Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1865-03-24
The Twelfth Lecture.

AA0 - W SAAOAA ASSS~S~AS -
The last lecture Of the Union Course
was on Tuesday evening. and by Eugene
Hale, Esq. The subject was, 1.-The Life
Of John Quincy Adams"
The life Of a pure minded and dstin-
guishcd public man, who lived to ripe
old age, with his harness on from early
boyhood until the '.last of earth" was
dimly seen rccedng from mental vision,
must be pleasant theme for any mind to
dwell upon even in ordinary times. But
when the life of such man as John Quin-
cy Adams is contemplated in the light of
current events, and with full knowledge of
the important part which he played in the
great drama Of American politics from
the foundation of the Republic to near the
close of the first half of the Nineteenth
Century and in the light of his well de-
fined principles on the great questions
which eliminated in the present war, such
theme becomes deeply interesting and
impressive.
When OH the o3d Of February 1s4s, the
spirit of Mr.. Adams peacefully departed.
1.-THE gate Of fear and envy was shut; that
Of honor and fame opened" Since then
no pen has dared assail the noble dead,
and no tongue has audibly spoken words
Of censure. But it is pleasanter task. at
any time to commend what is commenda-
bic, than to condemn what nMy be ohjcc-
tionable. In tracing the history of this
great and good man, but little is found to
censurc at this late day, in all his public
career. Some things, which at the time
had we all been active participants in the
politics Of the day, we might have taken a
different view Of, We have now come to
sec eye to eye. The "old man eloquent
was far-seeing in judgment, and therefore
yearly always right.
Some fourteen years since Mr.. Bry-
ant was selected among the literary
men of New York to deliver an eulogy on
the life and character of J. Fcnnimorc
Cooper,and he did his melancholy, and yet
pleasing task so well, that one of the ad
mirers of the living poet, and of the dead
author, said "see what one man of genius
can say of another" In turning to the
Memoir of the life of John Quincy Adams,
by his early and lifelong friend, Josiah
Quincy, published in 1858, VIC can see
what the pure. minded Quincy could say of
his noble friend. In this work, may be
found much of the material which the
Lecturer on Tuesday evening wove into
his deeply interesting and truly able effort
We will not attempt to give even a
short and unprecedented of Mr.. Hale's
lecture. Suffice it to say, that it was adj
mirably written, finely delivered, and every
way crcdit'and honor to the author
Evidently, the character Of Mr.. Adams. as
seen in the clear noon day sun of passing
events, seemed to the lecturer to be near
perfection. TO those old friends of the
younger Ad,ms," those who attached
themselves to him, when it cost something
to defend the right, the retrospect must be
pleasing.
The reflections Of the speaker, on the
uncertain and cvancsccnt character of the
huzzas Of an unthinking and unreasonng
populace. seemed timely and true. So
was the portraiturc of the competing can
didatcs for the Presidency in 1924 well
done. What was characterized "as the
miserable and short-sighted policy" of Mr..
Jefferson. (the gunhoat scheme,) might
provoke word of defense, in the light of
the last three years operations of our
Navy.