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is　by　dividing　and　subdividing　these　republics　from　the　great

national　one　down　through　all　its　subordinations；　until　it　ends　in

the　administration　of　every　man's　farm　by　himself；　by　placing　under

every　one　what　his　own　eye　may　superintend；　that　all　will　be　done　for

the　best。　　What　has　destroyed　liberty　and　the　rights　of　man　in　every

government　which　has　ever　existed　under　the　sun？　　The　generalizing

and　concentrating　all　cares　and　powers　into　one　body；　no　matter

whether　of　the　autocrats　of　Russia　or　France；　or　of　the　aristocrats

of　a　Venetian　senate。　　And　I　do　believe　that　if　the　Almighty　has　not

decreed　that　man　shall　never　be　free；　（and　it　is　a　blasphemy　to

believe　it；）　that　the　secret　will　be　found　to　be　in　the　making

himself　the　depository　of　the　powers　respecting　himself；　so　far　as　he

is　competent　to　them；　and　delegating　only　what　is　beyond　his

competence　by　a　synthetical　process；　to　higher　and　higher　orders　of

functionaries；　so　as　to　trust　fewer　and　fewer　powers　in　proportion　as

the　trustees　become　more　and　more　oligarchical。　　The　elementary

republics　of　the　wards；　the　county　republics；　the　States　republics；

and　the　republic　of　the　Union；　would　form　a　gradation　of　authorities；

standing　each　on　the　basis　of　law；　holding　every　one　its　delegated

share　of　powers；　and　constituting　truly　a　system　of　fundamental

balances　and　checks　for　the　government。　　Where　every　man　is　a　sharer

in　the　direction　of　his　ward…republic；　or　of　some　of　the　higher　ones；

and　feels　that　he　is　a　participator　in　the　government　of　affairs；　not

merely　at　an　election　one　day　in　the　year；　but　every　day；　when　there

shall　not　be　a　man　in　the　State　who　will　not　be　a　member　of　some　one

of　its　councils；　great　or　small；　he　will　let　the　heart　be　torn　out　of

his　body　sooner　than　his　power　be　wrested　from　him　by　a　Caesar　or　a

Bonaparte。　　How　powerfully　did　we　feel　the　energy　of　this

organization　in　the　case　of　embargo？　　I　felt　the　foundations　of　the

government　shaken　under　my　feet　by　the　New　England　townships。　　There

was　not　an　individual　in　their　States　whose　body　was　not　thrown　with

all　its　momentum　into　action；　and　although　the　whole　of　the　other

States　were　known　to　be　in　favor　of　the　measure；　yet　the　organization

of　this　little　selfish　minority　enabled　it　to　overrule　the　Union。

What　would　the　unwieldy　counties　of　the　middle；　the　south；　and　the

west　do？　　Call　a　county　meeting；　and　the　drunken　loungers　at　and

about　the　court　houses　would　have　collected；　the　distances　being　too

great　for　the　good　people　and　the　industrious　generally　to　attend。

The　character　of　those　who　really　met　would　have　been　the　measure　of

the　weight　they　would　have　had　in　the　scale　of　public　opinion。　　As

Cato；　then；　concluded　every　speech　with　the　words；　_〃Carthago　delenda

est；〃_　so　do　I　every　opinion；　with　the　injunction；　〃divide　the

counties　into　wards。〃　Begin　them　only　for　a　single　purpose；　they　will

soon　show　for　what　others　they　are　the　best　instruments。　　God　bless

you；　and　all　our　rulers；　and　give　them　the　wisdom；　as　I　am　sure　they

have　the　will；　to　fortify　us　against　the　degeneracy　of　one

government；　and　the　concentration　of　all　its　powers　in　the　hands　of

the　one；　the　few；　the　well…born　or　the　many。







　　　　　　　　〃HOPE　IN　THE　HEAD　。　。　。　FEAR　ASTERN〃




　　　　　　　　_To　John　Adams_

　　　　　　　　_Monticello；　Apr。　8；　1816_




　　　　　　　　DEAR　SIR　　I　have　to　acknolege　your　two　favors　of　Feb。　16。　and

Mar。　2。　and　to　join　sincerely　in　the　sentiment　of　Mrs。　Adams；　and

regret　that　distance　separates　us　so　widely。　　An　hour　of　conversation

would　be　worth　a　volume　of　letters。　　But　we　must　take　things　as　they

come。




　　　　　　　　You　ask　if　I　would　agree　to　live　my　70。　or　rather　73。　years

over　again？　　To　which　I　say　Yea。　　I　think　with　you　that　it　is　a　good

world　on　the　whole；　that　it　has　been　framed　on　a　principle　of

benevolence；　and　more　pleasure　than　pain　dealt　out　to　us。　　There　are

indeed　（who　might　say　Nay）　gloomy　and　hypocondriac　minds；　inhabitants

of　diseased　bodies；　disgusted　with　the　present；　and　despairing　of　the

future；　always　counting　that　the　worst　will　happen；　because　it　may

happen。　　To　these　I　say　How　much　pain　have　cost　us　the　evils　which

have　never　happened？　　My　temperament　is　sanguine。　　I　steer　my　bark

with　Hope　in　the　head；　leaving　Fear　astern。　　My　hopes　indeed

sometimes　fail；　but　not　oftener　than　the　forebodings　of　the　gloomy。

There　are；　I　acknolege；　even　in　the　happiest　life；　some　terrible

convulsions；　heavy　set…offs　against　the　opposite　page　of　the　account。

I　have　often　wondered　for　what　good　end　the　sensations　of　Grief　could

be　intended。　　All　our　other　passions；　within　proper　bounds；　have　an

useful　object。　　And　the　perfection　of　the　moral　character　is；　not　in

a　Stoical　apathy；　so　hypocritically　vaunted；　and　so　untruly　too；

because　impossible；　but　in　a　just　equilibrium　of　all　the　passions。　　I

wish　the　pathologists　then　would　tell　us　what　is　the　use　of　grief　in

the　economy；　and　of　what　good　it　is　the　cause；　proximate　or　remote。




　　　　　　　　Did　I　know　Baron　Grimm　while　at　Paris？　　Yes；　most　intimately。

He　was　the　pleasantest；　and　most　conversible　member　of　the　diplomatic

corps　while　I　was　there：　a　man　of　good　fancy；　acuteness；　irony；

cunning；　and　egoism：　no　heart；　not　much　of　any　science；　yet　enough　of

every　one　to　speak　it's　language。　　His　fort　was　Belles…lettres；

painting　and　sculpture。　　In　these　he　was　the　oracle　of　the　society；

and　as　such　was　the　empress　Catharine's　private　correspondent　and

factor　in　all　things　not　diplomatic。　　It　was　thro'　him　I　got　her

permission　for　poor　Ledyard　to　go　to　Kamschatka；　and　cross　over

thence　to　the　Western　coast　of　America；　in　order　to　penetrate　across

our　continent　in　the　opposite　direction　to　that　afterwards　adopted

for　Lewis　and　Clarke：　which　permission　she　withdrew　after　he　had　got

within　200。　miles　of　Kamschatska；　had　him　siesed；　brought　back　and

set　down　in　Poland。　　Altho'　I　never　heard　Grimm　express　the　opinion；

directly；　yet　I　always　supposed　him　to　be　of　the　school　of　Diderot；

D'Alembert；　D'Holbach；　the　first　of　whom　committed　their　system　of

atheism　to　writing　in　‘Le　bon　sens；'　and　the　last　in　his　‘Systeme　de

la　Nature。'　It　was　a　numerous　school　in　the　Catholic　countries；　while

the　infidelity　of　the　Protestant　took　generally　the　form　of　Theism。

The　former　always　insisted　that　it　was　a　mere　question　of　definition

between　them；　the　hypostasis　of　which　on　both　sides　was　‘Nature'　or

‘the　Universe：'　that　both　agreed　in　the　order　of　the　existing　system；

but　the　one　supposed　it　from　eternity；　the　other　as　having　begun　in

time。　　And　when　the　atheist　descanted　on　the　unceasing　motion　and

circulation　of　matter　thro'　the　animal　vegetable　and　mineral

kingdoms；　never　resting；　never　annihilated；　always　changing　form；　and

under　all　forms　gifted　with　the　power　of　reproduction；　the　Theist

pointing　‘to　the　heavens　above；　and　to　the　earth　beneath；　and　to　the

waters　under　the　earth；'　asked　if　these　did　not　proclaim　a　first

cause；　possessing　intelligence　and　power；　power　in　the　production；

and　intelligence　in　the　design　and　constant　preservation　of　the

system；　urged　the　palpable　existence　of　final　causes；　that　the　eye

was　made　to　see；　and　the　ear　to　hear；　and　not　that　we　see　because　we

have　eyes；　and　hear　because　we　have　ears；　an　answer　obvious　to　the

senses；　as　that　of　walking　across　the　room　was　to　the　philosopher

demonstrating　the　nonexistence　of　motion。　　It　was　in　D'Holbach's

conventicles　that　Rousseau　imagined　all　the　machinations　against　him

were　contrived；　and　he　left；　in　his　Confessions　the　most　biting

anecdotes　of　Grimm。　　These　appeared　after　I　left　France；　but　I　have

heard　that　poor　Grimm　was　so　much　afflicted　by　them；　that　he　kept　his

bed　several　weeks。　　I　have　never　seen　these　Memoirs　of　Grimm。　　Their

volume　has　kept　them　out　of　our　market。




　　　　　　　　I　have　been　lately　amusing　myself　with　Levi's　book　in　answer　to

Dr。　Priestley。　　It　is　a　curious　and　tough　work。　　His　style　is

inelegant　and　incorrect；　harsh　and　petulent　to　his　adversary；　and　his

reasoning　flimsey　enough。　　Some　of　his　doctrines　were　new　to　me；

particularly　that　of　his　two　resurrections：　the　first　a　particular

one　of　all　the　dead；　in　body　as　well　as　soul；　who　are　to　live　over

again；　the　Jews　in　a　state　of　perfect　obedience　to　god；　the　other

nations　in　a　state　of　corporeal　punishment　for　the　sufferings　they

have　inflicted　on　the　Jews。　　And　he　explains　this　resurrection　of

bodies　to　be　only　of　the　original　stamen　of　Leibnitz；　or　the

homunculus　in　semine　masculino；　considering　that　as　a　mathematical

point；　insusceptible　of　separation；　or　division。　　The　second

resurrection　a　general　one　of　souls　and　bodies；　eternally　to　enjoy

divine　glory　in　the　presence　of　the　supreme　being。　　He　alledges　that

the　Jews　alone　preserve　the　doctrine　of　the　unity　of　god。　　Yet　their

god　would　be　deemed　a　very　indifferent　man　with　us：　and　it　was　to

correct　their　Anamorphosis　of　the　deity　that　Jesus　preached；　as　well