of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time,"

it has been said that where twenty enter the dry-goods trade nineteen
will fail and from their despair behold the odd one succeed--utilizing
the very weapons within their own grasp to bring about his success. This
is true, not only of the dry-goods trade but of all trades, of all
professions, and to resume our subject--Jefferson had much with which to
contend.

He finally attended school at William and Mary College for two years.
Here he strove to cultivate friendly feelings with all whom he met, with
excellent success, becoming very popular with both companions and
teachers. It was while a student that he heard the famous speech of
Patrick Henry; and those immortal words, "GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME
DEATH," seemed to kindle within him a patriotic spirit which grew until
it burst forth in that noble statue to his memory,--the Declaration of
Independence, which was the work of his pen. He studied law for a time,
after a two years' college course, when, in 1767 he began its practice.

As Mr. Jefferson is described as tall and spare with gray eyes and red
hair, surely his success is not due to his personal appearance. At the
beginning of his practice he was not considered what might be termed
brilliant, but the fact that he was employed on over two hundred cases
within the first two years of his practice proves the secret of his
success to have been his undefatigable energy. It is also stated that he
rarely spoke in public which shows his good sense in discovering where
his strength lay,--then pushing on that line to success.

He was elected by his countrymen to the house of Burgesses where he at
once took a decided stand against parliamentary encroachment. It was in
this first of his legislative efforts that he brought forward a bill
tending to the freedom of slaves, provided their masters felt so
disposed, but this measure was defeated. The house of Burgesses
appointed him a member of the committee of correspondence. The duty of
this committee was to disseminate intelligence upon the issues of the
day, notably the system of taxation which the mother-country was trying
to impose upon the colonies.

His article entitled: "A Summary View of the Rights of British America,"
was a masterly production, clearly defining the right of the colonies to
resist taxation, and it was the princip