field he not only stands unrivaled, but no one has approached him. The innumerable productions of this class by other men, many of a high degree of excellence, are forgotten, while those of Webster form part of the education of every American schoolboy, are widely read, and have entered into the literature and thought of the country.Henry Cabot Lodge's Webster.

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.

INTRODUCTION.

THE first battle in the war for independence had taken place in April, 1775. Since that time the colonies of New York, Massachusetts and North Carolina had been invaded by considerable armies. The king of Great Britain had issued a proclamation calling for volunteers to put down the rebellion, and had succeeding in hiring twenty thousand German troops to fight against his American subjects. Notwithstanding this state of affairs the colonies were not all agreed as to the wisdom of breaking with the mother country. Two of the leading colonies, however, Massachusetts and Virginia, were strongly in favor of such action. Accordingly, on the 7th of June, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced into Congress the following resolution: "That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved."-A committee of five, consisting of Franklin, Sherman, Livingston, John Adams and Jefferson, were appointed to draw up such a declaration and present it to Congress. The committee unanimously agreed to leave the draft of the document to Jefferson. He submitted it to Adams and Franklin separately, for their inspection and correction, but they made but few changes in it and these were verbal. It was presented to Congress on the 2d of July, by which body it was thoroughly discussed, and some important changes were made. In particular, a passage was stricken out in which Jefferson denounced George III. for encouraging the slave-trade, and also another in which the English people are described as

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"unfeeling brethren."

"We must endeavor to forget our former love for them and hold them as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends." It was generally agreed that it would be wise to make no reflections upon the attitude of the English people. At length, on July 4th, after a famous debate in which John Adams favored and John Dickinson of Pennsylvania opposed 'the adoption, the Declaration was adopted, all the States voting for it except New York, this State adding its approval five days later.

As a political fact the adoption of the Declaration is a landmark in our history. It marks the beginning of the history of the United States as a nation. For the first time the people of the colonies through their representatives in Congress declare themselves a distinct and separate political body. They assume the rights and powers which nations alone assume to exercise and upon the continued maintenance of which their political existence must depend. A series of causes had for many years been leading up to this event, and it is impossible to exaggerate its influence upon our subsequent political history.

THOMAS JEFFERSON.

THOMAS JEFFERSON, the author of the Declaration of Independence, was born in Albemarle County, Va., April 2, 1743, and died at Monticello, July 4, 1826. He was one of the most distinguished statesmen of his time and his sentiments and political policy have left a permanent influence upon our institutions and government.

He was graduated at the age of nineteen from the College of William and Mary. At the age of twenty-six he was chosen to represent his country in the legislature of Virginia, and at once took an active part with those who were disposed to resist the encroachments of parliament. Between 1773 and 1775 he had written several bold and forcible state papers-one entitled, "A Summary View of the Rights of British Americans"; another, "A Reply to Lord North's Conciliatory Proposition,"-which had already es

tablished his reputation as an able advocate of constitutional freedom, and as an accomplished writer. The authorship of the Declaration added greatly to his fame both at home and abroad.

From 1776 to 1779 he was actively engaged as a member of the legislature, in accomplishing important reforms in his own State, and in 1779 he was elected Governor. After the ratification of the treaty of peace with Great Britain, in 1783, it became desirable to negotiate commercial treaties with foreign nations, and Jefferson was appointed minister to Europe for that purpose in company with Franklin and John Adams. Franklin having resigned as minister to France in 1785, Jefferson was appointed to succeed him. He was absent from the country during the formation of the Constitution, and it is well known that that document did not altogether meet his approval. Soon after his return to this country, in 1789, he was offered the position of secretary of state in the cabinet of Washington. Notwithstanding his desire to return to France, he concluded to accept it. In this position he became the recognized leader of the party opposed to a strong government as represented by Hamilton. After retaining this office somewhat more than four years he resigned and retired to Monticello.

In 1796 he was elected vice-president, and in 1800 president of the United States. His accession to office marked the first great victory of a new political party. His first administration was made popular by a studied simplicity in manner and in the administration of the government, The fortunate acquisition of the territory of Louisiana from France increased his popularity. A series of complications with England embarrassed his second administration and the passage of the Embargo Act beclouded its close. He withdrew from all active political life in 1809 and retired to his delightful retreat at Monticello. Here his time was employed in various literary and agricultural pursuits and in conducting an extensive correspondence. The striking coincidence of his death with that of John Adams on the fourth of July, 1826, produced a profound impression. He was an original thinker in politics, essentially a re

former, and was the best representative of advanced democratic ideas in government.

CRITICAL OPINIONS.

"To have been the instrument of expressing in one brief, decisive act the concentrated will and resolution of a whole family of States, to have been permitted to give the impress and peculiarity of his own mind to a charter of public right destined to an importance in the estimation of men equal to anything human ever borne on parchment, or expressed in the visible signs of thought— this is the glory of Thomas Jefferson."-Eulogy of Edward Everett on Adams and Jefferson.

"To say that he performed his great work well would be doing him injustice. To say that he did it excellently well, admirably well, would be inadequate and halting praise. Let us rather say that he so discharged the duty assigned him that all Americans may well rejoice that the work of drawing the title-deed of their liberties devolved upon him." -Webster's Works, Vol. I., 127.

"Herein lay his deep wisdom; he enjoyed a political vision penetrating deeper down into the inevitable movement of popular government and further forward into the future trend of free institutions than was possessed by any other man in public life in his day."-Morse's Life of Jefferson, p. 129.

ANALYSIS OF THE DECLARATION.

A BRIEF inspection reveals the fact that the Declaration is made up of three parts. (1) The first part presents the general reasons on the part of the colonies for renouncing their allegiance to Great Britain. It asserts certain views as to the rights of man which were at that time by no means generally accepted. These were, that all men are possessed of certain natural rights which it should be the object of those intrusted with power to protect-that to the people belongs the right to establish or change a government-that when a form of government has become despotic it is the right and duty of the people to make such