jefferson wrote three books, anC
1. his own edition of the Bible, whicI
,e left out everything but the pre-
d cepts Of divine love, mercy and good
d, ness"
He was always interested in learn
ing everything possible about tn
" Northwest, but with all his ~learnin.
re- was decidedly credulous. For eX
ample, he believed the story of a fu
10 trader told him of a mountain O
is pure salt on the upper Missouri nea
the mouth of the Yellowstone, eight
n miles long, and forty wide. One ca
nj imagine the delight Of the trader a
: ALA .OoanA2Dn nf Ahfu nnonnnfnrnV
g story. Jefferson also thought tina
in his day mammOths rOamed in tn
upper Mississippi valley; and hel
that the Greek Indians "were the d.
scendants of DidO's Carthaginian.
and that their ancestors had bee
sailors on HannO's lost fleet. 1t
related of him that when on his wa
between Monticello to take his Oat
of office as vice-president, he too
with him a WagOn-lOad of bones SUI
posed to be those Of a mammoth, bJ
prOved to be those of the giant slot
This led William Cullen Bryant, WI
was OF the opposition party to pul
lish the following lines:
go, wretch, resign the presidentii
chair,
Disclose thy secret measures, fOr
or fair.
Go! Search with curious eyes fl
horned frogs,
Mid the wild wastes of Louisiana
boys;
Or where the Ohio rolls it's turb
stream,
Dig for huge bones, thy glory al
thy theme"
J~efferson's faith that call men a
created free and eqUal' evidently d
not include women, it would seem,
least as Office-hOlders; for VIII
Albert Gallatin appointed a woman
office, Jefferson refused to let b
serve, saying, in effect, 'The tim
are not ready for this, and Meth
am l."
Numerous entertaining anecdOt
are told of Jefferson, which limit
space does not permit to include
this article, but its purpose will
achieved if it leads the reader to
come better acquainted with the i
of this great man, who might app
priately be termed The Father of o
Northwest Country.