My journal does most assuredly take a considerable portion of my time, my dear George, but that is not the reason of my not having written to you so often as you seem to have expected—I need not tell you who know me so well, that I am apt to fret under disappointments, and more particularly when they proceed from those whose interests are so deeply connected with my happiness, and that it...
62From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 1 March 1818 (Adams Papers)
Your Letter of the 19th: of Last Month, informing me of your admission to the University gave me great Satisfaction; and as you are now fully enrolled among the Sons of Harvard, I hope you will make it your constant and earnest object to do honour to that Institution, by the regularity of your conduct, and the steadiness of your pursuits You say that in the Class which you have entered,...
I am not sure my Dear George whether your last Letter was answered or not but at any rate you will not be much grieved at receiving another supposing that to have been the case as in that Letter you assure me that both my Letters and my advice are of consequence to you and afford you pleasure—Upon this ground then I shall continue writing as I have much more time than you have and send you a...
64From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 18 May 1818 (Adams Papers)
I direct this Letter to Quincy, concluding that you will be there during the Vacation which commenced last Friday—My last Letter to you, was dated the first of March, since which I have received only one from you—dated the 26th. of April. It would have given me pleasure to have received that which you wrote me on your birth-day; and if instead of giving it to Mrs: Gilman’s boy, you had taken...
I do not recollect whether I answered your last Letter my memory not being remarkably good and keeping no account of dates but I rather think I did not in consequence of your father having undertaken it. I thank you for your attention in sending me the North American Review but your father has it at the Office now, so that it will not be worth your while to take that trouble any longer You...
Your father has intended writing to you several days but something or other perpetually occurring he has not yet fulfilled his intention—And finding nothing to do I shall devote half an hour to your and in the first place tell you how much I am flattered by the improvement which I am informed has taken place in your appearance and manners and which your Grandmother obligingly attributes to my...
67From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 10 August 1818 (Adams Papers)
It is a great affliction to me to be deprived as I am by constant and indispensable obligipations, of the pleasure of writing to you, at least every week; but so it is, and I am now to acknowledge the receipt since I wrote you last of your Letters of 17. May. N. 8.—of 1. June. N. 9. and of the 2d: of this Month, which is without number but should have been numbered 10. Your observations upon...
In Joke while I was in Boston you one day said you would lend your Books to your Uncle Tom in New Orleans I then laughed at the idea but on arriving here he I found a Letter from him in which he requests such a loan from your father and as I know that in that way it would be difficult to procure them you would be rendering me a most essential service if you send a box of them to him which he...
69From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 17 November 1818 (Adams Papers)
I have received a Letter from my eldest Son, which informs me that in consequence of a difficulty which had taken place at College, the President at the request of my dear and honoured father had consented that he should retire to Quincy, till the fermentation, was over, where he should study something or other, till the class is re-organized. As my Son in the same Letter desires me to assure...
What have you been doing? where has your reason flown? while your poor Grandmother was yet warm in her grave; while your own mother whose all of happiness in this world depends upon the good conduct of her children was confined to her bed with a fever, what were you doing? following the foolish example of a set of wild and unruly young men whom you had not fortitude to condemn tho’ you must...
71From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 6 December 1818 (Adams Papers)
I received about a fortnight since a few lines from you so ill written that it was with difficulty that I could read them, and to my great surprize dated at Quincy, when I had expected you were assiduously pursuing your studies at Cambridge, after an interruption not less melancholy than indispensable—Your Letter barely hinted at the temporary dissolution of your Class, and by its brevity and...
Your father wrote you a Letter yesterday in which he desires you to remain with your Grandfather to which I readily consented although with a pang which has absolutely made me sick such delight had I in the anticipation of your visit—My duties as it regards my children have always by some circumstance or other been rendered particularly painful and the sacrifices required have been almost...
I yesterday received your Letter of the 1st Jany. and cannot account for the length of time it appears to have been written, before I received it; more especially as it contained news to me very afflicting concerning your Brother Charles’s health, from whom, or of whom I have not since heard. I am very anxious on his account as well as on yours, and request you to be particularly careful of...
Your Grandfather has expressed so much satisfaction at your conduct during your visit to him this vacation, that I have great pleasure in giving you this information; as it must be a great relief to your mind to know , that he has forgiven your late conduct, which I am sorry to say Dr. Kirkland informed me, had been deficient both of affection and respect—I will not say any more on this...
Your Letter of the 15 which I received yesterday has caused me the greatest alarm, and anxiety—Mr. Appleton when he returned from Cambridge told me he thought you looked pale, and thin but he believed it was only the effect of hard study—and some time since they wrote me from Quincy that in consequence of having been to Serenade Dr Kirkland on his return home you had taken a very bad cold...
All well; I send you another Sheet keep them all together that they may form a continuation and that you may be better able to understand it. Susan has just returned from Prince Georges County she is very well but her baby has been sick but he is now much better—I sent to ask her to come to me but she prefers going to Mrs. French’s. Your Mother You will see some errors but I believe you can...
77From John Adams to George Washington Adams, 10 May 1819 (Adams Papers)
You have expressed a wish—as I am told—that I would write to you—but what shall I say—we are all pritty well—so are your Father and Mother— I advise you to Study the Character of Cecrops, and the Country of Cecropia—and also the great festival of Eleusinia—and the Mystery’s of Eleusis— Show not this letter to any body living—if you show it to any of your Classmates or Collegians—they will...
I mentioned to you that I had been amusing myself in translating the Dialogue of Plato. I now send you the first sheet and shall continue to send one every week until I have completed the first—You will find it miserably done but your father says the sense is preserved and that is all that is necessary as I do not pique myself upon my translating powers—You I know can study them to more...
I send you three sheets of the dialogue because it was too little at once to read only a sheet—I am making out a fair copy of the whole which I will either send or bring when I come. You gave me such a good account of your health in your last Letter but one that was the reason I did not write to L Smith—but I am apprehensi ve you deceived me a little—from your last. I am so unwell I cannot...
I send you another sheet of the dialogue but it is so badly done I am quite ashamed of it. If it serves to excite your curiosity to read it in the original my object will be attained— We are all well and presume you are enjoying your self at Quincy with your Grandfather to whom I request you will remember me and be assured of the affection of your Mother & MHi : Adams Papers.
I was much gratified by the receipt of your Letter my dear George yesterday at noon and am somewhat surprized to find that you have not read my translation of Plato which was sent on some weeks since to your Grandfather by Mr. A. and which I supposed you had already read soon after its arrival—The two first Dialogues were sent together and the copying of them was very laborious to me—I wish...
You will probably have received the translations I sent you my dear Son of Plato as I understand you have made a visit to Quincy to your Grandfather— In a conversation held at our house in the course of last winter I heard Socrates compared to our Saviour Jesus and it was this comparison which induced me to read the life of Socrates, and the dialogues of Plato; with attention; that I might...
83From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 9 October 1819 (Adams Papers)
On examining my books at the Athenarum, I find there are several volumes missing; among which—Vols. 1. 2. and 32. of Voltaire—1. Volume of Racine—One Volume, from three different sets of Shakespear. 1. Vol: of the Glasgow Sophocles; and some others—part of not all of which, you have—There is danger, if you keep them out that they will get damaged, or mislaid and forgotten; and then make broken...
84From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 28 October 1819 (Adams Papers)
Since my return to this City I have received your Letters of the 12th and 21st. instt. the former, enclosing a list of my books which you have in your possession—and the latter, six dollars in Bank Bills. It is not, nor has it been my intention to withdraw from you the permission to take out from time to time at the Athenaeum such of my Books as you may wish to peruse—but merely to caution you...
I have at length received your Letter, after having unpatiently waited untill your more important avocations were so far terminated, as to permit you to think of so trifling a personage as your Mother—As however the period is arrived at which you have some little time to spare, I avail myself with pleasure of the opportunity thus offerered, of renewing a correspondence so warmly urged during...
86From John Adams to George Washington Adams, 12 January 1820 (Adams Papers)
I thank you for your letter of new-years-day, and congratulate you on your arrival in the great City that is to be where you will have an opportunity of seeing the great world & making many observations & reflections upon it: you may there see a variety of sentiments on government: despotism to the depths of sansculotism, & religious opinions; from the sublimities of Catholics to the...
As I presume you will have accomplished your journey ere this epistle arrives, and that you will have enjoyed the amicable greetings of your friends, and have in some measure fallen into your old habits, I may venture without the apprehension of recalling too tender ideas , to relate some of the circumstances which have occurred since you left us. Poor Colvert has lost one of his Children...
I am at length about to attempt to answer your Letter but am not quite sure whether I shall be successfull as it is late and impossible to guard against interruptions— In the first place the Missouri question is decided—How I leave you to judge as you will read the account in the publick papers—The juggling between the Clerks of the House and the Speaker places our National Councils in so...
89From John Adams to George Washington Adams, 13 March 1820 (Adams Papers)
If you have a desire of a long life and a happy life I advise you to read Cicero. Your Father has expressed sufficient admiration of his office and his other writings but I wish at this time to recommend to you particular his treatise on Friendship. his dream of Scipio his letter to his brother Quintus about to take upon him for the third time the Government of Asia, and above all his treatise...
90From John Adams to George Washington Adams, 3 April 1820 (Adams Papers)
If you can obtain leave of absence I wish for the pleasure of your Company here on the twelfth of the month—and I wish you to present my Compliments to the President, and Tutors whose consent is requisite, and ask the favour of them There is not any topick of Conversation here, but the horrours of duelling—and Mail Robbers, we do not meddle with politicks— love to John—and am affectionately /...