The Portland daily press., 1874-05-29
TERMS $500 PER ANNUMIN ADVANCE.

~" Pietty IonS DOW, DuI tne -nfty must
nave been slip Of the tongue. On another
like occasion, Mr.. Adams wrote in the diary.
"Ihe President was less cheerful in his MEM
ories than usual, but told some of his GUS
tomary startling stories" An instance given
Is, that Jefferson said that before he went
rom Virginia to France he had ONE ripe
pears sewed up in two bags, and that
tho, nc returned, six years afterwards, he k
ohsnna,; ,n perfect state of preservation.
,,,Ise ,' sa.loh 50 often repeated by b. SUI
VINO knew Jefferson so well, and who rvs
col hrmed IL by giving instances mnst 10
cepted as proof that Jeferson's co -sa-
tiOn at his own table was as far as r. 10
from the exactness of a witness givin. rn
testimony in coart of justice. We r art
the following passage from the diary, after
another dinner at the Presidents, because it
doubtless gives fairer idea of the usual top
les at Mr. Jefferson's table and because it
brings into view one of the most accomplished
men who made figure in New York society
in the early part OF this century:
SAT dinner there was much amusing COLI
versation between him and DIR. Mitchell,
I'll Tough altogether desultOry. There was, as
usual, dissertation upon wines, not very ed
flying. Mr.. Jefferson said that the epicurean
philosophy cane nearest the truth, in his
opinion, OF any ancient system of philosophy,
but that it had been misunderstood and mis-
represented He wished the work of Gas-
sendI concerning it had been translated. 1t
was the only accurate account of it extant.
1 mentioned Lucretius. He said that was
only part-only the natural philosophy.
But the moral philosophy was only to be
found in Gassendi. DIR. Mitchell mentioned
Futon's steamboat as of great Importance.
70 which NJ. Jefferson, asserting, added,
and think his torpedoes a valuable inven-
ton, too He then eulogised upon the GER
tainty of their effect, and adverted to some OF
the obvious objections against them, which
he said were not conclusive. DIR. MitchelPs
conversation was very various-of chemistry,
of geography and OF natural philosophy; of
arts, grasses, beasts, birds, petrifactons and
incrustations; Pike and Humbot, Lewis and
Barlow, and a long train of ct ceteras-fOr
the Doctor knows little of everything, and
is communicative OF what he knows, which
makes me delight in his company. Mr.. JEFF
ferson sad that he had always been extreme
ly fond of agriculture, and he knew nothing
about it, but the person who united with
other science the greatest agricultural knowl-
edge OF any man be knew was Mr.. Madison.
He was the best farmer in the world On
the whole, this was one of the most agreeable
dinners have had at Nj Jefferson's."
We have preferred to give specimen re-
lating to social manners rather than one
bearing on political history, in order that the
reader may perceive that the work is not en-
tirely devoted to politics. So far as it has yet
gone it abounds in criticism, in personal an
ecdotes, in judgments OF books and theatrical
performances and most OF the topics that in
teiest cultivated people. Mr.. Adams was all
his life much given 10 verse writing. This
was a foible, for he had not the slightest
glimmer of poetic genius But as it is the
purpose of his editor to exhibit him precisely
as he was, like the artist who painted Crom-
wells face with its warts, he gives copy OF
verses consisting of fourteen eight-line STAN
zas addressed by Mr.. Adams to his wife on
her birthday. He was then boarding with
her sister in Washington, and the verses con-
sist chiefly of a description OF his manner OF
passing winter day. intermingled with re-
membranes of the absent wife. Every stan
"a is equally bad, and in selecting a speci-
men we have taken one in which the matter
is level with manner. 1t may remind elderly
New England readers of childish rural Gus
tom:
Soon little Mary, too, they bring,
And now practice every wile,
And clap the hands. az laugh and sing,
To catch that Ii, aven-an infants smile.
Meanwhile apple pairing whirpd
Thrice round the head with mystic dtty,
And forthwith on the carpet hurled,
Foretells her future lord to Kitty.
"One constant feature of Mr.. Adams, diary
is his differentiation, which his editor
makes it point of conscience TO publish.
The most depreciating OF those contained in
this volume cannot harm Mr.. Adams, repu
tation. We insert specimen, which con-
trasts curiously enough with his great readi-
ness and power as an eXtempor aneous speak
er in the House of Representatives thirty or
forty years ago. The date of the extract is
1905:
"Qp this OCCASION, as on ALMOST every 9TH
er, felt most sensibly my deficiency as an
extemporaneous speaker. In tracing this de-
ficiency to its source find it arising from a
cause that is irreparable. No efforts, no ap-
plIcatiOn on my part can ever remove it. 1t is
slowuess of comprehension, an incapacity to
grasp the whole compass of a subject in the
mind at once with such an arrangement as
leaves a proper impression of the details; an
incapacity to form ideas properly, precise and
definite with the rapidity necessary to give
them uninterrupted utterance. My manner,
therefore, is slow. hesitatng. and often much
confused. Sometimes, from inability TO pro-
vide the words to finish thought commenc-
ed, begin a sentence with propriety and
end it with nonsense. Sometimes, after car
rying through an idea Of peculiar force to its
last stage, the want of proper word at the
close drives me to use one, which throws the
whole into a burlesque, and sometimes the
most important details of argument escape
my mind at the moment when / want them,
though ever ready to present them before and
after. Hence, never know when / have
finished any given subdivision Of subject.
And hence, in making tine transition from
one part of it to the other, am often COM
PEELED 20 take minute or two Tor recollec-
ton, which leaves chasm of silence always
disagrseabte to the shearers. I must, there
fore, never fiatter myself with the hope of
oratorical distinction"
The man who took this responding view of
his powers at the age of thirty-eight lived to
be habtually spoken OF as the "old man elo-
quent'' by the newspaper correspondents at
Washington. Mr.. Adams early boggIing
and embarrassment recall what Burke said Of
Fox: "He rose by sloy degrees to be the
greatest debater the world ever saw" Mr..
Adams had become agOod speaker before he
left the Senate in 1909