Dorothy Payne, Quakeress Part 10

"Madison," said Paul Jennings, "was the best man who ever lived."

Madison was greatly indebted to his wife for the popularity of himself and his administration. This was brought about partly out of her wish to see him successful, but mainly by her kind and loving thoughtfulness of others, and ready tact in smoothing over the rough places that were ofttimes apparent in the early days of the new government because of the friction caused by those, so widely differing in opinions, who must yet work together for the common good.

James G. Blaine said that "Mrs. Madison saved the administration of her husband, held him back from the extremes of Jeffersonism, and enabled him to escape from the terrible dilemma of the War of 1812. But for her, DeWitt Clinton would have been chosen President in 1812."

Payne Todd grew up to be a handsome young man, "the courtliest of all the cavaliers," during the early years of Madison's administration. His position put many advantages in his way, and opened the door to less profitable things. He was feted and petted abroad, and received in the royal families of Europe. At St. Petersburg, he danced with the Czar's daughter; in France, the Count D'Orsay was his friend, and afterwards visited him at Montpellier.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Madison House, Was.h.i.+ngton, D. C., North View.

Photographed by Samuel M. Brosius.]

He came home to be only a grief to his mother. For a time he was Monroe's secretary, but he did little serious work. His debts ate up all his property and hers as well. He never married. He outlived his mother, whom he dearly loved, but two years, died full of grief and unmourned, and was buried in the Congressional Cemetery in Was.h.i.+ngton. "His was a wasted life."

[Ill.u.s.tration: Madison House, Was.h.i.+ngton, D. C., West View.

Photographed by Samuel M. Brosius.]

Richard Cutts, who had been first senator, and then, for eleven years (1814-25), secretary of the Senate, was the owner of that valuable square adjoining Lafayette Square, where in 1822 he built, at the corner of Madison Place and H street, the gray mastic stuccoed house, now known as "Madison House," the property of the Cosmos Club. At that time it consisted of two stories, and was the only house on the square. This property Madison bought shortly before his death, and the last twelve years of Dolly's life were spent in this house, already endeared by many a.s.sociations, as the home of her sister Anna.

It overlooked Lafayette Square with its fine trees, shrubbery and statuary, which years ago had been the "old apple orchard" of David Burns. In the new home, her niece Anna Payne, daughter of her brother John, who had settled in Kentucky, was her devoted adopted daughter and caretaker. Here her old friends rallied around her and she held court during her declining years.

The government bought from her the Madison Papers, thus adding considerably to her income. She was likewise granted the franking privilege and the Senate and House each voted her a seat in their chambers, an unusual mark of respect and appreciation.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Signature of Free D P Madison]

Anna Payne was a bright fun-loving girl, and even the President did not escape her love of practical jokes. One first of April he accepted her invitation to dinner, only to be heartily laughed at on his arrival!

One winter, she writes her Aunt Lucy when they had tarried longer than usual in the country:--

"Nov. 13.--What a dull prospect!--no parties, no 'nothin'' for Christmas. My conscience! If we stay here this winter we'll freeze! Ice this morning. Aunt will tell you as soon as she makes up her mind as to going or not going to Was.h.i.+ngton. We hear from the City very frequently;--everybody telling us 'Come Home.' I hope we may go:--it's a dear place."--

Lucy Payne outlived her second husband, and came back to live with her son, William Temple Was.h.i.+ngton, at "Meg Willis" near Harewood. She, too, lived to a good old age. Her only daughter, Madisonia, died young. Lucy Payne Todd is buried at Harewood.

The following letter giving glimpses of later days is treasured in her family:

June 30^{th}.

Beloved Sister:--

I received your answer to James' last, and forwarded it immediately. Enclosed I send a letter from Madisonia, and am glad to find she is doing so well. Mrs. Crittenden has returned some time from Philadelphia, and brought back her son, for whom she procured gla.s.ses to suit the eye upon which there was no operation performed. She has had a good many friends with her at different times, which has prevented my seeing her as much as I should otherwise have done in the manner I desired, which was alone. As soon, however, as Mrs. Ashley and her daughters (from St. Louis) leave, she will spend the day quietly with me, when we shall have a great deal of satisfactory conversation.

Yesterday the good people of Congress received another veto. Mr.

Tyler is becoming more and more unpopular [torn] it is said he will soon decide himself a Loco-foco.

There was a rumor last night that he was shot, but we soon heard it was without foundation. The 4th of July will be handsomely celebrated, from the preparations going forward, and we shall be here, but not to witness much of it; for, exclusive of the _melting mood_ (antic.i.p.ated from past and present experience), it is the _ton_ for the ladies to remain with closed doors during that day in Was.h.i.+ngton.

This evening our next-door neighbor has a dinner, but it is too warm for me to sit up in style, so I shall spend it sociably with one of Mrs. Pearson's daughters, who is a near and lovely little neighbor. Mary Cutts dines with Mrs. Tayloe; Richard has gone to the North, and Walter to the West on business.

Anna unites with me in love to you and all.

Ever and truly your affectionate sister.

D.

We purpose going home in a week or ten days, and fear it will not be in our power to visit you on the way, having been kept too long here on my unfinished business, and believing that the roads and the heat will be too much for me at this season. In more auspicious weather I hope to be with you.

To Mrs. Lucy P. Todd, "Meg Willis"

near Charlestown, Jefferson County, Virginia.

James and Madisonia were Lucy Payne's children by her second husband.

All her boys were educated abroad, being sent there when very young.

Madisonia, the daughter, seems to have been at school.

This letter,[65] like so many of Dolly's, was undated. It has her frank mark upon it. It was probably written in June, 1842, when Tyler vetoed the tariff bill.

Plantation life, with its roomy surroundings, has given many finely developed characters. The oak, the chestnut and the tulip tree of the forest tower higher, because of close contact, perhaps, but in shape differ little from each other. Planted in the open, each one hastens to a.s.sume its natural form, and becomes symmetrical in a way with which the other cannot vie. So, too, is it with human life, in country and in city. Flaws there doubtless are in both, and our n.o.blest characters ofttimes adorn themselves with some pet whimsicality or foible for which, like the dwellers of Cranford, they are even more dearly loved.

"Life is a gift from divine Love," says the new teaching, and "why divide it up into little bits, and think that little by little we are using it up, and that soon we shall come to an end." "Ignore birthdays, which only carry suggestions of age and ugliness, and remember that _life_ and _goodness_ are immortal." Such doctrine as this could it have been spoken in Dolly's day, would doubtless have voiced her feelings, and been of greatest comfort. For birthdays she greatly preferred to forget, and was apt indeed, to do so. Why should the dear old lady have been reminded so often, of the many milestones past, and the very few ahead?

FROM THE COLLECTION OF SIMON GRATZ, PHILADELPHIA.

I often desire to see you when I cannot, but now there is a new reason for the liveliness of my wishes--it is to rectify the mistake of a moment, not "of a night." You enquired last evening if I was not one year older than your mother. I answered yes, when I ought to have said several--In truth I could then only remember my first acquaintance with that beloved relation, when all the world seemed young to us.--

She was about seventeen, and I turned of twenty--this was my calculation before I slept last night--and, being anxious to disavow the affection of curtailing some precious years, I will give you a copy of the notice of me in our family Bible, ... and having been all my life in the world, it gives me the advantage sometimes of the nominal advance to eighty. I know you will excuse this little sally on your time because with all your other great qualities you have the most reasonable and indulgent temper.

Your friend and cos.,

Jan^y 29th 1839 D. P. Madison.

To The Hon^{ble} W. C. Preston.

Darwin has said that a man's worth is best measured by the duration of his friends.h.i.+ps. Dolly's friends.h.i.+ps were life-long. She never allowed the friends of more recent date, no matter who they might be, to crowd into the background the friends of her youth. In the days of her prosperity, rich and poor were alike welcomed at her lavish board.

The little daughter of that early correspondent, Elizabeth Brooke (Ellicott), was treated to strawberries and cake, during informal visits at the White House. And she gave "Jimmie" no rest until he ordered the release of "Debby" Pleasants' (Stabler) son, when he was imprisoned because of conscientious scruples against bearing arms in the war of 1812.

In 1830 she wrote Elizabeth Brooke Ellicott, "it would give me great satisfaction to meet you both again, and sometimes the hope of doing so comes over my mind." But this hope was probably never realized, as the years were leaving their impress on them all.

Philip E. Thomas, the first president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, another cousin, often called and talked about "old times;" and his daughter, Mary Thomas Wethered, in turn became a favorite visitor.

It was on the 24th day of May, 1844, that Prof. Morse was ready to make the final test of his electric magnetic recording telegraph, and the wires between Was.h.i.+ngton and Baltimore were finally completed. The Baltimore end was set up at the Mt. Clare shops of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and the Was.h.i.+ngton end in the Supreme Court room of the Capitol, where the many friends of the inventor had a.s.sembled to see the first message sent. He had promised his young friend, Miss Annie Ellsworth, that she should indite the first message over the wires. Her choice was the words of Scripture (Numbers 23: 23): "What hath G.o.d wrought."[66]

[Ill.u.s.tration: St. John's Church, Was.h.i.+ngton, D. C.]

In Baltimore a little company were likewise a.s.sembled to receive the message. It was received there and repeated back to Was.h.i.+ngton with entire success. Prof. Morse then turned to Dolly Madison, and asked if she wished to send a message, and a few moments later the first real message was flashed over the wires. Its wording was: "Message from Mrs.

Madison. She sends her love to Mrs. Wethered." John Wethered was at this time representative in Congress, from Baltimore city.

The original printed slip of what is now called the "Dolly Madison message" is carefully preserved in the Thomas family, as is also that first copy of the message, "What hath G.o.d wrought." The return copy was given by Miss Ellsworth to General Seymour of Connecticut, and by him deposited in the Hartford Museum, as Miss Ellsworth was from Connecticut.

For years Dolly had attended the Episcopal church of St. John's, half a square from her house, of which her sister Anna had become a member. It was shortly before her death that its rector, Mr. Hawley, "persuaded her of her wish" to become a communicant, and she was accordingly baptized with considerable ceremony.