The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-04-07

- son. And yet of the two homes of
the two great Virginians Monticello has if any
thing, more inherent interest than has Mount
Vernon for the American who visits national
shrine to recreate in his mind the past.
Although Mount Vernon is rich in associations
with the Father of His Country" and its dig
nifty fosters the feeling of awe which the men,
ton Of the name of washington inspires, these
very facts tend to prevent the visitor from get
ting the feel" of the place from being acutely
conscious of the impression that Here LIVED
George Washington the MAN" Very different
indeed is the sense of common experience"
which one gains at Monticello. The reason is,
no doubt, due to the fact that Jefferson built
Monticello. that he put so much of his person
atty into it and the sense of that personality
persists there these hundred and more years
which have elapsed since he lived there.
Monticello was Jefferson's residence from ITO
until his death in 1896. Built under his personal
direction after his ideas the house took more
than 80 years for completion. He selected the
site, supervised the clearing away Of the hill
top drew the plans and designs for the house,
chose the stone and timber, directed the prepa-
ration of the former and the dressing of the
latter, looked after the manufacture of the nails
by his own servants, devised ingenious contriv-
ances for comfort and convenience. designed the
interior decorations and personally selected the
furnishings and ornaments and laid out the
grounds about the house.
The result of his work was pointed to in the
early days as one of the few examples of beau
tiful architecture of which America could boast.
Foreigners, travelling in this country during the
Revolution and afterwards, often commented
upon the beauty of the mansion. The marquis of
Chatellux wrote after visit to Monticello: "Jef-
ferson is the first American who has consulted
the fine arts, to know how he would shelter
himself from the weather" The due de la Roche
~ Y
said: Monticello. according to its first plans
was infinitely superior to all other houses in
America in point of taste and convenience"
Monticello is two-faced That is, there is no
front or back as far as appearances go. The
theoretical back has the same type of portico
pillars and steps the entrance. Whether in
Jest or for other reasons the statesman architect
made his home give the impression that it is a
one-story affair instead of the three it really is
He did this by masking two stories with long
windows and setting example for the set
back idea In modern Office buildings by similar
" concealing his top floor with its odd dome
copied from the temple of Vesta.
Jeferson's home is replete with mechanism ex-
pressive Of his mechanical genius. The sides of
the wooden mantel in the dining hall conceal
two dumbwaiters TO hoist liquor from the cellar
A forerunner of the device which opens trolley
car doors-and performed the same service for
dining room doors in houses of past genera
TONS found in concealed apparatus which SIM
ultaneously opens double glass doors TO an in
closed side porch. In fact, the government some
time ago refused patent similar arrange
uent because of this idea of Jeffersons.
Over the main entrance is doublefaced clock
observable from without and within, with the
winding weights arranged on the inside to
denote the days of the week. To reach the face
OF the clock Jefferson developed perhaps his
most interesting invention-his so-called 'fox-
snd-geese" ladder. This, still shown to visitors
~ hinged affair that folds up into what looks
c, be long and narrow piece of mahogany.
To avoid having to go outside to observe the
Wind. the inventor rugged up on the ceiling of
bis front portico vane easily viewed from a