I find this excerpt to be almost ironic. Jefferson is hoping to instill a sense of morality in the students of his university, highlighting here that they exercise their rights with 'order & justice'. The flaw I find in that is that for an individual to know his own rights, he must also respect the rights of his peers. Slavery at the time was not considered an immoral practice, though the violation of African American rights was happening right in front of everyone's eyes. I acknowledge that sometimes it is hard to remove yourself from a situation to see it from a different perspective, but Jefferson's stress on rights, duties, justice, and order should have allowed him (as well as others at the time) to see the immoralities of the slave trade.

I find this definition of education to be very interesting because of its differences in what modern day society perceives it to be. This phrase itself defines education as an improved style of conscious thinking and categorization that only arises in students as a matter of habit. I would argue that currently, education is becoming more focused in the acquiring of skills that will benefit a certain technical profession in the future. I see this shift in definition a result of modernization and technological advances, but am conflicted by which definition is 'better.'

I find this paragraph very interesting because I think it highlights an important quality of the university today. What I take this thought to mean is that music and the arts are still extremely important, even if they are not the main focus of a higher level education. In a broader sense, it's important to have passions and interests in a vast array of subjects, as opposed to one linear path. UVA today has a reputation of being an extremely well rounded school for students who are motivated, intelligent, social, and more. Without the arts, which "furnish amusement and happiness," the student is considerably more two dimensional than they would be otherwise. The stress of the 'renaissance man' ideal is still felt at the university today.

The stress on legislation in this sentence is important to recognize, as this principle of conformation to law and justice is one of Thomas Jefferson's most valued ideals, as he was one of the founding fathers of our countries. I think that it is interesting to see the parallel between the Declaration of Independence and the language used in the Rockfish Gap Report, as both of them clearly share ideals held by the same man. The idea of democratic legislation (as opposed to an elite few) was essential in creating an ideal university in Jefferson's eyes, and knowing how he felt about these principles in the Declaration of Independence helps to emphasize this.