The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-06-04


CoURTsHIp OF JOHN ApAMs.-Somc ten years
ago spent college vacation in the town OF
Weymouth, Norfolk county, Mass. While there
l attended church one Sunday morning at what
was called the old Weymouth meeting house,
and heard a sermon from the venerable pastor,
reverend Jacob Norton. About the same time
| made Mr.. Norton visit, and became much
Interested in the old gentleman.
l mentioned my agreeable visit to an old lady
of the parish whose acquaintance had made.
She informed me that Mr.. Norton was ordained
their pastor when he was about twenty one
years of age, and that he had been with them
nearly forty years. She observed that most OF
his parishioners could remember no other pas
tor; but that she could well remember his pre-
decessor, the reverend Mr.. Smith, and that he
and Mr.. Norton had offic!ated for the last eighty
years.
Mr. Smith, said she, was an excellent man,
and a very fine preacher; but he had high no.
tons Of himself and his family--in other words,
he was something of an arstocrat.' One day
she told me the following anecdote of old par
son Smith and several other persons of dis
tincton
Mr.. Smith had two charming daughters. Ma
rv was the name of the eldest; the other's name
have forgotten. They were admired by the
beaux and and envied BY the bellies ofthe coun-
try around. But while the careful guardians
of the parsons family were holding consultation
on the subject, it was rumored that two young
lawyers, Mr.. Cranch and Mr.. Adams, think
both of the neighboring town of Quincy, were
paying their addresses TO the Misses Smith. AS
every man, woman and child of country par
ish of New England is acquainted with what
ever occurs in the parsons family, all the cir
cumstances Of the courtship soon transpired.
Mr. Cranch was of respectable family oil
some note, was considered a young man of
promise, and altogether worthy the alliance he
sought He was very acceptable to Mr.. Smith,
and was greeted BY himself and family with
great respect and cordiality. He was received
by the eldest as a lover, and was in fact a young
man of responsibility He afterward rose to
the dignity Of Judge Of the court Of common
pleas Of Massachusetts.
The suitor of the other daughter was John
Adams, who afterward became president Of the
United States. But at the time, in the opinion
Of Mr.. Smith and family, he gave but slender
promise of the distinction to which he afterward
arrived. His pretenslons were scorned by all
the family, excepting the young lady to whom
his addresses were especially directed. Mr..
Smith showed him none of the ordinary civi-
ties of the house; be was not asked tolhe hos
pitalties of the table, and it is reported that
his horse was doomed to share with his master
the neglect and modification to which he was
subject, for he was frequently seen shivering
in the cold and gnawing the post at the par
sons door on long winter evenings; in short. it
was reported that the parson had intlmated to
him that his visits were unacceptable, and that
he would confer a favor by disseminating them
He told his daughter that John Adams was
unworthy of her, that his father was an honest
man, a tradesman who had tried to initiate John
into the arts of husbandry and shcen,aking, but
without success, and that he had sent him to
college as last resort. He begged his daugh-
ter not to think of making an alliance with one
SO beneath her. Miss Smith was among the
most dutiful of daughters, but she saw Mr. Ad-
ans through a medium very different from that
in which her father viewed him. She would
not for the world offend or disobey her father,
but still John Adams saw something in her eye
and manner which seemed to say 'Fpersevere, -
and on that lint he acted
Mr.. Smith, like good parson and an affec-
tionate father, had told his daughters that, if
they married with his appreciation, he would
preach each of them sermon on the Sabbath
after the joyful occasion and that they should
have the privilege Of choosing the text. The
espousal of the eldest daughter, Mary, arrived,
and she WAS uuited to Mr.. Craneh in holy
bonds, with the approval, the blessings and the
benediclions of her friends Mr.. Smith then
said: my dutiful child am now ready to pre-
pare your sermon for the next Sunday. What
do you select for the text?"
Dear father" said Mary, Il have selected
the latter part Of the tenth chapter of Luke.
Mary has chosen that good part WHICH shall
not be taken away from her "
VERY good, my daughter said nc, and
the sermon was preached. f#
Mr.. Adams persevered in his suit in defiance
of all opposition, 1t was many years after, and
on very different occasion, and in resistance
to a very different opposition that he uttered
these words: Sink or swim, live or die, sur
vive Or perish I give my heart and hand to this
But though the measures were diff
terent, the spirit. was the same. Besides. he
had already carried the main point of attack
the heart Of the young lady--and he knew the
of the citadel must soon follow. At
ter the usual hesitation and delay that attends
such an unpleasant affair. Mr.. Smith, seeing
that resistance was fruitless, yielded the con-
tested point with as much grace as possible, as
many a prudent father has done before and
since that time. Mr Adams was united to the
lovely Miss Smith After the marriage was
over, and all things settled in quiet Mrs. Ad.
ans remarked to her father: You preached
sister Mary a.sermon on the occasion of her
marriage Won'tyou preach me one?'
Eyes, my dear girl," said Mr. Smith; "shoose
your text, and yon shall have your sermon"
We'll" said the daughter, Il have chosen
he thirty third verse of the seventh chapter of
Luke: For John came, neither eating bread nor
drinking wine, and ye say he hath a DEVIL"
The old lady, my informant, looked me very
archly in the face when she repeated this pas
age, and observed: IF Mary was the most
lu1ful of daughters, I guess the other had the
most witt "rs@ +7n.1 s=F @~~, --r~
| could not ascertain whether the last ser
non was ever preached. 1t may not be inap-
,ropriate 10 remark how well these ladies Just
fed the preference the distinguished indlsid-