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Title: A memoir of Miss Hannah Adams
Author: Hannah Adams
Release Date: June 7, 2023 [eBook #70930]
Language: English
Credits: The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A MEMOIR OF MISS HANNAH
ADAMS ***
[Illustration:
_C. Harding Pinx.ᵗ_ _Pendleton’s, Lithog.ʸ Boston._
_Your friend_
_Hannah Adams._]
A
MEMOIR
OF
MISS HANNAH ADAMS,
WRITTEN BY HERSELF.
WITH
ADDITIONAL NOTICES,
BY A FRIEND.
BOSTON:
PUBLISHED BY GRAY AND BOWEN.
1832.
ENTERED according to Act of Congress, in the year 1832,
By GRAY & BOWEN,
in the Clerk’s office of the District Court of Massachusetts.
PRINTED BY I. R. BUTTS BOSTON.
INTRODUCTORY NOTE.
The autobiography of MISS ADAMS is written with the modesty and
unobtrusiveness which distinguished her character. It appears as if
composed reluctantly, under the feeling that the community could hardly
care to know anything about the struggles, disappointments, hopes
and purposes of an individual so humble as herself. She undertook
the task at the request of some of her friends, who thought that the
circumstances of her life, and the traits of her character, well
deserved to be remembered. But her principal motive in executing it,
was to leave it as a legacy, which she hoped might be of some small
benefit to an aged and very infirm sister, to whose comfort she had
devoted her little savings for many years. It presents a lithographic
drawing of herself, which will recall the features of her mind to those
who knew her, and give some idea of them to those who did not.
The continuation of her life is by a lady, one of those friends
whose kindness she has acknowledged with warm gratitude towards the
conclusion of her own narrative. It could not have been confided to
better hands. The discrimination and delicacy with which the retiring
virtues, and nicer shades of her character are delineated and produced,
will explain to those who did not know her, what was the charm that
drew genius and wealth, and youth and beauty, to minister with so much
interest to the infirmities of a poor old woman.
MISS ADAMS was indeed deserving of such interest. Her life is, in many
respects, full of instruction. Among those who have overcome great
and peculiar difficulties in the pursuit of knowledge, she holds a
distinguished place. She became a literary woman, when literature was
a rare accomplishment in our country. She has produced one work, her
History of Religions, which is the best of its kind, eminent for its
great impartiality. But it was not merely for her powers of mind that
she was remarkable, but for her warm affections, her glow of gratitude,
and her childlike simplicity. It is honorable to the community in which
she lived, that an individual, destitute as she was of all adventitious
claims to distinction, should have been properly estimated and
respected.
This note is prefixed by the gentlemen to whom she left the charge of
publishing her manuscript.
A. N.
J. T.
CHAPTER I.
Being arrived at an age in which I cannot reasonably expect my life
will be long continued, at the request of a highly esteemed friend I am
about to give a concise outline of my past life; notwithstanding I am
sensible that a retrospect of past errors, faults and misfortunes, will
be exceedingly painful.
I was born in Medfield, a country town about eighteen miles from
Boston. My father early imbibed a love of literature, and prepared to
enter the university. But as his constitution then appeared to be very
infirm, and he was an only son, his parents were strenuously opposed
to his leaving them. Accordingly, to his inexpressible disappointment,
he was obliged to settle upon their large farm, without a suitable
knowledge of, or taste for, agricultural pursuits. This induced him to
open a shop, for the sale, principally, of English Goods and Books. His
taste for reading continued unabated till his death, which took place
at the advanced age of eightyeight years.
From my infancy I had a feeble constitution; in particular, an extreme
weakness and irritability in my nervous system. Hence I can recollect
uneasiness and pain previous to any pleasurable sensations. My mother
was an excellent woman, and deservedly esteemed and beloved; but as
her own health was delicate, and she possessed great tenderness and
sensibility, I was educated in all the habits of debilitating softness,
which probably added to my constitutional want of bodily and mental
firmness.
My father’s circumstances then appeared affluent, and it was not
supposed I should be reduced to the necessity of supporting myself by
my own exertions. Partly from ill health, and an early singularity
of taste, I took no pleasure in the amusements to which children are
generally much attached. My health did not even admit of attending
school with the children in the neighborhood where I resided. The
country schools, at that time, were kept but a few months in the
year, and all that was then taught in them was reading, writing and
arithmetic. In the summer, the children were instructed by females
in reading, sewing, and other kinds of work. The books chiefly made
use of were the Bible, and Psalter. Those who have had the advantages
of receiving the rudiments of their education at the schools of the
present day, can scarcely form an adequate idea of the contrast between
them, and those of an earlier age; and of the great improvements which
have been made even in the common country schools. The disadvantages of
my early education I have experienced during life; and, among various
others, the acquiring a very faulty pronunciation; a habit contracted
so early, that I cannot wholly rectify it in later years.
In my early years I was extremely timid, and averse from appearing in
company. Indeed, I found but few with whom I could happily associate.
My life, however, was not devoid of enjoyment. The first strong
propensity of my mind which I can recollect, was an ardent curiosity,
and desire to acquire knowledge. I remember that my first idea of the
happiness of Heaven was, of a place where we should find our thirst
for knowledge fully gratified. From my predominant taste I was induced
to apply to reading, and as my father had a considerable library, I
was enabled to gratify my inclination. I read with avidity a variety
of books, previously to my mind’s being sufficiently matured, and
strengthened, to make a proper selection. I was passionately fond of
novels; and, as I lived in a state of seclusion, I acquired false ideas
of life. The ideal world which my imagination formed was very different
from the real. My passions were naturally strong, and this kind of
reading heightened my sensibility, by calling it forth to realize
scenes of imaginary distress. I was also an enthusiastic admirer of
poetry; and as my memory, at an early period, was very tenacious, I
committed much of the writings of my favorite poets to memory, such
as Milton, Thomson, Young, &c. I did not, however, neglect the study
of history and biography, in each of which kind of reading I found an
inexhaustible fund to feast my mind, and gratify my curiosity.
Another source of my enjoyments in early life was an ardent admiration
of the beauties of nature. This enthusiasm was heightened by the
glowing descriptions of poetic writers, and I entered into all their
feelings. This taste has continued through life. At the present time,
when age and experience have in some measure repressed the warmth of my
feelings, and while I am now writing, I should be more delighted with
beautiful rural prospects, and fine flowers, than when in early life I
used to be enraptured with contemplating the sublime and beautiful in
the works of creation.
My early life was diversified with few events, and those of a painful
nature. The loss of my excellent mother, which happened when I had
reached my tenth year, was the first severe trial I was called to
suffer. When her death took place, I was at an age when maternal
direction is of the greatest importance, particularly in the education
of daughters. Soon after, I was bereaved of an aunt, who was attached
to me with almost maternal fondness. A few years after, my father
failed in trade, in consequence of which I was reduced to poverty, with
a constitution and early habits which appeared invincible obstacles
to my supporting myself by my own exertions. Instead of that gayety,
which is often attendant on youth, I was early accustomed to scenes of
melancholy and distress; and every misfortune was enhanced by a radical
want of health, and firmness of mind. My life passed in seclusion, with
gloomy prospects before me, and surrounded with various perplexities
from which I could not extricate myself. The solitude in which I lived
was, however, to me, preferable to society in general; and to that, and
to my natural singularity, I must impute that awkwardness of manners,
of which I never could divest myself at an advanced period of life. A
consciousness of this awkwardness produced a dislike to the company
of strangers. Those who have been accustomed to general society
when young, can scarcely imagine the trembling timidity I felt, when
introduced to my superiors in circumstances and education. I, however,
enjoyed society upon a small scale. I had a few dear friends, (for
novels had taught me to be very romantic,) who were chiefly in indigent
circumstances, and like myself had imbibed a taste for reading, and
were particularly fond of poetry and novels. Most of them wrote verses,
which were read and admired by the whole little circle. Our mutual love
of literature, want of fortune, and indifference to the society of
those whose minds were wholly uncultivated, served to cement a union
between us, which was interrupted only by the removal of the parties
to distant places, and dissolved only by their death. Yet I soon
experienced this melancholy change. One after another became victims to
the King of Terrors, till our little society was greatly diminished;
and I deeply felt these bereavements which were irreparable.
Still, however, I was blessed with a sister of similar taste and
sentiments, but very different in her disposition. I was warm and
irritable in my temper; she, placid and even. I was fluctuating and
undecided; she, steady and judicious. I was extremely timid; she
blended softness with courage and fortitude. I was inclined to be
melancholy, though sometimes in high spirits; she was uniformly serene
and cheerful. I placed the strongest reliance upon her judgment, and
as she was older than myself, she seemed the maternal friend, as well
as the best of sisters. In short, ‘she was my _guide_, my _friend_, my
_earthly all_.’
As I was too feeble to engage in any laborious employments, I found
considerable leisure for reading; and as my happiness chiefly consisted
in literary pursuits, I was very desirous of learning the rudiments of
Latin, Greek, geography, and logic. Some gentlemen who boarded at my
father’s offered to instruct me in these branches of learning gratis,
and I pursued these studies with indescribable pleasure and avidity. I
still, however, sensibly felt the want of a more systematic education,
and those advantages which females enjoy in the present day. Yet as I
always read with great rapidity, perhaps few of my sex have perused
more books at the age of twenty than I had. Yet my reading was very
desultory, and novels engaged too much of my attention. Though my
seclusion from the world preserved me from many temptations which are
incident to young people, I was perhaps more exposed to errors of the
understanding, than those who in early life have mixed more with the
world. Time and experience have led me to see the falsity of many of
my early opinions, and ideas, and made me sensible that they were the
source of a large share of the misfortunes of my following life.
CHAPTER II.
Until I had attained the twentieth year of my age, my reading had
chiefly consisted of works of imagination and feeling; such as novels
and poetry. Even the religious works I perused were chiefly devotional
poetry, and such works as Mrs Rowe’s Devout Exercises, and the lives of
persons who were eminently distinguished for their piety. I was almost
a stranger to controversial works, and had never examined the points in
dispute between different denominations of Christians. But at length an
incident in my life gave a different turn to my literary pursuit.
While I was engaged in learning Latin and Greek, one of the gentlemen
who taught me had by him a small manuscript from Broughton’s
Dictionary, giving an account of Arminians, Calvinists, and several
other denominations which were most common. This awakened my curiosity,
and I assiduously engaged myself in perusing all the books which
I could obtain, which gave an account of the various sentiments
described. I soon became disgusted with the want of candor in the
authors I consulted, in giving the most unfavorable descriptions of
the denominations they disliked, and applying to them the names of
heretics, fanatics, enthusiasts, &c. I therefore formed a plan for
myself, made a blank book, and wrote rules for transcribing, and
adding to, my compilation. But as I was stimulated to proceed only by
curiosity, and never had an idea of deriving any profit from it, the
compilation went on but slowly, though I was pressed by necessity to
make every exertions in my power for my immediate support. During the
American revolutionary war, I learned to weave bobbin lace, which was
then saleable, and much more profitable to me than spinning, sewing
or knitting, which had previously been my employment. At this period
I found but little time for literary pursuits. But at the termination
of the American war, this resource failed, and I was again left in a
destitute situation. My health did not admit of my teaching a school,
and I was glad to avail myself of every opportunity of taking any
kind of work which I could do, though the profit was very small, and
inadequate to my support. One pleasing event occurred in this gloomy
period. I had the satisfaction of teaching the rudiments of Latin and
Greek to three young gentlemen, who resided in the vicinity. This was
some advantage to me. Besides, it was a pleasant amusement. One of
these young gentlemen was the Rev. Mr Clark, of Norton, who pursued his
studies with me till he entered Cambridge University, and has continued
his friendship for me during life; and his uniform excellent character
I have ever highly appreciated.
The difficulty of taking in such kinds of work as I could do, for I was
not, like my sister, ingenious in all kinds of needle work, induced me,
as the last resort, to attend to my manuscript, with the faint hope
that it might be printed, and afford me some little advantage. I was
far from being sanguine as to the result, even if I accomplished this
object, I had been in the habit of employing myself very diligently
for trifling profits, and those who are in easy circumstances cannot
form an adequate idea of the lively satisfaction I felt, when I could
procure any work by which I could earn a few shillings. This kind of
enjoyment, which Providence has given to the poor, appears intended to
soften the many difficulties in their situation.
I was sensible, that, in printing my manuscript, I had various
obstacles to encounter. It was difficult to procure proper materials
for the work in my sequestered abode. I felt that my ignorance of the
world, and little acquaintance with business, would put me in the
power of every printer to whom I might apply. I, however, resumed my
compilation on an enlarged scale, which included a few of the reasons
which the various denominations give in defence of their different
religious systems. Stimulated by an ardent curiosity, I entered into
the vast field of religious controversy, for which my early reading had
ill prepared me. I perused all the controversial works I could possibly
obtain with the utmost attention, in order to abridge what appeared
to me the most plausible arguments for every denomination. As I read
controversy with a mind naturally wanting in firmness and decision,
and without that pertinacity which blunts the force of arguments which
are opposed to the tenets we have once imbibed, I suffered extremely
from mental indecision, while perusing the various and contradictory
arguments adduced by men of piety and learning in defence of their
respective religious systems. Sometimes my mind was so strongly
excited, that extreme feeling obliged me for a time to lay aside my
employment. Notwithstanding it required much reading to perform my
task, the painful feelings I suffered while preparing my work for
the press far outweighed all the other labor. Reading much religious
controversy must be extremely trying to a female, whose mind, instead
of being strengthened by those studies which exercise the judgment, and
give stability to the character, is debilitated by reading romances
and novels, which are addressed to the fancy and imagination, and are
calculated to heighten the feelings.
After my View of Religions was prepared for the press, the difficulty
still remained of finding any printer willing and able to print
it without money immediately paid. But at length, after various
perplexities, this compilation was put to the press in 1784. The profit
to myself was very small; for, as it might well have been expected
from my father’s inexperience in the business of book making, he was
completely duped by the printer, in making the bargain. After being
at the trouble of procuring upwards of four hundred subscribers, all
the compensation I was able to obtain, was only fifty books; and I was
obliged to find a sale for them, after the printer, (whose name, out of
respect to his descendants, I omit to mention,) had received all the
subscription money. As my books sold very well, the printer must have
made something handsome by the publication.
The effect of reading so much religious controversy, which had been
very trying to my mind, was extremely prejudicial to my health, and
introduced a train of the most painful nervous complaints. I was at
length brought so low, that the physician who attended me supposed I
was in a decline. But after a tedious interval of extreme suffering,
I began gradually to recover; and afterwards found my complaints were
increased, by following the injudicious advice of the physician who
attended me. To the skill and attention of my friend Dr Mann, formerly
of Wrentham, I owe, under Heaven, the preservation of my life at this
period.
Soon after I began to recover, I received a letter from the printer
of my View of Religions, informing me that he had sold the greatest
part of the edition, and was about to reprint it; and requesting me
to inform him if I wished to make any additions to my work. As I had
the precaution to secure the copy-right, agreeably to the law passed
in Massachusetts, 1783, I returned a laconic answer, forbidding him to
reprint it; and he finally relinquished the design.
The information, that the first edition of my View of Religions
was sold, gave me the idea of reprinting it for my own benefit. But
as I was entirely destitute of pecuniary resources, ignorant of the
world, incapable of conducting business, and precluded from almost
all intercourse with persons of literature and information, and
consequently destitute of friends who were able and willing to assist
me, the execution of the plan was extremely difficult. Even the few
friends I had gained at that time supposed the disadvantages in my
situation too great to encourage my undertaking. Instead of assisting
me, they considered my plan as chimerical, and depressed my hopes and
discouraged my exertions.
While I was struggling with embarrassments and difficulties, I was
involved in the deepest affliction by the death of the beloved sister,
whom I mentioned in the preceding Chapter. I then experienced the
keenest anguish the human heart can feel in losing a friend.
Dearer than life, or aught below the skies,
The bright ideas and romantic schemes
Of perfect love, and friendship, fancy paints,
In her I realized.
To describe the excess of my grief on this occasion would be altogether
impossible. Those, only, who have formed the highest ideas of
friendship, and have considered their earthly happiness as dependent
upon the life of one beloved object, on whose judgment they relied,
and in whom they found comfort and support in every difficulty and
affliction, can form an adequate idea of what I felt on this occasion;
which led me to exclaim,
And is she dead! My life, my all is gone.
The world’s a desert. Nothing now on earth
Can yield me joy, or comfort.
The death of my beloved sister made me feel almost alone in the
world. Our joys and sorrows, and all our interests were so closely
blended, that I nearly identified her existence with my own. Everything
appeared gloomy in my situation. My health was feeble; I was entirely
destitute of property; my father’s circumstances were very low; and I
had no other relation or friend from whom I might expect to derive
assistance. But notwithstanding all the difficulties in my situation, I
determined to use every possible exertion to help myself; considering
that, if I was unsuccessful in attempting to extricate myself from
poverty, my efforts would awaken the activity of my mind, and preserve
me from sinking under the weight of affliction I sustained in losing
the best of sisters. It was, perhaps, a happy circumstance, that
necessity stimulated me to exertion in this most gloomy period of my
existence.
After I began to prepare the additions to my View of Religions, I found
it required a great effort to detach my mind from the recollection of
past sufferings, and force myself to that mental exertion which is
naturally so congenial to my mind. At length, however, I completed the
task of preparing my work for the press. I had previously, in 1790,
sent a petition to Congress, which was presented by the late Fisher
Ames, Esq. for a general law to be passed, to secure to authors the
copy-right of their publications. I now applied to a large number of
printers to know on what terms they would publish my work. But, though
I wrote nearly the same letter to all, consisting of a few direct
questions, their answers were generally various, prolix, and ambiguous.
I at length concluded to accept the terms of one of the printers to
whom I applied, who offered me one hundred dollars in books, for an
edition of one thousand copies. When I went to Boston for this purpose,
a friend of mine introduced me to the Rev. Mr Freeman, whom I had only
once before seen: but I was well apprised of his benevolent character,
which I found more than realized the ideas which I had formed of it
from report. I shall ever recollect the generous interest he took in
my affairs, with the most lively gratitude. He removed my perplexity,
by transacting the business with the printer. By his advice, a
subscription paper was published; and I soon found the benefit of his
patronage, in procuring a large number of subscribers, and concluding
an advantageous bargain for me with Mr Folsom, the printer. The second
edition was published in 1791; and the emolument I derived from it not
only placed me in a comfortable situation, but enabled me to pay the
debts I had contracted during mine and my sister’s illness, and to put
out a small sum upon interest.
CHAPTER III.
Encouraged and animated by this success, I soon formed the design of
engaging in another publication, and set myself to choose a subject.
It was poverty, not ambition, or vanity, that first induced me to
become an author, or rather a compiler. But I now formed the flattering
idea, that I might not only help myself, but benefit the public. With
this view, I engaged in writing a Summary History of New England. I
selected this subject, rather for public utility, than for my own
gratification. My object was to render my compilation useful to those
in early life, who had not time or opportunity to peruse the large
mass of materials, which, previously to my compilation, lay scattered
in many publications. I knew the work would require much reading upon
dry subjects, such as ancient news prints, state papers, &c. But I
wrote for a bare subsistence, and never wished to gain anything from
the public which I had not at least earned by laborious investigation.
I also considered, that attention to such an antipoetical subject
would have a tendency to keep my mind in a more healthy state, than
the perusal of works which are calculated to excite the feelings. I
therefore resolved to fix my attention by investigating simple facts,
and by relinquishing to a great extent the reading works of taste and
imagination.
When I compiled this work, there was not any history of New England
extant, except Mather’s Magnalia, and Neale’s History; and these
extended only to an early period in the annals of our country. If
there had been only one work, which reached to the acceptance of the
Federal constitution, my task had been far less laborious. There was
no authentic account of Rhode Island, except that of Callender’s. This
induced me to spend some time in Providence, in order to examine the
Records in the Secretary’s office. The perusal of old manuscripts,
which were damaged by time, was painful to my eyes; but as they
were naturally strong, I did not for some time perceive the injury I
suffered from the task.
After I returned from Providence, I attended to my compilation with
unremitting diligence, and hoped not only to obtain a temporary
support, but to make a small provision for future subsistence.
Stimulated by these sanguine views, I wrote early and late during one
winter, and expected to put my work to the press the ensuing spring.
But how vain were all these pleasing anticipations! A new misfortune
arrested my progress, and made me feel my entire dependence upon divine
Providence. I found my sight suddenly fail to that degree, that I was
obliged to lay aside reading, writing, and every employment which
required the use of my eyes. In this distressed situation, I consulted
a number of physicians; and their prescriptions rather increased, than
diminished my complaints. The gloomy apprehension of being totally
deprived of my sight was distressing beyond description. I not only
anticipated the misfortune of being obliged forever to relinquish
those literary pursuits which had constituted so much of my enjoyment
during life, and was at this time my only resource for a subsistence,
but as I had from my earliest years been an enthusiastic admirer of the
beauties of nature, I felt the most painful sensation in reflecting
that the time might arrive, when
‘With the year
Seasons return, but not to me return
Day, or the sweet approach of eve or morn,
Or sight of vernal bloom, or summer rose.’
At length, by the advice of a respectable friend, I applied to Dr
Jeffries; and by assiduously following his prescriptions for about
two years, I partially recovered my sight. For the encouragement of
those who are troubled with similar complaints, I would mention, that
when I first consulted the doctor, he had not any expectation my eyes
would recover so as to enable me to make the use of them I have since
done. But by applying laudanum and sea water several times in the
course of the day, for two years, I recovered so far as to resume my
studies; and by employing an amanuensis to assist me in transcribing
my manuscript, I was enabled to print the work in 1799. Previously to
putting the copy to the press, I consulted all the living authors,
and showed them the use I had made of their works in my compilation,
and they did not make any objection. As my eyes were still weak, I
could not bestow the same attention in condensing the last part of my
History, as the first; and consequently the History of the American
Revolution was much more prolix than I originally intended. In giving
an account of the war, my ignorance of military terms rendered it
necessary to transcribe more from Dr Ramsay’s History, than I had
done in any other part of the work. I therefore wrote an apology to
the doctor, and had the satisfaction of receiving in return a very
interesting letter from Mrs Ramsay, expressing her approbation of my
work, and inclosing a bill of ten dollars. Before my eyes failed, I had
sent out a subscription paper; but afterward, the idea that I never
should be able to complete the compilation, induced me to drop it; and
I was obliged to publish the work almost entirely at my own expense.
The printers were in low circumstances, and required payment before I
could dispose of the books. I was therefore obliged to borrow a sum of
money to defray the expenses of the work, which, as it was printed on
very good paper, were large, and I derived but little profit from my
labor.
My next publication was the third edition of my View of Religions, to
which I made the addition of a hundred pages. The Rev. Mr Freeman,
who continued his kind attentions, made the bargain for me with the
printer, by which I was entitled to receive five hundred dollars in
yearly payments, for an edition of two thousand copies. This relieved
me from the embarrassments in which I was involved by printing my
History of New England at my own expense. As my eyes still continued
too weak to engage in any new laborious work, I determined to wait till
a large part of my History of New England was sold; and then, if my
life continued, to abridge it for the use of schools.
In the meantime, however, I set about writing a concise View of the
Christian Religion, selected from the writings of eminent laymen. I
wrote with difficulty, as my eyes were still very weak; but I wished
to exert myself as much as possible to be useful, and to gain a
subsistence. Though attention to religious controversy had led me to
feel undecided on some disputed points, of which perhaps Christians
of equal piety form different opinions, my conviction of the truth of
divine revelation, instead of being weakened by all my researches, was
strengthened and confirmed; and I wished to make a public declaration
of my sentiments on this important subject. I found it difficult to
procure proper materials for the work, as I was utterly unable to
purchase books. A considerable part of this compilation, as well as the
additions to the third edition of my View of Religions, was written
in booksellers’ shops. I went to make visits in Boston, in order to
consult books in this way, which it was impossible for me to buy, or
borrow. I desire, however, to recognise with gratitude the attention
of my kind father, who took pains that I should have the benefit of
all books which he could procure, and assisted me greatly in disposing
of my works. When I had completed my compilation, I found the printers
and booksellers unwilling to purchase the copy, because much had been
written on the subject, and these publications were unsaleable. At
length, in 1804, I agreed with a printer to execute the work, upon the
small consideration of receiving only one hundred dollars in books.
The tenor of my life at this time was very monotonous. It was
enlivened, however, by gleams of happiness, from the society of a few
friends, and the pleasure I derived from literary pursuits; and, by
my convictions of the truth of that religion, to the examination of
which I had devoted so much of my time. My eyes still continued very
weak, and I wrote under the apprehension of being reduced to a state
that would preclude all application to study. A considerable part of
my History of New England being now disposed of, my only resource
appeared to be to abridge that work for the use of schools. The profit
I hoped to derive from this compilation seemed to me to constitute all
I had to depend upon in future, if my life should be spared. While I
entertained these hopes, in which I was made sanguine by my knowledge
of the success with which books for schools had been printed, can it
be a subject of blame, or reproach, to a person in my situation, that
I felt extremely grieved, and hurt, when I found my design anticipated
by a reverend gentleman, whose calling, and indefatigable industry, are
highly respectable? The difference between us was left to referees, who
sustained a high reputation for ability, and sound judgment, extensive
information, and moral excellence. I was satisfied with their decision.
But I was reduced to the painful task of writing on the subject; for,
though I took this measure with extreme reluctance, my opponent left me
no other alternative. I sincerely hope the painful affair may never be
recalled to his prejudice.
CHAPTER IV.
Notwithstanding the little profit, and various discouragements I had
experienced in writing for the press, as I was entirely dependent upon
my own exertions for a support, I was resolved to persevere. I had now
acquired a number of valuable friends, to whose generous exertions in
my favor I was deeply indebted. By several of them, I was enabled to
put my abridgment of the History of New England to the press. I was
however unfortunate in this, as well as my other compilations. The
printer failed while it was in the press, which deprived me of the
profit I expected to derive from it. Two years afterwards, I published
a new edition. A similar misfortune befel me in this second attempt to
avail myself of my labors.
But though my productions were far from being profitable, and I had
frequent interruptions in my studies from ill health, and bad eyes, I
still had my share of enjoyment. I hoped my works might be useful, and
I was highly gratified by their candid reception by the public.
I next chose a subject in which I thought it probable that I should not
meet with any interference. I formed the design of writing the History
of the Jews, though I was sensible that it would require much reading,
and that I must wander through a dreary wilderness, unenlivened by one
spot of verdure. My curiosity was strongly excited, and I determined
to persevere in my attempt to investigate the fate of this wonderful
people. I began the introduction with their state under the Persian
monarchy, after their restoration from the Babylonish captivity. The
standard works for this History were Josephus, and Basnage, the latter
of whom brings his narrative down only to the 19th century. After
this period, I was obliged to compile from desultory publications and
manuscripts. I had at this time the privilege of corresponding with
the celebrated Gregoire, who had attained great celebrity for the
conspicuous part he acted during the French Revolution, and exerted all
his energy in the first constitutional assembly to procure the rights
of citizens for the Jews. He had the goodness to send me some writings
in their favor, which increased the interest I felt in this oppressed
people.
Previously to concluding this gloomy detail of the difficulties I
encountered, while writing for the press, I would first notice, that
I was obliged to exert myself to the utmost to overcome my natural
timidity, and accommodate myself to my situation. After the age and
infirmities of my father prevented him from assisting me, as he had
formerly done, in selling and exchanging the copies of my work, I
was necessitated to exert myself in doing business out of the female
line, which exposed me to public notice. And as I could not but be
sensible that my manners were remarkably awkward, this consciousness,
joined with my ignorance of the established rules of propriety,
rendered me tremblingly apprehensive of exposing myself to ridicule.
These unpleasant feelings, however, in time abated. In order to meet
this trial, I considered, that what is right and necessary in the
situation in which Providence has placed me, cannot be really improper;
and though my acting upon this principle may have exposed me to the
censure, or ridicule of those, whose ideas upon the subject are derived
from the varying modes of fashion, and not from the unchanging laws
of moral rectitude, it saved me from a feeling which would have been
infinitely more painful, that of self-reproach. My objects were, to
obtain the approbation of my own heart, and the esteem of a few friends
whose opinion I most highly prized, and I was comparatively indifferent
to the censure or ridicule of the world in general.
In the life of Mrs Charlotte Smith it is pertly remarked, that the
‘penalties and discouragements attending authors in general fall
upon woman with double weight. To the curiosity of the idle, and the
envy of the malicious, their sex affords a peculiar excitement.
Arraigned not merely as writers, but as women, their characters, their
conduct, and even their personal endowments, become the object of
severe inquisition. From the common allowances claimed by the species,
literary women appear only to be exempted.’
Though I have been too insignificant, and treated with too much candor,
fully to realize the above remarks, yet I have been in a situation
deeply to feel the trials which attend literary pursuits. At length I
saw old age approaching, without any provision for it, when if my life
was spared, I should be incapable of exerting myself; and my mind was
at times depressed by this gloomy prospect.
CHAPTER V.
While I was compiling my History of the Jews, I boarded in Dedham. I
was here honored with the friendship, and received the kind offices of
Mr Dowse, his lady, and her sister,[1] and more pecuniary favors than
I have ever experienced from any other individuals. Whenever I visited
this happy family, I was received with the utmost cordiality; and I
desire publicly to express my grateful sense of their goodness.
[1] _Mrs Shaw_, who allowed Miss Adams one hundred dollars a year, for
twenty-five years, paid to her quarterly, by Josiah Quincy, Esq.
While writing my History, my eyes, which, since I had first injured
them, have been occasionally troublesome, failed to that degree, that
I was induced again to go to Boston to consult Dr Jeffries, in the
hope, that, by attending to his directions, I might finish my work.
During this visit at Boston, I received the unexpected intelligence,
that a number of benevolent gentlemen had settled an annuity upon me,
to relieve me from the embarrassments I had hitherto suffered. The Hon.
Josiah Quincy, Stephen Higginson, Esq. and William Shaw, Esq. were some
of its first promoters. This providential interference excited my most
lively gratitude to my generous benefactors, and I hope I sensibly felt
my deep obligation to the source of all good.
My generous friends could hardly appreciate the extent of the benefit
they conferred upon me. I had not been able to make any provision for
my declining years, and had not a place on earth which I could call my
home. My spirits were depressed by my destitute circumstances, and I am
persuaded that under Providence, the generosity of my friends was the
means of prolonging my life.
I had now attained a condition more eligible than my most sanguine
wishes could ever have led me to anticipate. If in early life I could
have enjoyed the literary advantages I now possessed, I should have
thought it the height of earthly happiness. But I was now too far
advanced in life to profit by the advantages I had gained. However,
I was grateful, and happy. My friend William Shaw, Esq. gave me the
liberty of frequenting the Atheneum. Amidst that large and valuable
collection of books, I found an inexhaustible source of information
and entertainment; and among other advantages, I found a few literary
friends, in whose conversation I enjoyed ‘the feast of reason and the
flow of soul.’ Among the many blessings I was favored with, I shall
ever highly appreciate the acquaintance and friendship of the late Rev.
Mr Buckminster, in whom I contemplated with admiration the rare union
of intellectual, moral, and religious excellence; of a powerful mind
with extensive information, and a feeling heart enlivened by devotion.
He was admired for his distinguished abilities and learning by all who
knew him; but the peculiar traits of benevolence, nobleness of mind,
sincerity and sweetness of temper, which adorned his character, could
only be duly appreciated by those who were honored with his friendship.
Mr Buckminster was so kind as to give me the use of his large and
valuable library, which was of great advantage to me in compiling
my History of the Jews. In my efforts to complete the work, I was
encouraged and animated by his participating in the interest I felt
in this extraordinary people. Though entering into the details of the
sufferings of the persecuted Jewish Nation, yet the enthusiasm Mr
Buckminster inspired, and the pleasure of conversing with him upon a
subject with which he was intimately acquainted, rendered the time
I was writing my History one of the happiest periods of my life. I
completed my work in 1812, a few months before his death.
In the year 1812 I sustained a severe affliction, by the sudden death
of Mr Buckminster. Amidst the large number who lamented his death,
I believe there was none (except his near relations) who felt more
distressed than myself. I desire, however, to be grateful to divine
Providence for the privilege of his acquaintance and friendship.
While my feelings were deeply susceptible from the recent wound they
had received by the death of Mr Buckminster, I went to Medfield to
visit my aged father, with the hope that I might do something to
administer to his comfort, and in this way soothe my own grief. But
while I was with him, he was seized with a complaint which put a period
to his life. Though from his age, and infirmities, I had been often
led to anticipate this event, I found it very trying when I actually
realized it. He had been a very kind parent to me, and though he could
not bestow any property upon me, he was very solicitous to aid me as
far as he could. He was a great assistant to me both in procuring
books, and in disposing of my works. During the last years of his life,
he was assiduously engaged in studying the sacred Scriptures, with the
assistance of all the commentaries he could procure. In the funeral
sermon preached upon his death, the Rev. Dr Prentiss observes, ‘He was
ever strongly attached to the society of literary and serious people,
particularly of the clergy, with a number of whom he kept up a friendly
intercourse. There is reason to believe, that by his exertions for
many years he contributed in no small degree to the diffusion of
knowledge and piety, and to the advancement of the cause of Christ.’
My father’s love of books continued till the last. He read, and heard
reading, on the day on which he expired. My residence in Boston enabled
me to procure books for his perusal, and it afforded me great pleasure
to be thus permitted to gratify my honored parent.
When, after the death of my father, I returned to Boston, my mind was
depressed with my recent losses. But I was sensible that I was still
favored with many inestimable privileges. Mr Buckminster had been so
kind as to introduce me to a number of his acquaintances, who treated
me with that genuine kindness which is the essence of true politeness.
Among the number of those excellent friends, to whom Mr Buckminster
was so kind as to introduce me, I would particularly recognise Mrs
Dearborn, and Mrs Winthrop, who shone in the circles of polished life,
and adorned their eminent stations by their engaging manners, and
highly cultivated minds; and still more, by their christian virtues.
They were blessings to those around them; and for a course of years
favored me with their attention, and kind offices. When they were
removed by death to a higher state of existence, I deeply mourned the
heavy and irreparable loss I sustained.
While deeply indebted to the bounty of my dear and honored friends,
I wished to pursue my literary occupations with as much diligence
as my health would permit. But in the decline of life, I was so
far debilitated by repeated fevers, at small intervals from each
other, that I was unable to write for the press. At length, I so
far recovered, as to resume a work I had formerly begun, upon the
New Testament, which I designed to be much larger than it is; but
my advanced age induced me only to publish a little book, entitled,
‘Letters on the Gospels,’ which has passed through two editions.
I have already mentioned the perplexity and embarrassment of my mind,
while writing my View of Religions. After removing to Boston, and
residing in that city while the disputes upon Unitarian sentiments
were warmly agitated, I read all that came in my way upon both sides
of the question; and carefully examined the New Testament, with, I
think, a sincere and ardent desire to know the truth. I deeply felt the
difficulties upon both sides of the question; yet prevailingly give the
preference to that class of Unitarians, who adopt the highest idea of
the greatness and dignity of the Son of God. I never arrived to that
degree of decision that some have attained on that subject. In this,
and every other disputable subject, I would adopt the following lines;
If I am right, thy grace impart
Still in the right to stay;
If I am wrong, O teach my heart,
To find the better way.
NOTICES
IN CONTINUATION.
BY A FRIEND.
NOTICES.
Those who have been favored with a personal knowledge of the Author
of the short Memoir contained in this book, will read it with the
deepest interest; and perhaps to them it may seem almost superfluous
to say more of her. But Miss Adams’s works have circulated far beyond
the sphere in which she moved, and there are many who are desirous
of knowing her, as she was appreciated by others, and not by her own
estimate. Such would be poorly satisfied with the short sketch she has
given of herself, though her friends must ever value it as a parting
legacy.
The ‘timidity of early years’ followed Miss Adams through life; and,
even when surrounded by intimate friends, it never wholly forsook
her. It was a sensitiveness that sprung from deep feeling, and a
diffidence that was the result of genuine humility. This often operated
unfavorably upon her manners, and produced an awkwardness, of which
she was painfully conscious. But there were times when the warmth of
her heart, and the cultivation of her mind, gave an enthusiasm and
eloquence to her language, that astonished those who listened to her.
At such times, her countenance lost its usual calm placidity, and
glowed with an animation that rendered it highly interesting. There was
indeed a wonderful singularity in her appearance. In the circles of
polished life to which she was often courted, there was nothing like
her. In the circles of humble life, she was equally unassuming, and
equally peculiar. No one could see her, without feeling that she was
not of this world. It is possible that part of this timidity might have
arisen from the seclusion of early years. But it is certain, that no
culture, or discipline, could have formed her manners to the standard
of easy and fashionable life. She sometimes observed, ‘I know I am
very awkward; I never could learn to make a curtsey.’ But it must not
be supposed that there was in her any want of gentleness, or propriety.
Her disinterested and affectionate disposition made her, in reality,
all that the most calculating would desire to appear.
The simplicity, and often the abstractedness of Miss Adams’ manner, led
many to suppose that her talents were confined to the subjects on which
she wrote. Some considered her as a walking dictionary of ‘Religious
Opinions.’ Others viewed her merely as an ‘Abridgment of the History of
New England.’ And many said, ‘if you want to know Miss Adams, you must
talk to her about the Jews.’ And this last was, indeed, a subject that
always called forth the energy of her mind. She had faithfully studied
their history, and she venerated the antiquity of their origin. Her
inquiring mind was deeply interested by their ‘wonderful destination,
peculiar habits, and religious rites.’ She felt for them as a suffering
and persecuted people; and she felt yet more, when she considered them
as a standing monument of that religion, which she regarded as the
first and best of God’s gifts to men. It was the long contemplation
of this chosen race that induced her, amidst all the obstacles that
were in her way, to write their history. It was an arduous labor. Yet
her work is a proof, that, in this ‘barren wilderness she found many a
spot of verdure.’ But those who viewed her merely in relation to her
literary works, knew her but imperfectly. With her extreme simplicity,
there was an uncommon depth of observation, and an intuitive knowledge
of character. She was often in circles where her timidity kept her
almost wholly silent, and where she hardly seemed to be even a
spectator. But her subsequent remarks would show how accurately she
had observed, and how nicely she had discriminated. In speaking of a
lady of her acquaintance, she said, ‘I value and admire her, but I can
never be easy with her. She is _so_ kind, and _so_ condescending, that
I can see she never forgets I am a poor awkward old woman.’ At another
time, when deploring the loss of a young lady, whose fine talents had
made her the delight of her friends, ‘and yet,’ she said, ‘she died
at the best time. Her powers were brilliant, and beautiful, but they
were exhausting to herself; and had she lived, she would have faded
before she reached her prime.’ Her mind was habitually cheerful, and
her cheerfulness was much increased by her sensibility to the works
of nature. She looked upon every object with the eye of a poet, and
forgot her infirmities, and even her diffidence, as she described her
emotions. On visiting her sister, who resided in the country, after
having been confined to her chamber, in the city through the winter,
‘it seemed to me,’ said she, ‘as if the world was just created.’ No one
could exclaim with more feeling and truth,
‘I care not, fortune, what you me deny,
You cannot rob me of free nature’s grace,
You cannot bar the windows of the sky,
Through which Aurora shows her brightening face.’
There is but little doubt, that, had she given way to the natural
temperament of her mind, which was enthusiastic and romantic, she might
have been a poet. But her duties, and her lot, led her into a different
path of life. In her youth, however, she occasionally listened to the
inspiration of the muses; and though she never set any value on these
productions, they discover much excellent thought, and a high tone of
feeling.
The want of early advantages, to which Miss Adams so feelingly alludes
in her memoirs, ought not to be forgotten, nor the difficulties through
which she struggled. Her attendance upon any school was extremely
uncertain, and often interrupted by her feeble health. Added to this,
the schools of a country village are not often of the highest class.
Even the elementary parts of education are much neglected in them. ‘I
never,’ said she, ‘was taught how to hold my pen.’
There is nothing that more strikingly denotes the progress of
literature in this part of the country, than the attention which is at
present paid to female education. There are few branches, if any, in
which boys are instructed, which are not now equally open to girls. Not
many years ago, however, the test of a good school rested principally
upon the exhibitions made of hand-writing, spelling, and arithmetic.
Grammar, it is true, was professedly taught, but in a manner that
conveyed few ideas to the pupil. To get the longest lessons, and to be
at the head of the class, constituted the best scholar. By degrees,
parsing, in its simplest forms, was introduced, to aid the knowledge of
grammar. Composition, geography and history followed; and the education
of girls began to assume a more respectable standing. Yet even at this
period, our village school-master much resembled Goldsmith’s, of whom,
‘The village all declared how much he knew;
’Twas certain he could write and cipher too.’
It was at such schools as these that Miss Adams received her early
education. Her ardent thirst for knowledge, however, and her industry
and perseverance enabled her, in maturer life, to make uncommon
acquirements. Yet she always felt, and regretted, the want of more
thorough, and systematic instruction. Her father entered into trade as
a desperate resource from the weariness of an agricultural life, for
which he had no taste. He was plundered, and cheated by the man, whom
he engaged to carry on his farm; and as he had plunged into all the
transactions of a country trader, dealing in books and drugs, English
and West India goods, through all came vexation and disappointment, and
a total failure ensued. A large proportion of his books were left on
his hands, and afforded to Miss Adams great facilities for reading. Her
father, too, happily for her, had encouraged in her a taste congenial
to his own; and her mind became cultivated, and embued with knowledge,
almost without her own consciousness of the progress she was making.
However unpropitious to her were the pecuniary disappointments of her
father’s life, they seem to have exerted a favorable influence on her
mind. Resort was had also, at this time, to the receiving of several
boarders into the family; and from these she acquired the knowledge of
Greek and Latin. Of this knowledge, she tells us she availed herself,
for fitting three young men for College; and for Mr P. Clark, one of
her pupils, mentioned in her memoirs, she retained through life the
warmest regard. He married a friend of hers; and ‘this,’ said she,
‘was the only match I ever had any hand in making.’ Of her mother,
she always spoke with enthusiastic reverence; and though only eleven
years of age when she died, she retained a perfect recollection of
her. Mrs Adams was married at fifteen, and died at the age of thirty
three, leaving three girls and two boys. Her short life seems to have
been filled with usefulness; and the following epitaph, written by an
Episcopal clergyman, who was a particular friend, and constant visitor
of the family, may still be traced on her humble grave stone, should
any descendant of ‘Old Mortality’ chance to wander to the spot.
‘Beneath this monument of love and truth,
Rear’d by fair gratitude’s persuasive call,
Rest the remains of innocence, and youth;
Esteem’d, lamented, and beloved by all.
Fond of retirement, and of rural ease,
Her sober wishes never loved to stray.
Heaven was her aim, her study, how to please,
And carefully improve each fleeting day;
To worth, a friend; a parent to the poor.
Such was the woman! could the saint be more?’
After the death of her mother, the care of Hannah, and of a younger
sister, devolved on Elizabeth, who was the oldest daughter. They now
lived in great retirement; and one of Miss Adams’s early employments
was, weaving lace with bobbins on a cushion. In referring to this, she
afterwards pleasantly observed, that, ‘it was much more profitable
than writing books.’ This manner of life, with her desultory habits of
reading, gave a romantic and enthusiastic turn to her mind, which was
never essentially changed either by time or circumstances.
Miss Adams’s heart was however peculiarly alive to the ties of natural
affection. She deeply felt the death of an aunt, who had shown for her
maternal tenderness. But as long as her sister Elizabeth lived, she
had, to use her own words, a friend, a counsellor, and guide. ‘There
was,’ she said, ‘but one heart between us; and I used sometimes to
tell my sister, in the overflowing of my affection, that I could bear
to lose everything if she was spared to me; but, if she were taken
away, I should surely die!’ Yet this calamitous event took place; and
Miss Adams lived to prove, as many others have done, that there is,
in the day of sorrow, a strength imparted beyond human fortitude. The
health of this beloved sister was declining for nearly two years; and
it was, during that time, one of her constant objects, to fortify Miss
Adams’s mind for an event, that she felt was near, and which she feared
would be overwhelming. It however gradually approached, and brought no
terrors to herself. She was calm, and resigned; constantly expressing
her ‘entire submission to the Divine will, and laying all her burden
at the foot of the cross.’ There were no enthusiastic flights, nor was
there any unnatural exaltation of mind in her views of death. Though in
the bloom of youth and with an ardent enjoyment of life, she met the
event like a Christian. Hers was a philosophy which was formed and
nurtured by religion.
‘For years after my sister’s death,’ said Miss Adams, ‘it was a
struggle to live.’ Her health was extremely feeble, her heart she
believed broken, and poverty pressed heavily upon her. There were
times, indeed, when she felt as if she had not even a home. Her father
had made over his house and property to a son, with whom he and his
other children continued to live; but as this son was married, and his
family was increasing, notwithstanding his paternal kindness, Miss
Adams felt, and could not but feel, as if she was a burden upon her
brother. This was the most trying period of her life, and it was always
recollected by her with strong emotion.
The first effort of her pen, after her sister’s death, produced some
lines on that subject. They seem to be the very breathings of her
heart, and are thrown together almost without form; yet a few extracts
from them will best show the state of her mind.
‘The first attachment of my earliest years,
Ere yet I knew to feel the attractive force
Of sacred friendship, was my love to her.
Our minds expanding, each succeeding year
Heightened our mutual friendship. Not a joy
Ere touched my soul, but when she shared a part.
When pierced with sorrow, her all cheering smile
Could give me comfort. Well she knew to bear
Life’s adverse scenes with calm, undaunted mind,
And placid resignation. Grace divine
Illumed her soul, and stamp’d its features there.
* * * * *
The best of friends! Oh, how my bleeding heart
Recalls her tender love! Of self unmindful,
For me she seemed to live; forever kind.
Forever studious to promote my good.
“She was my guide, my friend, my earthly all;”
Heaven’s choicest blessing. Not a single thought
Could lurk in close disguise. I knew to trust
This much loved sister with my inmost soul.
And must I lose her! While unkind disease
Threatened a life so dear, my trembling heart
Sunk in o’erwhelming wo. Could prayers, or tears.
Could sleepless nights, or agonizing days,
And all the care of fond officious love
Avert thy fate,--sister, thou still hadst lived.’
Many expressions of her deep feeling on this subject might be extracted
from her papers; and to her immediate friends, they are precious
records of a sorrow stricken, and resigned spirit. But the friendship
of these two sisters was such as ‘strangers intermeddle not with.’ The
death of this sister seemed to be the dissolution of a tie, like that
which occasioned the exclamation of David in his beautiful lamentation
over Jonathan, ‘Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of
women.’
That Miss Adams drew her support from religion under this calamity, her
manuscripts very clearly show. She employed herself, when unable to
compose, in making extracts from the Scriptures, which she applied to
her particular state of mind. These she arranged in a little book, and
preserved till her death.
In her memoirs, she alludes to a small circle of females that had
gradually been drawn together from the neighboring towns, by a
similarity of taste and situation; and in this circle she found great
enjoyment. In after years, her imagination probably exaggerated their
merit. Yet she retained many proofs that they were not of an ordinary
stamp. In speaking of this knot of friends, Miss Adams, said, ‘they
were all poor, and most of them good-looking,’ and then added, with
her usual simplicity, ‘I had the fewest attractions of any of them.’
Nor was Miss Adams’s pen at this time idle. The powers of her mind were
early appreciated by her young associates; or, perhaps, it is more just
to say, that they obtained that influence, which, however unclaimed, is
stamped upon superior intellect. Mind is created to rule. Wealth, and
all merely outward distinctions are thrown into obscurity, when brought
in competition with mental power. This is strikingly exemplified in
public and professional strife; and, though more minutely, yet hardly
less obviously, in the miniature circle of private life. Miss Adams,
with all her humility, and her retiring modesty, was the _casuist_ of
her youthful friends. A number of her papers that remain, prove how
often she was resorted to by her companions in cases of opinion; and
the publication of a few of these, it is believed, cannot be wholly
uninteresting to those who knew her in later life.
One of her young friends put to her this interrogative. Ought mankind
to be respected for their personal worth alone, abstracted from all
accidental causes?
To this question Miss Adams replied.
‘Mankind ought primarily to be respected for their personal worth;
yet if accidental causes make that worth appear more conspicuous, it
may increase our esteem, which still is founded on personal worth in
proportion as it appears. The more we see of virtue, the more it ought
to attract our love and admiration. Virtue becomes visible only by
its effects. The diamond we value for its intrinsic worth. But when
it is polished and set, its essential beauty appears more refulgent.
So external accomplishments, and accidental causes, set forth the
original beauty of virtue, and serve to heighten its charms. There are
particular circumstances in which every virtue will shine with peculiar
lustre. For instance, humility has intrinsic excellence. But it appears
most attractive in those who are placed in affluent circumstances, and
are surrounded by pomp and splendor. Fortitude, also, is an excellent
quality of the mind. But suffering and adversity must bring it forth.
Persons who have performed eminent services for their country are
worthy of greater honor, than those who have remained in private life
with equal worth. I conclude, therefore, that mankind ought to be
esteemed for their personal worth, as it is rendered conspicuous by
accidental causes.’
Another question proposed was, whether virtue ought not to be regarded
as its own reward, without any reference to a future state of
happiness, or misery?
To this she replied, ‘A regularity of conduct is for the interest of
all, even were their prospects terminated by the enjoyments of this
life. We cannot doubt that the virtuous Seneca enjoyed more happiness
than Nero, his cruel and tyrannical master. So far as inward peace of
conscience depends on virtue, it is its own reward. But we do not find
that its ends are commensurate with its exertions. Honest industry does
not always bring even a moderate support. It therefore appears evident
to me, that there would not be sufficient reward for, nor consequently
sufficient excitement to, the sacrifices which virtue requires, without
the hope of a future life. God, by the influences of his spirit,
brings home the truths of the Gospel upon the mind, and makes them the
spring of new, and right principles. Hence Divine Revelation informs
us, “by his own will begat he us by the word of truth.” If we look for
nothing beyond the grave, too many will say, “what advantageth it me?”
Dr Doddridge observes, “there are some sufferings of flesh and blood,
to which good men for conscience’ sake have been exposed, so extreme,
that without some extraordinary support from God, it would be really
impossible that the pleasures of a rational thought should be enjoyed
by them.” Such support must arise from a view of a future state, and
from a conviction that afflictions are but for a moment, and are
“working out for them a far more exceeding, even an eternal weight of
glory.” Not that I mean to say, we are to expect Heaven as a _reward_
for our virtue, independent of the free grace of God. But he has
promised a glorious inheritance to those who do well, and this ought to
stimulate men to the greatest industry in his service. Love to God is
the great principle of christian virtue.’
On another occasion she was applied to by a friend, who was placed in
an embarrassing situation, for her sentiments on the subject of forming
a connexion, without mutual attachment.
The following observations are extracted from her reply.
‘It has been readily allowed, that marriage, without great
congeniality, must render a person of sensibility extremely wretched.
Novel writers have general urged the impropriety of this connexion
from this motive. But as this life is only a passport to a better, the
principal objection ought to arise from a nobler source.
‘Both religion and morality require that there should be a conformity
between our words and actions; and, that in both we should always
be entirely true. Now when two people marry, they virtually and
publicly declare, that they prefer each other to all the world. If
that preference be wanting, this declaration is a capital breach of
sincerity. It is the declaration of an untruth before Heaven and earth.
‘The least deviation from truth, in this one capital point, imposes a
kind of necessity to practise continual dissimulation. Having exhibited
to the world the strongest proof of a peculiar, and individual
affection, honor and reputation render it of consequence to keep up the
deception. By doing this, however, the delicacy of moral feeling must
be continually wearing away. And what will be the happiness of married
life under circumstances like these?
‘The attention which a husband and wife have a right to expect from
each other, must originate in a decided preference of each other;
else the indifference of one of the parties may effectually destroy
that happiness, which they had bound themselves by the most sacred
obligations to promote.
‘But even this continual dissimulation, which is highly injurious to
the moral character, and extremely painful to an ingenuous mind, will
be wholly unavailing for its end. True love is of so delicate a nature,
that it can never be satisfied with anything short of love in return;
and it is of a power so penetrating, that, by its own light, it sees
into the heart of the person beloved. Its primary object is to possess
the heart. “Not the warmest expressions of affection, or the most
fervent protestations, are able to give any satisfaction, where we are
not persuaded the affection is real, and the satisfaction mutual.
“All these possessed are nought, but as they are
The proofs, the substance of an inward passion
And the rich plunder of a taken heart.”’
The first edition of Miss Adams’s View of Religion was published before
her sister’s death, and partly transcribed by this sister. The second
was begun as soon after this afflicting event took place, as she could
collect resolution to engage in it. Those who knew her might indeed
wonder that any motive could at any time be powerful enough to induce
her to publish a book. Her humility, her diffidence, and her total
ignorance of business, seemed to present insurmountable obstacles. It
was necessary, however, that she should earn a subsistence in some
way. She had tried various methods. Making lace, during the war, had
been one of the most lucrative employments. But home-made lace could
only be tolerated, when no other could be procured; and as soon as
importation become easy, it sunk into total disuse. Spinning, weaving,
and braiding straw were by turns tried. But all afforded her only a
scanty subsistence. Her eyes were weak, and often so much inflamed
that she could not use them. Her general health also was extremely
feeble, and her mind depressed by present evil, and harassed by
distressing fears for the future. ‘It was desperation, therefore,
and not vanity,’ said she, ‘that induced me to publish.’ Her memoirs
mention the disappointment she experienced in the profits of her first
edition. When about publishing a second, it was necessary to pay a
few shillings for the further security of the copy-right; and this
sum, though so small, she was obliged to borrow from a friend. On the
subject of poverty, she always spoke with great feeling. She had early
in life been brought up in indulgence; and poverty had come upon her
at an age, when the sensibility of the heart are most alive. There
can hardly, indeed, be a suffering more acute to a feeling mind, that
has experienced the pleasure of bestowing, than to find its means of
benevolence cut off, and all its powers necessarily turned into a
weary, wasting struggle for self-preservation. ‘And yet,’ she said, ‘I
had then enjoyments, of which the rich have no idea. When I had any
work brought in that would enable me to earn a few shillings, by which
I might buy paper, or any articles of stationary, I engaged in writing
with an interest that beguiled the monotony of my life.’ After the
second edition of her book was published, she kept a school for the
summer months for successive years; and, though in this employment she
experienced the usual difficulties of school-keeping in the country,
it was, upon the whole, a source of happiness. As the schools were in
the neighboring towns, she resided among the parents of the children
by turns; and her intelligent and acute mind often derived amusement,
and profit, from these occasional residences. She treasured up many
pleasant little anecdotes, that marked the habits and manners of the
families in which she then lived, many of which retained much of the
primitive simplicity of their forefathers.
One anecdote may not be unacceptable. She passed several months in
the family of a respectable farmer, whose turn it was to receive the
_school-mistress_. His wife was a pattern of frugal, industrious
management; yet not devoid of that desire of appearing ‘decent,’
which was manifested by the Vicar of Wakefield’s wife before her. The
usual dress of females in the country at that period, when engaged
in domestic employments, was the ‘short russet kyrtle,’ confined
at the waist by a home-spun checked apron. This was the costume of
the mistress of the family. The year Miss Adams resided there had
been one of uncommon prosperity. The crops were abundant, and many
little luxuries had been added to the household establishment. With
injunctions of secrecy, the good woman informed her guest, that, if the
next year also should prove to be as prosperous, she intended to wear
_long calico gowns_!
Miss Adams remarked, that these early scenes often recurred to her
mind, amidst the wealth and splendor she witnessed in later life; and
the impressions of both were heightened by the contrast.
That her sensibility was a source of pain, as well as of happiness,
cannot be doubted. She censured herself severely for moments of
irritation, and felt the keenest self-reproach for what might be truly
called the infirmity of her nature. That she perfectly understood her
weaknesses, and moral exposures, and guarded in her heart the avenues
to temptation, the following resolutions, found among her papers, are a
sufficient proof.
SERIOUS RESOLUTIONS.
I resolve to read the Bible more attentively, and diligently, and to be
constant and fervent in prayer for divine illumination and direction.
2d. To read less from curiosity, and a desire to acquire worldly
knowledge, and more for the regulation of my heart and life;
consequently, to have my reading less desultory, and to read more books
of practical divinity.
3d. In choosing my friends and companions, to have a greater regard to
religious characters than I have hitherto had.
4th. To avoid such company as has a tendency to unsettle my mind
respecting religious opinions.
5th. To endeavor to preserve a firm reliance on Divine Providence, and
to avoid all unreasonable worldly care and anxiety.
6th. To pray and guard against loving my friends with that ardent
attachment, and that implicit reliance upon them, which is incompatible
with supreme love to, and trust in, God alone.
7th. To endeavor to attain a spirit of forgiveness towards my enemies,
and to banish from my mind all those feelings of resentment, which are
incompatible with the spirit of the gospel.
For a number of years, no incidents occurred in the life of Miss Adams
which claim peculiar notice. It is a long road, with only here and
there a milestone. She continued to write, but on subjects not at all
congenial with her own taste. She was enthusiastic, and a great lover
of poetry and fiction; but on these subjects she distrusted herself,
and made it her constant study to accommodate her mind to common life.
Her History of New England is evidence of her perseverance in this
purpose, as that work was undertaken soon after the second edition of
her ‘View of Religious Opinions.’
In her memoirs, she mentions her difficulty of procuring books that
would aid her in her purposes. The very uncommon faculty she possessed
of comprehending, and making her own, the information a book contained,
greatly assisted her labors. She was invited to pass a week or two at
the late President Adams’s, at Quincy, with the offer of his library
as an inducement to accept the invitation. He was much struck with
the rapidity with which she went through folios of the venerable
Fathers; and made some pleasant remarks in consequence, which induced
her to speak of their contents. He then found, that, while she had
been turning over leaf after leaf, she had been culling all that
could be useful in her labors. She possessed the power of application
to an uncommon degree, and was often so entirely engrossed in her
subject, as to be unconscious of the lapse of time. This abstraction
gave rise to many little anecdotes. It was said that she often spent
days at the Atheneum; and that the librarian, after some ineffectual
attempts to disengage her from her book, would lock the door, go home
to his dinner, and return again, and find her in the same spot; and
unconscious either of his absence, or that the dinner hour was past. A
friend repeated this account to her, and asked her if it was true. She
said in reply, ‘It is very much exaggerated, I don’t think it ever
happened more than once or twice.’
It was on a visit to Boston, that Miss Adams first saw Mr Buckminster.
He was then at college, and about sixteen years old. Those who knew
him will not think her description of him an exaggerated one. ‘He
had then,’ she said, ‘the bloom of health on his cheek, and the
fire of genius in his eye. I did not know from which world he came,
whether from heaven or earth.’ Though so young, he entered fully
into her character; and before they parted, he gave her a short,
but comprehensive sketch of the state of literature in France and
Germany. After he became the Pastor of Brattle street Church, he,
with Mr Higginson, and Mr Shaw the active founder of the Atheneum,
proposed to Miss Adams, who, from an enfeebled constitution, had begun
to grow infirm, to remove to Boston; at the same time procuring for
her, through the liberal subscription of a few gentlemen, an annuity
for life. She had then commenced her History of the Jews; and nothing
could have been more favorable to its progress, or to her own ease of
mind, than this benevolent arrangement. She could never speak of her
benefactors without deep emotion.
From the Rev. Mr Buckminster she received the most judicious, and
extensive assistance. She was in the habit of visiting him in his
study, and had his permission to come when she pleased, to sit and
read there as long as she pleased, or take any book home and use it
like her own. Perhaps people are never perfectly easy with each other,
till they feel at liberty to be silent in each other’s society. It was
stipulated between them, that neither party should be obliged to talk.
But her own language will best describe her feelings. ‘Mr Buckminster
would sometimes read for hours without speaking. But, occasionally,
flashes of genius would break forth in some short observation, or
sudden remark, which electrified me. I never could have gone on with
my history, without the use of his library. I was indebted to him for
a new interest in life. He introduced me to a valuable circle of
friends; and it was through him that I became acquainted with Mrs
Dearborn, whose kindness and attention to me have been unceasing. His
character was the perfection of humanity. His intellectual powers were
highly cultivated and ennobled. Yet even the astonishing vigor and
brightness of his intellect were outdone by the goodness of his heart.
‘No thought within his generous mind had birth,
But what he might have own’d to heaven and earth.’
Mr Buckminster assisted Miss Adams’s researches, and procured
information for her, relative to the Jews. He took a warm interest
in this oppressed people, and often prayed for them during communion
service, in the same language in which Jesus had prayed for them.
‘Father, forgive them! for they know not what they do.’ For about two
years after the removal of Miss Adams to Boston, she enjoyed this
intercourse, visiting his study with the utmost freedom.
It is impossible not to look back with admiration upon the benevolence
that prompted these kind attentions; and it is not a difficult effort
of imagination to enter the library, and to view these laborious,
and dissimilar students together. The _one_, distinguished by the
natural ease, grace and elegance of his manners; the _other_, timid
and helpless. The one, treading with the elastic step of youth, and
the other declining into the vale of years; yet both drawn together
by those sympathies, which spring from the fountain of perfect and
everlasting good. Who would not be touched by the spectacle of a young
man of distinguished talents, equally sought by the world of _science_,
and of _fashion_, extending a helping hand, and devoting a portion
of his valuable time, to a timid and helpless female, shrinking from
the ills of life; but who indeed derived her happiness from the same
sources that he did, literature and religion! When, from indisposition,
she omitted for any length of time her visits, a kind note, or a
still kinder call alleviated the infirmities of her health. But this
happiness was not to last. Miss Adams was only one among the many who
beheld Mr Buckminster disappear, at the early age of twenty-eight
years, ‘in all the brightness of his honors, and without any twilight
coming over his fame.’
Miss Adams corresponded with literary characters both abroad and at
home, but she never preserved any copies of her own letters. She wrote
with great simplicity, and singleness of heart, without any display,
and set no value on her own composition. She had, indeed, a singular
standard of judging. It was her firm persuasion, that she never wrote
anything original. ‘It is other people’s thoughts,’ said she, ‘that I
put into my own language.’ Were all writers brought to the same test,
there are few that could claim much originality of thought; though the
rich and varied modes of expression, and the different views which
different minds take of fundamental truths, often give them the grace
and charm of novelty. In this opinion of herself, however, she seems
to refute her position; as it must be acknowledged that this view of
her own works is rather _original_ among authors. Her defect was,
underrating, instead of overrating her powers. Her mind was like a
well cultivated garden, stored with fruits and flowers, and watered by
pure streams. But they were streams that flowed on just as nature had
intended. There were no cascades, nor fountains, nor serpentine walks,
nor rare exotics. All was simple, and natural.
Her timidity was excessive. It pervaded her whole character, and
sometimes palsied the efforts of her mind. In her youth she amused
herself with writing tales of fiction. ‘But,’ she said, ‘they all
took their color from her own life. She could do nothing but kill and
destroy; and when her situation became happier, and her mind more
cheerful, she could not endure the sight of them.’ When very young, her
health being in a feeble state, and not expecting to live long, she
determined to write a number of letters to her young friends, after the
manner of Mrs Rowe’s; intending they should reach them mysteriously,
immediately on her death. But fortunately for the Jews, and for
literature, her anticipations were not realized. She was early in life
much in the habit of committing poetry to memory; and this she never
forgot. ‘I could repeat poetry,’ said she, ‘I believe for three months
together; and though I am now continually troubled by forgetting where
I have laid a knife, a pencil, or a pen, yet the long poems I learned
in my youth, I can repeat as accurately as ever.’ She went on to
observe, that these recollections did not give her so much pleasure as
might be supposed; for, as this poetry was selected when she was young,
much of it was not of a kind which her maturer taste and judgment could
approve.
Though Miss Adams was born and bred in the country, she felt the
strongest enthusiasm for rural scenes; and they always seemed to retain
the power of novelty over her mind. A walk, a ride, or a visit to any
new place, awoke all the fervor of her feelings. It was on one of these
occasions that she composed the following lines.
‘Such scenes the days of innocence renew,
And bring the patriarchal age to view,
Thus favor’d Abraham, in the days of old,
On flowery Mamre kept his fleecy fold;
While friendly angels left their heavenly seat,
To greet the patriarch in his calm retreat.’
There are few who were more calculated for the enjoyment of friendship
and society than Miss Adams. Yet for a long period she seems to have
been in a great measure deprived of both. It is difficult to say what
effects might have been produced by the action of other minds upon her
own. It might have roused it to more inventive exertion; or, on the
other hand, in the fulness of enjoyment, her mental powers might have
sunk into indolence. But one thing is certain, that her happiness would
have been greatly increased by it. Those who knew her only late in life
can fully realize how much she must have felt the want of a friend,
after the death of her sister. Her strong sensibility to all that was
excellent, and good, and fair in creation, peculiarly fitted her for
that intercourse of thought and feeling, which such emotions naturally
call forth. Her love of literature was no doubt a high source of
enjoyment. But perhaps even this might have been increased, by those
occasional restraints which the forms and habits of society impose. The
epicure is willing to delay his dinner for an appetite; and, upon the
same principle, those who read, write, or reflect with the greatest
relish, may return to these occupations with tenfold enjoyment, after
giving an hour or two to a social circle, or even to the dull round
of a modern tea party. But Miss Adams had none of these incentives.
She was at liberty to read, or write, with out interruption; to turn
over huge folios, or musty manuscripts, from morning to night; and
if she sometimes suspended her labors, and walked abroad, it was for
a solitary pleasure. Yet she allowed no sentiment of repining, or of
discontent, to embitter her life; for she fully realized that,
‘It is th’ allotment of the skies,
The hand of the Supremely Wise,
That guides and governs our affections
And plans and orders our connexions;
Directs us in our distant road,
And marks the bounds of our abode.’
This feeling of resignation to existing circumstances prevented Miss
Adams from making any strenuous exertions to improve her condition.
Once, indeed, she projected a plan of keeping a circulating library
at Salem. She had a considerable number of books to begin with,
and probably encouraged a hope that she might in this way become
instrumental to the promotion of religious and moral instruction. But
she never thought superficially on any subject; and before engaging
in active measures, she made full inquiry into the probable success
and consequences of her plan. It was then that her upright, and
conscientious mind, relinquished the undertaking. The reflection,
that the emoluments of a circulating library are drawn from novels,
plays, and romances, and that, in keeping such a library, she must be
accessory to much waste of time, if not perversion of taste and even of
principle, by disseminating works which often are read because they are
new, determined her conduct. She felt, and lamented the injury, which
the promiscuous reading of similar works had produced on her own mind.
While they had sharpened her sensibility to the evils of life, they had
also enervated her resolution to endure them; and she ascribed much of
her mental suffering to this cause. She would not, therefore, pursue
the plan of a circulating library, though encouraged to do it by some
warm-hearted friends. Had the Waverley novels made their appearance
in her youthful days, they would probably have rendered harmless the
greater part of those which fell into her hands. Their just historical
painting, their strong delineation of character, and masterly touches
of passion and feeling, united with the exquisite description of what
is beautiful and sublime in the scenery of nature, could not fail to
have given her a juster taste, and directed her enthusiasm to a higher
mark. Her own good sense, led her, in time, to discriminate, and to
separate the gold from the dross; and she never ceased to derive great
pleasure from a well written work of fiction. Her whole testimony,
however, was given against that promiscuous reading of novels, which
has been in times past, more than of late years, permitted among
young girls. The rapid progress of education, by occupying the time,
and expanding the mind, has done much towards the correction of
this evil. Many now sip at the fountain-head of elegant literature,
and feel the beauty of Virgil, and the sublimity of Dante, in their
native languages; listen to the sweet melody of Tasso; and find in the
christian leader of the early ages, Godfrey, a hero far surpassing the
heroes of modern romances.
Happily the time has arrived, when the cultivation of female intellect
needs no longer to be advocated, or recommended. It is now placed
on a just and rational ground. We hear no longer of the _alarming_,
and perhaps justly obnoxious din, of the ‘rights of women.’ Whatever
their capacity of receiving instruction may be, there can be no use in
extending it beyond the sphere of their duties. Yet how wide a circle
does this include! Who can doubt the sacred and important duties of
a mother? ‘Nature has not more evidently assigned them the task of
nourishing the body of the infant, than she has that of developing,
and cultivating the mind, in its earlier stages.’ It is her office
to sow the first seeds of virtue; to regulate the first excitements
of temper; to cultivate gentleness, forbearance, disinterestedness,
and above all, obedience. For this, her own habits must be those of
careful observation, of steady self-government, and of systematical
arrangement; otherwise, her plan will be made up of miscellaneous
feelings, and opinions, that will be constantly fluctuating.
‘It may be doubted whether any one can be placed in so insulated a
situation, as to possess a right of appropriating any considerable
portion of his time to studies, which may not terminate in a practical
result.’ This rule, in an enlightened sense, ought to be the standard
of a woman’s education. It ought to be the measure of her cultivation.
But surely no faculty of her mind can be spared from this work.
‘She is designed by nature for elegance, and gentleness; to endear
domestic life to man, to make virtue lovely to her children, to spread
around her order and grace, and to give society its highest polish.
No attainment can be above beings whose end and aim is to accomplish
these important purposes. Every means should be used to invigorate by
principle, and culture, their native excellence and grace.’[2]
[2] Fenelon.
These observations may be deemed irrelevant, but they are suggested
by Miss Adams’s own remarks on this subject. She often regretted the
time she had spent in useless, and desultory reading and observed that
when she first began to turn her attention to the study of the dead
languages, she felt as if she was ‘drawing upon herself the ridicule
of society.’ She lived, however, to see these prejudices removed, and
to receive a respect and deference from literary men, which often
excited her astonishment, as well as gratitude. There have been many
instances recorded, of talent which has been suffered to languish in
obscurity and want. Against these, the present instance ought not
to pass unnoticed. The individual kindness that Miss Adams received
was invariable. She had outlived almost all her contemporaries. But
new generations had sprung up under the enlightened influences of
education, who respected her intellect and learning, and who loved
her for her goodness. After her removal to Boston, she was therefore
seldom long in solitude. Her little apartment was usually decorated
with the flowers that her young friends brought her. Many of them
spent hours in reading to her, and cheered her by their bright and
animated conversation. It would be injustice, also, not to refer to the
disinterested, and liberal assistance she received from those friends,
who enabled her to reserve a part of her laborious earnings for the
benefit of a suffering relative. The annuity, which continued to her
death, was said to have been first suggested by ladies; but afterwards,
the proposal was put into the hands of Mr Shaw, and the other gentlemen
mentioned in her memoirs. A few years previous to her death, a number
of ladies at Salem sent her an annual sum as a testimony of their
respect.
At one period of her life, her correspondents were numerous. Amongst
them might be mentioned names, that will long be cherished by
posterity. The venerable President Adams, to whom the second edition
of her View of Religions was dedicated, took a benevolent interest in
her literary success. From one of his letters to her, the following
sentence is extracted.
‘You and I are undoubtedly related by birth; and although we were both
“born in humble obscurity,” yet I presume neither of us have any cause
to regret that circumstance. If I could ever suppose that family pride
was in any case excusable, I should think a descent from a line of
virtuous independent New England farmers, for one hundred and sixty
years, was a better foundation for it, than a descent through royal or
titled scoundrels ever since the flood.’
With the learned Bishop Gregoire, whose name is familiar in our country
as well as his own, her correspondence continued many years. The
congeniality of their labors in the cause of the Jews, as well as
general philanthropy, had made them acquainted with each other. With
Mr Cunningham, also, Vicar of Harrow, and author of ‘The World without
Souls,’ she exchanged letters. From Miss More she received several,
all of which she most highly prized. The late Mrs Catharine Cappe was
among her correspondents; nor can we omit to mention her letters from
the amiable, and distinguished Swedenborgian, Mr Hill. There is one
also among her papers from the venerable Bishop Carroll, in reply to
a letter of hers addressed to him. It is with no narrow feeling we
mention names like these. We ask not their sect or country. They belong
to the great family of mankind, and we claim affinity as a rightful
inheritance.
The strength of Miss Adams’s natural affection was proportionate to
her social ties. Of her only remaining sister, and to whom her memoir
is bequeathed in the ‘humble hope that it may be a pecuniary benefit
to her,’ she often spoke with deep and irrepressible feeling. She
sometimes projected plans, by which she might have enjoyed more of
the society of her nieces; but she submitted to the necessity which
separated her from her relatives without a murmur. One of her nieces
was adopted, and educated by a lady, who fell a victim to consumption
in the prime of life. Here recollection lingers for a moment. Impelled
by a powerful sense of duty, this lady quitted her nearest friend, and
sought, in the milder climate of Italy, that health and freedom of
respiration which were denied her here. She was able to derive much
enjoyment from her short residence in a land that abounded with objects
congenial to her taste; but only lived to return, and yield her last
breath in her native country.
As Miss Adams has mentioned her works in her memoir, in the order
in which they were written, it is unnecessary to say more of them.
They have been reviewed, and weighed, by a candid public; and met at
the time the wants of the different departments in which they were
written. Her History of New England was a pioneer to many similar
works that followed. There is, however, one work of hers, published in
1804, which is less known. It is entitled, ‘The Truth and Excellence
of the Christian Religion exhibited.’ This work contains interesting,
and short sketches of the lives of eminent laymen, who have written
in defence of the Christian religion, with extracts from their
writings. The characters are selected with judgment and taste, and
every circumstance is omitted that does not aid her purpose. From
the preface to ‘The Truth and Excellence of the Christian Religion,’
written by the author, we select one passage. ‘In order to prevent any
misrepresentation of the design of this compilation, it may be proper
to inform the reader, that these great names, and the testimonies they
have given of their firm belief of the truth of Christianity, are not
adduced to justify a reliance upon human authority, or to establish
the divinity of the christian system; but the evidences of revealed
religion are still submitted to, and boldly challenge, the strictest
scrutiny, by the known and established rules of right reason.’ In
connexion with this idea, she quotes the following lines from Cowper.
‘“Philosophy baptized
In the pure fountain of eternal love,
Has eyes indeed; and, viewing all she sees,
As meant to indicate a God to man,
Gives him the praise, and forfeits not her own.”’
The order and systematic arrangement of this work is excellent. It was
principally intended for the use of young persons; and the characters
selected are not wanting in that sort of interest, which is suited to
make them attractive to the young. The following anecdote is there
related of Grotius.
‘This great man was twice sent on embassies to England. On his return
to Holland, he found the religious divisions which had for some time
prevailed in that country increased. By his attachment to Barnevelt and
the remonstrant party, he incurred the displeasure of Prince Maurice of
Orange. In 1669, he was seized and sentenced to perpetual imprisonment,
and his estate was confiscated. In pursuance of this sentence, he
was imprisoned in the strong castle of Louvestein; and after having
been treated with great rigor for more than a year and a half, he was
rescued by a stratagem of his wife. He had been permitted to borrow
books of his friends; and when he had perused them, they were carried
back in a chest with his linen, which was in this way sent to be
washed. During the first year, the guards were exact in examining the
chest; but at length grew remiss, and did not take the trouble to open
it. His wife, who belonged to one of the first families in Zealand, and
was worthy of such a husband as Grotius, observing their negligence,
advised him to bore holes in the chest to prevent his being stifled,
and then to put himself into it, and to make his escape. She requested
the governor of the castle to permit her to send away a chest. After
her request was granted, Grotius was put into the chest, and conveyed
to a friend’s house in Gorkum, where, dressing himself like a mason,
and taking a rule and trowel, he passed through the market place, and
stepping into a boat, went to Brabant. There he discovered himself to
some of his friends, and hired a carriage at Antwerp. At first there
was a design of prosecuting his wife, who remained in the prison.
However, she was released by a plurality of voices, and universally
applauded for a resolution and courage which saved her husband’s life,
while it endangered her own.’
It would be a pleasant office, in paying this tribute to the memory of
a friend, to record the names of many whose kindness and attention to
her were unremitting. Some, like herself, have gone to their long home;
but others still remain, to continue their ‘noiseless deeds of worth.’
One little incident, which greatly interested her from the mystery
attached to it, is a reason for mentioning the name of a lady who is
now no more, but who was distinguished for endowments of mind and
person. She married and went to Europe during the revolutionary war.
After passing many years in England, Scotland and France, she returned
to this country, with a mind fraught with practical knowledge, a heart
full of benevolence, and blest with that happy talent of conversation,
that draws forth from the recipient as much as it communicates. In
this lady’s society Miss Adams took the greatest delight. During their
long and pleasant intercourse of many years, an artist waited on Miss
Adams, and requested her to sit for a miniature picture of herself:
saying that he was commissioned to solicit the favor by a friend. She
consented, but was entirely at a loss to conjecture who the friend
could be. The picture was completed, and in the course of a few weeks
sent to her, with the following note.
MY DEAR MADAM--I send you the miniature for which you had the goodness
to sit. It has been generally recognised, and thought a good likeness.
I hope it will be as much approved in your room, as it has been
in mine. Now, my dear Madam, you will discover the friend who was
desirous that you should _live_ in future, in _person_ as well as in
_mind_. I sincerely hope others may feel as I do on this subject; and
a more valuable portrait be secured of the lady, whose talents and
writings have diffused so much useful knowledge, and whose conduct and
life has been so exemplary. After it has been with you long enough
for your friends to see it, I wish it returned, and to have the honor
of its hanging in my house. If one better calculated for the purpose
should not hereafter be taken, I shall bequeath it to the Athenæum.
With great respect,
Your friend and servant,
CATHARINE HAY.
BOSTON, DEC. 25, 1822.
The hope of this lady was accomplished. A few years before Miss Adams’s
death, through the influence of a few friends, a fine likeness of her
was taken by Mr Harding, and was afterwards presented by them to the
Athenæum.
We hope it may not be deemed improper to mention one other friend,
whose life was a series of benevolent and disinterested exertions.
Immediately previous to Miss Adams’s illness, she spoke of this friend
with her accustomed interest; and with an anticipation that they should
be fellow-travellers to the land of spirits. Mrs Codman’s death took
place a few days after that of Miss Adams. She has left to her friends
those sweet and sacred remembrances, that soften and elevate the heart;
while the influence of her intelligent, and liberal mind, will long be
felt in the society in which she lived.
The most prominent trait in Miss Adams’s character was sensibility.
It was impossible to converse with her any length of time, without
touching some of the numerous chords that vibrated through her system.
An instrument thus organized did not require the skill of an artist
to set it in motion. The feeblest hand could extract notes of joy,
sorrow, or apprehension. It responded to every breath that passed
over it. This sensitiveness sometimes put her at the mercy of the
unfeeling and obtrusive. But, generally speaking, her sensibility was
a source of great enjoyment. Towards her friends it flowed forth in an
affection fervent and enthusiastic. ‘The sight of them,’ to use her
own expression, ‘was like the sun and air of Heaven.’ All that was
remotely connected with them became important to her. Those who have
heard her speak of Mr Thacher, the eloquent and feeling historian of
her friend Mr Buckminster, understood the nature of her emotions. She
almost identified him with the being that he so beautifully and justly
delineated. Brothers indeed they were in the sacred ties of love and
harmony, and in those qualities of mind that emanate from the source of
perfect wisdom and goodness. There are many who may apply to both that
touching sentence the survivor applied to his friend; ‘Even now, when
time has interposed to subdue all the more powerful emotions of grief,
there are those who delight to recall the hours we have passed with
_them_, and to dwell on those traits, which we loved while living, and
which death cannot efface from our memories.’
Mr Thacher, unlike his friend, was doomed to see death approach by
slow and faltering steps. If there is a trial on earth that mocks the
power of human fortitude, it is to feel the usefulness of life cut
off, and to be compelled to remain idle during the toils of the day,
while cares and labors are thronging around. How nobly he endured
this affliction, how justly he reasoned that the part assigned him
was to _wait_, must be well remembered. The teachings of Heaven are
as various as our wants. This sublime example of patient endurance
has found its way to many a heart, and spoken more forcibly than the
services even of an active ministry could have done. His fervent prayer
is now accomplished. He has gone to that world where ‘friendship is
uninterrupted, and virtue eternal.’
We bless God for the natural evidence of a future life, which minds
like these, bearing the visible stamp of immortality, afford; we bless
him that such have existed, and we bless him that such have preceded
those whom we love, to cast brightness over the dark valley of death.
We hope this involuntary digression will be pardoned, and we return
again to the subject of our memoir. We have spoken of her sensibility
and elsewhere of her humility. This, however, must not be mistaken
for that slothful quiescent sense of inferiority, which sometimes
belongs to common minds. It was true christian humility; it was the
consciousness of high moral capacities, falling far short of her
exalted standard of excellence. The sensibility that led her so fully
to appreciate the kindness of her friends, made her alive to injury.
At any attempt at imposition, her spirit rose proportionably, and she
expressed and felt a resentment for which she afterwards reproached
herself.
Her judgment and opinion of books was derived from her own power of
thought. She did not wait for the decision of others, but expressed
her own fearlessly, when called for. But it was on the subject of
character that her mind discovered most acuteness and originality. Even
in those whom she loved, she knew how to discriminate, and when she
allowed herself to speak on the subject, plainly discovered that she
knew how to separate the good from the evil, and that she had learned
to love them with their faults.
The last visit that Miss Adams made was to South Boston, in the
family of the Superintendent of Juvenile Offenders. There was much in
her short residence there to interest her mind. The success of this
institution; the groups of rescued children, now cheerful and obedient;
the disinterested kindness of the family; nor ought it to be forgotten,
the beautiful situation of the building, overlooking the bay of Boston
with its many islands, the harbor and city rising in its pyramid of
beauty, and crowned by the dome of the State-house; all called forth
her enthusiasm, and brightened the last days of her earthly existence.
When she returned to her lodgings in Boston, she lamented the want of
sun and of prospect. By the instrumentality of judicious friends, she
was removed to Brookline; and when there, she wrote the following note
to a friend, which, as the _last_ effort of her pen, is here inserted.
DEAR MADAM--Will you excuse me if I trouble you with a few lines.
I am now settled for the winter, _if I live_. The greatest earthly
happiness I can enjoy is seeing my friends, among whom dear Mrs ----
is in the first rank. I need not inform you, and I am unable to
express, how much pleasure it would give me to see you in Brookline.
The lady I am now boarding with is all goodness. My trembling hand
will scarcely allow me to write. Adieu, dear Madam; pray call upon me
as soon as you can conveniently.
From your affectionate and grateful friend,
H. ADAMS.
BROOKLINE, NOV. 12, 1831.
The friend to whom the note was addressed hastened to see her. She
found her in a large, and airy apartment. It was a fine morning; one of
those days in which ‘Autumn seems to linger in the lap of Winter.’ The
sun poured its rays into her apartment to her heart’s content. She was
bright, and cheerful, and said with a smile she ‘believed some people
thought she had lived long enough; but she was willing to remain as
long as it pleased God to continue her,’ and then added, pointing to
the prospect without, ‘how can any body be impatient to quit such a
beautiful world!’
But little remains to be added to this short sketch, and that little
perhaps is expressed in the Obituary notice which we subjoin.
OBITUARY.
Died at Brookline, near Boston, on the 15th inst. MISS HANNAH ADAMS,
aged seventysix. Her literary labors have been long before the public,
and have made her name known in Europe as well as in her native land.
Her first work, the ‘View of Religions,’ was published at a time when
this country had few authors, and when a book from a female hand was
almost without precedent. She was not impelled by any desire of fame;
and though the hope of usefulness was undoubtedly a strong motive
to her literary exertions, yet this would not have availed, without
the prospect of contributing by her pen to her own support, and the
comfort of her nearest friends. It is gratifying to know, that she has
left behind a simple and interesting memoir of her early life, which
precludes the necessity of saying more of her literary history. Indeed,
_literary_ claims are perhaps among the last that, at a moment like
this, present themselves to the minds of her friends. The virtues and
excellences of her character, her blameless life, her sensibility,
the warmth of her affections, her sincerity and candor, call forth a
flow of feeling that cannot be restrained. To an almost child-like
simplicity, and singleness of heart, she united a clear and just
conception of character; to a deep and affecting humility, a dignity
and elevation of thought, that commanded the respect and veneration of
those around her. Amidst many infirmities she retained the freshness
and enthusiasm of youth. Society never lost its charms. To the aged
she listened with submission and gentleness; to the classic and highly
gifted, with a delight almost amounting to rapture. The young, and
there were such who felt it a privilege to ‘sit at her feet,’ she
viewed as ‘ministering angels’ dispensing joy and gladness. Her love of
nature was exhaustless. The first beam of morning, the glory of noon,
the last rays of the setting sun, were objects which through a long
life she never contemplated with indifference. Those who were in the
habit of visiting her, will recollect how constantly her apartment was
decorated by flowers of the field, or the garden. It was her object to
gather round her images of natural and moral beauty. In many respects
her mind seemed so truly constituted for enjoyment, that to those who
knew her but slightly, she might have appeared to be exempted from that
mental discipline, which is gradually leading the pilgrim on to the
land of promise. But her friends knew otherwise; they knew how keen
was her religious sensibility, how tremblingly alive her conscience,
how high her standard of excellence, and how great her timidity and
self-distrust, and they felt that this was not her haven of rest.
Though Miss Adams’s faith was fervent and devout, it partook of the
constitution of her sensitive mind, rather than gave the tone to it.
Yet amidst moments of doubt and despondency, a passage from scripture,
or a judicious observation, would disperse the clouds that had gathered
round her, and the brightest sunshine would diffuse itself over her
mind and countenance. There are many who will sorrow that they shall
see her ‘face no more;’ but those who knew the peculiar delicacy of her
constitution, ought rather to rejoice that she has escaped from the
present inclement winter; from the stormy wind and tempest; that her
eyes have opened upon ‘one eternal Spring,’ a season that always awoke
the enthusiasm of her nature, and which she said seemed to her ‘like
the first freshness of creation.’
It was her happiness to have been conversant with some of the most
enlightened and gifted men of the age. From many she received essential
benefit; and the universal sympathy and respect, as well as the
individual kindness which she excited, are testimonies honorable to
human nature. Many in whom she delighted have passed away. To those she
has gone, and to the Father and Saviour whom she loved.
* * * * *
The last tribute of respect is, however, yet to be paid to the honored
subject of this notice. Her remains are to be removed to Mount Auburn,
near Boston, the spot selected for a cemetery. Subscriptions for a
monument to her memory have been raised, and it will be erected in the
spring. There seems to be almost a poetical unity in this arrangement;
that one who so devoutly
‘Looked through nature up to nature’s God,’
should be one of the first tenants of a spot, combining so much natural
beauty; and which possesses that magnificence of wood and water, which
bespeaks it ‘a temple not made with hands.’
Transcriber’s Notes
Obvious punctuation and spacing errors have been corrected.
Page 77: “intercourse, visitting” changed to “intercourse, visiting”
Page 79: “rich and varried” changed to “rich and varied”
Page 84: “accessary to much waste” changed to “accessory to much waste
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