Jefferson Quotes & Family Letters

My dear Francis,

Washington Dec. 26. 1818.

I received this morning your letter with your Mamas—I did not mean that you should neglect your French—I agree perfectly with you in your idea of its importance—The history I proposed to you to read was only designed as a part of what I calculated on your doing as a matter of course—You must try and keep up your Greek and¹ latin & French and at odd times read history.

I consider there is no chance for the central college being in operation in the spring—The objection you state to Gerrardine is one which had not escaped me—Fickleness of character and unsteady adherince to any particular line of business unfortunately but too often accompanies genius—With all this against him still the healthiness of the situation—his unquestioned talents and the general opinion entertained at present of his continuing his school sometime at Staunton induce me at present to give it a preference to any place in Virginia and you are not yet ready to go to a University—There are is no want of schools of this kind whenever you are sufficiently advanced to enter one—

Your grand Papa enclosed me the other day his Report on the central University & Count de Tracys political oeconomy the translation of which he has recently corrected—He did not however write a single line so that I know not how he is—