Time to bulldoze the Jefferson Memorial?

Michael Perelman michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Tue Nov 3 09:54:20 PST 1998



> Yes, by all means let's forgive Jefferson for this, too - an excerpt from a
> Sep 23 1800 letter to Dr Benjamin Rush regarding yellow fever epidemic in
> Philadelphia:
>
> "Providence has in fact so established the order of things that most evils
> are the means of producing some good. The yellow fever will discourage the
> growth of great cities in our nation; & I view great cities as pestilential
> to the morals, the health, and the liberties of man. True, they nourish
> some of the elegant arts; but the useful ones can thrive elsewhere, and
> less perfection in others, with more health, virtue, and freedom would be
> my choice."
>

I just read Starr's book, Blood, which had a wonderful description of Rush's heroic actions during the epidemic. He was fearless, selfless, although he probably killed more than he saved with his excessive blood letting. --

Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list