201From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 1 September 1811 (Adams Papers)
In your letter of 18 January to your Mama, you mentioned that you read to your Aunt Cranch a chapter in the Bible, or a Section of Dr. Doddridges annotations every evening, this information gave me great pleasure, for so great is my veneration for the Bible & so strong my belief that when duly read & meditated upon, it is of all the books in the world, that which contributes most to make men...
202From John Adams to George Washington Adams, 15 December 1815 (Adams Papers)
I am afraid you will be offended at my freedom; but you are, in your hand writing, at Such an immense distance behind your two Brothers that I cannot abstain from urging you to force your Attention to that elegant usefull and indispensible Accomplishment. In order to diminish that ardor and abate that hurry which will inevitably force you into a Slovenly habit; accustom yourself to a critical...
203From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 8 September 1811 (Adams Papers)
In your letter of 18. January to your Mama, you mentioned that you read to your Aunt Cranch a Chapter in the Bible, or a Section of Dr: Doddridge’s annotations every Evening—This information gave me great pleasure, for so great is my veneration for the Bible, and so strong my belief that when duly read and meditated upon, it is of all the books in the world that which contributes most to make...
204From 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...
205From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 17 April 1824 (Adams Papers)
I have duly received your Letters N.7, 8 and 9. with their enclosures; accounts and vouchers—When in my last Letter; I observed that the account which you had previously sent me, did not inform me for what , the expenditures which you had charged against me were made, it was not my intention to require of you a full settlement, and a delivery of vouchers, at the close of every quarter—It was a...
206From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 15 September 1811 (Adams Papers)
The first point of view, in which I have invited you to consider the Bible, is in the light of a Divine Revelation . And what are we to understand by these terms?—I intend as much as possible to avoid the field of controversy, with which I am not well acquainted, and for which I have little respect, and still less inclination—My idea of the Bible as a Divine Revelation , is founded upon its...
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...
208From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 10 November 1817 (Adams Papers)
Your Letter of 14. October N. 2. but Post-marked on the Superscription, “Cambridge 21 Octr. was received by me on the 25th: of the same month—my engagements as you suppose absorb so much of my time, that I am seldom able to snatch a moment for writing private Letters to my family and friends. Yet I shall always endeavour to be as punctual a correspondent as possible, and shall particularly...
It is so long since I heard from you I begin to find it difficult to account for your Silence—Have the Muses siezed upon your imagination? Or is it a touch of the belle passion which occupies your contemplation and makes you forget your Mother? either of these things might perhaps plead in excuse though I can only allow these to be momentary.— Your occupations are I know numerous but one...
210From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 9 July 1814 (Adams Papers)
Upon looking back on the list of my Letters sent to America, I am surprized to find that the last I wrote you was dated so long ago, as the 13th: of September; but the causes of this long silence have not been from any abatement of my affection for you. During the whole of the last Winter, and untill I left St: Petersburg to come upon my present Journey I did not receive a line from you—There...
211From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 21 October 1823 (Adams Papers)
I received yesterday your Letter N 1. dated the 15th. instt. with its enclosure, and am much pleased with the attention you are paying to my Affairs and your own—In entering upon a new Scene of life, it is important to begin well; to commence the formation of good habits, and to form a system for the employment of time which will obviate the formation of bad ones. At your Season of life, it is...
212From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 6 October 1811 (Adams Papers)
We were considering the Bible in its historical character, and as the history of a Family—From the moment when the universal History finishes, that of Abraham begins, and thenceforward it is the history of a family of which Abraham is the first and Jesus Christ the last person. And from the first appearance of Abraham, the whole history appears to have been ordered from age to age expressly to...
213From 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...
214From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 3 September 1810 (Adams Papers)
Your Mama and I have received your letter dated the 28th: of February last; which gave us much pleasure—I suppose by the hand-writing that your Cousin Susan was kind enough to write it for you; for which we thank her.—By the time when you will receive this I hope you will be able to write me an answer to it yourself: and I shall expect you write to me, or to your Mama, as often as you know of...
Mary is amusing me as usual in crying and whining because I suggest to her the necessity of some occupation She has written one page of your fathers Bible Letters and imagines that after such an immense exertion she must rest from her labours altogether. I will leave it to you to decide whether the Sabbath is to be literally understood as a day of total inactivity both of mind and body or...
216From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 27 September 1812 (Adams Papers)
I wrote a few days ago to your Grandmama, and desired her to inform you, and your brother John, of the heavy misfortune that had just befallen us, in the loss of your Sister, who after a very severe illness of four weeks, left this world, I trust for a better, on the morning of the 15th. of this Month.—I need not tell you how much distressed your Parents are at this afflicting dispensation of...
217From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 31 July 1820 (Adams Papers)
If the twenty-five Volumes of the projected compilation of English Poetry, which were published at Philadelphia, for which I subscribed, and which I promised to give you, should be sent on to Boston, you shall still have them; but it is not worth while to purchase them there, if the remaining volumes are not to be published—You shall not lose however an equivalent for the donation, and you may...
218From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 18 June 1812 (Adams Papers)
In the course of the last Autumn and Winter, I wrote you five Letters on a particular, but most interesting subject; one of which I perceive by yours of 18. December you had then received—Soon after writing the last of them I became engaged in occupations which stopp’d me in the progress of my plan to continue that Series of Letters, and afterwards during the remainder of the Winter, my own...
219From John Adams to George Washington Adams, 17 November 1815 (Adams Papers)
I have received your pleasing letter of Sept. 12. Your Situation is indeed delightful: But I hope you think more of the Musick of the Swan of Thames, than of the house of Dr Todd or the Miss Porters. Twickenham and Chiswick deserve your respect. Richmond Hill is familiar to me. There I visited Governor Pounall and Mr Richard Penn. M.P. I rambled about the place and Saw its beauties. But I...
220From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 19 November 1826 (Adams Papers)
Your short note of the 14th. enclosing your Account to the first of July 1826. 4. Copies of Mr Whitney’s funeral discourse, and the pamphlet and annuity blank, of the Massachusetts Hospital Life Insurance Company; and also the N. 2. Glass Company’s bill, has been received—I reserve my observations upon the Account, till that of the subsequent Quarter to the 1st. of October last shall come. I...
221From John Adams to George Washington Adams, 24 June 1822 (Adams Papers)
Your No 33. has pleased me much and I beg you to continue your observations on the cavilling and chicanery of the quarterly review. I grow more and more every day in love with Stuart and the Scottish school. I have had read to me three volumes of Browns lectures on Metaphysics and ethics and I recommend them to your careful perusal as well as to your brothers. They are a rich mine and mass of...
222From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 21 August 1820 (Adams Papers)
Your Letter of the 13th: instt. is received and gave me pleasure—It would have been still more acceptable if it had contained your opinion of Prodicus’s Fable of the Choice of Hercules; your account of which is correct as far as it goes—Its first appearance is in the Memorabilia Socratis, of Xenophon, and is I think there represented not as written, but spoken in a dialogue. You will recollect...
As you know me to be an Amateur of the horrible incidents of human Tragedy if my Dear George you will not be surprized at receiving some lines written by me on a melancholy event which recently took place in the City—The Actors were in a middling class of society and the circumstance has died away like the poor miserable victims of passion with out eliciting a remark excepting from the levity...
224From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 23 June 1813 (Adams Papers)
The whole system of Christian morality appears to have been set forth, by its divine author in the sermon upon the mount, recorded in the 5th: 6th: and 7th: Chapters of St: Matthew. I intend hereafter to make them the subject of remarks, much more at large.—For the present I confine myself merely to general views. What I would impress upon your mind as infinitely important to the happiness and...
225From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 22 September 1811 (Adams Papers)
My last letter contained the substance but not the form of an argument for considering the Bible as a divine Revelation. It explicitly stated the three points of belief which I deemed indispensable to the happiness the virtue and improvement of mankind.—1. The existence of one God, the Creator and Governor of the Universe and particularly of mankind—2. The immortality of the Soul—3. A future...
3rd: December. My whole morning was occupied with visits and writing cards of invitation—we have had 40 or more Members of Congress already here and all who call I invite to my Evengs. if I can help it I will invite only those who call lest it should be said I am courting them to further any particular purpose—We dined alone and Mary being sick I denied myself to company—Mr Petry called and...
227From John Adams to George Washington Adams, 6 May 1815 (Adams Papers)
Hence forward I Shall adress you all three at once. Yesterday was one of the happiest days of my Life. It brought me News of your Father and Mother at Paris and your Uncle Aunt and Cousin at New York all in good health. My Boys! I want to Say Something to you on the Subject of Languages. I have no great Opinion of those who boast of possessing a great number of them. If you know Greek and...
228From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 25 May 1826 (Adams Papers)
I had postponed a reply to your last two Letters under the expectation of seeing you here. With your mother I had been deeply concerned to learn that your health was suffering; and I knew that she had invited you to come and seek its restoration with us. Your Letter to her of the gave indications of recovery from another department of the Materia Madica, and followed as it was immediately...
229From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 1 October 1823 (Adams Papers)
I have constituted and appointed you my Agent and Attorney, for the management of my property in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, excepting that in the town of Quincy, and for the transaction of my private business; for which I hereby give you full authority, subject to the instructions herein contained. The following is the specific property, which I commit to your care. 1. House in Court...
230From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 29 September 1811 (Adams Papers)
The second general point of view, in which I propose to you to consider the Bible, to the great end that it may “thoroughly furnish you unto all good works,” is in its historical character. To a man of liberal education the study of History is not only useful and important, but altogether indispensable; and with regard to the History contained in the Bible, the observation which Cicero makes...
231From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 18 August 1813 (Adams Papers)
I received with much pleasure your letter of 15. March last, written in French; for although it bears some marks of carelessness, it proved to me two things, about which I am not a little concerned—The first that you have not wholly neglected the French language; and the second that you have made some improvement in your hand-writing.— The words of your letter are all good French, but there...
I send you a sheet of journal my Dear George which you can read to your Grandfather if you please or such parts of it as you think fit—I shall address it to you thro’ the winter which I think will be more prudent and I wish that you could coax y. Grandfather to give you all that I have written as I think it would be safer in your possession in case of accidents— Journal 30 Novbr. 1823 In a...
Thank you my Dear George for your Letter and the Farce which arrived safely the day before yesterday and which I should have answered yesterday had I not been again confined to my chamber by a return of my Fever and many of the inflamatory symtoms which attended my illness in Boston—I was taken ill the day after I wrote to Hariet and went out too soon which occasioned a return of the Fever...
234From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 7 March 1813 (Adams Papers)
In considering the law of the Hebrews as delivered by the creator of the world to Moses with reference only to its moral precepts the character by which it is most strikingly distinguished from all the other codes of antient Nations of which we have any knowledge is its Humanity . The cardinal virtues of the Heathens were Temperance Prudence Justice and fortitude Three of which however...
235From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 10 May 1811 (Adams Papers)
I received only two or three days ago your letter dated the 24th: of September of the last year; and although it had been written so many months before it came to me, it gave me and your Mama very great pleasure, and I take the first opportunity to write you this in reply to it. I was glad to see that the greatest part of your letter was written with your own hand; and I hope very soon to...
236From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 21 March 1813 (Adams Papers)
I have promised you in my former letters to state the particulars in which I deemed the Christian dispensation to be an improvement or perfection of the Law delivered from Sinai considered as including a system of morality—But before I come to this point, it is proper to remark upon the moral character of the Books of the Old Testament, subsequent to those of Moses. Some of these are...
237From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 12 March 1826 (Adams Papers)
I have received your Letter of the 1st. instt. numbered 1. and written in execution of your promise when I was last with you—I trust you will continue to write me from time to time, and will answer your Letters whenever time shall be indulged me for the purpose. We have had the Influenza here as prevalent as it has been with you, though not in general so severely—I was anxious to hear from you...
238From Abigail Smith Adams to George Washington Adams, 23 May 1816 (Adams Papers)
with this Letter I inclose to you a list of those Letters which I have received from you, with their numbers and dates. I am sorry to learn that you suffer from ill health. I would have you refrain from the use of the flute, while that is the case. it is very injurious to the Lungs while the Body is weak. You Should rise early; and ride on Horse Back previous to going to your studies. your...
239From 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...
240From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 14 September 1813 (Adams Papers)
The fourth and last point of view, in which I proposed to offer you some general observations upon the sacred Scriptures, was with reference to Literature . And the first remark which presents itself here is that the five Books of Moses, are the most antient monument of written language, now extant in the World—The Book of Job is nearly of the same date, and by many of the Christian and Jewish...
241From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 4 April 1813 (Adams Papers)
The imperfections of the Mosaic Institutions which it was the object of Christ’s Mission upon Earth to remove appear to me to have been these. 1. The Want of a sufficient sanction. The Rewards and the Penalties of the Levitical Law had all reference to the present life—There are many passages in the Old Testament which imply a state of existence after death, and some which directly assert a...
242From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 10 January 1813 (Adams Papers)
In the promise with which my last Letter to you, upon the Bible, was concluded, that I would next consider the Scriptures in their ethical character, as containing a system of morals, I undertook a task from the performance of which I have been hitherto deterred, by its very magnitude and importance. The more I reflected upon the subject, the more sensibly did I feel my own incompetency to do...
243From Abigail Smith Adams to George Washington Adams, 7 August 1815 (Adams Papers)
I have received your Letter written at Sea dated the 1st of May, and was pleased that you had kept your promise of writing to me, and I hope you will continue to inform me of what you see in your Tour, which you have marked out, in your Letter, when you tread upon the ground where Shakespear was born You will naturaly feel a veneration for the Spot, and wish for some spark of his genius. when...
244From John Quincy Adams to Charles Francis Adams, 21 August 1809 (Adams Papers)
It is related of Augustus Caesar, that being upon his death-bed, he turned just before he expired to the friends who were standing around, and asked them what they thought of the part which he had acted on the scene of human life—They express’d their admiration as their feelings or their prudence inspired—Then said he “Plaudite”. In the article of Death, Augustus was what he had been...