Page:Lives of the presidents in words of one syllable (1903).djvu/44

 At his first school the lad had Greek, French, and two or three more tongues. Then a wise man, who could both preach and teach, Rev. Thom-as Mar-tin, went to live at the Mad-i-sons' home and be with the boy all the time. Days, months, and years, books held sway. Then young James was fit for col-lege and went to Prince-ton in 1769.

From the first, the young man had a love for hard work. He could heap toil on toil with ease, and this he did with much zeal till his health broke down.

Ere Mad-i-son went to col-lege he knew Jef-fer-son, whose home, Shad-well, was but a fair day's ride from Mont-pel-ier. Notes went from the school, back and forth, and what went on in the the world was well known. At the hour when James left home the Col-o-nies thought they would soon be States.

A tale is told of one night at col-lege when young men in black robes went out on the green and made a bon-fire. The toll of a bell was heard. From the ranks came two lads, one of whom held in his hand a news-pa-per which he shook with rage, and then threw on the flames, as he said, in a loud voice, "So die all foes to Free-dom."

The words which the lads did not like in that sheet were from some folks who would hurt the Great Cause; folks whose "knees were weak," and who were not "true-blue pa-tri-ots."

One of the boys who took part in this work was James Mad-i-son. Notes to boy friends have been kept which tell how deep were the thoughts of this lad of the work in which he was to bear a part in times to come. He was too weak to go to the field of war and fight with the troops. Words have been found which he then wrote to a friend,