John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

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2Sunday April 3d: Tea at Mr: Breck’s. There was. Mrs:. . .rs and Miss Morgan. Mr: Elliot, Mr: Hallowell. Mr: W. Payne, T. Crafts S. C. Johonnot. and J. Callender. Miss Morgan comes I believe from Princeton in the Jerseys. she has past the winter in town. Has some relation to Doctor Stillman’s family, and lives with his daughters. Her countenance is pleasing, not very handsome, her manners very reserved, but not disagreeable. I have been several times in company with her, but there is something forbidding about her: I never heard her say a good thing, nor have I observed any thing remarkably amiable graceful in her demeanour. Yet let not this testimony pass, without adding that she has many enthusiastic admirers. Lowell thinks her a none-such, and of course all the females within the canonical degrees of affinity to him reecho the applause, which he bestows with great liberality, upon her. Lowell censures or commends with a vengeance and his Sisters and cousins are not without their share of the same failing. These people value themselves upon their strong feelings. Yet strong feelings are not becoming to the human species, and more especially to women.

“Not to admire is all the art I know.”

And with this maxim (says a person of great authority in my mind) it is necessary to adopt another which is “not to despise.” There is no truth of which I am more convinced.— However, as Miss Morgan is so uninteresting upon the acquaintance which I have with her, perhaps it is best to let her for the present, rest in peace.

I had some conversation with Johonnot. He is going to Demarara, upon a speculation. He professes not to know himself what his object will be upon his arrival there, and I believe he says truly.

3This speculation may possibly succeed, but if I know Johonnot, the greatest difficulty, which he will meet with in life will be the result of his own instability of character. He has not perseverance enough to be successful in scarcely any pursuit, for perhaps of all human qualities this of perseverance is in general the most useful.— He is easily discouraged, and indeed his opening in life has not been such as could satisfy a young man, of warm passions and a lively imagination.— He told me that he considered himself as unfortunate, and that he was determined if possible to run away from misfortune. His education he said had been principally in Europe; but there was a fundamental error, which had been the source of much unhappiness to him, and from which he was now recovered. He had been told in early youth, nay it had been instilled into his mind: with a cruel assiduity that he was born to great things; that his genius was extraordinary, his abilities commanding, and that he would undoubtedly come forward into the world like a phenomenon, and carry all before him.— This pernicious idea once implanted in his mind, had taken deep root in a soil perhaps too well calculated to produce spontaneously a weed of a similar nature. Just upon his return from Europe, he lost his Grandfather, Dr: Cooper, a man highly respected in this Country, and who might have been highly serviceable to him in promoting his introduction to the world. His father at the same period was totally ruined, and the disposition of the world was sufficiently prone to connect the character of the son with the failure of the father. He had himself in the course of a foreign education adopted habits of life, and manners, which were displeasing to his countrymen; and he was not perhaps so much attached to theirs as every man must be with those of the people with 4with whom he lives in order to be happy. Instead of the applause and success which he had been taught to expect he found himself an unpopular character, with many enemies, and with nothing to boast of from Friendship.— To a man who had feelings he said this reverse in the real situation, of that which he had anticipated, must be painful; and he considered these circumstances as sufficient to authorise him in saying he was not unacquainted with adversity. He had given up all his extravagant fancies, and all his romantic expectations; he wished henceforth for no more than a decent and honorable maintenance, and to acquire that he was willing to leave his country and seek his fortune in more hospitable climes.— He spoke with feeling. He spoke with eloquence. I doubted whether his present determination were judicious, but I respected his principle, and my mind acknowledged the truth of his observations. Most heartily do I wish he may succeed; for his failings have been sufficiently punished, his Vanity sufficiently humbled, and I hope the errors of his disposition corrected— But His own principal endeavour henceforth ought to be to acquire perseverance, and fortitude, which is a virtue perhaps of more practical utility through life than active resolution, unrestrained by a cool and sober judgment.

I went with Callender and spent the remainder of the evening at Mr: Higginson’s. There were his daughters Sally and Barbara; his son Stephen, and Mr Fulton, a man who said nothing, and whom I scarcely saw.— Of these people more anon: I have at present no time.

At home 9 o’clock I found Mr: & Mrs. Smith and his Sister Betsey.— And I can write no more for I am heartily tired already.

5There was an annular eclipse of the Sun this morning; I went upon Beacon Hill to see it, but the severity of a keen Northwester soon brought me down again.— Hurt my eyes much by observing this same Eclipse without a glass.