Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1886-12-23

tiers show her to be a woman Of broad mind
and of literary tastes. She knew as much
about politics as did her husband, and l
doubt not she advised him as to many
of his state papers. Her pictures represent
her as a very pretty young woman, and
John Adams loved her dearly. He addressed
her in lis letters, even after his marriage, as
Hmy dearest FRIEND" and she, in signing her
letters to him, used the name "Portla," after
the custom of the times, when every writer
had his Latin nom de plume. Abigail Adams
was the first lady of the White House. She
came to it when it was still unfinished, and
she dried her clothes in the East Room. 1t
was to her that John Quincy owed much OF
his ability. and when she died he paid one OF
the prettiest tributes to her that son ever paid
to mother. At this time-it was in 1SlS-John
Quincy Adams wrote:
MY mother was an angel upon earth. She
was minister Of blessing 70 all human be-
ings within her sphere of action. Her heart
was the abode Of heavenly purity. She had
no feelings but of kindness and beneficence;
yet her mind was as firm as her temper was
mild and gentle. She had known sorrow, but
her sorrow was silent. She had completed
within less than month Of her 14th year.
Had she lived to the age OF the patrlarcns
every day of her life would have been filled
with clouds of goodness and of love. She
had been fifty-four years the delight OF my
fathers heart If there is existence and ret
ribution beyond the grave my mother Is
happy. But if virtue alone is happiness be-
low, never was existence upon earth more
blessed than hers She was married at ~
and had five children-three sons and two
daughters Two only Of the sons have sur
vived her. Her attention to the domestic
economy Of the family was unrivaled-rlsnS
with the dawn and experimenting the house
hold concerns with indefatigable and all fore
seeing care. She was an ardent patriot, ami
the earliest lessons of unbounded devotion to
the cause Of their country that her children
received were from her. She was always
cheerful, never frivolous; she had neither gall
nor guile"
John Adams, Charles Francis Adams great
grandfather, was a very vain man.
thought himself a greater man than Gen.
Washington, and to friend who, in speak
ing of some public matter, said: Gen. Wash
ington and you did SO and so" he sternly in
terrupted: You should not say Washington
and Adams, but rather Adams and Washing
ton, for it was John Adams who made Gen.
Washington"
When John Adams was inaugurated as
president lie was bewildered 10 see the
audience weeping over Washington's re-
tirement and paying no attention to his
successor. He thought, doubt not, that
he was the greatest man of his time,
and piticd the public for its want of
appreciation. He was not great man in
small things, and he acted like boy when
Jefferson came here to be inaugurated The
night before the Inauguration he packed up
his traps and left Washington. He would
not stop to see his conqueror throned, and
though in after life he became good friends
with Jefferson at this time he thought very
hard of him because the people had elected
him president in his place
None of the Adamses, as far as can learn,
seem to have appreciated that this life was
made for anything else than hard and con.
tinuous work. You find them seldom joking,