The Portland daily press., 1871-02-08
A Rare Old Treasure.
THE GREAT MEN OF THIRTY YEARS Ago.


THE GREAT MEN OF THIRTY YEARS AGO
One of the most interesting mementoes of
past generation that we have ever seen is
the album of lady, now resident of this
city, whose husband was the most distin-
gaished statesman, with perhaps the eXcep-
tion. of the late Senator Fessenden, that ever
represented Maine in the National Leglsla'
ture. BY the kindness of that lady we pave
been permitted to examine the httie book III
which nearly all the Dill MGOres OF public
life during the administration of Andrew
Jackson paid to her their sincere tributes of
admiration and respect.
First comes John Quincy Adams, then CT
years old, an ex-President for five years, and
in the midst of that most glorious era of his
lie when his brave opposition to slavery and
shareholders won for him the enviable title of
the "Old Man Eloquent" Mr.. Adams has
here inscribed in hand perfectly legible and
sngulariy precise, but tremulous with age,
two complimentary stanzas. The date, like
that OF most of the other autographs, is 1884.
and some pretensions as an author as one
would readily infer from his effort here.
Next comes "H. Clay,' and astonishes the
reader with his feminine, almost microscopic,
chirography. None of the brilliancy and dash
of the great Kentuckian appears in this for
NAL note, though it IS written with easy grace
and expresses great warmth of friendship for
RI :r al
it worth while to notice that Clay writes "up
bill at an angle of four or five degrees. In
the spring of 1884 the controversy over the
removal OF the deposits of the United States
Bank by Roger fancy, Secretary of the Treas
ury, by direction of Gen. Jackson, was at its
height. The great triumvirate, Webster. Clay
and Calhoun, were successfully pushing
through the Senate resolution censuring the
President, and declaring that he had "assum-
ed the exerc Sc of power not granted to him
by the laws and constitution, and dangerous
10 The liberties of the people" the same
which was afterwards the subject of the ia
nous "eXpunging resolution" There was
much popular distress arising from the de-
rangement of the finances, owing to the re-
moval of the deposits, and every day petitions
and memorials, some of them threatening,
were presented in both Houses. Benton aud
lew others were acting energeticaly on the
side OF the brusque old President, whose sig
nature is not to be found in this volume with
those of the great Wing magnates. This
state OF affairs accounts for the sombie tone
OF Horace Binney's lines, where, among 9TH
er things, he says:
Within this Hall, above, around
Deep clouds and shadows lower
inmates OF transient light are found,
but darkness rules the hour.
The writer died only last year, we believe,
at the great age of 90.
Theodore Frelin.huysen, candidate for
Vice-President on the ticket with Clay, and
father OF the gentleman who was a few weeks
ago elected to the Senate for the sc cond time
was at this time in the Senate, and the three
lines he wrote in the Album indicate the fer
vert religious spirit which was during his
whole life SO characteristic of that eminent
statesman.
The famous Tristan Burgess, who won
such imperishable laurels by his successful
parliamentary assault upon John Randolph
contributes some..of the most elegant verses
in the volume. They disclose enthusiastic
friendship and respect for the lady TO whom
the album belongs, and admiration for her
husband.
The historian VIM. II. Prescott expresses
his Indebtedness Nto the fair owner of this
little book" in sufficiently legible hand, con.
sidering the state of his eyesight.
Senator VIM. c. Preston of South Carolina
does himself no great credit in the forced and
unnatural conceits of the lines he has written
here.
~. Calhoun expresses his best wishes for
the health and happiness of Mrs. in a
sprawling hand that one does not anticipate
and can hardly believe when he sees it.
Then comes Faithfully yours, CHARLES
DICKENS" with that superfuity of flourish
which seems SO amazing to everybody who
never saw his watch-chain and his waistcoat.
This autograph was of course written at
Washington, in 1912, at the time of the great
novelist's first visit to America. Who can
DOW look upon it without eyes blinded with
tears.
Edward Everett's signature and the quota
ton from Hamlet under which it appears are
written in characters as clear and elegant, as
clean and fas tidious as the writer's finely
chiseled and classic face.
But in most striking and ludicrous contrast
with this there appears on the very next leaf
the gem of this book, which our readers will
thank lis for transcribing uerbatim ct Htera-
tim:
WASHINGTON, 10th June, 1884.
MIS- OF Main REQUESTS the hunter from
the west to write his nam in her Album.
Her curiosity shall be grattifed by a senti-
ment wishing her helth and happiness and a
sale arrival at her residence with her family
and friends DAVID CROCKETT
Only two years afterwards poor David, who,
it will be seen, had as little bigotry about
spelling as about anything else, was killed at
the Alamo, Texas.
Daniel Webster courteously expresses the
hope on the 23d of June, 1884, that Mrs.
may have good journey, and meet all her
friends well. His autograph is more familiar
than the most of those found in this album.
Chief Justice Marshall, in hand by no
means impressing one as that of a great man,
writes that he feels "much flatlered" by re-
celvng request to place his name in the
Album of lady Of Mrs.--'s reputation.
Joseph Story, Feb. Sth, 1885, with charac-
teristc modesty, writes thus:
Your Album boasts of WORTHLESS rare |
High In their palmy tame;
AND Yet f,r one page you spare
Who only gives--a Name.
Directly underneath Robert C. Winthrop
wrote in 1916:
No other hand, -lamented, honored FriepdI-
such humble Judgment OF myself had penned;
For su e, no purer, brighter lame than tune,