Page:Lives of the presidents in words of one syllable (1903).djvu/45

 who, he says, has "health, youth, fire, and zeal to bear him on the high track of life," while, he him-self was "too dull, too poor in health, to do great things or to live long." Yet that young, frail boy had a life of three score years more, and a life, too, full of all which could make a man proud. He had a keen wish, from his first years, to serve his own land and he did so, and won high praise.

Jef-fer-son was a friend and a guide to young Mad-i-son, who, though he could not go to the front, yet found a high place as a states-man. When but a score and three years old he was glad that he could join the best men of his state and help to make laws, and to do work that would form the "Bill of Rights." In this bill he said that all men are free to pray to God in the way they see fit.

Ere James Mad-i-son was a score and ten years old, he had a call to do some grand work for his State; and this sort of toil, which he was so glad to give, went on for more than two scores of years, and came to an end at the last when he left that post which was the best gift his land could make to him.

It was in 1809 that Mad-i-son was made Pres-i-dent. Then he went east, west, north, and south to see what aid he could get in case there might be a war. He well knew that Eng-land was a foe and still did mean things. One of her bad tricks was to stop our ships at sea and search them. She had no right to do this. She took men out of our ships by force and made them serve the King and his flag for which they felt hate. At last, in 1812, war broke out. Our brave tars struck out right and left, and soon had the Brit-ish ships in bad shape.

There was good luck for our cause on the sea. The