ABSTRACT
One day, as President Thomas Jefferson was riding into Washington, he stopped to greet a stranger on the road. They fell into a conversation about politics, and the man began to criticize Jefferson, particularly in relation to his private life, about which stories were circulating. What’s new? “Do you know the President personally?” Jefferson asked the man. “No, and I wouldn’t want to,” he answered. “Will you go to his house tomorrow at ten if I promise to be there?” After hesitating a minute, the man said, “Yes, I will.” Jefferson rode off, and the man soon guessed his identity. But he showed up, and when Jefferson appeared, he said, “I have called, Mr Jefferson, to apologize for having said to a stranger....”
