The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1875-05-15
John Quincy Adams.


his children, as well as his own
z No attendance at the Office. | gave
the day to relaxation, and with view to
make an experiment upon the taste Of the
younger part Of our present family, after
breakfast read aloud Pope's Messiah, a
poem suited to the day, and Of which my
own admiration was great at an earlier
age than that Of my son Charles, the
youngest person now in my family. Not
one Of them, excepting George, appeared
to take the slightest interest in Il; nor is
there one Of them who has any relish for
litenture, Charles has great fondness
for books and meditatiEe mind, but
neither disposition nor aptitude for public
speaking or correct reading. Charles must
teach himself all that he learns. He viii
learn nothing from others. Literature has
been the charm of my life, and, could l
have carved out my own fortunes, to liter
ature would my whole life have been de-
voted | have been lawyer for bread,
and statesman at the call of my country.
In the practice Of the law never should
have attained the highest eminence, for
the want of natural and spontaneous elo-
quence. The operations of my mind are
slow, my imagination sluggish, and my
powers Of extemporaneous speaking very
inefficient But I have much capacity
for, and love Of, labor, habits on the whole
of industry and temperance, and strong
and almost innate passion for literary pur-
suits. The business and sometimes the
designations Of my life have in great
measure withdrawn me from it. The
summit Of my ambition would have been
by some great work of literature to have
done honor to my age and country, and to
have lived in the gratitude Of future ages.
This contamination of happiness has been
denied me. The portion Of life allotted
to me is that Of my mortal existence; but
even in this failure of my highest objects,
literature mas been to me source Of con-
tinual enjoyment and powerful preserva-
tive from vice. Il would have been
great comfort to me if all or either Of my
children inherited this propensity. George
is not entirely without it. The Others have
it not, and have found every effort to
stimulate them to it, hitherto, fruitless
Pope says It's education forms the CON-
mon mind" and so it is; but the common
mind will be always groveling in common
objects. Then common mind must form
ITSELF
Tu March, 1921, Mr.. Adams expresses
the following opinion of Henry Clay, which,
considering the intimate relations between
the two statesmen few years afterward,
may be regarded as one of the curiosities
Of political life:
Clay is an eloquent man with very pop
ular manners, and great political manage
ment. He is, like almost all the eminent
men of this country, only half educated.
His school has been the world, and in that
he is proficient. Hismorals, public and
private, are loose, but he has all the vir-
tues indispensable to popular man. As
he is the first very distinguished man that
the Western country has presented as a
statesman to the Union, they are proper
tiouately proud of him, and, being native
Of Virginia, he has all the benefit Of that
clannish preference which Virginia has
always given TO her sons. Clay's temper
is impetuous, and his ambition impatient.
He has long since marked me as the prin-
cipal rival in his way, and has taken no
more pains to disguise his hostility than
was necessary for decorum aud to avoid
shocking the public opinion. His future
fortune and mine, are in wiser hands than
ours; have never, even defensively, re-
PEELED his attacks. Clay has large and
liberal views of public affairs, and that sort
of generosity which attaches individuals
to his isperson. As President Of the Union,
his administration would be perpetual
succession Of intrigue and management
with the Legislature. 1t would also be
sectional in its spirit, and sacrifice all other
interests TO those of the Western country
aud the shareholders. But his principles
relative to internal improvements would
produce results honorable and useful to
the nation.