The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1930-06-13

celebrating its tercentenary and hon.
oring the men who helped add to her
renown as a colony and state, the
ceremony at the New York institution
might properly be regarded as part
of the tercentenary celebration. For
those seven men all sprang from the
soil Of the Old Bay state and five of
them were graduated from Harvard!
The nine who were thus honored in
this years ceremony included two
statesmen, two historians, an author,
a poet, an educator, an inventor and
a jurist. Their names and their rec
Ords of achievement are as follows:
John Quincy Adams was born in
Braintree, Mass, July II, 1867. After
graduation fom Harvard he practiced
law in Massachusetts and first entered
public life in 1894 when President
Washington appointed him minister to
Holland and two years later minister
to Portugal. In 1897 he became min
lister to Prussia, and at the end of his
career in that post returned to Massa-
chusetts where he was elected to the
state senate in 1902. The next year
ne was elected to the United States
senate. President Madison appointed
him minister to Russia in 1909 and
he played an important part in arrang-
ing the treaty of peace which ended
the War of 1912 between Great Brit
ain and the United States. Adams
was next appointed minister to Eng
land, and after an absence of eight
years abroad he was called back to
America to serve as secretary of state
under President Monroe
Adams principal achievement as Sec
rotary of state was the treaty with
Spain, whereby Florida was ceded to
the United States for $5,000,OO0. In
the campaign of 1924 he was elected
President over Andrew Jackson when
the election was thrown into the house
of representatives, but in the election
of 1928 Jackson was the victor. How
ever, the ex-President did not long re-
main in private life. In 1881 he was
elected to congress where he remained,
representing the same district of Mass
achusetts, until his death in Wash
ington February %, 1S4S.
George Bancroft, born in Worcester,
Mass, October 3, 1900, was also
Harvard graduate. After studying
abroad he selected history as his
special branch and soon became wide
ly known, both in Europe and Amer
lean as historian and teacher. The
first volume of his greatest work,
"History of the United States" was
published in 1884. When James X.
Polk became President he appointed
Bancroft secretary of the navy and
his greatest achievement in this posi-
ton was to win the title of founder
of the United States Naval academy"
by establishing the training school for
our future sea captains at An.
napolis, Md. Bancroft died in Wash
ington, January II, 1891.
James Fenimore Cooper, born in
Burlington, N. j., September Is, 1889,
was the author who immortalized the
American Indian in his Leather
stocking Tales" and whose sea stories
revolutionized the literature of the sea.
One day while reading an English
novel he made remark which has
become a classic of would-be au-
thors: II believe 1 could write a
better story myself" Encouraged by
his wife, he, attempted it, and in 1920
his first novel "Precaution" was pub
llshed anonymously. 1t attracted some
attention in England and it encour-
aged him to continue his writing. The
result was 1.-THE Spy" published year
later, and during the winter of 1921
p the American public awoke to the