Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-19
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the Bookloper

of f-glorif1cation in his book, THE
Adams Family" in which he traces the
fortunes of four generations Of Adamses
and their services to the United States.
OF this family he says: I'm America
there is one family, and only one, that
generation after generation has con-
sistently and without interruption made
contributions of the highest order to
our history ard civilization" The first
of the family in America was Henry
Adams, young farmer of Barton st.
David, in Somersetshire, England, who
emigrated to Massachusetts, with his
family in 1886 and settled in the town
which was afterward called Bralntree.
For four generations the men OF the
family were simple but public spirited
yeomen" and had not displayed the
slightest element of greatness or dis
tinction of either mind or achievement.
They had been Woodworking, piouS, re-
liable, public-Spirited village folk. A
few miles away in Boston counting
rooms or State House, fortunes were
being built up. regulations gained ana
history made" Then was born John
Adams, who was to become President
of the United States, son OF another
John and Susanna Boylston Adams.
Was it due to some mysterious result
from the combination of Adams ana
Boylston blood far beyond the ken OF
science even today, or to some va
fathomable synchronism between the
peculiar qualities of the AdamSes ana
the whole social atmosphere of the next
lew generations, subtle interplay OF
unknown forces, or to mere chance IN
universe in which atoms rush and
collide chaotically? Fascinating as the
problem Is, it Is insoluble." James
Truslow Adams divides his book into
four parts: The First Generation
John Adams The Second Genera
tion--John Quincy Adams, The Third
Generation-Charles Francis Adams,
and THE Fourth Generation-John
Quincy, Charles Francis, Henry and
Brooks Adams"
y X X
There is also an epilogue to 1.-THE
Adams Family" which introduces the
fifth generation and Is so dramatic
that it is worth quoting, ION Septem-
Der 20, 1924, John Quincy Adams wan
dered among the tombstones of the
family burial plot at Quincy musing on
the past and future of his line. -Four
generations. of whom very little more
is known he wrote in his Diary than
is recorded upon these stones. There
are three succeeding generations of us
now living. Pass another century and
we shall all be Wondering in the same
dust, or resolved into the same ele-
ments Who then of our posterity shall
visit this yard? And what shall be
read engraved upon the stones? This
is known only to the Creator of all.
The record may be longer. May it be
of blameless lives!' The century has
passed. We have seen the generations
and today third Charles Francis, a
son of John Quincys grandson. John
Quincy, is head of the family. A Har-
ward graduate, like all his family since
John; for 80 years treasurer of the
university; lawyer, like all his family;
a famous yachtsman who defended the
Americas Cup against the British, a
man true to the family tradition and
honored in his community, he sits in
the cabinet at Washington as Secretary
of that Navy which was founded by
John. John Quincy'S wistful hope has
been fulfilled, The record may be
longer"
James Truslow Adams finds in his
study of the Adams family certain
characteristics occurring in all genera
lions and in most members of the
family. They were all thinkers, indi-
vidualists, and did not follow the psy-
chology Of the mob. Their thinking
tended to generalization and there was
a strong bent of the Adams mind away
from facts and phenomena toward pri-
mary laws and principles" This does
not mean that they were not practi-
cal men; their achievements show that
they were. But they were incapable
of playing the political game. This
perhaps accounted for the single terms
of both John and John Quincy Adams.
The members of the family were always
at the disposal of their country for
public Office or missions, but would
never seek Office or use the generally
practiced methods to attain it. So,
when toward the end of his term as
President, he was confronted byN the
bitter opposition Of the adherents OF
Jackson, John Quincy confided to his
diary: st know the disadvantages on
which I now stand, and am conscious
of my inability to make interest by ca
balling. bargaining, place-giving or
tampering with members of Congress
To one thing, however, had
made up my mind: ! would take no
one step to advance or promote preten-
sions to the presidency" The Adams
have all been writers and diaries, letters
and autobiographies, as well as less per-
sonal works, have flowed from their
pens. The Letters" of Abigail Adams,
Charles Francis Adams, Ambassador to
England during the Civil War, with
devotion to family tradition, edited and
published the Letters" of his grand
mother, Abigail and; the Works" of
his grandfather, John Adams Henry
Adams of the fourth generation, long
a resident of Washington, is reckoned
as one of the most original and cul-
tured of American writer's. His Mont
Saint Michel and Chartres" and his
Education of Henry Adams" are
unique. Reserve has marked all the
family. Though devoted to family and
friends, they were not demonstrative.
In some of her letters Abigail COM
planned of the appearance of inatten-
ton" in Johns letters. In dealing with
their children, Adams parents almost
invariably showed complete respect for
the liberty of the younger generation.
On the other hand, the children have
usually "given great consideration ITO
the opinions, when they have known
them, of the parents" Familiarity with
European life has been part of the cul
tural equipment of all the family from
the time when John went to France in
1778 to help win France to aid the
cause of the new American Nation, TAX
ing with him his 10-year-old son, John
Quincy. Comparing father and son by
the tombstone of Europe, j. T. Adams
says Europe had far more attraction
for John Quincy in the second genera
ton of the family. than it had had for
John in the first, He appreciated to
the full the varied advantages of that
IN xffIzf AI, H.
moved easily from his earliest boyhood.
and he had also acquired tastes that
his father had not John had made
the family international politically;
John Quincy had become international
impressionably. In balanced Judgment.
probably the little Charles Francis. a
less than 2-year-old baby (when his