Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-03-28

&c. w. H." the other day recalled some |
scattering stanzas OF poem written by John
Quincy Adams, long after he bad retired
from the presidency Of the United States.
The same correspondent inquired II any of
our readers could recall the whole of the
poem or direct him 10 where il could be |
found. The INTELL1cENcER containing the
inquiry had hardly left the press before an
swers TO the query began 10 come in, en-
abling us to lay before our readers to-day, |
the poem In question, In full. II has no lit
tie historical and personal interest, and will |
he read with attention by generation which
scarcely remembers the ex-president rs poet. l
Miss y. promptly sent 70 the INTELLIegN-
GER Office, a copy of Griswold's "Poets and /
Poetry of America" which on page 90 prints |
"The Wants ofNIan'' as the most significant /
poetical efiusion of John Quincy Adams,
who was certainly tho only rhymster OF such /
importance among tho presidents.
Mr.. Clark, OF this city and a student of |
Franklin n Marshall college, promptly re-
ferred 10 Duyckinck's encyclopedia of Amer
lean Literature" Vol. !, where IL Is found |
also in full, (page 55s) as the most memora-
| bic Of Adams productions in verse.
Hon. John b. Livingston, president Judge
| of the county court, sent the inquiring cor
respondent manuscript copy of the poem, in
the beautiful and legible handwriting for
| which his honor is famous
Mr. j. w. Rich, ofMarietta, was prompt to
furnish copy in manuscript He writes
" II was first shown to me about thirty-five
years ago by an old lady who was a great
admirer of John Quincy Adams an author,
and especially OF his verse writings. She in
formed me that II was produced in answer
TO a petition Of twenty five young ladies ask
ing for poem from his pen, to each of whom
| he wrote verse of eight lines, numbering
them from one to twenty-five"
Prof j. II. Dubbs, ID. d., OF Franklin and
Marshal, college, in directing the INTELI-
GENcER to where the poem could be found,
added: "Instead OF being pretty little
poem,' it is, however, a pretty large poem
numbering twenty stanzas of eight lines
each. l observe that Oliver Wendell Holmes
in his 'Contentment' ('Little l ask, my
wants are few) has pretty closely initiated
the work of the Old Man Eloquent"
In the course of his " talk =" last Thursday
before the literary and rhetoric class of the
Women's Educational and Industrial union,
in Boston, DIR. Holmes read his poem " Con-
tentment" and, referring TO "TlIe Wants of
Man," said John Quincy Adams wrote a
poem somewhat similar to this, though many
years previous TO my production. Like my
self, he borrowed line from Oliver Gold
smith, but we arrived at rather different re-
suits" The audience laughed heartily on
the reading of this poem and the modest re-
| quirements OF the man who wished to be con-
| tented.
, Prof j. Willis Westlake, of Millersyille
| State Normal school, likewise sent trans
, | cript of the poem and added these COM
ments: "As your correspondent states it
a was written at the request of General Ogle.
:. The latter informed Mr. Adams that several
young ladies (not one merely) in his district
| baI fp1 hin, IN, Mr. mi,
y graph for them; whereupon Mr.. Adams
: wrote the poem-"The Wants of Man -
n each stanza upon sheet of note paper. 1t is
@ interesting and ingenioI.c, is peryaded by h
k | quaint humor, and contains some good senti
q ments; but az poetry II does not rank high
,r The first two lines it will be perceived, are
,t quoted from Goldsmith's "Hermit"
,o THE YOUNGER ADAMS As POET.
V AS before stated the second Adams is tn,
10 only one of the presidents who figures in th,
literature of his country as poet and hi
'r verse was not of the first order, though i
y had certain homely quality well calculated
ct To make it popular; and the ready answer
10 received to the query of the INTELLIGEN
;, GERS correspondent shows that il has by NJ
u means passed out of the public mind.
Id Mr.. Adams, like all of his family, of th
n earlier and later generations, was scholarl,
n man, with mind stored by the requirement
20 of travel and education. He had been pro
y .o' n'n'u ~ ~n ~ u - a' ~ ~ "'Ui ~ ho va
Suoeoo'soiy 'niis.o' .u IaSao,
49, Dt ni "S 19,, w. ' w II ' III "els @ y
10 I.usnia, oit Gnu 'pp' ~ n,au @
IN .,'u ',"pi''io'o VI ~ ,,? oi's.i "lu y, ie
of ian., a,iu ,is ms. a'iip'.tou, ~ Nv WIZ wa
RI Ireland, an historicaltal of the Twelfth Cen
a tury, in -Four Cantos." 1t was didactic a
well as historical compoSition and by man
IL was suspected Of intention 10 satiriz
,a | events nearer home and of later date thai
. those it pretended TO portray. His produt
at- tions were published under the title Q
1g | "Poens of Religion and Society," and som
nv | Of his hymns were claimed to be among tn
es | ed his charactar ,s a nnhI;cist
bo | His fondness for yarse vas nm doub,adIy y IN
N ras,,i, - ~ oo,in, ,ra;n,nrr 60 h;o ,oISsn,n 20
TO ,,nthos 80 ,,Ln,.S9 ;a har 6nsI,.nd,a ahsaa,
od was anfrnstad Tho educ,t;on ~ the lad =,
be | nni,oa -, al, ~ Nc Youth 10 ra,,oat a.
H.; ,,an I'LL "a s,ir.;ns, IT, y;nas h, Caii;n. "''S
ne hi' Pi"Seis' 'ho o'hiihS Inv" W ~oiii"''
~ | and other nob,e odes aUis crsdIe hymn
DO we're the SONGS or Iibertvn
ms H., -, Ma,
-, ."' " v"
Inc poem 10 which reference mas pee
Gu made, ana which was written under the ci
cumstances related by Mr.. Westlake is 4
follows