Middletown transcript., 1871-04-15
From he Albany Aryss, March stat.
- TALENT ssERHDgrARY.

Talent and genius arc rarely hereditary In
this country. The sons OF eminent fathers are
hardly ever conspicoas or able men. The sec-
ond Geheration. however, labor undes this great
disadvantage-siscir endownlenis and faculties
are contsasted with those OF their immediate
progcniiors. Instances Of the transmission Of
high Intellectual qualities from father 10 son
seem 10 be more frequent 10 Great Britain than
In the United States. II ID not 10 be supposed
that ancestral estates invigorntc or enlarge the
mental powers Of their posscssors but the de-
sccndan, Of a wealthy family, where the law Of
eWtail exists, II never embarrassed by scanty
means or prevented from enjoying NIL the ad-
van,agcs conferred by thorough culture aud cx-
tensive travel but We are referring TO natural
abilities, the powers Of mind with which ono Is
originally endowed. With few notable cxcep-
tons, there have been families In this country
distinguished from generation to generation.
The mos; remarkable one has been the Adasncs
Four consecutive generations they have hcen n
m6ng the foremost men In the nation, disiin-
guished alike for vigorous, comprehensive minds,
large accomplishments. and extraordinary npti-
iudc for public service. To name them success
sivcly ia sufficient for our purpose. John Adams,
John Quincy Adams, Charles Francis Adams,
aud John Quincy. Beyond all question, our
late Minister TO London Is one Of the first men in
the country, and his son, J. Q. Adams, Is II
gentleman Of the finest promise. The Tlnyards.
of Delaware, have been distinguished for three
generations, In the Senate and in the legal pro-
icssion. The representative OF the family now
in the Senate, bids inr TO attain as high u place
in popular estimation MS his father or grandfaih-
cr. These are the only signal exceptions to the
! General rule. Neither Mr.. Clay, Gr. Webster
MIR Calhoun, Judge Marshall, Gov. Marcy. cor
/, NJ, Benton ,sft u son worthy of his name John
Van Dure,, had all the elements that go 10 the
making Of a grca; man. lie had fine genius
grca, logical power, abouuding wit, Snd MIND
filled with beautiful Imagery; and Win indus
iry steady perseverance, and the general habits
of his ilusirious father, he would have been
qualified for any place tha, his ia,h,r so nccep'a-
bly, filled.
The present representative of the Baysrd ism-
ily has hut recently entered tho Senate bu, he
has already made good the claim Of his friends
that he Is one Of the most effective dcba,crs in
the body In the very animated discussion oi
| the plan TO maintain the asreadAncy OF the rad-
Gals in the Southern States by the virtual dccla-
ration of martial law, Mr. Baysrd spoke with
grca, force in vindication of the Constitution,
| and in condemnation of Congressional and Exc
| cu,ivc usurpaiion.
| In the course of his speech he read n statement
| of u witness In the ease, in which he swcars that
Governor Holden asserted that Grant intended
| ~ all hazards ard by whatever method TO rcscat
himself in the Presidential chair for another
term. This, MS Mr. Bayard said. was nj the hot
tom Of the whole plot, The Radical party know
that Il s utterly impossible for them TO obtain a
new lease Of power without the Southern clcc,o-
raj votes, and IL possible, by systematic measures
Of intimidation aud violence, under cover oi
preserving the peace, which they alone break,
! they are resolved To have those votes.
| 1t u noteworthy fact that the little State OF
Delaware has almus, uniformly been represented
! in The Senate by very able men, In in addition
| to the three Bayards, four, In fact, two brothers
the unrc and father Of the present Scun,or, have
/ hem in ilr MIR Mr. Ia "A nd
several other eminent men have at different
/ periods been in the Senate. In this way Della
ware has cxertca an influence on the legislation
OF Congress wholly disproror,ioncd to her num-
crica strength. Some OF the larger States would
do well to follow her example in this respect.