Diary of Charles Francis Adams, volume 7
1837-01-15
Cold this morning. My Wife and John my eldest boy accompanied me to Meeting in the morning. Mr. Frothingham preached from Matthew 6. 9. “Hallowed be thy name.” A good discourse upon prayer but this was one of the days when I could not fix my attention. Afternoon the same. Hebrews 1. 14. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs to salvation?” Mr. Walsh walked and dined with me. But nothing new.
Read Dr. Barrow 1. Corinthians 15. 3. “For I delivered unto you, first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures.” Upon the death of Christ, its design and its uses to us. These discourses are a continued series of explanations of the various portions of the Apostle’s Creed, and are good though not in my opinion particularly equal. I did nothing else. Evening at home without much profit. Read Hume and Adam Smith upon the entangling topic of money.
1837-01-16
A fine day. This is the perfection of winter weather. I went to the Office. Received letters from Washington among the rest a return from Mary of the money I sent to her. Thus has this business been settled. It seems to have troubled her far more than it did me but she ought not to have ventured the remark.1
Collected the Dividend upon the Cocheco Co. Stock and was somewhat occupied with Accounts. Mr. Josiah Adams Jr. came in from Quincy with a view of getting some money and I could not help thinking how fortunate I was in being provided. I paid him a part on account and he spent an hour in desultory conversation.2 He is one of the men whom a partial amount of information has rendered unsettled in life. He kept me so long I was unable to walk as usual and returned immediately home. Livy.
The child appeared quite unwell today and caused us some anxiety from the effect it appeared to produce upon his head. Thus it is anxiety is one of the ingredients of a man’s existence. Afternoon, I read a little of Burnet and translated a little of Plutarch. But the afternoons vanish almost like smoke. Evening, read von Tietz and afterwards wrote upon Mr. Webster’s Speech, and replies to Washington.3
The letter from Mrs. JA2 has not been located. On the matter alluded to, see the entry for 3 Jan., above. CFA brought the matter to a conclusion with “a few lines of explanation and apology” in his reply to hers, mentioned below 167(LbC, Adams Papers).
In his letter to his mother mentioned below (Adams Papers), CFA wrote: “Mr. Josiah Adams Jr., came in today and descanted largely upon things in general ... but I gathered nothing new excepting that my well is chock full of water. Was there ever a well that caused so much speculation. The town of Quincy has ears for nothing else, they visit it, and peep through the boards that cover it, they talk of it in Brigham’s shop, the high “change of that metropolis.”
CFA to LCA, Adams Papers.