Diary of Charles Francis Adams, volume 3
1830-11-28
The day was a very fine one. I attended Divine Service all day, and heard Mr. Stetson preach a very able and useful Sermon upon the practice of Slander and Gossip which is so prevalent among us. I like that kind of address, for it is probable that not a single person sat in that Meeting house to whom his words did not in some degree apply. This is the true purpose of the divine Ministry as established on earth, and not the writing a mere collection of beautifully arranged sentences of morals.1 This does not derogate from beauty of style or speaking because only that style of speaking can be worthy of the name of most beautiful, which most perfectly executes the purposes for which the whole Institution is designed. The afternoon’s Sermon was more doctrinal and less valuable.
I amused myself during the rest of the day, dipping a little into Michel Montaigne, with whom I was more amused than ever before. He has much thought delivered in a rambling kind of way. Evening, Messrs. Jonathan Brooks and his son Saml., came up and passed the whole evening, tolerably pleasantly.
Both the sermon on slander and gossip and CFA’s strongly approving reaction to the choice of subject may have had a topical significance at this time beyond the general suitability of the lesson: “Boston has been in a state of consternation owing to a little scandalous peccadillo which has occurred and crushed all the interest of the European News and almost of internal politics. It is as high in its grade as the Knap murder and conducted with all the deliberation which rendered that incident so awful. The Lovelace began with bad 372books at the age of 12 and completed the Seduction at 14 and it has come out on the eve of the marriage of the lassy aged 22 because she would not agree to infringe the rights of matrimony. It is a New Bedford affair. The Mother gone distracted” (LCA to Mrs. JA2, 26 Nov., Adams Papers).