An Oration on the Life and Character of John Quincy Adams: Delivered Before the Citizens of Cincinnati (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from An Oration on the Life and Character of John Quincy Adams: Delivered Before the Citizens of CincinnatiShall we then mourn the loss which our country has sustained? Such is not my feeling. From the first announcement until now, the predominant emotion of my bosom has been, profound gratitude to Heaven for giving us such a man, and sparing him so long. I lose my regret that he is dead, in my deep joy that he has lived: and this I believe to be the general sentiment of his countrymen. Now, for the first time, does the priceless value of such a man begin to be appreciated. During the latter part of his life, he probably had as few enemies as any great man ever had. But in politics, party spirit perversely tinges every thing with its own hues. No eminent statesman can be without zealous Opponents, as well as partizans. The one detract, as much as the other exaggerate; and the truth is but dimly seen, if seen at all, through this turbid medium. But death disperses the mist, dispels the clouds; and through the clear atmosphere which surrounds their memory, the dead are seen truly, as they could not be while living. Already has this been most beautifully exemplified in the case of Mr. Adams. The most glow ing and heart-felt eulogies, in both Houses of Congress, came from those who had been his most determined political opponents. Party animosities were all forgotten; the politician was merged in the higher character of the man; and the warm sympathies of every generous heart gushed forth from nature's purest fountains. 0 this bitter party spirit! It should be the cause of infinite good, by the strict espionage it exercises over our public servants, in order to counterbalance the immense evil it occasions, by smothering (thank God, not extinguishing!) the noblest emotions of magnanimity and generosity. But death breaks down these party barriers; dissolves this incrustation which has hardened round the heart; and in the eye of man, as in the eye of God, the just on earth become per fegt in Heaven.This occasion, then, is not one of mourning, for the sake either of the dead or the living; but rather one for the expression of fer vent gratitude, and chastened joy, for the precious example of such a life and death - for the lessons of true wisdom it is designed to teach, - and for the devout and lofty aspirations which it should ex cite. In this spirit let it be improved by us.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.