Saint Mary's beacon., 1877-10-11

JoHN Quiscr ApAMs.-The poetic el-
ement which wss not wanting in Mr..
Adams nature, thosgh hi. own attempts
10 verse are mechanical and prosaie 10
the last degree, finds frequent express,
sion in his josrnai, betraying vein or
tenaes.sss snd senesmeat that Affords Z
refreshiag scoatsast 10 the presailins
harshness and antagonists Of his lpablic
iie. Thus alter his retusn from Wash-
ington to Quincy. IN June, 1s45, be
writes: "tssw the san rise and set
clear fs0m sChsriss's house On the hill.
The Pleassre thsk Ltaks 10 Witness
ing these meSui6eenk phsnopsaa of ~
ture is unihteiiigibie to others and
suppose. singularity which I should
suppress or renounce. The sensations
which affect me at the rising and setting
sun are, first, Of alteration to the pow.
er and goodness of the Creator Of this
wonderful universe, mingled in the
morning with thanksgiving for the re-
turn OF the great luminary Of Heaven,
the source of light and Of life, in the
evening, with sadness at the departure
Of this greatest Of blessings, with a con-
scious sense Of the dependence of all
animated nature upon the constant BEN
ehcence Of the Creator, and with hum
bic suPplication for forgiveness of nv
own errors and infrmities, and for the
continuance Of the never ceasing boun-
ties 81 the omnipotent and all-see,ns
God. These sentiments are always the
same, and are rather quickened than
deadened by repetition. take pleas
ure in indulging them, and wish that
my conscience could testify to the in
fiuence Of these sentiments on my con-
duct in life." Again, few weeks af-
ter, referring to his married life, which
had always been OF singularly atiec-
t,onate and happy character, he writes :
"Anniversary of my marriage. Forty.
eight years have since passed away
A small remnant only can be be fore US.
A merciful Providence has hitherto con-
Quoted US along the path OF life. We
have enjoyed much. We have suffered
not little. Good and evil have fol-
lowed US alternately. The thread has
been Of checkered yarn. Altogether my
lot has been happy one on earth, and
every feeling Of my heart ought to be
a sentiment of gratitude TO Him who is
the disposer of events. have met
with bitter disappointments. Heavy
calamities have befallen me. All my
children, with one exception, have been
taken from me-one in infancy two in the
prime of life; and this bereavement has
once been extended to the second gen.
Grafton. The successive deccase OF my
brother Charles, Of my sister, of my
I,fhther, Of my father and of my brother
Thomas. have for the last II years
lett me the only member of the family
of the past and the present generation
| surviving on this earth. The common
| theme Of reason is death OF fathers, and
il is one Of the fatalities OF old age to
follow TO the tomb all the ioys OF cotcm-
porary kindred and friendship.
| As those we love decay we die in part:
| String after string is severed from the heart.
with regard to what's callthe wheel
Of fortune, my career in life has been,
with severe vicissitudcs, on the whole
highly ausIicious. With advantages OF
education perhaps unparalleled, with
principles OF integrity, of benevolence,
of industry and irugality, and the lofty
spirit Of patriotism and independence
taught me from the cradle, with the
love Of letters and the arts, useful and
ornamental, and with aspirations OF
science, limited only by the scanty
spark Of ethereal fire in my soul, my
intercourse with nv cotemporares has
in all its fluctuations been more success
iul than deserved. My life has been
spent in the public service. Washing
ton. Madison, Monroe, were my friends
and benefactors; jefferson, hollow and
trcachcrous friend: Jackson, Charles J.
lnsersoll, George w. Erving, Jonathan
Russell, base, malignant, and lying en-
emics-a list TO which might, bu, will
not add other names. have enioyed
portion of the favor Of my country at
leas, equal to my desert, but have suf-
fered. and yet suffer, much from that
slsnder which out,enoms all the worms
Of Nile"