Jefferson Quotes & Family Letters

You must excuse the size of the paper, for it is the only piece I have, the delay of this answer you must also excuse, for I have been suffering lately the tortures of the damned inflicted by that infernal fiend the tooth ache, created I fancy to give men an Idea of what hell is: I have likewise been in a lazy mood since the abolition of the school, which I attribute partly to that source of good and evil, woman, that beacon which Heaven created to guide us to the Temple of happiness and which often allures us from the track of Ambition. I could almost welcome the tooth ache (were it not so insupportable a torment) for being the cause of so much kindness and attention towards me from the family here. I shall probably make some some repetitions in this letter of what I said in my last having forgotten the subjects of it. our school was annihilated about a month ago It had been tottering a long while by the unfitness of all engaged in the management of it. In the first place, the man who kept the boarding school house was one of those mean characters which disgrace human nature & perfectly calculated to strengthen the English prejudice against frenchmen, which exists in a great measure here, for unfortunately he belonged to that nation. I never saw him sober, or heard him speak the truth, indeed lying was so familiar to him that with the utmost confidence he uttered untruths that might have been added to the collection of Baron Munchausens. besides numberless vices he was a ruined man before he opened a boarding house, which was done at mr Js instigation who had eaten some soup at his house and immediately concluded that he would be the very man to introduce the French way of living and accordingly proposed to him to establish a boarding house in Charlottesville. he was so involved that mr J had to advance him a large sum of money before his creditors would suffer him to leave the neighborhood in which he resided. he now inveighs against him as the cause of all his misfortunes Leitch sold him out the other day. in the second place mr Stack although an accomplished scholar and a well disposed man naturally, was otherwise totally incompetent to teach that is, to perform the duties of a school master, he possessed very little judgement, was wavering fickle and without firmness, so that there was not a shadow of discipline or order preserved in the school every one, without regard to age, acted as he pleased & as the inclination prompts sometimes to do what is condemned by the world in general as immoral and profligate, the consequence was, that it became the scene of much dissipation and riot, and the worst¹ part of it was, that those of a very tender age whose morals should always be so particularly attended to, were infected and became addicted to drunkenness & under such auspices how could the school succeed? inevitable ruin of course awaited it. I am told it has been of some injury to the University as the latter has been confounded with it by the ignorant. I have been staying here since its disorganization, doing nothing (as I said before) though I firmly intended to do a great deal. it will throw me back considerably. I had a conversation last night with Mr Jefferson which has almost determined me, (contrary to my first resolutions) to go to Columbia. he says it contains undoubtedly the ablest men of any school in the U.S. & the climate Dr Cooper assures him is very good. mother writes me word that my money is deposited in Mr Notts hands, & will be at my disposal about the first of November. I shall endeavour to get it from a merchant in Richmond and as I did my last remittance if I go to Columbia I will not attend any class of languages for although it would be of some advantage to me to read under an elegant classic for a short time, yet I know a sufficiency to enable me to keep up & improve my knowledge by reading a little to myself every day & I am now arrived at an age when the mind is strong enough to learn almost anything without assistance. I shall devote a year or two chiefly to science. besides mathematics, chymistry and natural Philosophy are I beleive what mr J considers most important. he is a great admirer of Astronomy and says it exalts the mind more than anything else, be sure and study that. in Short make youself a good great proficient in science of which so few in this country know any thing about nothing will gain you so much admiration, nothing will render you so useful to your friends your ambition has been hitherto too much confined let it take wing a little, & elevate you above mediocrity which it can easily do. every now and then I get a numbe[r of] The Edinburgh review with your name on the back [if yo]u subscribe you had better have it directed to you [at a re]sidence where you will have the benefit of reading [it I] have so many books already that will be obliged to [. . .] some of them & I take very little care of them. in your description accompanying Mr Fairfax’s view of West Point you made a sort of blunder by saying that it woul be a Second Gibraltar was it not commanded by a few eminences a little way off. I want you to send me immediately mr callenders name which I have forgotten. all the family are well here except Mrs Randolph who has been confined to her room for two days past. mr Nicholas died suddenly the other morning without suffering any pain; it would have been fortunate for a many persons, among whom is mr Jefferson, if had made his final exit ten years sooner, he involved a great number. if that young man from S.C. comes on this way you may charge him with one commission for me, which is to stop in Philadelphia at Bellair and get Planches Greek & french Lexicon if not there, he may call at Dufiefs and get a copy of Scapula (Lexicon) instead for 8 or 10 D. which I will send you as soon as I hear whether or not he has left the Pt

Mr J. was to have set off for Poplar Forest before this but was prevented some disease prevailing among his horses, Mr R. is to accompany him, & they have arranged it so that grandmother can go likewise if she pleases & I hope she may for it will save a good deal of expense, time, and trouble: of the two first I have reason at present to be parsimonious, and the latter is, of course always dispensed with when we have it in our power. I received a few lines from Ragland about three weeks ago but have not heard from him since though he promised to write to me as soon as he was fixed in Hanover. Poor fellow, I pity him, when he will be alone with his old Grandmother for I know how easily affected he is by the hip. his case will be particularly lamentable if she be ill natured and cross, ignorant she must be. he has some oddities in his temper which betrayed themselves particularly when learning latin under me. I had to give up correcting him—almost. he is a little self conceited and his vanity he owned was very great, but received some check here from whom I cannot tell for they were certainly as dull a set as I ever saw. upon the whole however he is a very fine young man & had few superiors, I am very well, but very slender & never expect to be otherwise, how are you?