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　　　　　　　　〃THE　SPIRIT　OF　1776〃




　　　　　　　　_To　Thomas　Lomax_

　　　　　　　　_Monticello；　Mar。　12；　1799_




　　　　　　　　DEAR　SIR；　　Your　welcome　favor　of　last　month　came　to　my　hands

in　Philadelphia。　　So　long　a　time　has　elapsed　since　we　have　been

separated　by　events；　that　it　was　like　a　letter　from　the　dead；　and

recalled　to　my　memory　very　dear　recollections。　　My　subsequent　journey

through　life　has　offered　nothing　which；　in　comparison　with　those；　is

not　cheerless　&　dreary。　　It　is　a　rich　comfort　sometimes　to　look　back

on　them。




　　　　　　　　I　take　the　liberty　of　enclosing　a　letter　to　mr。　Baylor；　open；

because　I　solicit　your　perusal　of　it。　　It　will；　at　the　same　time；

furnish　the　apology　for　my　not　answering　you　from　Philadelphia。　　You

ask　for　any　communication　I　may　be　able　to　make；　which　may　administer

comfort　to　you。　　I　can　give　that　which　is　solid。　　The　spirit　of　1776

is　not　dead。　　It　has　only　been　slumbering。　　The　body　of　the　American

people　is　substantially　republican。　　But　their　virtuous　feelings　have

been　played　on　by　some　fact　with　more　fiction；　they　have　been　the

dupes　of　artful　man；oeuvres；　&　made　for　a　moment　to　be　willing

instruments　in　forging　chains　for　themselves。　　But　time　&　truth　have

dissipated　the　delusion；　&　opened　their　eyes。　　They　see　now　that

France　has　sincerely　wished　peace；　&　their　seducers　have　wished　war；

as　well　for　the　loaves　&　fishes　which　arise　out　of　war　expences；　as

for　the　chance　of　changing　the　constitution；　while　the　people　should

have　time　to　contemplate　nothing　but　the　levies　of　men　and　money。

Pennsylvania；　Jersey　&　N　York　are　coming　majestically　round　to　the

true　principles。　　In　Pensylva；　13。　out　of　22。　counties　had　already

petitioned　on　the　alien　&　sedition　laws。　　Jersey　&　N　Y　had　begun　the

same　movement；　and　tho'　the　rising　of　Congress　stops　that　channel　for

the　expression　of　their　sentiment；　the　sentiment　is　going　on　rapidly；

&　before　their　next　meeting　those　three　States　will　be　solidly

embodied　in　sentiment　with　the　six　Southern　&　Western　ones。　　The

atrocious　proceedings　of　France　towards　this　country；　had　well　nigh

destroyed　its　liberties。　　The　Anglomen　and　monocrats　had　so　artfully

confounded　the　cause　of　France　with　that　of　freedom；　that　both　went

down　in　the　same　scale。　　I　sincerely　join　you　in　abjuring　all

political　connection　with　every　foreign　power；　and　tho　I　cordially

wish　well　to　the　progress　of　liberty　in　all　nations；　and　would

forever　give　it　the　weight　of　our　countenance；　yet　they　are　not　to　be

touched　without　contamination　from　their　other　bad　principles。

Commerce　with　all　nations；　alliance　with　none；　should　be　our　motto。




　　　　　　　　Accept　assurances　of　the　constant　&　unaltered　affection　of；

dear　Sir；　your　sincere　friend　and　servant。







　　　　　　　　FREEDOM　OF　MIND




　　　　　　　　_To　William　Green　Munford_

　　　　　　　　_Monticello；　June　18；　1799_




　　　　　　　　DEAR　SIR　　I　have　to　acknolege　the　reciept　of　your　favor　of

May　14　in　which　you　mention　that　you　have　finished　the　6。　first　books

of　Euclid；　plane　trigonometry；　surveying　&　algebra　and　ask　whether　I

think　a　further　pursuit　of　that　branch　of　science　would　be　useful　to

you。　　There　are　some　propositions　in　the　latter　books　of　Euclid；　&

some　of　Archimedes；　which　are　useful；　&　I　have　no　doubt　you　have　been

made　acquainted　with　them。　　Trigonometry；　so　far　as　this；　is　most

valuable　to　every　man。　　There　is　scarcely　a　day　in　which　he　will　not

resort　to　it　for　some　of　the　purposes　of　common　life。　　The　science　of

calculation　also　is　indispensible　as　far　as　the　extraction　of　the

square　&　cube　roots；　algebra　as　far　as　the　quadratic　equation　&　the

use　of　logarithms　are　often　of　value　in　ordinary　cases：　but　all

beyond　these　is　but　a　luxury；　a　delicious　luxury　indeed；　but　not　to

be　indulged　in　by　one　who　is　to　have　a　profession　to　follow　for　his

subsistence。　　In　this　light　I　view　the　conic　sections；　curves　of　the

higher　orders；　perhaps　even　spherical　trigonometry；　algebraical

operations　beyond　the　2d　dimension；　and　fluxions。　　There　are　other

branches　of　science　however　worth　the　attention　of　every　man。

Astronomy；　botany；　chemistry；　natural　philosophy；　natural　history；

anatomy。　　Not　indeed　to　be　a　proficient　in　them；　but　to　possess　their

general　principles　&　outlines；　so　as　that　we　may　be　able　to　amuse　and

inform　ourselves　further　in　any　of　them　as　we　proceed　through　life　&

have　occasion　for　them。　　Some　knowledge　of　them　is　necessary　for　our

character　as　well　as　comfort。　　The　general　elements　of　astronomy　&　of

natural　philosophy　are　best　acquired　at　an　academy　where　we　can　have

the　benefit　of　the　instruments　&　apparatus　usually　provided　there：

but　the　others　may　well　be　acquired　from　books　alone　as　far　as　our

purposes　require。　　I　have　indulged　myself　in　these　observations　to

you；　because　the　evidence　cannot　be　unuseful　to　you　of　a　person　who

has　often　had　occasion　to　consider　which　of　his　acquisitions　in

science　have　been　really　useful　to　him　in　life；　and　which　of　them

have　been　merely　a　matter　of　luxury。




　　　　　　　　I　am　among　those　who　think　well　of　the　human　character

generally。　　I　consider　man　as　formed　for　society；　and　endowed　by

nature　with　those　dispositions　which　fit　him　for　society。　　I　believe

also；　with　Condorcet；　as　mentioned　in　your　letter；　that　his　mind　is

perfectible　to　a　degree　of　which　we　cannot　as　yet　form　any

conception。　　It　is　impossible　for　a　man　who　takes　a　survey　of　what　is

already　known；　not　to　see　what　an　immensity　in　every　branch　of

science　yet　remains　to　be　discovered；　&　that　too　of　articles　to　which

our　faculties　seem　adequate。　　In　geometry　&　calculation　we　know　a

great　deal。　　Yet　there　are　some　desiderata。　　In　anatomy　great

progress　has　been　made；　but　much　is　still　to　be　acquired。　　In　natural

history　we　possess　knowlege；　but　we　want　a　great　deal。　　In　chemistry

we　are　not　yet　sure　of　the　first　elements。　　Our　natural　philosophy　is

in　a　very　infantine　state；　perhaps　for　great　advances　in　it；　a

further　progress　in　chemistry　is　necessary。　　Surgery　is　well

advanced；　but　prodigiously　short　of　what　may　be。　　The　state　of

medecine　is　worse　than　that　of　total　ignorance。　　Could　we　divest

ourselves　of　every　thing　we　suppose　we　know　in　it；　we　should　start

from　a　higher　ground　&　with　fairer　prospects。　　From　Hippocrates　to

Brown　we　have　had　nothing　but　a　succession　of　hypothetical　systems

each　having　it's　day　of　vogue；　like　the　fashions　&　fancies　of　caps　&

gowns；　&　yielding　in　turn　to　the　next　caprice。　　Yet　the　human　frame；

which　is　to　be　the　subject　of　suffering　&　torture　under　these　learned

modes；　does　not　change。　　We　have　a　few　medecines；　as　the　bark；　opium；

mercury；　which　in　a　few　well　defined　diseases　are　of　unquestionable

virtue：　but　the　residuary　list　of　the　materia　medica；　long　as　it　is；

contains　but　the　charlataneries　of　the　art；　and　of　the　diseases　of

doubtful　form；　physicians　have　ever　had　a　false　knowlege；　worse　than

ignorance。　　Yet　surely　the　list　of　unequivocal　diseases　&　remedies　is

capable　of　enlargement；　and　it　is　still　more　certain　that　in　the

other　branches　of　science；　great　fields　are　yet　to　be　explored　to

which　our　faculties　are　equal；　&　that　to　an　extent　of　which　we　cannot

fix　the　limits。　　I　join　you　therefore　in　branding　as　cowardly　the

idea　that　the　human　mind　is　incapable　of　further　advances。　　This　is

precisely　the　doctrine　which　the　present　despots　of　the　earth　are

inculcating；　&　their　friends　here　re…echoing；　&　applying　especially

to　religion　&　politics；　‘that　it　is　not　probable　that　any　thing

better　will　be　discovered　than　what　was　known　to　our　fathers。'　We　are

to　look　backwards　then　&　not　forwards　for　the　improvement　of　science；

&　to　find　it　amidst　feudal　barbarisms　and　the　fires　of　Spital…fields。

But　thank　heaven　the　American　mind　is　already　too　much　opened；　to

listen　to　these　impostures；　and　while　the　art　of　printing　is　left　to

us；　science　can　never　be　retrograde；　what　is　once　acquired　of　real

knowlege　can　never　be　lost。　　To　preserve　the　freedom　of　the　human

mind　then　&　freedom　of　the　press；　every　spirit　should　be　ready　to

devote　itself　to　martyrdom；　for　as　long　as　we　may　think　as　we　will；　&

speak　as　we　think；　the　condition　of　man　will　proceed　in　improvement。

The　generation　which　is　going　off　the　stage　has　deserved　well　of

mankind　for　the　struggles　it　has　made；　&　for　having　arrested　that

course　of　despotism　which　had　overwhelmed　the　world　for　thousands　&

thousands　of　years。　　If　there　seems　to　be　danger　that　the　ground　they

have　gained　will　be　lost　again；　that　danger　comes　from　the　generation

your　cotemporary。　　But　that　the　enthusiasm　which　characterises　youth

should　lift　its　parricide　hands　against　freedom　&　science；　would　be

such　a　monstrous　phaenomenon　as　I　cannot　place　among　possible　things

in　this　age　&　this　country。　　Your　college　at　least　has　shewn　itself

incapable　of　it；　and　if　the　youth　of　any　other　place　have　seemed　to

rally　under　other　banners　it　has　been　from　delusions　which　they　will

soon　diss