MYDEARELLEN——InmyletterofOct。13。toMr。Coolidge,I
gaveanaccountoftheriotwehadattheUniversity,andofit’stermination。Youwillbothofcoursebeunderanxietytillyouknowhowithasgoneoff?Withthebesteffectsintheworld。Havingletitbeunderstood,fromthebeginning,thatwewishedtotrustverymuchtothediscretionoftheStudentsthemselvesfortheirowngovernment。Withaboutfourfifthsofthem,thisdidwell,buttherewereabout15。or20。badsubjectswhoweredisposedtotrywhetherourindulgencewaswithoutlimit。HencethelicentioustransactionofwhichIgaveanaccounttoMr。Coolidge。Butwhenthewholemasssawtheseriouswayinwhichthatexperimentwasmet,theFacultyofProfessorsassembled,theBoardofVisitorscomingforwardinsupportofthatauthority,agrandjurytakingupthesubject,fourofthemostguiltyexpelled,therestreprimanded,severerlawsenacted,andarigorousexecutionofthemdeclaredinfuture,itgavethemashockandstruckaterror,themostsevere,asitwaslessexpected。Itdeterminedthewelldisposedamongthemtofrownuponeverythingofthekindhereafter,andtheill-disposedreturnedtoorderfromfearifnotfrombettermotives。Aperfectsubordinationhassucceeded,entirerespecttowardstheProfessors,andindustry,order,andquietthemostexemplary,hasprevailedeversince。Everyoneissensibleofthestrengthwhichtheinstitutionhasderivedfromwhatappearedatfirsttothreatenit’sfoundation。Wehavenofurtherfearofanythingofthekindfromthepresentset。Butasatthenexttermtheirnumberswillbemorethandoubledbytheaccessionofanadditionalband,asunbrokenasthesewere,wemeantobeprepared,andtoaskofthelegislatureapowertocallinthecivilauthorityinthefirstinstantofdisorder,andtoquellitonthespotbyimprisonmentandthesamelegalcoercions,providedagainstdisordergenerally,committedbyothercitizens,fromwhom,attheirage,theyhavenorighttodistinction。
Wehaveheardofthelossofyourbaggage,withthevesselcarryingit,andsincerelycondolewithyouonit。Itisnottobeestimatedbyit’specuniaryvalue,butbythatitheldinyouraffections。Thedocumentsofyourchildhood,yourletters,correspondencies,notes,books,&c。,&c。,allgone!Andyourlifecutintwo,asitwere,andanewonetobegin,withoutanyrecordsoftheformer。JohnHemmingswasthefirstwhobroughtmethenews。
HehadcaughtitaccidentallyfromthosewhofirstreadtheletterfromCol。Peytonannouncingit。Hewasaudesespoir!Thatbeautifulwritingdeskhehadtakensomuchpainstomakeforyou!Everythingelseseemedasnothinginhiseye,andthatlosswaseverything。
VirgilcouldnothavebeenmoreafflictedhadhisAeneidfallenapreytotheflames。Iaskedhimifhecouldnotreplaceitbymakinganother?No。Hiseyesighthadfailedhimtoomuch,andhisrecollectionofitwastooimperfect。Ithasoccurredtomehowever,thatIcanreplaceit,not,indeed,toyou,buttoMr。Coolidge,byasubstitute,notclaimingthesamevaluefromit’sdecorations,butfromthepartithas_borne_inourhistoryandtheeventswithwhichithasbeenassociated。IrecievedaletterfromafriendinPhiladelphialately,askinginformationofthehouse,androomofthehousethere,inwhichtheDeclarationofIndependencewaswritten,withaviewtofuturecelebrationsofthe4th。ofJulyinit,another,enquiringwhetherapapergiventothePhilosophicalsocietythere,asaroughdraughtofthatDeclarationwasgenuinelyso?A
societyisformedtherelatelyforanannualcelebrationoftheadventofPenntothatplace。ItwasheldinhisantientMansion,andthechairinwhichheactuallysatwhenathiswritingtablewaspresentedbyaladyowningit,andwasoccupiedbythepresidentofthecelebration。Twootherchairsweregiventhem,madeoftheelm,undertheshadeofwhichPennhadmadehisfirsttreatywiththeIndians。Ifthenthingsacquireasuperstitiousvaluebecauseoftheirconnectionwithparticularpersons,surelyaconnectionwiththegreatCharterofourIndependencemaygiveavaluetowhathasbeenassociatedwiththat;andsuchwastheideaoftheenquirersaftertheroominwhichitwaswritten。NowIhappenstilltopossessthewriting-boxonwhichitwaswritten。Itwasmadefromadrawingofmyown,byBen。Randall,acabinetmakerinwhosehouseI
tookmyfirstlodgingsonmyarrivalinPhiladelphiainMay1776。
AndIhaveusediteversince。Itclaimsnomeritofparticularbeauty。Itisplain,neat,convenient,and,takingnomoreroomonthewritingtablethanamoderate4to。volume,ityetdisplaysitselfsufficientlyforanywriting。Mr。Coolidgemustdomethefavorofacceptingthis。Itsimaginaryvaluewillincreasewiththeyears,andifhelivestomyage,oranotherhalfcentury,hemayseeitcarriedintheprocessionofournation’sbirthday,astherelicsoftehsaintsareinthoseofthechurch。Iwillsenditthro’ColonelPeyton,andhopewithbetterfortunethanthatforwhichitistobeasubstitute。
Iremarkwhatyousayinyourlettertoyourmother,relativetoMr。WillardandourUniversityclock。JudgingfromthatthatheisthepersonwhomMr。Coolidgewouldrecommend,andhavingrecievedfromDr。Waterhouseaverystrongrecommendationofhim,youmayassuretheoldgentlemanfrommethatheshallhavethemakingofit。
Wehavelatelymadeanimportantpurchaseoflandsamountingto7000。
D。andthegovernmentistakingfromus,undertheiroldandnewTariff,2700。D。dutyonthemarblecapsandbasesoftheporticoofourRotunda,of10columnsonly。Thesethingstryourfundsforthemoment。Attheendoftheyearweshallseehowwestand,andI
expectwemaybeabletogivethefinalorderfortheclockbyFebruary。
Iwanttoengageyou,asmyagentatBoston,forcertainarticlesnottobehadhere,andforsuchonly。ButitwillbeontheindispensableconditionthatyoukeepasrigorousanaccountofDollarsandcentsasoldYerraganourneighborwoulddo。Thisalonecaninducefriendstoaskservicesfreely,whichwouldotherwisebetheaskingofpresentsandamounttoaprohibition。WeshouldbeverygladoccasionallytogetsmallsuppliesofthefinedumbcodfishtobehadatBoston,andalsoofthetonguesandsoundsoftheCod。
ThisselectionofthearticlesItroubleyouforisnotofsuchasarebettertherethanhere;foronthatgroundwemightaskforeverythingfromthence,butsuchonlyasarenottobehadheretoall。
PerhapsIshouldtrepassonMr。Coolidgeforoneotherarticle。Wepayhere2。D。agallonforbadFrenchbrandy。IthinkIhaveseeninDegrand’sPricecurrentMarseillesbrandy,fromDodgeandOxnard,advertisedgoodat1。Dollar,andanotherkindcalledSeignettes,whichIamtoldisgoodCognacat1。25。D。Iwillaskofyouthenasupplyofakentalofgooddumbfish,andabout20or30lbs。oftonguesandsounds;andofMr。Collidgea30galloncaskofDodgeandOxnard’sMarseillesbrandy,iftolerablegoodat1。D。orthereabouts,butdoublecasedtoguardagainstspoliation。Knowingnothingofthepricesofthefish,Iwillataventure,desireCol。
Peytontoremit60。D。toMr。Coolidgeimmediately,andanylittledifferencebetweenthisandactualcosteitherway,maystandovertoyournextaccount。Weshouldbethebetterperhapsofyourrecipefordressingbotharticles。
IpromisedMr。TicknortoinformhimattimeshowourUniversitygoeson。Ishallbegladifyouwillreadtohimthatpartofthisletterwhichrespectsit,presumingMr。Coolidgemayhavecommunicatedtohimthefactsofmyformerlettertohim。Thesefactsmaybeusedadlibitum,onlykeepingmynameoutofsight。
Writingissoirksometome,especiallysinceIamobligedtodoitinarecumbentposture,thatIamsureMr。Ticknorwillexcusemyeconomyinthisexercise。ToyouperhapsIshouldapologizeforthewantofitonthisoccasion。Thefamilyiswell。Myownhealthchangeslittle。Iridetwoorthreemilesinacarriageeveryday。
WithmyaffectionatesalutationstoMr。Coolidge,beassuredyourselfofmytenderandconstantlove。
CONSOLIDATION!
_ToWilliamBranchGiles_
_Monticello,December26,1825_
DEARSIR,——Iwroteyoualetteryesterday,ofwhichyouwillbefreetomakewhatuseyouplease。Thiswillcontainmattersnotintendedforthepubliceye。Isee,asyoudo,andwiththedeepestaffliction,therapidstrideswithwhichthefederalbranchofourgovernmentisadvancingtowardstheusurpationofalltherightsreservedtotheStates,andtheconsolidationinitselfofallpowers,foreignanddomestic;andthat,too,byconstructionswhich,iflegitimate,leavenolimitstotheirpower。Taketogetherthedecisionsofthefederalcourt,thedoctrinesofthePresident,andthemisconstructionsoftheconstitutionalcompactactedonbythelegislatureofthefederalbranch,anditisbuttooevident,thatthethreerulingbranchesofthatdepartmentareincombinationtostriptheircolleagues,theStateauthorities,ofthepowersreservedbythem,andtoexercisethemselvesallfunctionsforeignanddomestic。Underthepowertoregulatecommerce,theyassumeindefinitelythatalsooveragricultureandmanufactures,andcallitregulationtotaketheearningsofoneofthesebranchesofindustry,andthattoothemostdepressed,andputthemintothepocketsoftheother,themostflourishingofall。Undertheauthoritytoestablishpostroads,theyclaimthatofcuttingdownmountainsfortheconstructionofroads,ofdiggingcanals,andaidedbyalittlesophistryonthewords”generalwelfare,”arighttodo,notonlytheactstoeffectthat,whicharespecificallyenumeratedandpermitted,butwhatsoevertheyshallthink,orpretendwillbeforthegeneralwelfare。Andwhatisourresourceforthepreservationoftheconstitution?Reasonandargument?Youmightaswellreasonandarguewiththemarblecolumnsencirclingthem。Therepresentativeschosenbyourselves?Theyarejoinedinthecombination,somefromincorrectviewsofgovernment,somefromcorruptones,sufficientvotingtogethertoout-numberthesoundparts;andwithmajoritiesonlyofone,two,orthree,boldenoughtogoforwardindefiance。
Arewethen_tostandtoourarms_,withthehot-headedGeorgian?
No。Thatmustbethelastresource,nottobethoughtofuntilmuchlongerandgreatersufferings。Ifeveryinfractionofacompactofsomanypartiesistoberesistedatonce,asadissolutionofit,nonecaneverbeformedwhichwouldlastoneyear。Wemusthavepatienceandlongerendurancethenwithourbrethrenwhileunderdelusion;givethemtimeforreflectionandexperienceofconsequences;keepourselvesinasituationtoprofitbythechapterofaccidents;andseparatefromourcompanionsonlywhenthesolealternativesleft,arethedissolutionofourUnionwiththem,orsubmissiontoagovernmentwithoutlimitationofpowers。Betweenthesetwoevils,whenwemustmakeachoice,therecanbenohesitation。Butinthemeanwhile,theStatesshouldbewatchfultonoteeverymaterialusurpationontheirrights;todenouncethemastheyoccurinthemostperemptoryterms;toprotestagainstthemaswrongstowhichourpresentsubmissionshallbeconsidered,notasacknowledgmentsorprecedentsofryeomanry。Thiswillbetothemanextbestblessingtothemonarchyoftheirfirstaim,andperhapsthesureststepping-stonetoit。
Ilearnwithgreatsatisfactionthatyourschoolisthrivingwell,andthatyouhaveatitsheadatrulyclassicalscholar。HeisoneofthreeorfourwhomIcanhearofintheState。WewereobligedthelastyeartoreceiveshamefulLatinistsintotheclassicalschooloftheUniversity,suchaswewillcertainlyrefuseassoonaswecangetfrombetterschoolsasufficiencyofthoseproperlyinstructedtoformaclass。WemustgetridofthisConnecticutLatin,ofthisbarbarousconfusionoflongandshortsyllables,whichrendersdoubtfulwhetherwearelisteningtoareaderofCherokee,Shawnee,Iroquois,orwhat。OurUniversityhasbeenmostfortunateinthefiveprofessorsprocuredfromEngland。A
finerselectioncouldnothavebeenmade。Besidestheirbeingofagradeofsciencewhichhasleftlittlesuperiorbehind,thecorrectnessoftheirmoralcharacter,theiraccommodatingdispositions,andzealfortheprosperityoftheinstitution,leaveusnothingmoretowish。Iverilybelievethatashighadegreeofeducationcannowbeobtainedhere,asinthecountrytheyleft。AndafinersetofyouthsIneversawassembledforinstruction。Theycommittedsomeirregularitiesatfirst,untiltheylearnedthelawfullengthoftheirtether;sincewhichithasneverbeentransgressedinthesmallestdegree。Agreatproportionofthemareseverelydevotedtostudy,andIfearnottosaythatwithintwelveorfifteenyearsfromthistime,amajorityoftherulersofourStatewillhavebeeneducatedhere。Theyshallcarryhencethecorrectprinciplesofourday,andyoumaycountassuredlythattheywillexhibittheircountryinadegreeofsoundrespectabilityithasneverknown,eitherinourdays,orthoseofourforefathers。Icannotlivetoseeit。Myjoymustonlybethatofanticipation。Butthatyouomayseeitinfullfruition,istheprobableconsequenceofthetwentyyearsIamaheadofyouintime,andisthesincereprayerofyouraffectionateandconstantfriend。”TAKECAREOFMEWHENDEAD”
_ToJamesMadison_
_Monticello。February17,1826_
DEARSIR,——MycircularwasansweredbyGenl。Breckenridge,approving,aswehaddone,oftheimmediateappointmentofTerriltothechairofLaw。ButourfourColleagues,whoweretogetherinRichmond,concludednottoappointuntilourmeetinginApril。InthemeantimethetermofthepresentlamentedIncumbentdrawsneartoaclose。About150。studentshavealreadyentered;manyofthosewhoengagedfora2d。year,areyettocome;andIthinkwemaycountthatourdormitorieswillbefilled。Whethertherewillbeanyoverflowingfortheaccomodationsprovidedinthevicinage,whicharequiteconsiderable,isnotyetknown。Nonewillentertherewhileadormitoryremainsvacant。WeretheLaw-chairfilleditwouldadd50。
atleasttoournumber。