New-York daily tribune., 1849-06-08
LIZ. of Inhn q. Adams.

IIFE AND PUBLIC sERViCEs OF yOHN VSl,O 60
ADAMS Sixth President Of me .h'',u Ssa. ,.,a.,,o
win ,be Eulogy delivered before the Les's'a,'io
,SsuYork By wILLiAM II. SEw1fD li< TO-
m 4Oi) Auburn Derby, Miller 20
b,s of John OGiucy Adams must De- 10
200, extent. history Of this country tor nearly
the whole period Of iis past independence nen'e
the chief difficulty of his biogrspher is that pre-
.en,ed by the perplexing abundance oi his ma
80. F,,m these we perceive that Gov
esvsrd has selected with Judgment and present
ed with graphic power such as compose n'oS'
instructive and deeply in,erettlng voln'ne NJ ."
history especially Of the action OF Congress res
pecting Slavery, and OF the revival aud gro"th o'
Anti Slavery sentiment in the country II must
possess permanent Vaiue'
Asa biography, however, IT does not en'irey
.ot.fy our Judgment. A picture all light and no
.hsda can hardly be true representation oil any
thing ,errestal. Mr.. Adams was In some re-
.pect. a grea. and in many good man-uPrsh'
.incere. manly aud profoundly sohc'toH' io' 'ne
wellbeing of his country. ln political and gene
rel knowledge he had for many years no superior ;
in self forgetting devo,ionto Right aud Liberty ne
has rarely been surpassed. IL has cea'eu 70 DC
the interes, Of ANY one whom the "orl1 WI" hoa'
10 deiame him, aud the howl OF pursuing Cs"inny
md Faction. once 50 desfening, have been hushed
into silence If not transformed to duloet sympno
uies of praise. Bot he was man also oi some
fsults and more foibes-an unsteady conpa'rlo''
an enyenomed hater--a man OF heads'ronS PreJu'
does and violent passions. These were mol 'he
.tsple of his character-his better qualiles over
shadow ed and obscared them and esPeclaliy IN
the later evening OF his days. The Country never
had n better Presidept-not even its hrst-ie"
constituencies were ever better represented III
Congress than his--yet n verse party ltader OF
chief has seldom figured in Political lie. IL IS
e.sv 10 say that lie was too upright and rank Tor
.uch postion-perfectly easy but not at all true
I,h,, Law vasas honest aud as able AS he, bat his
marty had never reason to fear nor disttust INN
Ia his habitual intercourse with men Mr' Adams
lacked generosity-heutlncss One whose kno"
ledge of his rare abilities, requirements ana III
ness for the Presidential ofice constrained nm ''
support Mr. A. with ali his might IN 1874 re
marked that, If he were to sail round the worid u
company with the rival candidates he w""''
mend hours with Clay or Crawford to minutes
with Adams. And he WAS right
We can only understand the hiogrsphers u'te'
silence with regard TO MIR. Adamss controversy II
1909 with the sons of the leading New -Enean'
Fsderais,s (whorn be had pointediy accused o
potting IN IsOa-6 To Teunite the Eastern States
Great Britain by attributins 1t to compassion 'o
the asssilsnt and pre- deter minaiion TO exhbi
him only under favorable aspects. II tins be th'
fact. he should fer the same reasons have Stunned
all illusions to, certainly oil quotations o'' what II
termed Mr.. Adsms's poetry. Bottoms Dream Is
the only ready simiitude to that perverse des'S
nation.
We repeat therefore in concluding that re-
rsrded 4. q eu,ey on Mr.. Adams, tins WORN Il
excellent az a rapid and graphic survey OF ou
national history, it will richly reward {" pe'usS'
ma eommendaton of sound and vital prino'pie'
with regard to Human Rights and the true sphere
and objects OF Civil Government It is able ant
instructive but as a biography OF It's dis'lssH'h
ed subject, We consider /, Ge-sided sSd aeieeeNe
IL is but just to add that the publishers nave
fully discharged their duty. The book IS neau!
printed on good type, snd the portrait oil MT
Adams is uncommonly faithful.