Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-12-06


from Boston. and in the direct route OF ex-
mansion, its boundaries touching the corpor-
ate CITY limits. it has been lying tallow ana
going 10 seed for wears. The granite guar
ries. TO which leads the first railroad built IN
America. make great scoops in the hills to
the west. At the north, close to the hills,
little colonies are settling under the auspices
of land spectators and promptly petition
ING for separation from the antiquated Dor
ougb and on the harbor side strenuous at
tennis are made each season TO arouse a
watering place fever, with uniform lack OF
success. But the centre of Quincy itself
defes innovation, and will continue to defy
il. The chief cause of this absence of life
Is the fact that the Adamses own and hold
fast to such large tracts Of the most valua-
bic land All along the the crest Of most
slightly hill in the centre of the town, which
would attract fine residences were it possible
To purchase, clumsy post and rail fences
mark il a Adams property. Broad mead
ows in the most fertile localities are I'M
purchasable, being let on long leases by the
Adamses Everywhere the prudent tarsight
Of thrifty John Adams Is seen in unimproyed
property, left to iatten Of itself and all alone
for his descendants, Were the clutch OF tins
family 10 be released from theancestral acre,
Quincy would spring into an immedite i'm
portance and blossom out as one of the live
fiest, whereas it i now one of the deade~t Of
B1ston's suburbs.
There Is an all-per,ading Adams flavor
about the place As one approaches by rail
he rides past the Adams meadows and or
chards, To avoid transgressing on which the
town road was recently laid out with long
detour Next comes the old homestead,
the " President house. Of late years cap
ped with Mansard roof 10 the utter deStruc-
ton of its antique honelineSS without the
addition Of modern elegance. Close at hand
is the fre-pro1f stone library, put up a year
or TWO since by Charles Francis Adams, to
store his own and his father and grandiath-
ers papers. From the summit of hill
looks down the new residence Of one Of ms
sons and 10 the left i the Adams Academy,
in which a bequeSt Of old John Adams has
lust found its monument.
This academy has a history almost Il curl
GUS as that of Franklin famous legacy. In
John Adams dav, New England learning
was theology, and t. that study all Others
were made 10 tend. Its doctors were doc
tors Of divinity, and lis students were those
who could c0nstrue Isaiah in the original
Hebrew. Education was not to be obtained
for the asking, and everything was as differ
ent from now As Won please. With As little
prescience of the advance Of society AZ that
shown by the printer philosopher, John
Adams determined to give the youth of dis
tanr generations an opportunity of acouir-
inc knowledge for which they would bless
his memory and in his last will and tesla
meot DESIGNATED A certain tract Of land from
whose lease the income should be set aside
until certain sum should accrue. when an
academy sbould be Established at which
Hebrew. Greek and Latin should be taught
free I, Young men of Quincy. Moreover.
the curriculum of study might be extended
bv the introduction of such other branche,
of scholarly education as might be deter
mined upon bv the vote Of the clergymen,
LAWYERS and physicians Of Quincy. But He
brew was IMPERATIVE. Two wears ago the
fund had accumulated and a marvellous won
der Of architecture. arose on a lot that had
laid open and unocc pied in the heart of the
town waiting for John Adams academy
The bgildiuo stood vacant for long months.
a puzzle 70 every one. until at last a sub
scriptila was raised for Il public library, and
one of the rooms was occupied for that par
pose, a cartioad Of PAMPHLETS and ratent
Office reports being sent down from the
Adams mansion as contribution to the
reading Of the public. An attempt To g.
tablish a school there has recently been
made. but As a tuition fee Is demanded. the
public schools absorb what would perhaps
tend toward John Adams benefaction. al
though they ito not teach Hebrew. The
building stands o. a monument of the ad-
vance that education has made beyond the
dreams Of even great men.
There are few objects in Quincy that have
aot the Adams name connected with them
The great gloomy stone church that stands in
-rbe ssro-,5 ,dar,- - a -. -.
e ,yb;,b IL ! hi. - 4 -. I'D
onarrr If dr. II 40 knil5 +be ob,rcb
'tbis I,noerrifcar,+ II b,;r,r acoo,,toj tho
church edifce i Convened ;5to'a r,pus,lanTn
of the res;5e,ts tbair ~. So, - ~,
vopIr bsneotb ADD ,bI. nnIrit stanJi21a he
rrsen the III Lii. tbat fo-,;f,
10 the fact of ecnIrtnTs ar5 ~ the honor c,f
rho dece,se5
I, i r,t ,,+,-,r, tho. .l,., ,.,,
,,lo,;or ~ -; Ri, ~ 49,
certai,, ra-,- -, -, ~ e., IL
tba- an Adm ,,;st oI,ra,- oac',-,,- tbon,od
erator's chair At town rIeetinTI. thar tha
ado 80 bo,,iJ - 49,. M,
leIicote consideration fro3, tho assslnr and
,b,, 90 =, ,-'l;,;o- - - ~ H.,
land mind i stnbbor, MOD TO ,.r,s IF |
1dar,s ebonId bea ,Io,ra- I, :, No. ev-
- ,.a,,a,,+;o., g T., -. -
Cbarles Fra.c;s ,JarS ,ro9lJ not 80, 80. a
bnStIinr rs he stnmDed aion- 70 ca,c5 eat
in cr5wjeJ tr,in IL HI; - -. Ill mi,
his worn bat and in ftt;n,, ,roIsorg al,yavl
too short and b;tcbinr - ~ p ~
socb Son r., :, '.,,Doe "a -