Show my A A 4 d 41 W ZIN ia im 0 V 1 R sa 01 A ua A AM t N j 1 W 8 J T by JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN HE fourth of july and thomas jefferson are naturally T tas closely associated in the minds of all good americans monticello may now be added r p for the reason that a movel went Is well under way to restore its ills home at charlottesville lottes ville va and make it a national patriotic shrine the memory of jefferson deserves well of ills his country it was he who made tile the draft of the declaration of independence lie he was the lie third president of the united states and its his other services were many and distinguished jefferson was horn born april 13 1713 1743 nt at shadwell vu va he died at monticello tuly july 4 1826 on nn tile the fiftieth anniversary of the declaration of independence so independence day next year will he be the sesquicentennial of tile the declaration and the centennial of jeffersons jet fer sons death jefferson was graduated from william wilham end and mary college in 1702 1762 and was admitted to the bar in 1707 he was a member of the continental congress 1775 0 6 and signed tile the declaration in 1776 he was a member of the legislature of virginia and a leader in important legal reforms ile he filled these other positions governor of virginia member of congress 1783 minister to france 1784 9 secretary of state 1710 4 vice president 1801 president 1801 9 he founded in 1819 the university of virginia at chariot lottes ville Montle monticello elle Is ie to be bc r restored so BO far as an possible to the condition in which it was left by jefferson this task has been undertaken jointly by the thomas jefferson memorial foundation rind and the he american institute of architects through its committee on the preservation of historic monuments and scenic beauties prof flake fiske kimball chairman of the architects committee hopes not only to restore the lawns and gardens to thomas jeffersons fer sons period but also to return to the he historic mansion much of the furniture ril ture the foundation was established d on the one hundred and add eightieth anniversary of jeffersons birth april 13 1023 1923 the fo following lowing december the foundation by making a payment of took legal title to 0 o the beautiful colonial mansion the estate consisting of acres of land and priceless jeffersonian Jeffers onlan relles relics when retiring from the presidency jefferson expected to be the hermit of monticello but this was not to be A continuous stream lini of visitors came to the place placa it was said at the time that everyone in the he united states of any enterprise sooner or later found his way to this extraordinary hermitage he himself wrote at one time that an ox lasted only a day or so BO sometimes he had to prepare fifty beds for a night his visitors ate him butof out of house and home then on top of the gradual dwindling of his resources the debt of his big cifes estate became due in england and nearly half of his fortune was swept away at one blow an indorsement endorsement Indor for a friend cost coat him finally lie he had to tell his libra library ry and sold it to congress for in order to avert the blow that was pending jefferson petitioned the legislature for permission to dispose of his property at a fair valuation by lottery he said by this means I 1 can save the monticello house and a farm adjoining to end nay my daya dare in and bury my bones it if not I 1 must sell bell house and all here and carry roy my family to bedford where I 1 nave have not even a log ot but to put my head bead into there wits waa pome opposition in the legisla legislature tur but bat the bill parsed Z X inn or bevc via g M a I 1 la its FIR 0 ws ars y LW e A J when the news neve spread public meetings were culled called and subscriptions for jeffersons Jeffeis oas use were att started arted A loan or of gift from the treasury wua was suggested gj ted but jefferson would not hoar hear of that plan lie he suld said 1 I lime have spent three times as much money and given iny BY whole life to my countrymen and now they nobly come forward la in the only way vay they can to repay me and save an old servant from being turned like a dog out of doors the action of the public made the last days da 8 of ills his life easier but the debts still hung over the estate upon hla his death subscriptions censed to come in tile the lottery was a farce the executor disposed of the estate the land going as low as three to it ten dollars an acre the proceeds were not enough to discharge the obligations the executor made up the difference tile thomas jefferson memorial foundation Is now engaged in the task of freeing the of debt tile the movement lias has the support of men and women of all political faiths prest dent coolidge accepting appointment as a member of the board of governors said but I 1 cannot too earnestly assure you of my conviction that your organization to la performing a useful service in encouraging the preservation or of those shrines find and monuments of american history which must bring inspiration to the he american public jefferson was versatile and ingen lous ions ile he was an amateur architect of no mean ability for one thing he made the plans for monticello and su au per intended its construction the plans for the university of virginia were his As a farmer he was in advance of life hla time lie he practiced rotation of crops had bad a fancy for improved live stock and introduced new fruits and vegetables jeffersons early home the house of his father at shadwell near by was burned in 1770 lie he lost all his bis books and papers a negro servant saved his violin the previous year jefferson had erected a story and a half brick building which afterward formed the southeastern part of hla his mansion so he moved to monticello at once bringing his mother brother and unmarried sisters ile he not only built monticello but was hla his own interior decorator and landscape gardener A touch of romance la Is supplied at monticello by a little two story house at the end of the long row of servants vanta quarters the upper room opens upon the lawn made b by leveling the mountain slope this was jeffersons Jeffer sona bridal chamber new years day 1772 mon man was wag only partly built and a blizzard was blowing but the room had its ite own fireplace and was secluded rom family and servants hla HIS bride was Alart myrtlia bit wayles skelton tile the marriage was happy and gave hini him one son and five daughters ills ilia wife died in 1782 this little house will bo be restored so will its ita companion house a replica on the other side of the lawn the alie first one was later used to accommodate guests the second ono one was waa where jefferson had tile hla law office and kept the accounts of his estate tradition says that ho be sometimes used it na as a refuge from his hordes of visitors and guests here was vya burled thomas thomaa Jeu erBon author of the declaration of american independence of the statute of 0 virginia for religious freedom and the father of the Unive ratty of virginia VirgIn la this was the inscription in accordance with jeffersons wish on the original obelisk aver over his grave congress in 1882 replaced this with one more ornate the original now stands on the campus of the university of missouri at Colum columbia bla a site within the louisiana purchase made from france during jeffersons administration thomas jeffersons fame faine based upon ills his actual service to his country la Is secure for this reason the promotion of a jefferson cult which apparently peeks to make of him film a superman Is a deprecated by many for example jefferson was not the author of the declaration of inde dependence the committee of five appointed by congress to prepare the document instructed him to draft it he put into words sentiments and phrases which were on every mans lips as in IB shown by the mecklenburg Deci declaration of may 20 1775 the committee revised jeffersons draft congress hin amended ended its revision of his draft the Ameri american cati people articulate through congress was the real author of the declaration of independence again the louisiana purchase from france in 1803 of the territory between the mississippi and the was a stepping stone in the march of the american people across the continent but jefferson was a secondary factor only ilia bla envoys to france had authority to buy the mouth of the min for napoleon forced them to agree to buy the louisiana territory for the whole deal was unconstitutional jefferson was aghast the east bast almost seceded from the union but congress bad to ratify the purchase to save the territory from great britain which was wag permanently balked in its designs on this western empire by andrew jackson Janu january arys 8 lka at new orleans orleana fine of the dedove Dech dve battles Batt lea of aroe amer lea k and of the world |