Show ox 4 f 4 7 01 eggl 0 mi v zi WA N K wa N I 1 by JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN HE fourth of july and thomas jefferson are naturally tas T closely associated in the of all good americans MM monticello may now be added fsr lar for or the rt lson that a nieve anent Is well under way to restore ills his home tit at charlottesville lottes ville va and make it a nat national lonal patriotic shrine the memory of jefferson deserves well of ills his country it was he be who made the draft of the declaration of independence he wits was the third president of the united states and ills his other services cervices Fer vices were many tin and distinguished jefferson was horn born april 13 1743 fit at shadwell va he died at monticello july 4 1826 on the fiftieth anniversary of the declaration of independence so independence day next year will be the of the declaration and the c centennial of jeffersons fer sona sons death jefferson was graduated from william wililam and mary college in 1702 and was admitted to the bar in 1767 ile he was a member of the continental congress 1775 17 0 75 find and signed the declaration in 1776 lie he was a member of the legislature of virginia and a leader in important legal reforms lie ile filled these other positions governor of virginia 1779 member of congress 1783 minister to france franc 1784 9 secretary of state 1790 4 vice president 1797 1801 president 1801 9 he founded in 1819 the university of virginia at char lotte oville Montle elle Is to be restored so far as pos possible sibie to the condition in which it wits was left by jefferson this task holn been undertaken jointly by the thomas jefferson memorial foundation and the american institute of architects through its committee on the preservation of historic monuments and scenic beauties prof fiske kimball chairman of the architects committee hopes not only to restore the lawns and an gardens to thomas jeffersons fer sona sons period but also tu to return to the historic mansion much of the furniture the foundation was established on the one hundred and eightieth anniversary of jeffersons birth april 13 1923 1023 the following december the foundation by making a payment of took legal title to the beautiful colonial madrion ma man arion plon the estate consisting of acres of land und ond priceless jeffersonian Jeffers onlan relies relics when retiring from the presidency jefferson fferson Jp expected to be the hermit of monticello hut but this was not to be A continuous stream of visitors came to the place it was waa said at the time that mitt everyone in n the united stat states e 8 of any enterprise sooner or later found his way to this extraordinary hermitage amitage 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 out of house and home then on top of tile the gradual dwindling of ills his resources the debt of hla his cifes estate became due in england and nearly half of his fortune was swept adept away at one blow an indorsement endorsement Indor for a friend cost him finally he had to sell cell his librae and sold it to congress for in order to overt avert the blow that hat was pending jefferson petitioned the he legislature for permission to dispose of his property at a fair valuation by lottery he said eald by this means I 1 con can save the monticello house and a farm adjoining to end my days in and bury my bones if not I 1 must sell house and all here and carry my family to bedford where I 1 have not even a log hut but to put my head bead into there was borne opposition in the legisla legislature tufe but the bill piT passed A at 11 aps fps I 1 a I 1 so oil oil faill 7 7 V I 1 tn N 7 V 1 51 I 1 when tile the news spread public meetings were culled called and subscriptions for jeffersons use were started A A 1 loan 11 or gift from tho the treasury wits wag suggested but jefferson would not hoar hear of that plan lie he said 1 I have spent three times as much money modey and given my iny whole life to my countrymen and now they nobly come forward in the only way they can to repay me and save an old servant front from being turned like a dog out of doors the action of the public made the last days of ills life easier but the debts still hung over ovel the estate upon ills hla death subscriptions ceased to come in tile the lottery was a farce the executor disposed of the estate the land going as low as three to ten dollars an acre the proceeds were not enough to discharge the obligations the executor made up the difference the thomas jefferson memorial foundation ly now engaged in the task of freeing the estate of debt the movement liaa has the support of men and women of nil fill political faiths president 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 Is performing it a useful service in encouraging the preservation of those shrines tin and monuments of american Id history story which must bring inspiration to the he american public jefferson was versatile and ingenious lie ile was tin an amateur architect of no mean ability for one thing he made the plans for Montle monticello ello and su per intended its construction the plans for the university of virginia were ills his A As a n farmer he was in advance of hla his time ile he practiced rotation of crops had find a fancy for improved live stock and introduced new fruits and vegetables jeffersons early home the house of hla big futher at shadwell near by was burned in 1770 ile he lost all hla his books and papers a negro servant saved hla his violin the previous year jefferson had bad erected a story and a half brick building which afterward formed the southeastern part of his mansion anelon in so lie moved to monticello at once bringing his mother brother and unmarried sisters he not only built monticello but was his own interior decorator and landscape gardener A touch of romance Is supplied at monticello Montt cello by a little two story house hoube at the end of the long row of servants quarters the upper room opens upon the lawn made by leveling the mountain slope this was jeffersons bridal chamber new years day 1772 mon cicello was only partly built and a 8 blit billiard was blowing but the room had its own fireplace and was secluded tr from family and servants bis big brict was martha wayles skelton the marriage was happy and gave him one son and five daughters ills wife died in 1782 tills this little house will be restored so go will its companion house a replica on the other side of the lawn the farst one was later used to accommodate guests the second ono one wall waa where jefferson had ills fits law office and kept the accounts of his estate tradition says that he sometimes used it as a refuge from his hordes of visitors and guests guesta here was wag burled thomas thomaa jefferson author of the declaration of american independence of the statute of virginia for religious freedom and the father of the university of virginia this wits was the inscription in accordance with jeffersons wish on the original obelisk over over ills grave cong congress ress in 1882 replaced tills this with one more ornate the original now stands on the campus of the th university of missouri at Colum columbia bla a site within the louisiana purchase made from france during jeffersons administration thomas jeffersons fame based upon ills his actual service to his country to la secure for this reason the promotion of a jefferson cult which apparently seeks to make of him a u superman sup erwan la is deprecated by many for example jefferson was not the tha author of the declaration of lode 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 ns is Is shown by the mecklenburg declaration of may 20 1775 the committee revved jeffersons draft congress amended its re creviston viston revl glon of his bis draft the Amer american icam 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 it a stepping stone in the march of the american people across the continent but jefferson was a secondary factor only his envoys to france had authority to buy the mouth of the mis mig for napoleon forced them to agree to buy the louisiana territory for the whole deal was unconstitutional jefferson was aghast the east almost seceded from the union but congress had bad to ratify the purchase to save cave the territory from great britain which was permanently balked in its designs on this western empire by andrew jackson january 8 1815 at new orleania Or learia one of the Ded battles Batt lea of amer lea ka and of thew orid |