The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-28

| IL.
AS time wore on her womans heart
| cried out. Il want some sentimental
| illusions of the heart" sne wrote. II
am sure you are not destitute OF them.
Or are they all absorbed in the great pub
lie? Much is due to that know, but,
being part or the ubic, [ lay claim TO
a larger share than have had"
Well indeed might her heart crave ten
! derness, and il is pleasure to know
that her husband was with her for
brief visit before the dreadful six weeks
soon to follow. in which she LAID five of
her near kindred in the grave. Time but
Increased her devotion to the principle of
political justice for which the colonists
were struggling; with it grew desire for
p broader field for women. She held that
| the training OF girls was too restricted :;
| that IN order to have sons who should be
heroes and philosophers Tho mother mnst
be educated. and lamented her own def-
cisncy in this respect.
| In March, l776, she wrote her husabnd:
81 long to hear you have declared an in
dependency, and, by the way, in the new
coue of laws, which l suppose it will be
necessary for you to make | desire that
you would remem Der the ladies, and be
more generous and favorable to them
than your ancestors. Do not put such
unlim ted power into the hands of the
husbands. Remembs all mon would be
| tyrants IL they could. If particular care
| and attention is not paid to the ladies We
| are determined TO foment q rebellion
and will not hold ourselves bound by any
laws in which we have no voice or repre-
sentation."
When he dared commit it to paper, Mr..
Adams expJunded the policy Of the state
| to his wife and in one of his letters re-
marked: "As you love political bone
l will throw you one.' And again: Il
| think you shine as stateswoman of late
as we'll as farmeress. PRAY. where do
you get your maxims of state? They are
| very apropos.'
| Admirable as Is the general sentiment
| and practical tone of Mrs. Adams letters,
tho concession must be made that the
writer WAS prone to indulge in poetical
quotation to an excessive degree, accord
| Ing to the standards of this age and gen.
| Grafton.
The financial condition of the country
grew more critical, the depreciation of
Continental money was appalling. We
find this patriot woman writing: II
have not copper, ami will not go IN debt.
feel as contented when have break fast
ed upon milk a. ever did upon hyson or
souchong. Coffee and sugar | use as
rarity. | scarcely know the taste of bis
! cult or flour this four months" But her
stout heart din not fall she added: MY
dear friends knows | always conform to
times and circumstances" Despite her
| manifold duties she told her husband
sbo thought of attempting the manufac-
!
was finished.
Nor did her activity cease here. she
| welcomed her husbands legal brethren
to her home, received calls from dlstin-
| guished personages and fearing there was
| u lack of courtesy shown by the BOSTON,
ians toward our French allies, entertain
ed Count d 'Estaing and the officers of
| his fleet.
With the appointment of Mr.. Adams az
commissioner to France came new pange
to her womanly heart. Her eldest son
| cCompAnied his father, and mails were
few vnd letters often lost. True, in eiRh-
teen m onths the travellers returned, but
their stay was short. Mr.. Adams was
again sent abroad. this time taking two
sons with him.
again and added thereto the cares of .
| dealer In 10 erohandise, all the while ad
herring to the rule of rigid economy for
which there was continual and dire noc-
essty. She imported her own goous
and despite the vicissitudes OF war times.
| her new venture prospered.
Letters to her sons at this time mani
fest solicitude for their moral and phys
ical well-being, and are filled with sound
advice and lofty sentim emit.
::with all he. bravery, life was hard for
mire virtue than to practice it, especial
ly the great virtue of self -denial. find
| but few sympathizing souls-that nearest
allied to my own, they nave taken from
J me. and tell me honor and name are q
| compensation.
Anxiety for her sons now tore her heart
more fie.cely than ever. For four months
| Charles, a lad of ~. was on a vessel
honeward bound. and no word of u
reached port until happily the ship itself
sailed into the harbor. John Q. had been
placed in an educational institution IN
| France, and for fifteen months but one
| letter from him reached his mothers
hand. Nor was this all. Comments and
| criticisms came to her ears on her hus-
bands long continued absence. Then
| she sent these lines: ALAS my dear! 1
am much all ictcd with disorder called
the heartache nor can any remedy be
| found in America
Mr. Adams rendered his resignation at
| once. 1t was noe accepted however. The
| government directed him to remain and
| assist in establishing commercial treaties
with the European powers. But separa-
| ton was no longer enforced. In 1884 Mrs
| Adams with her children joined him in
France. The ensuing year he was select
| ed to serve as the first representative of
the new republic to the court of st.
James, and she accom- panied him to Lon
| don.
! In 17SS Mr. and Mrs. Adams returned
to Braintree. but the formers duties as
vice president soon called thcm to the
capital. Eight years later this woman,
this frugal housewife and courtly dame,
| entered the executive mansion as is
| proud mistress.
wASHINGTON'S SWEETHEARTS
| George was always good boy" so
said Mary, the mother OF Washington,
and so say the traditions that cling about
his young manhood albeit he suffered
that common dsiemper of youth. he was
forever falling IN love with pretty face,
nay more, he wrote poetry. love verses,
some of which have bean preserved to US.
Miss Frances Alexander, daughter of
Captain Philip Alexander, from whom
the city of Alexandria wcs named, was
probably lis first love. She was two years
his senior and did not favor his suit. but
remained his lifelong frienl.
Colonel Wilson Cary of Virginia refused
to permit him to address his daughter
Mary, and "a lnwland beauty" sup
posed to have been Miss Lucy Grimes,
afterwards the wife of Henry Lee, the
famous Light Horse Harry, was equally
hard hearted.
When about 90 he addressed a letter to
William Fauntleroy. asking permission
to make proposal of marriage to his
daughter, sin the hope OF revocation of
former cruel sentence, and see ii | can
not tind an alteration in my favor" 1t
is sa id that this lady refused Washington
because he was less wealthy than his
rival whom she married. In after years
she witnessed frnm a window triumPhal
pageean in which the famous chieftaln
was the central figure, the guest of the