Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-03-05
From the Boston Atlas. .. ...
JOHN ADAMS; THE FEDERALIST.
Lecture by Theodore Parker.


The lecturer commenced as follows: In
1854, the General Court Of this Colony made
grant of land at Mount Wollaston to enlarge
the Town of Boston, and in 1888 the inhabits
ants Of Boston granted some Of this land in
lots to individual settlers or non-residents,
who presently formed church and settled a
| minister. In 164O they were organized into
town called Braintree. find 40 acres Of
land granted to Henry Adams. He died in
1916, and left an estate which was appraised
at 975 lbs. 1t consisted of land, a barn and
house, which contained one kitchen, one par
lor, and chamber in the attic, wherein dwelt
the eleven persons that made up the family.
The inventory mentions three beds, which l
suppose contained them all at night. He left,
likewise, one COW, one heifer, swine, some
old books, and a single silver spoon. He was
grandfather's grandfather to the second Presi-
dent of the United States. 1t was not very
conspicuous family then, though it has since
bore two Presidents, and is still strong and
6ourishing, promising L know not how great
future glories (Appause.) t..
| On the other side of the sea, antiquaries
find the family old and baronial.- Indeed, the
name would justify larger genealogical claim,
for certainly the ,Adamses ought to be an old
family and-a great according to received ac-a
counts, they are the firstin the world
| daughter ate, II ~. ..., s-.li
John Adams was born the 10th of Oct,
1885. have not much time to speak of Mr..
Adams's character, but will briefly refer to
it, dividing it, for convenience sake, into his
| intellectual, moral and religious nature r.s
He had great mind; quick, comprehen7
siye, analytical, not easily satisfied save with
with ultimate causes; tenacious Of its
| treasures, his memory did not fail him until
he became old. With the exception of Frank
| lin, think of no American in the eighteenth
century who was Intellectually his superior
for though Hancock and jefferson, nay, Jay,
Madison and Marshall, really surpassed
| him in some high qualities, yet none seems
ing was ample. Though constitutionaIly
| averse to regular, serious, and long-cOntinued
attention, he yet easily gathered what lay be-
fore him, and fittingly reproduced it when
occasion required. lie gathered a great am
cunt of various knowledge, for he was sharp
| observer ofhuman affairs. Yet he attended
but little to the world of matter and save
| for the economical purpose of agriculture, or
for the immediate enjoyment of its beauty, he
never attended to the world of matter about
him. He had no eye for science, no taste for
it, except when stimulated by the presence
Of Franklin
But he lacked method in his intellectual
processes. He had not that genius which is
its own method, nor yet the sober, sys-
tematc habit of work, which, though
seemingly slow, is found at last so
So swift and sure. He did things helter-
skelter" In his administration as President,
there was no rule for anything. He had a
fair imag nation above the average of the ed
ucated men OF that time, but not equal to his
understanding. Besides he had small opOr
tunity for cultivating it in early life, or deye-
oping it in later. ...- '..-
His philosophical and metaphysical turn
! appears in all his writings He was bold in
abstract speculation always bottomed his
work On ultimate principles of nature. He is
often profound in his remarks and 1 think
| no American politician has ever uttered more
profound truths than fell from the mighty
mind of John Adams. He certainly had not
a mind of the highest class. If he was the
first American of that day after Franklin, he
was second to him by a long interval, and he
had several competitors, not very far behind.
He was not quite well balanced; he tipped
this way now, then that.
John Adams had great moral virtues and
great vices. Able-bodied, compact and vigor-
Gus, though not always healthy, he had phys
ical couragc-in scholarly men it is great
virtue, and rare. He says he meant to be
soldier, but doubted whether he should be
hero or a coward. There was no occasion for
the doubt There is not drop of cowardly
blood in those manly, impetuous veins. He
inherited what we call "spunk," and we ali
know he transmitted it. loud applause. y
He had moral courage in heroic degree
He was conscientious men, and sought
the counsel Of that "stil, small voice." which
declares the law of the universe, the eternal
law, to whoever listens. He could not un-
derstand that Il kings command should rule
the conscience of the subject He had clear
| conception of justice. Eeracious, out-spok-
ling and hypocrisy in every, form land not
only in the abstract, buthe hated liars, hypo-
| critics and dissemblers in the concerto, as he
| needs must a lie in, the abstract does not
exist He was terribly open, earnest and d-
rect, and could not keep his mouth shut He
knew this Once he went with some friends
to see the great picture of Washington at.
| Fanuei, Hall Some one remarked upon the
| firm, well-set mouth. 1T looks as If it.
| could keep a secret $50 he could" said Mr.
Adams but" with his cane tapping his
| own bust, " that d-n fool never could"
Cloud laughter and applause.) a-
Mr. Adams had strong temptations to ex-.
cessive indulgence in animal passions but
he never yielded to the temptation, and in his
| ron ever had cause to blush at sight of me,
or regret our acquaintance" Here he was
| greatly the superior of jefferson, Franklin,
| Hamilton, nay or Washington himself. These
are great virtues. Few politicians, or other
| men, can count so much.
| But he was ill-tempcred, sudden and quick
in quarrel He was not good judge of
character he often suspected the noblest
men, and put credulous faith in the mean and
deceitful Intensely ambitious of place and
power as he was, he yet always sought to rule
his desire by his duty. But if he sought on
ly excellent things the spirit Of search was
not always commendable, his motive selfish,
his manner harsh. He was not a magnani-
nous or noble man. He was suspicious and
| Jealous of the nobiest of men before him in
social rank and above him in power. He at
| tributes mean motives to all men-often to
the nobest ia the land. He does this in his
earliest letters and his latest. A rOund-head-
ed man, he was constantly fighter. This
appeared in his diary, and in his newspaper
articles before the revolution and after it; even
in his own autobiography written in his extreme
old age. He was violent in wrath, which
whep reused, nothing for the moment stayed.
He was indiscriminating as to the cause of it.
| 1t might be the members of his Cabinet at
| the seat of Government or his butcher at
Quincy who brought in his bill.
Impatient of opposition, and greedy of re-
suits, he was most intensely desirous of hon
or and applause. At Paris, in 1862, he was
handsomely complimented for his success in
Holland, and he writes in his journal "a
few of these compliments would kill Franklin
if they came to his ears" daughter. Frank