The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-01-21
uNTAC7FlyL- ADAMS
The Pathetic U1gor4I2rity CT Our
SecQni FfeGl l3ent.
he WAS VAIN VAIN AND And GLAD Of IT
Then, Too, lao tIad sa o5st;n@tc Per
sonaI:sy Tat E::,a@>2c9 Him - {
Positive Genius For Purliag Himself
In the Worst Pcssibe Light.


The cholcric Jon. A,,.li..a !!..;;,,>i !>,~.l
president for more than two Years, but
as long as Washington lived the coun
try refused to look upon any one else
rs its real head.
The way Of the trausgressor may be
hard indeed, but it is Il path Of roses
compared with the tIiorny read the sue
cessor to popular IDOL must tread, and
when one reads the frankly expressed
opinion of Adams party friends and
party enemies ones Sympathies go out
to the man upon whom Washington :
presidential mantle fell.
His supertiuoU5 hi@hneSS" was the
title the opposition had suggested for
him in the days when discussion rage
as to what the high officials of the gov
ernmcnt were to be called. He had
great learning great patriotism and an
unQuenchable spirit. hut everything and
enveloping them all was Il positive
genius for doing and saying uHtact.cui
things, for appearing at the worst pos
sibIe advantage.
4 member of his cabinet once said
of him that whether he was ''sportfHl.
playful. witty. kind, cold. drunk. sober,
angry, easy, stiff, jealous, careless. eau
tiouS, confident. close or open he was
almost always so in the wrong place
and With the wrong person"
The kindly Franklin characterized
him as always honest. sometimes
great. but often mad" One less genial
remarked that even in his sobereSt
moments Adams was the greatest
marplot in nature. And John Ran
dolph II Roanoke whose tongue added
the poison of ridicule TO the bitterness
of gall. called him that political Nal
volio.'
Adams thought Washington's talents
overrated and on becoming president
in his turn was ambitious to make a
record brilliant enough to overshadoW
him 1t was certainly no easy task.
even without the handicap of Adams
obstinate personality.
He knew that be was vain. Thank
God am sor' he exclaimed Vanity
is the cordial drop which makes the
bitter cup of life go down. But it
had it's lingering after taste, and justly
proud of his record-having, as one
of his biographers puts it, stepped
from his little country law Office and
proved himself a match for the diplo,
mats of Europe"-Adams resented the
narrow margin By which he had been
elected. calling himself with some bit
terneSS "the president of three votes
only"
a vice president can be removed by
nothing short of crime or physical in
capacity. and jefferson remained, an
ever present and irritating thorn in
Adams side. Adams had found it
hard to learn and accept the passive
role demanded by the office, and he evil
dently took some satisfaction i'll i'm
pressing the same uncongenial lessons
upon his successor.
Jefferson asserted that he was never
consulted upon any question of govern
ment after Adams had been two days
in power And he did not make the
charge in the humorous mood of a
later incumbent, who used to declare
that his chief had asked his advice
only once and that was about the
wording Of Il Thanksgiving proclama-
ton.
Il believe he always liked me-" Ad-
ans admitted i'll retrospect of his
long career. but he detested Hamilton
and my whole administration Then.
he wished to be president of the Unit
ed States, and stood in his way. so
he did everything that he could to pull
me down But if should quarrel
with him for that might quarrel with
every one / had anything to do with
in life Did you ever hear the
lines:
Il love my friend as well as you,
But why should he obstruct my view?
u forgive my enemies and hope they
may find mercy i'll heaven. Our Ma
ton In the Building" by Helen Nico-
lay. in Century Magazine