I'll explain more about the details and origin of these writings in a subsequent post, but the essays and speeches included here are either dated during the years Adam was still living in Pleasantville, they are not dated but the paper and handwriting closely match that of the dated essays and speeches, or the content occurred prior to 1884.
Good Breeding
One of the sure tests of good breeding is a thoughtful
regard to the convenience of others in a crowd.
An ill bred man or woman will stop in a church aisle to talk to a
neighbor at the close of service, without stepping aside to allow those who are
behind to pass on unhindered. The same
fault will be shown in blocking up the passage way of any public building or
place of business; or in standing in the door-way to the annoyance and disgust
of those who wish to pass out. Not
unfrequently have we seen this in the churches of this place especially upon
the part of young men and at one of the churches in particularly when young men
make their exit at one of the doors in the greatest possible haste only to
crowd in and block up the other door.
The ladies in a measure are to blame for this state of affairs, if when
the benediction has been pronounced they would at once vacate their pews and
pass out, young men would find more difficulty in making the round in time to
close the way and after a few unsuccessful attempts would retire in disgust.
A person of true refinement and of really good breeding will
have others in mind while with others.
The average refinement in any crowd or gathering of people is plainly
marked by the ease with which they get along together.
Twenty persons of good breeding can find comfortable sitting
room in a hall, and be good natured all the time, when ten ill-bred persons
would be jostling each other ill-naturedly.
Four ladies could sit comfortable and pleasantly in one pew
in church while three of a different spirit would snarl and make faces. And this is more than a matter of good
breeding. It involves a regard for the
rights as well as the comfort of others.
It is selfishness which makes one willing to block a passage
way for one’s own convenience, when others want to move on. It is dishonesty which leads one to take more
than his or her share of time or space, while others are waiting their turn, or
are wanting their place. Whoever would
be counted well-bred or refined ought to have this truth always in mind, so
ought all those who would be and do right.
Children ought to be trained to a proper course in this regard. They and their parents ought to learn to keep
out of other people’s way, when other people are entitled to the way.
Adam
July 31st 1879
“Mrs. Parkington has been reading the health officer’s
weekly report, and thinks “total” must be an awful malignant disease, since as
many die of it as all the rest put together.”
“Are you building air castles in Spain, Mr. Jones?” said a
landlady to a boarder who was thoughtfully regarding his coffee cup. “No, Madam, only looking over my grounds in
Java,” replied Jones.
“Those are Ewers,” said a gentleman in a crockery store,
pointing to a lot of wash pitchers. “No,
they hain’t mine, neither,” replied a bystander, “they belong to the
storekeeper.”
Little Things
Life is made up of little things. From the animalcule which sports in the
raindrop, to the huge leviathan whose home is in the ocean; from the Humming
Bird noted for the metallic brilliancy of its plumage, to the Ostrich whose
speed on foot surpasses that of the horse; from the modest violet, under the
shady bank, to the great trees of California; from the smallest dust which
floats in the breeze, to this ponderous globe, which is balanced on particles
of air – all teach the same lesson, all speak the same language. We hear it in the breeze, we feel it in the
sunshine, we see it and know it and feel it in all of God’s works &
wonders.
And this is the first lesson we should learn – that life is
made up of little things; so is character, so are all the grand enterprises of
the heart & soul, so are all the achievements of mind.
“Rome was not built in a day,” but after she had risen to
the zenith of her glory & power, wielded the scepter as “Mistress of the
world” and ruled with an iron sway, until becoming polluted with superstition
sin & crime tottered & fell; neither was that beautiful temple whose
foundation is laid deep in the firm rock of the soul, and whose superstructure
we denominate character, made and fashioned in a day, a month or even a
year. Thousands of little seconds of
time have entered into its composition, and hundreds of little influences,
little acts of kindness, and words of encouragement, little thoughts, deeds,
impulses, aspiration, all these and many more, have entered into the soul and
now form a part of that beautiful or that ugly thing, which we denominate
character. Too many people in the world
accomplish just nothing, simply because they aim too high; if they can’t do
great deeds and be called heroes, they are content to lag in the rear and be called
cowards. Doing little things, disciplines
the mind, enlarges the sphere of our affections, inspires our better natures
and prepares us for greater achievements in life as they open up before us;
like the little rill that gushes from the mountain’s base, winding around
rocks, through vale and glen, onward & onward until at last it reaches the
mighty ocean; like the fragrance of the flower the perfumes of which fill the
air and beautify and adorn all on whom they fall.
Let us then, like faithful gleaners in the harvest field
come in and strive to pick up and save that which is left, and often wasted on
the fields of human industry and benevolence.
Let us gather tenderly and faithfully all the little deeds of charity
& words of cheer, which too frequently drop out of the basket of life, in
our journey through this bustling, busy, selfish world, and bestow them on
those who are in need in times of sickness & distress, and by a generous
hospitality and a cordial welcome gladden their hearts, thus shall we merit the
Divine benediction “inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these
my brethren ye have done it unto me”.
A.I.
11/28/79
Is Life worth Living
Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of
trouble. He cometh forth like a flower
and is cut down; he fleeth also as a shadow and continueth not. It is true that the pathway of life between
birthdays and sepulchers is often rugged and sunless. Sin has brought gloomy days and sleepless
nights, sickness disease and death, and by not a few the question has been
asked in solemn lonely hours, “Is life worth living”? We answer yes and no. In certain moods it seems like a farce, and
in others like a tragedy. Among many,
dark views of life have been and are sadly prominent. Goethe, “at the close of a great literary
career, reviews the brilliant spectacle of past triumph, and finds in it all
the faint glimmering of only three or four weeks of happiness.” “Hartman moans forth his pessimistic views,
and avers that it were better never to have been born;” while the gloomy faced
Schopenhaur considers life a poor, bankrupt, worthless thing – a bitter
deception, alluring the hours with the charms of distant Edens, but always
overshadowing the present with hells of pain and disappointment; and regards
the still, dreamless sleep of annihilation as preferable to the existence of
the most favored child of fortune.”
Large numbers often drop into such deeps of despondency that they
heartily wish they had never seen the sunlight.
Martin Luther came upon the stage and with a bold stroke,
broke the silence of a long mental sleep when first he smote the door of
Wittenberg Cathedral and with his “here stehe ich, ich con nicht anders”* shook
off from men’s minds and consciences that lethargy of centuries, and gave to
modern progress and civilization the first powerful impulse. Whilst it has filled the air with sounds of
battle it has started men to serious thinking, which without question is to the
race and immeasurable good. Once
hair-line differences of creed were the all important points of debate, but now
the discussion has broadened into vaster fields, touching upon the existence of
God heaven and hell, man’s origin and destine, and the meaning and value of
this our present life. And why should
life, which if rightly estimated, is an untold boon, be regarded as an untold
curse? First, because the gloomy tints
of paradise have have (sic.) become
discolored by sin, and man’s crystallized purity is gone. The imagination of his heart is evil
continually and he no longer imposes implicit confidence in his fellow-man;
suspicion and distrust hold him aloof and he sinks into the slough of
despondency and life becomes a burden.
Living is something more than than (sic.)
to eat and sleep; though some men “live to eat”, while others “eat to
live”. It has been said that “the world
owes every man a living”, better to say there is a living in the world for
every man. The question “will it pay” is
perhaps the most important with all shrewd men and women when about to embark
in some business or profession and life is worth living only to those who
endeavor to make the best use of it. To
those who continually strive to live in the discharge of their every duty,
moving in a sphere befitting the high purpose of their creation, life is pleasant
and profitable. An active busy life is productive
of greater good and more lasting benefit, than a life of inactivity and
idleness. This is why any friends we
have we have been meeting together in the capacity of a literary society week
after week because we love to be doing something, to entertain and be
entertained, to sing together to declaim to read to recite; in short, make it a
part of our life; for these meetings are happy greetings because of the
pleasant associations which has refused a spirit of attachment that binds us
together as a band of brothers & sisters.
But then, “it is not all of life to live,” “If in this world only we
have hope, we are of all men most miserable, our faith is vain, and we are yet
in our sins.”
This life is all that is given us to prepare for the future,
the inevitable beyond. “Whatsoever a man
sows that shall he reap “if he sows to the flesh he shall of the flesh reap
corruption, but if he sows to the spirit, he shall of the spirit reap life
everlasting.
The human mind by long culture has become, has an organ of
more refinement and wider sympathies; but dreary moaning notes will always be
heard, so long as men are haunted and stung by a sense of ideal imperfection;
and the only remedy is a higher spiritual thought, which will bring men by
faith and trustfulness, into harmony with the Eternal Beauty and Goodness and
Truth.
In conclusion, may we not hope, that there is a period
hastening in the mighty revolutions of the works of Providence, when the Star
of Bethlehem shall again mount the zenith, and its train of light be filled
once more with choirs of angels shouting “Glory to God in the highest; on earth
peace and good will toward men;” “Then the day is at hand when “The wolf shall
dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf
and the young lion together; and a little child shall lead them.”
A.I.
April 16th 1880.
* This should read, “hier stehe ich; ich kann nicht anders”
which is translated to read, “here I stand; I can do no otherwise.”
Tribute to Garfield*
The occasion which has called us together to day is one of
an extraordinary character. The gloom of
a consuming sorrow has fallen across every threshold. Death-bells are tolling; the flags are at
half-mast, and the country draped in mourning.
The president is dead.
Nearer and dearer to the people than when foul murder sought
him out, death comes at a time to make the heart ache the most intense. For eleven long weeks the people have watched
lovingly by his bedside; today they stand by his open grave – a great good man
stricken down in the prime of a splendid manhood in the auspicious opening of a
new chapter in his life, wherein he had already written the first lines of a
presidential history which would have ranked with the proudest and best in
American annals. In the highest civil
station, as in the field he knew no friends but his country’s, no enemies but
hers. His big heart took in all the
people; his unsurpassed intelligence made the people’s good its study. What a brilliant career is thus unhappily
closed, unfinished in its mission, yet marvelous in its achievements.
Our history lustrous as it is with splendid names, presents
no nobler career than that of Jas. A. Garfield over whose tragic and pathetic
death the Republic is bowed in grief today.
No leader while he yet lived more deeply touched the mystic chords of
the nation’s love. His character was
fragrant with generous and manly virtues; his ambition was ennobled by lofty
ideals; if we review his accomplished work, he had achieved a great
mission. If we look at what seemed to
open before him, he still had a matchless promise.
Today he takes his place by the side of Washington &
Lincoln. The early morning of his life
shone with unmistakable luster & the great qualities of his brave heroic
manhood. Though the loss of his father
while he was yet an infant made penury his portion for many years, his clear
grit and his superiority to all ordinary difficulties were proved from the
beginning. He was a poor boy and saw no
way of making a living except by manual labor, and he applied himself to learn
the carpenter trade. During the summer
months he toiled early & late on his mother’s farm and the winter days he
passed at his carpenter’s bench, doing such little jobs as the neighbors
required. He attended a so-called
village school, where the citizens met on winter evenings to read and discuss
the books they possessed, picking up such information as he could in the
capacity of a listener. All this time he
had never been taught to read or write although 16 yrs of age. Ready money was a commodity of which he was
but little and he sought a position as canal driver. His care & attention to business attracted
the attention of his superiors and he was soon promoted. After about 18 months an attack of fever
& ague drove him back to his mother’s house an invalid. This sickness perhaps proved the turning
point in his life, and as a result of it J. A. G., instead of burying himself
in the forecastle of a ship, became one of the leading men in the American
Republic. He had learned to read and at
the age of 18 he started to the academy at Chester. Too poor to pay board he in company with two
others rented an old room and boarded themselves.
Garfield studied hard and progressed rapidly. His heart was in the work, and he distanced
many competitors who had enjoyed far better advantages. He worked mornings, evenings & Saturdays
and thus managed to earn his living while prosecuting his studies.
At the age of 23 he entered college. He was now thrust into the society of
polished students, who looked somewhat contemptuously upon the rough farmer who
had dropped in among them. His
experience in a social point of view was far from pleasant, and he was the
subject of many rude remarks. Heedless
of the slights which he constantly received, he applied himself energetically
to his studies and in two years after his admission, he was graduated, bearing
off the highest honor within the gift of the institution. He had incurred a debt of $450-. Plain living and high thinking was the order
of the day with him. He advanced step by
step to positions of honor & trust.
Being elected to the legislature of Ohio he at once took high rank as a
man unusually informed on the subjects of legislation.
His military career is perhaps familiar to most all of
you. In 1862 without solicitation he had
been elected to Congress from the district in which he resided. In Congress he at once took high rank being
an active energetic hard worker. He was
re-elected successively for several terms and having served as chairman of some
of the most important committees he became thoroughly acquainted with the most
important questions of the day, touching the interests of the nation.
Having been nominated for the presidency he passed through
the scrutiny & calumny of a presidential campaign unscathed and entered
upon the trying duties of the chief executive officer with the confidence and
good wishes of the entire nation. His
administration of scarce 7 mo, nearly three of which saw him stricken &
helpless, was all too brief for anything more than a promise of what was to
come. His inaugural address is the
single written memorial of his administration.
President Garfield dies in the full maturity of his powers,
in the prime of his manhood, and at the period of his greatest usefulness; just
as he was in the best position to give his country the fruit of a life long,
intelligent study and practical knowledge of public questions and of the
nation’s highest interests. He dies just
as the voice of calumny is hushed; just as the bitterness of party strife
seemed to be over; just as the South appeared to be losing its sectionalism and
forgetting its solidity; just as the nation was once more united in spirit and
in interest & entering upon a career of high prosperity. For the many millions who mourn today the
dead chief there is no party and no faction.
The great president falls, but the cause and the work go
on. The world will move on today and
tomorrow & forever, while the dim orbits of woe look out upon heavens hung
in black, and our free institutions will endure, chastened and strengthened by
the blood of their martyrs, while liberty and law shall remain the jewels of
the Republic.
Garfield is dead; the people sorrow but they do not tremble;
their grief is for the loss of one they loved.
Garfield is dead; tears are flowing for hearts that are breaking with a
weight of woe. A dear, good friend has
passed away; only his memory is left to love.
Garfield is dead, yet we do not mourn as a nation without
consolation. As he lived he died, in the
saving hope of a glorious resurrection and for the land of his love.
Garfield is dead; he has passed away and an afflicted and
sorrowing nation mourns him as no chieftan or ruler was ever mourned before. During all all (sic) those weary weeks every family in the land has watched and
waited and hoped as if one of its own household were in the extremity of
suffering.
Garfield is dead; but his example of a noble man, a true
patriot, a brave soldier, an exemplary Christian statesman will live to
remotest time, the heritage of the nation and a grand and glorious example for
all her sons.
In conclusion, I can but repeat the sweet lines of Bonar
which were rehearsed by Mr. Garfield upon paying his tribute to the virtues of Mr.
Ferry. All eyes [wept] in touching
pathos of that -
Beyond the parting
& the meeting,
I shall be soon;
Beyond the farewell
& the greeting,
Beyond this pulse’s
fever beating,
I shall be soon.
Love, rest & home;
Sweet hope!
Lord, tarry not but
come.
Beyond the frost chain
& the fever,
I shall be soon;
Beyond the rock waste
& the river,
Beyond the ever and the
never,
I shall be soon.
Love, rest and home!
Sweet hope!
Lord, tarry not but
come.
*An apparent speech given by Adam following the assassination of President James A. Garfield who died on 19 September 1891.
Use Short Words
Many persons in speaking writing and in conversation
generally seek after long words to express their views and opinions when
shorter ones would perhaps convey their ideas more clearly and be better
understood by those addressed.
It has been said, “that we must not only think in words but
we must also try to use the best words, and those which, in speech, will put
most clearly what is in our minds into the minds of others.”
This is the great art to be gained by those who wish to
teach in the school, the church, at the bar, or through the press. To do this in the right way they should, as a
rule, use the short words which we learn in early life and which have the same
sense to all classes of men. They are
the best for the teacher the orator and the poet. It is not meant that the mere fact that a
word is short makes it clear, “but it is true that most clear words are short;
that most long words we get from other tongues, and the mass of men do not know
exactly what they mean, and I am not sure that scholars always get the same
ideas from them.”
He who will try to use short words and shun long ones will
in a little while find that he can do so with ease. If he tries to write in words of one syllable
he will find that he will run through his mind a great many words to get those
he needs. While he may not at the time
use them, yet they are brought to his mind in his search for those that he
wants. His mind will thus become
cultivated and stored with short simple useful words from which to draw on all
occasions, thereby enabling him to give intelligent expression to his thoughts,
in words that the most illiterate will not fail to comprehend.
The use of long words not only makes our thoughts and our
speech dim and hazy, but it has done somewhat to harm the morals of our people.
Crime sometimes does not look like crime when it is set
before us in the many folds of a long word.
When a man steals and we call it ‘defalcation’, we are at a loss to know
if it is a blunder or a crime.
If he does not tell the truth and we are told that it is a
case of prevarication it takes us sometime to know just what we should think of
it. If he breaks up we are told that he
has made an assignment for the benefit of his creditors and that his estate
will pay about fifteen or twenty per cent.
If he gets drunk we say he is under the influence of intoxicating
liquor. If he swears we call him
irreverent.
No man will ever cheat himself into wrong doing, nor will he
be at a loss to judge of others if he thinks and speaks of acts in clear
English terms. It is a good rule when
one is at a loss to know if an act is right or wrong to write it down in short
straight-out English.
A.I.
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All original content, images, commentary, etc. copyright © by Joy Denison 2015-2016. All rights reserved. All writings, poems, speeches, essays, images, scans, likenesses, etc. by Adam Ickes (b 1845) as well as personal histories, images, and all other content by all persons referenced and discussed within the pages and posts in this blog may not be copied, shared, or reproduced in any way without expressed permission by the owner unless included here from other referenced sources or are historical records already considered to be in the public domain.
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