Show II 11 THE GREATEST ME MEMORIAL r 1 0 R I 1 A L TO T THOMAS HOMA S JEFFERSON J E F F ERSON THE PATRI PATRIOT OT II 11 r lq T T THIS season particularly among the great patriots whom the nation delights to lionor honor stands high the name of thomas jefferson E enduring n forever as aa his memorial will stand the tha declaration of independence but hla his services to hla his country were so many and nd so BO magnificent that a grateful people has enshrined hint him in its memory second only perhaps to hta his immortal fellow patriot and statesman george washington that jefferson Is richly deserving of more numerous memorials must ie be conceded it if one but recalls tor for a moment the varity servi cisto the nat lonii sv s of the united states and founder a of f one of our great political parties commend commena him to our gratitude as do his bis diplomatic triumphs and his activity us as ono one of the prime movers in the whole revolutionary movement but after all perhaps his strongest claim upon the admiration of 0 the american people in all generations past and to come Is as the author of that keystone of our national existence the De declaration caration of independence it Is probable that the next decade will witness the provision of an acknowledgment in marble and bronze of the republics debt to jefferson that will in borne some degree make up by its splendor tor for the tardiness of its creation creadon Ilo however wever jeffersons tame fame has hag not waited upon such reminder As has been said there are several statues of him in public places there Is an imposing though sil simple monument over his grave in the hills bills of virginia and finally there Is it a memorial which Is as noble a heritage as any man could leave to the nation to whose service he devoted his life university jeffersons memorial this last mentioned memorial Is the tha university of virginia which jefferson virtually founded and the up building of which was the tha project above all others nearest hla his heart indeed it was his bis desire and avowed intention to make this ideal seat of learning his monument before posterity and he watched it 11 develop on a site alto he chose almost under the shadow of hla his beloved home at little mountain with all the solicitude which a father raight might extend to a favorite child and yet et the university of virginia despite tta its noble traditions rud and tte tt e magnificence of tta its architectural setting Is not one ione of the best knowla collegial col legia of the country and it Is safe to say that very few persons persona lieve e ver over been brought to realize its significance as the chosen monument of the author of the foundation stone our liberty the forerunner of the university of virginia which was by the way tho the first real university established tn in the now world was authorized by the state legislature of virginia in the year 1803 but no headway was made with the project until march 1814 when thomas jefferson the real head and founder of the institution was waa elected to the board of trustees and threw himself heart and soul into this labor of ique which appealed to alnina few had bad done in h his I 1 a whole eventful career through the wish of jefferson charlottesville hla his homo home town in the foothills of the eluo ridge mountains was chosen as th site for the new unive university and in 1817 the cornerstone of tho the first building central college was laid there being present on this occasion not only daly thomas jo jefferson erson but also james madison and james munro tand stand in hottory with Jc beffert Kerpon an as presidents Pres identa of the united states stales i original building the 71 e original site of tho the fits au a farm of some boma two hundred vexes picturesquely located la UMI tho highlands of albemarle but this tract was of 0 course added to as the requirements of tho the university doi banded tho the original building thus auspiciously started la Is still standing but having outlived its usefulness for its original function la Is now utilized BS as a residence by one of the instructors at the university this building was designed by jefferson who formulated the whole architectural scheme which Is in itself sufficient clent to rea render der tte tho university ot of virginia notable j indeed the circumstance that thomas jefferson was the 06 architect of the th beautiful lorne lome ot of the university of virginia as well as the founder of this abla s seat ea t 0 ot learning ning renders it particularly laig leth fi fitting tt that at it should in accordance with his wish bo be begat regarded reg aided ded as hta his enduring monument although the fact may not be so well known the versatile thomas jefferson was na as much a genius la in architectural work as aa he ha was in literary express expression ign as aa evidenced by the declaration vf of independence lie ile designed his bis home the mansion monticello Mont cello which remains remaina to this day a masterpiece of colonial architecture arid and his influence influence had much j to do with the formulation ot at the plan for the white house bouse at washington a building which embodies some of the features found also at monticello always tho the leading spirit like other great men jefferson did not always have his own way even with his neighbors andt and lana had bad ahard a hard ala university which was known at first simply as 0 central college formally accepted as the state university but he continued his missionary work in behalf of this cause for years and finally in 1819 the legislature passed a formal act making the new institution a state university in name and in fact even after this the undertaking proceeded pro ceded slowly and it was not until the spring of 1826 1825 that the institution was open to students at the first meeting of 0 tho the board of the university mr jefferson was elected rector and until the time ot of his bis death in 1826 he h directed arid and dominated the university not only evolving the entire system ol of education introduced but actually do de to the minutest details every feature of construction and organization in formulating the plan and valley policy of bf this seat of learning jefferson displayed that same rare judgment which we see reflected in the declaration of of independence As originally organized the university of virginia consisted of eight independent schools ancient languages modern modem languages mathematics natural philosophy chemistry medicine law etc yet tho the system presented an organization of perfect elasticity A now new realm of knowledge opened by the advance of tIL thought OUght could at any time be admitted to the academic statehood with as aa much ease as a new state la Is admitted tc to the tha union or on the other hand steady growth of university that this has worked out la in practice just as an it promised in theory is evidenced by the tha tact fact that the whole history at 0 the university ot of virginia lisa been a continual record of addition and expansion until now there are more inure than two dozen schools grouped under six different departments dopart menta there lit Is much ot of historic interest on every hand band within the university grounds the original office of thomas them jefferson Is standing at one side of the court arid and not far distant is th tho a room where dr mcguffy Alc Guffy wrote ue U e school readers which are so well wel 1 known to every hoy boy and girl who evoi attended the primary or grammar grades of our public schools tho the library building Is as aa has been mentioned a replica or of the pantheon eort one third the size ot of its iti grecian model among the relics of interest in tho rotunda of abid library are autograph letters of brooks and madison and much of tho the corre spond spon dence once of 0 jefferson among these jefferson letters sire are some written during tho the closing years of his bis life in which he described the monument he be desfred to have erects over his grave oven even to io giving the dimensions the epitaph that was to lo be 10 chiseled thereon and which by the way war enumerate the founding of 0 this university or virginia VIrgin fu and the authorship of 0 the declaration ot at independence as aa the public services for which le he to Is commended to the e memory ot of posterity the university of virginia hash ha been to coias agthe the chud child of jeffersons Jeffer sona old ago but certain certainty tr no man with the tha enthusiasm of youth could labor moro more energetically than he ud to realize hta his ideal ot of a great democratic institution of leaTI lea aale ag |