HYLAND
Jefferson, one of the first leaders to enunciate America's
fundamental freedoms, would likely have heartily embraced
philosopher and psychologist Erich Fromm's famous tract,
Escape from Freedom, which delineates the profound
difference between "freedom from" and "freedom to,"
positing that emancipation from oppression—political or
psychological—is not enough.
Such liberation, if it is not to leave
us in a limbo of uncertainty and
anxiety, making us thereby prey
to new authoritarian systems,
must be accompanied by
creative, autonomous, inventive
power, exactly like that Jefferson
exerted in his manifold activities,
whether framing the Constitution,
building Monticello, or designing
the University of Virginia, let alone
designing a silver vessel. Once
free, we must be engaged.
When not designing governments
and towers of higher education,
Jefferson enthusiastically created
window treatments. I surmise he
would have relished Alvilde Lees-
Milne's classic work, The Englishman's Room, with photographs
by Derry Moore. There are noble houses in this book, some
of them lavish, yet there is one house, a tiny brick and tile
cottage, which I believe would have particularly captivated
Jefferson. It is T.E. Lawrence's house, Clouds Hill, wherein
