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Show n n,1 V AT,' - ,) ' '7 C '- ' v',1 ' i .li4'' . v Tfestiorial Services &. f efraon Tonb & I By ELMO SCOTT WATSON ATWfrfttfc-a I'KIL 13 Is a day for 1 honoring the memory of 8 one of the most versatile 3 Presidents the United J States has ever had. It 8 o A the anniversary of the (H-'L ' B birthday of Thomas Jef-P'5tiMl Jef-P'5tiMl Person and, although eon-v eon-v tiV'.fej ess has not yet acted '2&.ii-1 upon the proposal to make vS&J'j 't a national holiday, the Bsesebi anniversary is generally or locally observed by many Americans in recognition of Jefferson's Jef-ferson's services to the nation. When Jefferson was approaching the end of his long and varied career, he composed the epitaph which he wished to have Inscribed upon his tomb. It read : "Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration Dec-laration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and the Father of the University Uni-versity of Virginia." If Jefferson were to be remembered for nothing more than those three things, his fame would be secure. But history has written these other achievements cnder bis name. He was a member of the Continental congress, 1775-76 s". and a signer of the Declaration. In 177G he was a member of the legislature legisla-ture of Virginia and a leader in important im-portant legal reforms. In 1779 he was governor of Virginia ; in 17S3 a member mem-ber of congress; from 17S4 to 17S0 he was United States minister to France; he was the first secretary of state, serving In Washington's cabinet 1790-94; 1790-94; he was Vice President 1797-1S01 and he was the third President of the United States, 1S01-1S09. During his Presidency he made the famous Louisiana purchase from France, which carried the American flag in one giant leap from the Mississippi '-to the summit of the Rockies and paved the way for the extension of this country from sea to sea. "Perhaps no other public man this country has ever had, not even the many-sided Roosevelt, nor the much gifted Franklin, was so actively and so practically interested in so many and much varied matters," writes a recent historian. "He did not merely mere-ly play, diltantte-wlse, with these things, but went into each of them, whether it was some matter of science, sci-ence, agriculture, art. literature, history, his-tory, or what not, with active interest inter-est and, usually, achieved something worthwhile with it."- Philosopher, scientist, artist and writer were roles he played to his own greatest satisfaction, according to another historian. "I was always fond of philosophy even In' jts drier form," he wrote while still a'youth. At other times his letters declare: "Nature intended in-tended me for the tranquil pursuits of science by rendering tiem my supreme delight;" science "is my passion," politics pol-itics "is my duty;" and he said nothing noth-ing lured him from such studies but his "revolutionary duties." In fact, the list of his Interests and activities is an amazing one and recent re-cent historical researches have brought to light a great number of Interesting facts about Jefferson that are little known to the average American. As a farmer Jefferson was far in advance of his time. On his Virginia plantation he practiced rotation of crops long before be-fore this basic principle of scientific agriculture was thought of by a people peo-ple who were to build a nation deeply deep-ly rooted in the products of the soil. As a patron of the Improvement of live stock in this country and the Introduction In-troduction of new fruits nnd vegetables vegeta-bles he was in constant communication communica-tion with 'men interested in these subjects, sub-jects, both in America and Europe. While he was President he laid the foundation for the modern system of government crop reporting by personally person-ally watching the markets of Washington Wash-ington for eight years and recording the earliest and latest appearances of 37 different farm products. As a scientist his name is preserved in scientific records In the Latinized technical name of an extinct ground sloth whose fossil remains he was the Erst to describe, "Megalonyx Jeffer-soni." Jeffer-soni." When he sent Lewis and Clark on their famous exploring expedition into the newly-acquired territory beyond be-yond the Mississippi, one of the duties with which he charged them was that of making accurate and complete records rec-ords of the natural history of the region, re-gion, the life of the native races, the fauna and flora, weather conditions condi-tions and the like. It is not generally known, perhaps, but he was also interested in-terested in ethnology and In 1791 he made a tour of Long Island to visit the Indians of that region and to record re-cord their language. The result was a 200-word vocabulary of these Indians Indi-ans the manuscript of which, in Jefferson's Jef-ferson's own handwriting Is still preserved. pre-served. - Rotation of crops 'and other forms of scientific agriculture, .however, are not the only things for which the agriculture ag-riculture of today is indebted to Thomas Jefferson. When the farmer plows up an old meadow, turning the sod over upon itself, he can thank Thomas Jefferson, the inventor. For it was this man who invented the plow mold-board which makes modern mod-ern grass-land plowing possible. When the motorist folds down the top of his car to get the full benefit of the cool breeze, he can thank Jefferson for the invention which makes it possible pos-sible to do so. When the desk worker work-er tilts back in his comfortable swivel chair or swings around easily instead of getting up and turning the chair, he should remember gratefully the name of Thomas Jefferson, for It was this Virginian who Invented the only Improvement In seating devices since the time of the early Egyptians. In fact, all inventors should look upon Jefferson as their patron saint. For when a man devises something new and establishes in court his right to It against those who would imitate it and profit thereby, he is indebted to Jefferson for laying down the principle prin-ciple upon which the United States patent office is founded. No less interesting than Jefferson the scientist, and the inventor, is Jefferson Jef-ferson the patron of fine arts. He was keenly interested in literature and was himself a writer of note He was a musician and an accomplished accom-plished violinist. It Is recorded that when his early home, the house of his father at Shadwell, was burned In 1770, although he lost all of his books and papers, he rejoiced In the fact that his violin was saved by a negro servant- As an artist he expressed himself best In architecture, and monuments mon-uments to his architectural taste are to be found today In the beautiful buildings of Georgian style on the campus of the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, but more particularly particu-larly on his estate nearby, the famous Monticello. Monticello was Jefferson's Jeffer-son's residence from 1770 until his death In lS'JG. Built under his personal person-al direction after his Ideas the house took more than 30 years for completion. com-pletion. .He selected the site, supervised super-vised the clearing away of the hilltop, drew the plans and designs for the house, chose the stone and timber, directed the preparation of the former and the dressing of the latter, looked after the manufacture of the nails by his own servants, devised Ingenious contrivances for comfort and convenience, conveni-ence, designed the Interior decorations decora-tions and personally selected the furnishings fur-nishings 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 beautiful architecture of which. America could boast. Foreign ers, traveling In this country during the Revolution and afterwards, often commented upon the beauty of the mansion. The marquis of Chatellux wrote after a visit to Monticello: "Jefferson Is the first American who has consulted the fine arts, to know how he would shelter himself'from the weather." The due de la Rochefou-eauld-Lianomirt who visited Jefferson in 1797. said: "Monticello, according to its first plans was infinitely superior supe-rior to all other houses in America in point of taste and convenience." As a statesman and a political leader, lead-er, no finer tribute has ever been paid to this man who has given us the phrase "Jcffersonlan Democracy" as a symbol of political thought, than that expressed by a recent biographer. Francis W. Hirst, says: To th students nf political philosophy philos-ophy Jefferson is the most interest-In? interest-In? of all American statesmen, because he combined with a marvelous insipht Into the springs of human nature and Into the motives that sway Individuals Individ-uals or masses an extensive knowledge knowl-edge of political science and history He was a theorist, but always at school with experience. Among the founders of the Oreat Republic the statesman who wrote the Declaration of Independence and added Louisiana to the Union can never be forgotten To those who. In spite of failures and disappointments, still rest their hopes of peaceful and civilized progress on representative government and popular popu-lar education, Jefferson Is a prophet, and more than a prophet. By those who believe that the success of democratic dem-ocratic institutions and the establishment establish-ment of good-will between nations and classes depend on a wide dissemination dissemi-nation of liberal ideas the .author of the Statute of Religious Freedom and the successful opponent of the sedition laws will be deemed not unworthy of a olace beside Milton and Hampden and other heroic men who, down to our own times, have withstood the tyranny ty-ranny of priest, soldier, monarch or bureaucrat. Those, again, who love republican frugality and simplicity, who wish their ministers to be thrifty stewards of public money, and would equalize opportunity, partly by a Just system of taxation, partly by judicious expenditure on public health and education, edu-cation, will learn alike from the precepts pre-cepts and practice of Jefferson that no one not even a Peel, a Cobden, or a Gladstone did more to graft these fruitful aims and golden rules of administration ad-ministration upon a new democracy. |
