The Correspondence of Thomas Jefferson
By Subject
EDUCATION / DISCIPLINED STUDY
Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, Natural History, Anatomy, Chemistry,
Botany, will become amusements for your hours of relaxation, and
auxiliaries to your principal studies. Precious and delightful ones
they will be. As soon as such a foundation is laid in them, as you may
build on as you please, hereafter, I suppose you will proceed to your
train objects, Politics, Law, Rhetoric, and History. As to these, the
place where you study them is absolutely indifferent. I should except
Rhetoric, a very essential member of them, and which I suppose must be
taught to advantage where you are. You would do well, therefore, to
attend the public exercises in this branch also, and to do it with
very particular diligence. This being done, the question arises, where
you shall fix yourself for studying Politics, Law, and History? I
should not hesitate to decide in favor of France, because you will, at
the same time, be learning to speak the language of that country,
become absolutely essential under our present circumstances.
The best method of doing this, would be to fix yourself in some
family where there are women and children... The principal hours of
the day, you will attend to your studies, and in those of relaxation,
associate with the family. You will learn to speak better from women
and children in three months, than from men in a year. Such a
situation, too, will render more easy a due attention to economy of
time and money.
I have proposed to you, to carry on the study of
the law with that of politics and history. Every political measure
will, forever, have an intimate connection with the laws of the land;
and he, who knows nothing of these, will always be perplexed, and
often foiled by adversaries having the advantage of that knowledge
over him. Besides, it is a source of infinite comfort to reflect, that
under every chance of fortune, we have a resource in ourselves from
which we may be able to derive an honorable subsistence. I would,
therefore, propose not only the study, but the practice of the law for
some time, to possess yourself of the habit of public speaking.
With respect to modern languages, French, as I have before observed,
is indispensable. Next to this, the Spanish is most important to an
American. Our connection with Spain is already important, and will
become daily more so. Besides this, the ancient part of American
history is written chiefly in Spanish.
to T.M. Randolph, Jr., 6 July 1787
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