with Charles, as soon as possible. As to the place, let my brother plough and plant as he will, as much as he will. He may send me my half of the butter, cheese, &c., here. As to money to bear your expenses, you must, if you can, borrow of some friend, enough to bring you here. If you cannot borrow enough, you must sell horses, oxen, sheep, cows, anything at any rate rather than not come on. If no one will take the place, leave it to the birds of the air and beasts of the field, but at all events break up that establishment and that household.

I am, &c., tenderly,

JOHN ADAMS

President Adams invokes a blessing on the White

House

(To his wife)

PRESIDENT'S HOUSE, WASHINGTON CITY, 2 November, 1800

Y DEAREST FRIEND,

MY

We arrived here last night, or rather yesterday,

at one o'clock, and here we dined and slept. The building is in a state to be habitable, and now we wish for your

company.

I have seen only Mr. Marshall and Mr. Stoddert, General Wilkinson and the two commissioners, Mr. Scott and Mr. Thornton. I shall say nothing of public affairs. I am very glad you consented to come on, for you would have been more anxious at Quincy than here, and I, to all my other solicitudines mordaces, as Horace calls them, i.e., "biting cares," should have added a great deal on your account. Besides, it is fit and proper that you and I should retire together, and not one before the other. Before I end my letter, I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house, and on all that shall hereafter in

No Great Comfort

Dit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule Her this roof! . . .

am, with unabated confidence and affection, your

JOHN ADAMS

t Mrs. Adams finds the house inconvenient

Λ

h

(To her daughter)

WASHINGTON, 21 November, 1800

DEAR CHILD,

I arrived here on Sunday last, and without meeting any accident worth noticing, except losing ourselves en we left Baltimore, and going eight or nine miles on

Frederick road, by which means we were obliged to the other eight through woods, where we wandered two trs without finding a guide, or the path. Fortunately, raggling black came up with us, and we engaged him 1 guide, to extricate us out of our difficulty; but woods all you see, from Baltimore until you reach the city, ch is only so in name. Here and there is a small cot, hout a glass window, interspersed amongst the forests, ough which you travel miles without seeing any human ng. In the city there are buildings enough, if they were pact and finished, to accommodate Congress and those ched to it; but as they are, and scattered as they are, e no great comfort for them. The river, which runs up Alexandria, is in full view of my window, and I see the sels pass and repass. The house is upon a grand and erb scale, requiring about thirty servants to attend and p the apartments in proper order, and perform the orary business of the house and stables; an establishnt very well proportioned to the President's salary. e lighting the apartments, from the kitchen to parlours I chambers, is a tax indeed; and the fires we are obliged

to keep to secure us from daily agues is another very cheering comfort. To assist us in this great castle, and render less attendance necessary, bells are wholly wanting, not one single one being hung through the whole house, and promises are all you can obtain. This is so great an inconvenience, that I know not what to do, or how to do. The ladies from Georgetown and in the city have many of them visited me. Yesterday I returned fifteen visits, — but such a place as Georgetown appears, - - why, our Milton is beautiful. But no comparisons; if they will put me up some bells, and let me have wood enough to keep fires, I design to be pleased.

You must keep all this to yourself, and, when asked how I like it, say that I write you the situation is beautiful, which is true. The house is made habitable, but there is not a single apartment finished, and all withinside, except the plastering, has been done since Bresler came. We have not the least fence, yard, or other convenience, without, and the great unfinished audience-room I make a drying-room of, to hang up the clothes in. .

Thomas comes in and says a House is made; so to-morrow, though Saturday, the President will meet them. Adieu, my dear. Give my love to your brother, and tell him he is ever present upon my mind. Affectionately your mother,

Sarah Grimké describes a quaint wedding

A. ADAMS

I MUST now give thee some account of my dear

sister's marriage, which probably thou hast already heard of. Her precious husband is emphatically a man of God, a member of the Presbyterian Church. Of course Angelina will be disowned for forming this connection, and I shall be for attending the marriage. We feel no

Free Utterance

regret at this circumstance, believing that the discipline which cuts us off from membership for an act so strictly in conformity with the will of God, and so sanctioned by His word as is the marriage of the righteous, must be anti-Christian, and I am thankful for an opportunity to testify against it. The marriage was solemnized at the house of our sister, Anna R. Frost, in Philadelphia, on the 14th instant [May, 1838]. By the law of Pennsylvania, a marriage is legal if witnessed by twelve persons. Neither clergyman nor magistrate is required to be present. Angelina could not conscientiously consent to be married by a clergyman, and Theodore D. Weld cheerfully consented to have the marriage solemnized in such manner as comported with her views. We all felt that the presence of a magistrate, a stranger, would be unpleasant to us at such a time, and we therefore concluded to invite such of our friends as we desired, and have the marriage solemnized as a religious act, in a religious and social meeting. Neither Theodore nor Angelina felt as if they could bind themselves to any preconceived form of words, and accordingly uttered such as the Lord gave them at the moment. Theodore addressed Angelina in a solemn and tender manner. He alluded to the unrighteous power vested in a husband by the laws of the United States over the person and property of his wife, and he abjured all authority, all government, save the influence which love would give to them over each other as moral and immortal beings. I would give much could I recall his words, but I cannot. Angelina's address to him was brief but comprehensive, containing a promise to honor him, to prefer him above herself, to love him with a pure heart fervently. Immediately after this we knelt, and dear Theodore poured out his soul in solemn supplication for the blessing of God on their union, that it might be

productive of enlarged usefulness, and increased sympathy for the slave. Angelina followed in a melting appeal to our Heavenly Father, for a blessing on them, and that their union might glorify Him, and then asked His guidance and over-shadowing love through the rest of their pilgrimage. A colored Presbyterian minister then prayed, and was followed by a white one, and then I felt as if I could not restrain the language of praise and thanksgiving to Him who had condescended to be in the midst of this marriage feast, and to pour forth abundantly the oil and wine of consolation and rejoicing. The Lord Jesus was the first guest invited to be present, and He condescended to bless us with His presence, and to sanction and sanctify the union which was thus consummated. The certificate was then read by William Lloyd Garrison, and was signed by the company. The evening was spent in pleasant social intercourse. Several colored persons were present, among them two liberated slaves, who formerly belonged to our father, had come by inheritance to sister Anna, and had been freed by her. They were our invited guests, and we thus had an opportunity to bear our testimony against the horrible prejudice which prevails against colored persons, and the equally awful prejudice against the poor.

Showing that the couple lived happily ever after

(Mrs. Weld to Miss Grimké, Sept., 1838)

WE

E have just come up from our evening meal, my beloved sister, and are sitting in our little study, for a while before taking our moonlight ramble on the river bank. After thou left us, I cleared up the dishes, and then swept the house; got down to the kitchen just in time for dinner, which, though eaten alone,