Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1874-07-16
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.

M.moirs Of John Quincy .4tlrnas. conpris-
ing portions ofhis Diary from 1895 to
.1sOS. Edited by Charles Francis
Adams. Td. l.. Lippincott g. Co..
Philadelphia. 1874.
We are free to say that wc began this
book with what Mrs. Malaprop or Sir An
thony. We really forgot which. recon-.
mends as the basis of connubial bliss. "a
little aversion" Diaries" as q general
thing. are an abomination in our eyes
Some are. VIC admit, attrac.ive-witncss
Samuel Pepys's-on account Of their in
trinsie wor,hlessless. some are negatively
useful as being q mere record Of dates and
unquestioned facts. but al; are peruicious
aud mischievous. which record the wri-
ter's transient opinions and embalm his
prcjudices aud antipathies. Who doubts
this. who ever kept diary and. after the
expiration of any considerable lapse of
time. has had the courage to look at it
again Horescunt ,eferentes. One shud-
dcrs at the thought Of the injustice Ger.
tain to be done. Has any one rcali zed
the effect upon social intercourse Of the
known presence of "chiel takin' notes?''
1t would drive anybody into dull reserve.
or. what is quite as likely, into chatting
loquacity, and in either case the diarist
would be frustrated. When John Ran
dolph vas asked il he kept q diary, his
indignant reply was that he not only did
not. but never willingly kept company
with any one who did. The veteran and
accomplished editor Of this fragment Of
"sxty-fve volumes of diary" in his in
PRODUCTION. quotes Mr.. Calhouu's aver
ment in reference to any diary that ii.
carries conclusive evidence only against
the writer himself" and thinks he detects
an Inconsistency in the fact that the gfea,
South Carolina statesman once appealed
to this very diary as evidence in his own
behalf, We beg to observe. however,
that Mr.. Calhoun appealed to the Adams
diary for the record Of facts. and not Of
opinions. There is another difficulty as
10 diaries. They may be valuable as rev.
elations Of the character. the virtues. the
infrmities Of the writer himself This
value they can only have when they are
published exactly as they are written
When an editor, enlightened BY expert.
euce and animated BY flial or other re-
gard. revises and expurgs;es q diary. it is
no longer the revelation of the man him
self. Hence what Mr.. John Qaincy
Adams wrote and believed half a century
ago is one thing; what Mr. Charles Fran
els Adams thinks he should not or should
have written is quite another. These
were. and to = certain extent these still
are. cur adverse opinions as TO diaries in
general and this diary in particular. which
We state the more freely for the reason
that the thorough perusal Of this volume
has 10 very considerable ex,en: modified
them. Ii is but fair to add another eie-
meut Of distaste. The Adams family. from
the original John down to the third gen.
Grafton of clever men who have succeeded
him. are essentially belligercut and con-
trovcrsial. II any one will read old john
Adams's queruious diary when be came
to the Philadelphia Congress in l774
aud note its egotisn. its asperi,y. its
! assumption Of superiority over all around
him. his spurts Of generous emotion
aad true patriotism qualified by 60
much that was small. he need not be al
LEGS 10 know from what roo, the peeu.
liar branches aud fruits If to-day have
grown.