New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-07-14
AMERICAN ANA.

recent scaudalous affair in this city revived the
almost forgotten gossip Of Gen. Jaeksons first Ad-
ministratiop. and the memory Of that great Cabne
dissolution which at the time created such a wide
sounding pOther. That was not the first occasion
even in our own history, upon which a ladies' quar-
rel as Cen Jackson called it, mounted to the dignity
of public consequence. 1t is a singular fact, how
ever that we Americans. renowned as sc are for
somewhat unmannerly intrusion upon the sanctty OF
private life, and fond as of personal anecdote,
have never cultivated that branch of literature which
preserves the memory of events with cOlloquial
familiarity, and describing both dignity and eulogy,
lets us into the of mems motives in doing we'll
or in doing dishonoraby. French memoirs have long
been the delight and the despair of other nations, and
although we might not have initiated them very sue
cessfully, the wonder is that We, who in literature
must try our hand at everything should never have
thought of initiating them at ALL For vain nation,
we have been singuarly sparing of autobiography,
although the charming little fragment by Frank
lin is worth its weight ten times over in
gold Adams and jefferson have been edited
with n socmnity and a ponderosty truly re-
spectacle and little repulsive. The same is
true of Madison and of Hamilton, and of JAY II
seems to be getting every day more and more mposs-
BILE for to figure the great men OF the Revolution
as human beings, not by any means perfect in their
morals, or fit tenants of pantheon There is little
pamphlet, printed by Hamilton when Secretary of
the Treasury, in which he plainly and plumply con-
fesseS delicate mSdemeanor and which has been SO
efectually suppressed that aware of the exist
ence of only single copy, although there may be
Others hidden in the rubbish Of old libraries. John
Adams wrote, with unmstakabe distnctness, his
views of his contemporaries upon the margins of his
books; but his books are packed away in the back
of lawyers Office in Massachusetts village,
and are not present either much cared for nor easy
of accessible letters printed by us in THR TRIBUNE
some years ago being the only account given to
the public Of this unique collection There is pleas
ant little volume by Miss Adams (Mrs. Smith) con-
tanning her letters and journal, while abroad with
her father, in which the old jeaousies and quarres of
the time peep out queerly, when she speaks Of DIR.
Franklin, as this man on whom the world have
passed such high encomiumS, and perhaps justly
there being quito smart scratch at old Madame
Helvetius upon the next page.
There are two painful but inevitable results of the
literary deficiency which we have indicated The
first is that our original great men are fast becoming
mythical, shadowy, and as unsubstantal as the
heroes of Homer or of Ossian. Washington, we are
afraid, must give up. That he was human being,
that he did eat and drink that he wrote to his tailor
in Philadelphia to make his next pair of leather
brooches "more roomy," that he sometimes kissed
little girls and perhaps great girls, that his artificial
teeth too large for his mouth that he danced a
minuet with stately grace, and that he could some.
times make broad joke-this We know in spite Of the
precautions Of Mr.. Sparks. But the majority
of Americans have long ago ceased to
regard Washington with anything like familiar
affections he has been only little while Dead and we
already speak Of him the Romans spoke of Romuus
and as Englshmen speak Of Alfred. A second evil
result is that knowing little nothing of the per.
sona character OF our great men, tradition treasures
up all manner of falsehood concerning them, and al.
though many Of the prominent leaders Of the Revolu
ton were far from sanity, popular aneedote makes
them worse than they really were. The dull medi.
ocrty of human nature has sure way Of avenging
itself for the which great actions exor from
it. Although. Washington has escaped traditionary
scandal Jefferson has not, nor Franklin, nor Hamil-
ton. The two laStnamed have Jared the best prnci-
pay, suspect because they have confessed the most
but the morals of Jefferson are still under the mputa
ton cast upon them by bitter and INSCRIPTIONS FEEDER
alsts. One cannot sufficiently admire the courageous
wisdom Of Franklin, who saved himself from the sus
pcion Of worse follies by publicly avowing those Of
which be had been guilty. When an old statesman
like the Swedish Chancellor tells some young friend
to note with how little wisdom the world is gov
sued" h merely means that human motives under,