There is much conflict of opinion as to the character of Jefferson, and the value of his services.  We doubt whether there is another person in our history, as to whom there still exists so strong a feeling of dislike on the one hand, and of admiration on the other.  By some he is regarded as a theorist and a demagogue, who, for selfish purposes, opposed the purest patriots, and disseminated doctrines which will pervert our institutions and destroy our social fabric; by others he is revered as the philosopher who first asserted the rights of man, and the statesman who first defined the functions of our government and demonstrated the principles upon which it should he administered.  His detractors and admirers both bear witness to the extent and permanency of his influence.  He saw all the phases of our national life.  He assisted in the struggle for liberty, and in the contest which gave form to that liberty,—­while it was his happy fortune to inaugurate the system by which, with occasional deviations, the republic, for more than fifty years, has been governed.  He heard the discussion of the Stamp Act, and the debate on the admission of Missouri.  He shared in the dispute which the establishment of the Constitution produced, and lived to witness the outbreak of the quarrel which now threatens the existence of the Constitution.  His influence was felt through the whole of this long period.  Nor was it confined to affairs alone.  He took part in all the intellectual action of his countrymen.  He was an adept in science, an ingenious mechanic, and a contributor to literature.  He stimulated adventure, and was the judicious patron of architecture and the fine arts.  More than any man of his day, to the labors of a practical statesman he brought a mind disciplined by a liberal philosophy; and he adorned the most exalted stations with the graceful fame of learning and polite accomplishments.  It is impossible for us to touch every point of his great career.  It is difficult to dwell upon a single point without being seduced into a discussion too extended for these pages.  We may, however, be permitted, in a rapid manner, to present Mr. Jefferson in some of those relations which seem to us to throw the strongest light upon his character and teachings.

Peter Jefferson, the father of Thomas, was a notable man.  His parents were poor, and in early life he went into the backwoods of Virginia as a surveyor.  He is described as a person of great stature and strength.  His mind was equally robust.  He was a natural mathematician, and was remarkable for hardihood and perseverance.  His temper was equable, but his passions were strong and his anger terrible.  In youth his education had been neglected; but, by the wise employment of his leisure, he obtained considerable reputation for learning throughout the rude region where he lived.  This huge man, with gigantic strength and fierce passions, is said to have been endowed with tender sympathies, and to have had a scholar’s love for Shakspeare and Addison.