The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-16

the date of his dealt, he found ready
sale sfor the articles ana books writ
/ ten by him. The royalties from his
published books are said 10 afford his
FAMILY comfortable income. Ben
jarnin Harrison wrote two excellent
books after leaving the White House.
!! Chester Arthur was little gwen TO
literary endeGtcr. and in the zig card
/ index of the Library of Congress there
Is not single card showing a print
| ed document from his hand. Aside
| from his messages and routine papers
he has left nothing to literature. In
James A. Garfield the presidency had
Its only minister OF the gospel. He
was also college president. While
his utterances IN Congress are q COM
prehensive resume of reconstruction
times, he left little else to the abid-
Ing literature of the country.
| For profitable endeavor in literary
| work first place will have TO be ac-
corded to General Grant. Ground
! down to sheer poverty by the Grand
Il Ward failure, he was forced TO
| write his memoirs in order to provide
| for. his family. He had written but
| little before, but Il developed that the
/ nghter was also writer, and his auto
biography has had a sale far above
! the half million dollar mark. Mrs.
1 Grant received one check for 100000
/ and another for $4,000. to say noth-
! ing OF many smaller ones It is said
/ that the royalties on the memoirs Of
Generai Grant represent the highest
| reward that has ever come to the au-
thorship of single work.
| Lincoln enjoyed few educational adj
vantages, yet all the world recognizes
! his Gettysburg address as one Of the
CLASSICS OF American literature. His
WRITINGS have been collected into eight
good-sized volumes, and reveal the
many sides of this wonderful man.
Aside from Washington he Is perhaps
the most written-a bout of all the
| Presidents
James Buchanan wrote review
ana defense OF his administration be-
Tore he died. George Bancroft, the
historian, collected the letters and
/ diaries OF James K. Polk. and intend-
| ed TO publish them. They are now
bound in twenty-five quarto volumes.
/ and are in the possession of the I.enox
Library New York. William Henry
HARRISON once wrote a pamphlet on
/ the ahorigines of the Ohio Valley.
and Martin Van Buren, published an
inquiry Int the origin and cauyes of
political parties, John Quincy Adams
! was literary man, and some of his
! poeshs anu essays nave survived in
I the popular mind: IFS poem on Man
/ Wants But Little Here Below, Nor
! Wants That Little Long" has found
an abiding place In American litera-
ture.
! Monroe, who lives In the popular
mind as the author Of the Monroe
I Doctrine. wrote an extended essay on
the conduct of the executive. and am
other on tour Of observations he
made. His STATE papers are among
the most interesting written by any
president MadiSons Notes on the
! Constitution, and those on the Com
federation. are documents referred 10
/ hy cons ttutionai writer's 10 this day.
/ Jefferson's Declaration of fndepend-
ence, his manual of parliamentary
practice, which still remains a general
TVodg OF ruies for Inc Senate and
/ House, and lis notes on Virginia are
/ among the most interesting produce
tions from the pen Of any presidential
man Of letters John Adams wrote a
number of essays Washingten's Max
inns and his Tran ripts of Revolu-
ttonary Correspondence. constitute his
literary production. but his Farewell
1 Address takes mont faTk as State
paper.
Taking the whole sweep of Ameri-
can history up 10 the time of C1eve-
I land. IL Is probable that the most nor
able documents that have come from
I occupants OF the White House arc
/ Washington Farewell Address. JEFF
ferson's Declaration Of Independence,
Monroes Doctrine, Lincoln's Gettys-
burg Address and Grants Memoirs.