,V'^% .^\. ^ " '^. %^ A' .^' A^ c ° ^ '^ « ^ ■^^ A< THE INAUGURATION FAN. ^^ ^ ^ Roimd the white pillar of her name it grew, This little vine of me7nory, leal and true; With clasping tendrils and with clustering leaves, A simple chapiet to her worth it weaves. Who does not joy with wreathen love to crown The gentle soul who tiobly wins renown ? MEMORIALS OF SARAH CHILDRESS POLK WIFE OF THE ELEVENTH PRESIDEiNT OF THE UNITED STATES BY ■/ ANSON AND FANNY NELSON NEW YORK 3/4/ ^"S'A^ ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH & COMPANY (INCORPORATED) 182 Fifth Avenue . M 4 Copyright, 1892, By Anson D. F. Randolph & Company. ( INCORPORATED ) John Wilson and Son, Cambridge. I O O /"X r-\ -^ 12. THE PRESIDENT AND MRS. POLK. From a copy of one of the first Daguerreotypes made at IVasfiiiigton, 1847 or 1848. PREFATORY NOTE. MANY sketches and articles concerning Mrs. Polk were written during the long period of her appearance in public, and also in the years when she lived in comparative seclusion. It is deemed fitting, however, that a more full and con- nected account of her life should now be given, not only to those who were her familiar friends and acquaintance, but to the many others in all parts of the country who, through a long period of years have looked up to her as a type of true woman- hood. For this labor of love the writers have had abundant opportunity, in the course of a long ac- quaintance, to observe minutely her life, character, and methods of thought in weekly visits made to Polk Place, which for more than thirty years were interrupted only by sickness or by occasional ab- sence from the city, together with tree access to all the materials necessary to make up the present narrative. -' Mrs. Polk's example of womanly purity and dig- nity is a valuable legacy to the coimtry. Her modesty, her self-control, her unpretentious de- VI PREFATORY NOTE. meaner in the highest station, her jealous care for the rights and feeh"ngs of others, her unfailing re- spect for the simple yet grand institutions of the country, and her unbroken reverence for all things sacred, are models worthy of imitation by all her countrywomen. In endeavoring to set forth a simple, yet faithful and true semblance of Mrs. Polk, nothing has been said that did not seem to add to the delineation. Many apparently trifling incidents have been put in as touches to give tone and softening and round- ness to the picture, which might otherwise appear bare or crude. The bits of history and biography interspersed in the narrative also seemed needful as a proper background to the portrait. CONTENTS. PREFATORV NOTE CHAPTER I. Birth and Parentage. — At School in Nashville. — Mora- vian School at Salem, North Carolina. — The Journey there. — Romantic Scenery. — Customs at that Old School. — Suddenly called Home i CHAPTER n. Mr. Polk. — His Ancestors. — Elected to the Legislature. — Courtship and Marriage. — Aaron V. Brown. — Fes- tivities after the Wedding. — Columbia, the future Home of Mrs. Polk. — Her Mother. — The Lafavette Ball in Nashville in 1S25. — The Tickets to the Fete. — Mr. and Mrs. Polk present 13 CHAPTER HI. Mr. Polk's Character and Profession. — Elected to Con- gress. — Mrs. Polk's First Visit to Washington. — Forest Trees and Mountain Scenery. — How Members of Congress lived at the Capital in Early Days. — Mrs. Adams. — Return Home. — Back again. — Fourteen viii CONTENTS. Years in Washington. — Different Routes. — Incident. — Letter from Mr. Polk to his Wife. — The Meteoric Di.splay in 1833. — The Artist Earle. — First Portrait of i\Irs. Polk. — Currency. — Mrs. Polk's Ideas about Specie and Paper Money .23 CHAPTER IV. Mrs. Polk unites with the Church. — How to keep Poli- ticians away on Sunday. — Companions of Mrs. Polk. — Notable Women. — New Year's Calls. — The Black Hawk War. — South Carolina Nullification. — Mrs. Polk's Idea of Propriety. — Never attended a Horse Race. — Mr. Polk's Influence over his Wile. — Leader of the Jackson Party in the House. — Elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. — Mrs. Seaton. — Mrs. Polk's Discretion. — Franklin Pierce. — Gales and Seaton. — Leaving Washington. — Mrs. Polk and Mem- bers of the Supreme Court. — Poem by Judge Story . 41 CHAPTER V. At Home again. — Exciting Campaign for Governor. — Mr. Polk elected. — Judge Guild's Account of a Po- litical Love Feast. — Mrs. Polk's Neighbors. — The Capitol of Tennessee. — Entertaining the General As- sembly. — Mr. Polk defeated for Governor. — Mrs. Polk's Aid to her Husband. — Trip to Mississippi. — Visit from Ex-President Van Buren. — Another Can- vass. — Dr. J. G. M. Ramsey. — Again defeated by Governor Jones 57 CHAPTER VI. Mr. Polk elected President. — How he received the News. — The Contest in Tennessee. — His Friends CONTENTS. IX PAGE rejoicing. — Anecdote of Mrs. Polk. — Last Interview with General Jackson. — Journey to Wasliington. — Welcome all along the Route. — Col. V. K. Steven- son. — Incident at the Relay House. — Mr. Polk chooses his Cabinet. — The Inauguration. — A Na- tional Fan. — The Bible on which the Oath was taken. — Inauguration Ball. — The New Mistress of the White House. — The President refuses all Gifts of Value. — John C. Calhoun tendered the Mission to England. — Reasons for declining told to Mrs. Polk. — Ladies of the Diplomatic Circle. — Attending Church. — Dancing discontinued at the White House. — The Effect. — Mrs. Madison and Mrs. Polk. — Weekly Receptions. — Mrs. Polk lightening her Hus- band's Labors. — Letter from Associate Justice Catron. — Reflections of the President on his Fiftieth Birth- day. — Observance of the Sabbath 73 CHAPTER VII. Mrs. Polk on the Declaration of Independence. — Recep- tion on the 4th of July, 1846. — Mrs. Polk's Considera- tion for an aged and humble Visitor. — Flowers scarce. — Mrs. Polk declines to take them from Patent Office Grounds. — Her Hospitality at the White House. — Mr. Polk's Letter to his Mother on Christmas Day. — Tour in the Northern and Eastern States. — Mrs. Polk returns to Tennessee. — The President's Letter to his Wife about the Trip. — Postscript by Hon. James Buchanan. — Decision to settle down in Nash- ville. — Home purchased. — Illness of Mrs. Polk. — Dining at the White House, and some of the Ladies present. — Comments on the Table by a Visitor. — Col. Thomas H. Benton. — Mrs. Polk's Answer. — Anecdotes of Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, at the X CONTENTS. PAGE Dinner Table. — Hon. Charles J. IngersolFs Solicitude for the Health of the President. — Close of the Mexi- can War. — Notes from Mrs. Polk to her Husband. — Healy paints Mrs. Polk's Portrait. — Gas introduced into the White House. — Letter from the President to his Mother. — An Acrostic. — Tdbute from Mrs. Ann S. Stephens to Mrs. Polk. — Last Reception at the White House. — Last State Dinner. — Farewell to Mrs. Polk. — Last Sunday at Chnrch 97 CHAPTER VIII. Departure from Washington. — Reception at the Capital of Virginia. — Arrival at Wilmington. — Charleston. — Savannah. — The Chatham Artillery. — Macon. — Co- lumbus. — Montgomery. — Unique Reception at Mo- bile. — New Orleans. — Hasty Leave on Account of Cholera. — Illness of Mr. Polk. — Detained at Smith- land. — Arrival at Nashville. — Visits to Relatives in Murfreesborough and Columbia. — Settled at Nashville 125 CHAPTER IX. Polk Place. — Furniture and Pictures. — Portrait of Hernando Cortez. — General Worth. — Portraits of distinguished Men. — Inaugural Addresses. — Books and Canes. — Mr. Polk taken lU. — Provision for his Wife's Comfort. — Attention of Friends to the Ex-President. — His Physicians. — Bishop Otey. — Rev. Dr. Edgar. — Received into the Methodist Church by Rev. Mr. McFen-in. — The End. — The Funeral and the Sermon. — Impressions in Early Life by a Sermon at a Camp-Meeting. — Sympathy for the Bereaved Wife. — Letter from Hon. William L. Marcy of New York. — Removal of the Remains from the CONTENTS. xi City Cemetery to the Tomb at Polk Place. — The Tomb and Inscription. — Extract from Mr. Polk's Will PAGE 139 CHAPTER X. A Child at Polk Place. — Marriage of Miss Sallie Polk Jetton to Mr. George W. Fall. — Miss Saidee Fall.— Mrs. Polk changes her Church Membership from Columbia to Nashville. — Visits of the General Assem- bly and other Podies. — Bishops Green and Otey. — Contributions to the Tennessee Historical Society . .159 CHAPTER XI. The Civil War. — The Federal Army enters Nashville. — Mrs. Polk "At Home.''- Visit of Major General Buell and other notable Commanders. — Witty Reply of a Colored Man. — General Thomas. — General Grant. — General Sherman. — General Lytle. — Valua- bles deposited at Polk Place for Safe Keeping. — Mrs. Polk's Financial Losses. — Eloquent Speech of Col. Bailie Peyton 167 CHAPTER XH. Visit of the General Assembly. — Senator Gibson.— Col. Robert I. Chester. — National Association of Teachers. — General Eaton. — Ex-Governor Foote. — The National Centennial at Philadelphia. — Mrs. Polk declines courteous Invitations to be present. — She loves her Home. — Her active Mind. — American Association for the Advancement of Science. — Profes- sor Newcomb's beautiful Introduction. — Dr. J. Ber- rien Lindsley replies. — National Association of Fire XI 1 CONTENTS. , PAGE Engineers. — Ex-President Hayes and Wife. — Secre- tary Evarts and Daughters. — Col. Wade Hampton. — Tliey visit Col. E. W. Cole and Wife. — General S. F. Carey of Ohio. — Judge Hoadley and Charles O'Con- or. — Centennial of the City of Nashville. — Honors to Mrs. Polk. — Call of Senator Bayard and Daughters and Senator Gorman. — Letter from Rev. Dr. F. W. E. Peschau of Wilmington. — Extract from his Ad- dress before the Historical Society of North Carolina, concerning Mrs. Polk. — His poetic Tribute. — Mrs. Polk's Reverence. — Hon. Simon Cameron. — Pen- Portrait of Mrs. Polk. — Dr. Gross. — Governor Crit- tenden and Party. — Interview of a Banner Reporter. — Old Campaigns. — New England Press Association. — Speech of Rev. F. S. Hatch 179 CHAPTER XIII. Visitors. — Phi Delta Theta Society. — National Grange. — Hon. Samuel J. Randall and Wife. — Rev. Dr. Henry M. Field. — Senator Sherman. — Hon. George Ban- croft. — Polk Place. — Mr. Bancroft visits many Places of Interest. — Speech to the Tennessee Historical So- ciety. — Ex-President Cleveland and Wife. — W. C. T. U. — Miss Frances E. Willard and others. — The Sculptor Valentine. — The Evangelist Sayford. — Thomas Nelson Page. — Mrs. Juliana Hayes. — Miss Anna T. Ballentine. — Bible presented. — Mrs. Naomi Hays Moore. — The Polk Escutcheon. — Mrs. Polk opens the Centennial Exposition at Cincinnati from Polk Place. — Her Humility. — Distinguished New Yorkers. — Dr. Field and Mr. Bancroft. — Healy's Portrait of Mr. Polk copied by Miss Zollicoffer. — The Scotch-Irish Congress. — Col. A. K. McClure and Wife. — Librarians from the New England States. — Ohio CONTENTS. xiii PAGE Editors. — American Medical Association. — Ex-Gov- ernor Emory of Massachusetts. — Rev. Mr. Miller of Princeton. — Professor A. P. Bourland and the Peabody Normal School . . » 203 CHAPTER XIV. Portrait for the White House. — Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Polk. — The Ex-President's Watch. — Watch of General Washington and General Lee. — Pension to Mrs, Polk. — Ex-Governor Aaron V. Brown. — Sonnet by Ben D. House. — Anecdote of Associate Justice Catron. — Fourscore Years. — Birthday remembered by Friends. — Fading away. — Ladies' Religious Parlor Meetings. — Mrs. Polk's Comments. — A notable old Sermon on Duelling. — Mrs. Polk's Love of talking about her Husband. — Applications for small Favors. — Her Interest in Public Affairs 231 CHAPTER XV. Mrs. Madison and Mrs. Polk. — Holding Office in the Olden Time. — Log Cabin where Mr. Polk was born. — Mrs. Polk's Love of the Scriptures. — Her Moderate Eating. — She attends Church. — Anecdote of M. de Bodisco. — Francis Scott Key. — Invitation to the Mar- riage of President Cleveland. — Incident of early Mar- ried Life. — Saidee goes to Europe. — Women Workers. — Rev. Dr. Riddle. — Dr. Rubey. — A costly Fan. — Mrs. J. R. Brown's Account of an Incident in 1844. — Eighty-sixth Birthday. — Letter from Mr. Bancroft. — Mrs. Polk declines giving Recommendations. — Son- net. — Early Friends. — Various Remarks of Mrs. Polk. — Anecdote. — Eighty-seven. — Rev. Dr. Whit- sitt. — Mrs. Ex-Governor Perry. — Judge Lea's New xiv CONTENTS. PAGE Year's Greeting. — Visit to his Father in the Thirties. — Mayor of Nashville. — Incidents. — Illness of Mrs. Polk. — Marriage of Miss Fall 249 CHAPTER XVr. Growing feebler. — Illness. — Last Words. — The End. — Tolling of Bells. — Flags at Half-Mast. — General Mourning in the City. — Telegrams. — The City Pa- pers. — Funeral on Sunday Morning. — The Entomb- ment. — Letters from Friends. — The Inscription on the Tomb. — Letter from Miss Frances E. Willard . 271 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page Portrait of Mrs. Polk Frontispiece The Inauguration Fan The President and Mrs. Polk 99 Fac-simile of one of Mrs. Polk's Letters . . ii6 Portrait of Mrs. Polk ^^^ Portrait of Ex-President Polk 141 Portrait of Hernando Cortez H3 Portrait of Mrs. Polk 233 Fac-simile of Letter of George Bancroft . . 262 SCHOOL DAYS. Mr. ■>n. SARAH CHILDRESS POLK. CHAPTER I. 1803-1819. OARAH CHILDRESS was bom in Rutherford ^^ County, Tennessee, on the 4th of September, 1803, in the country home of her parents, Joel and EHzabeth Childress. Her mother was a VVhitsitt, and belonged to a large family, well known in this and other States. Mr. and Mrs. Childress were among the early settlers of Middle Tennessee, and were persons of high standing in those days, whs character was esteemed for its intrinsic merit,.ew when the vision of the people was less conere. with the glare of place and power and we?.' found now/) mjurious Mr. Childress was a successful man.rl does not and possessed uncommon sagacity ^ thought that and enterprise. His family lived .mments of read- a competency gives. Their dvy^ipies of arithmetic. 4 EARLY SCHOOL DAYS. was absolutely hurtful, disqualifying her for the obvious duties of her station, — the care of the household. For a short time the two girls, Sarah and her sister Susan, went with their brothers to the common school. Subsequently their parents engaged the services of Mr. Samuel P. Black, the principal of the Murfreesborough Academy, a school for boys. He gave them lessons in the afternoon, when the exercises of the Academy were over for the day. They used the blackboard, and maps and globes, and were thoroughly drilled in the difficult beginnings of learning. When Sarah was twelve or thirteen years old she and her sister were sent to Nashville, to attend the private school of Mr. Abercrombie, a noted teacher of that day. They also took lessons on the piano from his daughter. This was a rare accomplish- ment for that early time, the facilities for which gave a peculiar reputation to the school. General Jackson was then living in Nashville. He was in the zenith of his military glory, and his adopted city rejoiced in the lustre reflected upon her by this distinguished citizen. The little pupils were boarding in the family of Colonel Butler, one of his staff officers, and so saw him frequently. Mrs. Polk remembered distinctly a very brilliant ball in the General's house, at which she was a guest. EARL Y SCHOOL DA YS. 5 An elderly lady who a few years since appealed to Mrs. Polk for sympathy in her desire that the simplicity and plain dressing of olden times should be restored, was surprised by the reply that she had never practised the severe plainness of which the lady spoke ; that from her earliest recollection she had been dressed in silks and satins of delicate texture, in beautiful designs and colors, and had never known, even in childhood, what it was to be simply clothed, or to long for splendor of raiment, having always possessed it. She did not believe that the apparel in old times was plainer than it is now, but that the means to possess this luxury were then limited to fewer individuals. After a year or two spent in home study and private lessons, and when Sarah was about fifteen years old, she was sent with her sister to the Mora- vian Female Academy in Salem, North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Childress desired their daughters to have the advantage of a large school, not only in its more comprehensive course of study, but in that deeper, keener, intellectual quickening that comes from fellowship in culture. The little town of Salem was founded by the So- ciety of the United Brethren, about the middle of the eighteenth century, under the direction of Count Zinzendorf, from whom it received its name, mean- 6 THE ACADEMY AT SALEM. ing " peace." The " quaint, quiet, green old town " lies a thousand feet above the level of the sea, in an undulating, beautifully wooded country. " From the more elevated points, not remote from this unique town, the Pilot Mountain may be seen, with its castellated peak, rising three hundred feet above the shoulders of the mountain, and bearing a striking resemblance to an antiquated Gothic castle, such as greets the eye on the Rhine; and still beyond, on a clear day, the practised eye can detect the steel-blue rim of the remoter mountain ranges that form such a conspicuous feature in Western North Carolina. There still the old town of Salem stands, with its antique dwellings, tile roofs, low eaves, and cramped little attics, unchanged in many of its aspects amid all the changes that have occurred around it. There it stands, with its primitive customs, its peculiar re- ligious services, its pious Moravian Brethren, its benevolent institutions." ^ Here stood the Female Academy, a healthful and peculiarly suitable retreat for the calm and studious life of young girls. Under the charge of this religious society, of acknowledged piety and elevation of character, the great usefulness and success of the Salem Academy were assured, 1 Rev. J. E. Edwards. THE ACADEMY AT SALEM. 7 as its nine long decades have proved. Many of its pupils had braved the toils and dangers of a long journey to share in its advantages. " The only uniform worn by the pupils in this old Moravian school was a neat and closely fitting lace cap. It was a striking feature. Sweet, ruddy faces peered out from the quilted borders of this handsome and decidedly tasteful piece of head- gear. That of the larger girls was trimmed with white ribbon, the smaller girls with pink. It was a beautiful spectacle on Examination-Day, as the annual closing day of the session was called, to see one hundred and fifty or two hundred girls, dressed in white, with flowing sashes and flaunt- ing ribbons, and each attired with the tidy cap, marching in procession from the Academy to the church." ^ Upon their starting, Mr. Childress gave to each of his daughters a French gold coin, a louis d'or, worth about four dollars and eighty-four cents, as a parting gift. This piece of money, so likely to find its way speedily into other hands, Mrs. Polk preserved through many years and vicissitudes, until the end of her life, and it is now a much- prized relic. The young girls traversed the hundreds of miles 1 Rev. J. E. Edwards. 8 THE ACADEMY AT SALEM. between Murfreesborough and Salem on horseback, escorted by their elder brother, Anderson Childress, and attended by a trusty man-servant who carried their portmanteaus on his horse. He belonged to a class no longer in existence. In the domestic economy of those times, which the vast changes wrought in the last thirty-odd years have con- signed to the past, among the slaves of every rich man there could be found some intelligent and faithful ones who possessed the implicit confi- dence of their master and friend. Such a trip in these days of swift and easy travel, more than seventy years afterward, would seem like a series of romantic adventures. But it would be a romance from which the exciting element of danger was eliminated, leaving it gently stirring and thoroughly agreeable. Far dififerent w^ere the circumstances forty or fifty years still earlier, when the pioneers of Middle Tennessee, dauntless and heroic, were journeying through this wilderness to the land which loomed before their prophetic eyes like an enchanting mirage, blooming as a garden of roses, remote in time, not space. Then they were shadowed by the Indians, and often assaulted, suffering the severest privations and hard- ships. It was not so with our young travellers, who had nothing to fear from the rude and cruel THE ACADEMY AT SALEM. g warriors of the forest, and to whose youthful and inexperienced fancy, the cool, green shades on either side of the road suggested only pleasant visions of noonday rest and refreshment. No views are more varied and picturesque than those through which their way was taken. It lay over a rolling country, with charming views of hill and dale; and through woods thickly peopled with the descendants of the ancient families of oak, beech, hickory, walnut, cedar, wild-cherry, willow, and many others radiant in rustling garments of every shade of green, and with branches bending to the whisperings of the wind. There was the stir of many kinds of animal life ; the hum of insects ; the clear, sweet notes of birds flitting hither and thither in gleaming plumage ; the soft beauty of sky; and the indescribable variety and charm which nature bestows in the favored climate of Tennessee and North Carolina. The forests were already decking themselves in color when our little travellers rode through them. After riding all day some friendly farmhouse would give them shelter and rest, and the knowledge of a domestic life entirely new to them. They crossed the broad, beautiful, majestic Holston, now the Tennessee river; the wild, picturesque French Broad, which lO THE ACADEMY AT SALEM. tlie Indians called the Tahkeeostee river; and other streams, smaller but not less pleasing in their gracefulness. An entirely new and different life awaited Sarah and her sister in their transient home in the Salem Academy. The hush and method of a large school, the lessons learned with the stimulus of the small world of students, the pleasant walks and talks with many new friends, congenial and beloved, the daily services for prayer and divine guidance, all helped to mould the growing character of Sarah Childress. On Sunday morning, the girls met in their respective class-rooms to receive what was called Bible instruction. A verse from Scripture to be memorized had been assigned the previous Sunday, and it was expected that the chapter from which that verse was taken would be read by the pupils in their rooms during the week. After the recitation by each one in turn, the entire chapter was read aloud and commented on by the teacher. In after years one of the teachers wrote as fol- lows: " Let us recall some of our own peculiar and particular enjoyments. As the end of the year drew near, busy hands and heads were occupied in preparing for the Christmas times, — the decora- tions, the dialogues, all having reference to the THE ACADEMY AT SALEM. II babe in Bethlehem's manger, whose birth we were commemorating. Then came the old year's clos- ing meeting, held in our Academy Chapel, fol- lowed by the watch-meeting at midnight in the church, which we attended with the Salem con- gregation, and a few hours later the New Year's sermon in the morning." While at school in Salem, Sarah did a little piece of needle-work which she fortunately kept during all the succeeding years. It is the picture of a tomb gleaming white through the foliage of surrounding trees, and is worked in chenille on a white satin ground. It is skilfully and delicately done, the different shades of green, brown, and yellow blend- ing naturally. In later life Mrs. Polk herself called attention to a resemblance which struck us as having in it something prophetic. It bears a remarkable likeness to the tomb in the garden on the east of the house, in full view of her chamber window, which for more than forty years was the reminder of her joys and sorrows, and which became, as the months glided by, her daily reminder of the blissful reunion awaiting her in the near future. These tranquil days of study, of girlish dreamings and anticipations, came suddenly to an end. Sarah and her sister were called home by the illness and 12 THE ACADEMY AT SALEM. death of their father. They did not return to the Academy, and Sarah occupied herself with the duties of home and social life, and with the sacred charge of helping to comfort her mother. Mr. Childress left a good estate to his family. HOME LIFE AND MARRIAGE. CHAPTER II. 1820-1825, '"T^HERE were many friends and admirers who -*- sought the companionship and a share in the sunny society of Mrs. Childress's household. Among them was James Knox Polk, whose ances- tors came to America from the north of Ireland, early in the eighteenth century. Their name was originally Pollock, but the wearing action of pro- nunciation reduced it in the course of time to Poll'k, and finally to the present name. Mr. Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, November 2, 1795, and came to Tennessee with his father's family in early life. He was a practitioner of the law, and at that time principal clerk in the senatorial branch of the legislature, which met at Murfreesborough, then the capital of the State. In the public estimation he was a young man of mark, and very soon after was elected to the legislature to represent Maury County, the place of his resi- dence, and was subsequently chosen by Governor 1 6 HOME LIFE AXD MARRIAGE. Carroll as one of his stafif officers. He was then about twenty-seven years old; very }'outhful in appearance, but with a fine presence, though not commanding in stature. With quiet manners, he was still courteous and dignified. His own high self-respect and unswerving rectitude were shown in the respect he habitually paid to the rights and feel- ings of others. These sterling qualities attained their full development when in the succeeding years of power they had ample room to expand, and their strength and beneficence were so often apparent. The beauty and magnetic presence of the young girl, whose worth, dignity, and modest reserve, tem- pered by the graces of playful wit and ready repartee, formed so striking a counterpart or complement to his own character, made an indelible impression upon the young lawyer. His labors at the Court House \vhere the legislature convened, were charm- ingly alternated with visits to Miss Childress. His attentions were favorably received and ended in an engagement of marriage. He laughingly said to her that had he remained the clerk of the legislature she would never have consented to marry him ! In 1880 Capt. John W. Childress, a nephew of Mrs. Polk's, presented to the Tennessee Historical Society the original license issued by the clerk of the County Court of Rutherford County, authorizing HOME LIFE AND MARRIAGE. 17 the celebration of the marriage relation between James Knox Polk and Sarah Childress. On Thurs- day evening, the ist of January, 1824, the marriage ceremony was performed by the Rev. Dr. Henderson, pastor of the Presbyterian churchy A numerous company of guests did honor to the occasion, and it was, as a great-granddaughter of Mrs. Childress says, " a large country weddin^." One of that merry gathering, Mrs. Daniel Graham, who was Miss Maria Mclver, and at whose nuptials Mrs. Polk had been a bridesmaid, lived to see the young bride attain the age of eighty-two }'ears. The bride and groom were attended by four young couples, among whom were Aaron V. Brown and Lucius J. Polk. The history of the former bears such a resemblance to that of Mr. Polk, that it was singularly fitting he should be one of the next and best friends on this occasion. They were both graduates of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and were partners in the practice of the law. Mr. Brown was often a member of the Ten- nessee legislature, and a representative in Congress five or six years, until 1845, when he was elected Governor of Tennessee. In 1857 he was Postmaster- General in the Cabinet of President Buchanan. In various parts of the country he was frequently men- tioned as a candidate for the presidency. His life, 2 l8 HOME LIFE AXD MARRIAGE. also, was cut short in its prime, for he lived not quite ten years longer than his illustrious friend. Festivities in honor of the marriage were the order of the day. Friday evening, January 2, a large party was given the young couple at Mrs. Lytle's. The bride remembered that on this occasion she wore a blue embroidered silk. The next evening an entertainment took place at the house of Mrs.' Dr. Rucker, the sister of the bride ; and on Monday evening they were invited to a large party at Mrs. Wendell's. Tuesday, they were under the unpleas- ant necessity of declining the compliment of a dinner at Mrs. McCullough's, because they were obliged to leave for Columbia, where a company of guests had been asked by the parents of the bride- groom to meet them the following Thursday even- ing. The high waters usual in midwinter made travelling somewhat difficult and uncertain, and it was important, therefore, to start early, that they might be sure to arrive in time to receive the greet- ings of those who were to meet in their honor at Columbia. This beautiful town, the county seat of Maury County, " the garden of Tennessee," is situated in one of earth's favored regions, and is as fertile as the far-famed blue-grass counties of Kentucky. [This happy spot was the home of Mr. Polk's rela- HOME LIFE A AW MARRIAGE. 1 9 tives, and the young couple lived in a cottage in their midst, the bride receiving from them not only- agreeable and acceptable attentions, but gentle and afifectionate regard, as a welcome and beloved mem- ber of her husband's family. She retained their kind consideration as long as they lived! Surrounded by loving friends, the honeymoon and many following moons passed swiftly away. Smoothly and noiselessly the social and domestic machinery of life ran on with its innumerable wheels, delicate and closely interdependent, and the days and weeks slipped by without chronicle. But the wedded pair were not drifting idly with the stream. Their character gradually expanded, un- folded, and rose under the mutually stimulating, helpful, and elevating power of thoroughly conge- nial daily intercourse, in which one was exactly complemented by the other. After the marriage of her daughter, Mrs. Chil- dress went to Murfreesborough, exchanging her in- terest in the farm for a house and lot in town. There she lived until her death, refusing to give up the old-fashioned home with its large rooms and ample grounds, for the more modern house with modern conveniences, to which in her old age her children urged her to move. General Lafayette the friend of the ' American 20 HOME LIFE AND MARRIAGE. Colonies, reached Nashville early in May, 1825, in the course of his triumphal progress through the United States. He was received with every mark of high esteem, and a few days after his arrival a grand ball was given in his honor. The hotels were overrun with visitors, and Mr. and Mrs. Polk were entertained at the house of their friend, Mr. John Catron, a leading lawyer of the city. The tickets of invitation, which had been sent out some weeks before, are remarkably elaborate and artistic for the capital of what was then a western State, so near the confines of civilization. They reveal an enthusiastic regard for the magnanimous foreigner who had done so much for our country. They were printed on fine paper, eight by ten inches. On either side of the page is engraved a large fluted column. That on the right is surmounted with a bust of Lafayette, inscribed with his name, and is intwined with a broad ribbon on which are the names of his battles; the dates 1777-81 are on the base of the pedestal, around which lie cannon, balls, drums, torches, etc. The column on the left is similarly decorated with a bust of Jackson, and in- scribed with the names of his battles, bearing the dates 1813-15. These pillars are united by a strip of sky holding the thirteen stars, in the centre of which at the top of the arch, appears the blazing HOME LIFE AND MARRIAGE. 21 sun with the date '''y6" in the disk. The strip of sky is bounded above by a garland of oak-leaves and acorns. Just beneath the sun hovers the American eagle with the familiar emblems, the bunch of arrows and the branch of peace. In its beak is a laurel wreath which it is placing upon the head of Washington's bust. This rests upon a fluted column rising out of the clouds, and is surrounded with guns, spears, swords, banners, and the cap of liberty. Below are the words in large capitals, " Welcome Lafayette ! " In the remaining space between the pillars is printed the invitation to the ball, signed by the names of the twelve managers, who were among the chief citizens of Nashville. This design, full of patriotic pride, was the work of R. E. W. Earle, who lived at the Hermitage and painted many por- traits of Jackson, his beloved and honored patron. The painter's grave is only a few feet from the well- known tomb of the General, and is covered with a slab bearing this epitaph : " Artist, Friend, and Companion of General Andrew Jackson." The ball was given at the Nashville Inn, the principal hotel, and among those present were Mr. and Mrs. Polk, who had come from Columbia in honor of the noble Frenchman and revolutionary hero. This grand entertainment shared the usual fate of all celebrations prepared on so extensive a 22 HOME LIFE AND MARRIAGE. scale. The most vivid remembrance it has left is not of the distinguished guests, nor of the brilliant assemblage, nor of the graceful and splendid picture it presented, but of the crowd and the crush, which were so uncomfortable as to obscure all other recollections. A WIDER LIFE. CHAPTER III. 1825-1833. 1\ /TR. POLK assiduously attended to the duties ■^^ -^ of his profession, practising law in the courts of Maury and the adjoining counties. During the long periods later in life when he was busily engaged with the cares of government, as member of Con- gress or Governor of Tennessee, and until he be- came President of the United States, the practice of his profession was only suspended. As soon as his term of office expired, he returned with ardor to the pursuit of his chosen calling. It was one of his maxims that a man should never abandon his pro- fession, and if called away for a time, should return to it as soon as possible. His talents and force of character continued to win the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens ; and when he became a candidate for Congress his active canvass was successful. In 1825 he was elected to represent the district composed of the counties of Giles, Maury, Lincoln, and Bedford, in 26 MR. POLK'S CANVASS. the Congress of the United States. This was a high distinction at that time. The Hon. A. O. P. Nicholson had ahvays known Mr. Polk. " They were near neighbors, belonged to the same profession, were members of the same political family, and closely identified with the po- litical conflicts of each successive year." In the following extract Judge Nicholson speaks of that whereof he knew : — • "At the election in 1825 Mr. Polk was chosen a member of Congress, after a most arduous and warmly contested canvass. In this canvass, the peculiar traits of his character were prominently developed. His competitors were men of age, ex- perience, and intelligence. He was young, and comparatively inexperienced and unknown. It was a contest to be decided mainly upon personal popularity. The people were not then divided into two great political parties. The candidates all professed the same general political faith. The chances at the outset were decidedly against him, but he had set his heart upon success, and he resolved to attain it. The district was large, but he traversed and canvassed it again and again. Before the canvass was half over he had displayed so much activity and energy in his movements, and had instilled into his supporters so much of his MR. POLK'S CAA'VASS. 27 own ardent zeal that he was regarded by each of his competitors as the most formidable opponent. In his public speeches there was always an earnest- ness and sincerity of manner which was peculiarly impressive. He seemed ever to feel what he said, and to speak with an animation and ardor which flowed from his heart This was the secret of his success as a popular orator. He was persuasive because he spoke from his heart as well as from his head. His superior tact in illustrating his positions by humorous anecdotes, of which he had stored away in his capacious memory very many, while he was always courteous and mild and respectful, aided him to win the predilections of his hearers. As the canvass approached its termina- tion he displayed all the skill of a veteran general in marshalling his forces for an impending battle. He dashed from point to point over his district with a rapidity which struck his opponents with surprise, and paralyzed them with despair. He infused into his own friends the same ardor and energy which actuated himself When the election came on he was triumphantly successful." In the autumn of 1825, leaving his wife in the quiet cottage-home in Columbia, Mr. Polk started on horseback, with Colonel Allen and several other members of Congress, who were travelling to 28 A WIDER LIFE. Washington. At Baltimore tliey took the stage- coach, and left their horses there until their return in March. When Mr. Polk went again to Wash- ington, in the autumn of 1826, he was accom- panied by his wife. The roads were rough, and the fatigues of the long journey very great, but such obstacles could not deter her. The strength, buoyant spirits, and easy courage of youth enabled her to enjoy all the pleasures, and to make light of the toils by the way. The horizon of a wider life and a more extended prospect now stretched its dim outline before her, — the soft tints and misty shapes of earth and sky blending till she could scarcely discern where the ceaseless endeavor of the one was met by the perfect peace of the other. So in her future, the exalted influences of success, joy, and content, w^ere to mingle with all her earthly experiences. The pleasant village occupations and associations were displaced by the unknown companionships and events of new and untried scenes. They travelled in their own carriage, attended by two of their colored servants, a man and a maid, and thus accomplished the long and difficult jour- ney, — resting at night in some farmhouse, and enjoying by day the scener}' and changes by the way. They were accompanied by General Sam GOING TO WASHINGTON: 29 Houston, and at Knoxville were joined by Judge Hugh L. White. It was in November, and the golden sunshine and brilhant colors of October had vanished, leaving the soft, silvery haze of mid-autumn, when a spirit of memory or reverie seems to hover in the air and to impress the landscape with its dreamy quietude. The grand old wildwood solitudes lay, for miles at a time, on both sides of the way. A great part of the country through which they passed had once been the immense hunting-grounds of the Choctaw, the Cherokee, the Creek, and other tribes of Indians, who occupied the vast and rich lands extending from the Ohio to the Tennessee River on the west and south, and eastward to the Cumberland Mountains. These forests of mag- nificent poplars, elms, sycamores, locusts, maples, cottonwoods, oaks, and numerous other trees, among which were the smaller growths of dog- wood, holly, laurel, etc., had been held by the dusky warriors as a common territory for killing game, and were grandly enclosed by the mighty waters of these two majestic rivers, and the steep mountain fastnesses. Undeveloped and undreamed of by these careless rovers lay its great wealth of resources in minerals, and its treasures which the magic wand of industry and knowledge was 30 AT WASHINGTON. to call forth in coming years. When our travellers were leisurely journeying through this attractive region the picturesque tribes had departed, leav- ing comparatively few traces of their ancient reign other than the peculiar and musical names they had given to flowing rivers and wide tracts of country. Arriving at Washington, Mr. and Mrs. Polk took temporary lodgings at Williamson's Hotel on Penn- sylvania Avenue. The streets and pavements were far from what they now are; the architecture of the public buildings and private dwellings was sim- plicity itself compared with the present structures. But Washington was nevertheless a delightful city, notwithstanding its physical deficiencies, for then as now it was a centre of learning, refinement, and activity, — the capital of the nation. In the third decade of the century it was seldom that the members of Congress occupied their own or hired house during their transient stay in the capital; and frequently two or more families would " mess " together. This camp phrase means that several of them would engage apartments in the same house, in which there was a dining-room and parlor set apart for their special use. This arrange- ment secured something of the privacy of home with its congenial company and pleasant daily in- AT WASHINGTON. 3 1 tercourse. In this way, at various times, Mr. and Mrs. Polk were the companions of the Hon. Hugh Lawson White, Senator from Tennessee, the Hon. Mr. Jarvis of Maine, the Hon. John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, and others. Mrs. Polk's strong understanding and sound sense, the winning gifts and graces of her person and character, were readily recognized, and she soon became a favorite with all. It was the central period of President John Ouincy Adams's administration. The public mind was not agitated by any great political question, and the social life of the capital city flowed pleasantly on. This tranquillity, however, had for a short time been disturbed by the duel between Randolph and Clay in the spring of 1826. The declining health of Mrs. Adams permitted her no longer to appear in general society, except at public receptions in the White House, where she presided with the animation and gracious dignity which had made her supremacy so potent when Mr. Adams was Secretary of State. Mrs. Polk's preference was for the Presbyterian church, the choice of her parents, whose ministry had been her religious guide, except when under the charge of the Moravians at Salem. Her hus- band made a point of going with her to religious 32 JO URNE YINGS. services, and they became regular attendants in the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church, on Four- and a-half Street, of which the Rev. Dr. Post was then the pastor. When the session of Congress closed, they returned to their cottage-home in Columbia. She varied the quiet enjoyments of home with visits to her mother and other relatives in Murfrees- borough ; and he devoted himself to the political canvass, having again become a candidate for Con- gress ; and after a severe contest with a formi- dable competitor, was re-elected. Thenceforward until 1839, when he voluntarily ceased to be a candidate, he was chosen every two years, and served his fellow-citizens in the deliberations of the ^National Assembly with signal ability and faithfulness. Thus for fourteen consecutive years the duties of his high office fixed his residence in Washington during the winter months. The summers were spent at home in Tennessee. In the annual trips, different routes were taken, thus gaining variety and much pleasant information. Sometimes they went by stage-coach through East Tennessee and Virginia, via P'redericksburg, — on one occasion, in a carriage to Lexington, Kentucky, going from there by the Maysville route to the Ohio River, taking the steamer to Wheeling, and yOURNEYINGS. 33 the stage to Washington. Another time they returned by way of New York City, thence to Albany, by the Erie Canal to Buffalo, from there to the Niagara Falls, and thence homeward. In this circuitous route they saw different phases of life ; and enjoyed even the tedious progress of the canal-boat, which gave ample time to gaze upon and to admire the panorama of fine and varied landscapes. Mrs. Polk had neither care nor trouble about any travelling arrangements, and enjoyed all the journeys. It made little difference to her whether the accommodations were good or not, she was thoroughly satisfied with the pleasure, and made light of whatever hardship might befall. On one occasion, while travelling in the Virginia mountains, the stage was overturned and several gentlemen injured. Mr. Lyon, a senator, who was one of the passengers, said to her, " Put your foot in my hand, Madame, and I will help you out." She did so, and came out of the wreck unhurt, not understanding how it could be, but still thankful for the deliverance. Another incident occurred near Columbia. The stage-driver ventured into a swollen stream, when the horses got into deep water and began to swim. An inch or two more, and the stage would have been engulfed. A man coming up the bank on 3 34 70 URNE YINGS. horseback, cried to the driver to stop. Mr. Polk, who could not swim, called out from his seat within the stage, offering a reward of any amount of money that might be named, if somebody would save his wife. The man on horseback seemed too much frightened to grasp the opportunity, and Mr. Granville Pillow, who was sitting beside Mrs. Polk, throwing his coat down on the seat, exclaimed, " I will take you out, Madame ! " Swimming to the bank and compelling the man to give up his horse, he mounted, and plunging into the rapid current, came up behind the stage, and asking her to step upon the high hind wheel, and then upon the shoulder of the horse, he held her firmly in his arms and bore her safely to the bank. She did not even get her feet damp. During the session of 1830-183 1 she remained at home in Columbia, but greatly missed the cheer of Mr. Polk's companionship. One day, much de- pressed, a friend playfully asked why she did not go to Washington, instead of staying at home and wearing so long a face. "I stayed at home," she returned, "to save money to make a display upon next winter." This was only pleasantry. She had no occasion to save, for her husband had a lucrative practice, and was not dependent upon his salary. LETTER FROM MR. POLK. 35 The following letter was written just before the close of the session. It is on a large, square sheet of paper, folded and sealed in the old style, when envelopes were unknown, and is addressed to her at Columbia, bearing his Congressional frank. It affords a glimpse of the manners of the time. Washington City, March 2ci, 183 1. My dear Sarah, — I write you from my seat in the Hall at an evening session. It is now be- tween eight and nine o'clock at night; the Hall is splendidly lighted up, as is usual at an evening session, and the lobbies are crowded with ladies and spectators. We will probably sit until mid- night and very probably later. At what hour to- morrow we shall adjourn I can form no opinion, but I hope in time to enable us to get to Balti- more to-morrow. I will add a postscript to this letter in the morn- ing before I seal and mail it, and it will be of course the last that I will write you, before I hope to see you. I will run a race home with this letter, and think I shall beat it. I know I shall if I have luck with the stages and steamboats. Very affectionately, your husband, James K. Polk. 36 LETTER FROM MR. POLK. N. B. House Repts., March 3d, 183 1. The House sat until four o'clock this morning, and have just met again, it being now eleven o'clock. About two o'clock I became so much worn down and fatigued, that for the first time during my service here, I found myself compelled to go to my lodgings. I feel rather in low spirits this morning, for I fear that the House may sit to so late an hour as to prevent me from reaching Baltimore for to-morrow's stage. I will, however, leave, at all events, in time to get there, unless there should be some matter of paramount im- portance to render it indispensable for us to re- main. I will get off if I can with any sort of propriety. Very affectionately, your husband, James K. Polk. In 1833 Mr. and Mrs. Polk went in their private carriage through Virginia to Washington. On the night of November 13-14 they were at a country house near Wytheville, when the grand meteoric display of that year took place. Early in the morning, before they were up, a servant came in to make a fire, and said in reply to some question about the time of day, " Ole Miss 's been up a long METEORIC SHOWER. 7)7 time, scared nearly to death. The sky 's faUin' and the day of judgment 's come." Mr. Polk stepped out as soon as possible, but the fast coming dawn prevented his seeing much of the astonishing spectacle. Mr. Edward E. Barnard, the well-known astronomer of Vanderbilt Univer- sity, afterward of Lick Observatory in California, says : " You have read of the v^onderful display of November, 1833, when the heavens flashed and flamed with countless myriads of burning stars, as plentiful in their fiery descent as the flakes of a December snowstorm. Ah ! That was a wonder- ful sight. How we love to listen to our grand- fathers and grandmothers, as they expatiate on the wonders of that awful night when God's long pa- tience seemed to have come to an end, and the day of wrath near its dawn. Was it not enough to shed terror in the soul of the timid, when the whole canopy of heaven seemed falling in one ceaseless rain of fire .-' And what a dawn was that, when the great sun showed himself in the eastern sky, blotting out with his mellow beams that night of terror. But there were those dur- ing that night in whose hearts the thought of terror never entered, and who with weariless eye- lids watched until the dawn — to them how unwel- come — paled the glorious sight. How difl"erent in 38 MRS. FOLK'S FOR TRAIT. knowing and not knowing the cause of this superb phenomenon ! " The artist Earle had spent some time with Gen- eral Jackson at the White House. During his stay there the Tennesseans who were assembled one evening in the parlor of Mr. and Mrs. Polk pro- posed that they should have their portraits painted by him, and this proposition was soon carried into effect. Mrs. Polk's portrait, the earliest one of her, has preserved her youthful appearance, with the bright eyes, and raven hair hanging in clustering curls around the face. It has justly been called the picture of a bride, for the freshness of youth clung to her for many years, Mr. Polk was much opposed to banks, and had taken strong ground with General Jackson against irresponsible paper currency, and in favor of the exclusive use of gold and silver as a circulating medium. He was consistent, and used specie in the payment of all his debts. The opposition of General Jackson and his party to the United States Bank, and indeed to all banks, created great excite- ment throughout the country for several years, and was a prolific theme of Congressional debate, and in all public speech on political occasions. There was a time when the currency of each State was at a small discount in the adjoining States, and this BANK NOTES AND SPECIE. 39 irregularity and loss to travellers and others gave force to the arguments of those who advocated specie payments in all business transactions. On a journey to Washington Mr. and Mrs. Polk had rested during the night, as usual. Early one morning, just as everything was ready, and the trunks were locked, Mr. Polk entered in haste, and said, " Sarah, get some money out of the trunk. I have n't enough in my pocket to pay expenses during the day." With a little flush of excitement, being much hurried, she opened a trunk and began turning up the clothing, in one corner and then in another, to find the bags of specie packed in different places. " Don't you see," she exclaimed, " how trouble- some it is to carry around gold and silver? This is enough to show you how useful banks are." " Sarah, you 've turned your politics, then," he rejoined ; " but all I want now is that money." They were accompanied by a party of Congress- men and friends, and when seated in the coach Mr. Polk related with considerable embellishment and humor the incident that had just occurred. It was apparent that his wife had taken sides against him on the Bank question. All clapped their hands, and were so boisterous in their mirth that the driver, leaning from his seat on the box, asked, 40 ' ' BANK NOTES AND SPECIE. " What is the matter, gentlemen ? What are you laughing at? " Several of the party, who held opinions in opposi- tion to those of Mr. Polk, were much pleased and amused at the idea of his wife sympathizing with them. Not long after this, when a notable Virginian, whose opinions coincided with those of Mr. Polk, was calling upon them, she remarked, " Mr. Polk, you and your friends certainly are mistaken about that Bank question. Why, if we must use gold and silver all the time, a lady can scarcely carry enough money with her." The visitor laughed, and Mr. Polk told her after- ward that their Virginia friend would certainly conclude that she was not quite right politically. LIFE IN WASHINGTON. CHAPTER IV. 1834-1839. T N the summer of 1834, at her home in Cohimbia, -*■ Mrs. Polk came to the conclusion, toward which her wishes and meditations had long been tending, to unite with the church. Speaking of this decision to no one but her husband's mother, who was " a strict church-woman," — a Presbyterian — she was surprised on the following Sunday to hear it an- nounced from the pulpit that the door of the church was open for the admission of members, and sur- prised still more to find that she herself was the only candidate. So pleased was Mr. Polk's mother with this decision that she had brought about its immediate accomplishment by making arrangements for it with Mr. Larrabee, the pastor. While Mr. Polk was in the habit of attending church with his wife, it often happened that as the hour for services approached, he was engaged in the company of men who, either from indifference or carelessness, forgot the Sabbath and its universal obhgation. As it was an awkward and difficult 44 ATTENDING CHURCH. thing for him to excuse himself, his wife took the case into her own dexterous management. Shawled and bonneted, she would enter the room and ask her husband and his friends to go with her to church, saying that she did not wish to go alone. One day in Washington, when she did this, a visi- tor asked, " Mrs. Polk, what is the use of going to church ? You Presbyterians believe that you will be saved anyhow." " Oh, no, sir, we believe no such thing," she replied ; " and I wish to go particularly to-day, be- cause Dr. B., a fine preacher, is to fill the pulpit." "Then I would like to go with you, Madame, for I have played cards all night with him many a time." Her custom of requesting her husband's Sunday callers to accompany him and her to church soon had the effect of dispersing them before her appear- ance, if they did not wish to accept the invitation. Soon after becoming settled in Washington, Mrs. Polk, wishing to keep up her music, procured an instrument and an instructor and applied herself diligently to the task. But it was not long before the unequal struggle became wearisome. With the circle of her acquaintance constantly widening, and engagements multiplying, she was obliged to give up the music studies. FRIENDS AND COMPANIONS. 45 At this point it may be well to mention a few of the ladies who were her friends and companions at that time. Mrs. General Van Ness was admired for her beauty and accomplishments, and venerated for her Christian character and beneficence. She founded the Washington City Orphan Asylum; and it is said that she was the first American woman who was buried with public honors. Her niece, Cornelia, the daughter of Cornelius Van Ness, the Chief Justice, and Governor of Vermont, spent some time with her aunt, in the winter of 1 828-1829, and was a charming addition to Washington society. A few years later she married, in Paris, Mr. Roose- velt of New York, General Lafayette giving the bride away. Other friends were : the future Mrs. J. J. Crittenden, at that time Mrs. William H. Ash- ley, wife of the " sole representative in Congress from Missouri;" Mrs. Levi Woodbury, the wife of the Secretary of the Navy during President Jackson's administration; Mrs. Louis McLane, the wife of the Secretary of State in the same Cabi- net, but who afterward became Secretary of the Treasury; Mrs. Thomas H. Benton, the daugh- ter of Governor McDowell of Virginia; Mrs. Clay, of Alabama; Mrs. Pleasanton, of Washington; Mrs. Edward Livingston ; Mrs. Jarvis, of Maine ; Mrs. Lewis Cass, wife of the Secretary of War; 46 A'EIF YEAR'S CALLS. Mrs. Chamberlain, of New York; Mrs. Robert Y. Hayne, of South Carolina; Mrs. Robert J. Walker, of Mississippi ; Mrs. Gordon, of Virginia; Mrs. Isaac Hill, of New Hampshire; Mrs. Caleb Gushing, of Massachusetts; Mrs. Rives, of Virginia; Mrs. Marcy, of New York; Mrs. R. H. Gillet; Mrs. William G. Preston and Mrs. John G. Calhoun, of South Carolina ; and many others. The custom of making social calls on New Year's Day was early introduced into Washington society. Among Mrs. Polk's recollections of the time when she was the wife of a Congressman was the New Year call of General Edmund P. Gaines. He was dressed in full regimentals, and wore at his side the sword presented to him by the Legislature of Ten- nessee. " Madame," said he, " I have come to call on you, and have worn in your honor my Tennessee sword." The country was greatly disturbed in the spring of 1832 by the Black Hawk war; and two. months afterward by the first appearance of the Asiatic cholera, which broke out at Quebec and swept with violence over the land, taking the course of the lakes and rivers and other principal routes of travel. General Scott's army, in vessels on the northern lakes, going to meet Black Hawk, was met and routed by the cholera, a subtler and more powerful NULLIFICA TION: 47 foe than the Indian chief. In the succeeding month General Atkinson defeated Black Hawk and took him prisoner. But the greatest excitement occurred in Decem- ber of this year, and near the close of General Jack- son's first term as President, when South Carolina attempted to nullify the tariff laws enacted by Con- gress. The whole country was in a tremor, and the President's celebrated proclamation on the subject was the theme of fierce debate in both Houses of Congress. These violent discussions were also heard on the hustings everywhere. This agitation, per- meating all departments of life, influenced social affairs to a considerable extent, especially in Wash- ington. The subject which had been under fierce discussion for three or four years reached a climax in 1832, and resulted in the increased popularity of General Jackson. He was re-elected President by an overwhelming majority, receiving two hundred and nineteen electoral votes, out of two hundred and sixtj^-eight cast by the electoral colleges. It is not within the scope of the record of a woman's life, to discourse of wars and political dis- turbances, and weighty matters of State. They are mentioned simply to show what were the agitations of social life, arousing partisan feeling and separating friends. To avoid these dangers, not only a clear 48 M/?S. POLK'S PROPRIETY. understanding and good judgment were required, but also unselfish, kindly forbearance and gentle consideration for the rights and sensibilities of others. Guided by rare discernment, prudence, and self-command, Mrs. Polk's daily intercourse was free from hasty or unkind allusions and irritating talk. With the lowly self-estimation of love, she felt that her character had been moulded by the wise influence of her husband. She relates that, in the exuberance of spirits which had never felt the restraint of hard experiences, she would sometimes make a hasty remark, which would be instantly checked, not by a reproof, — Mr. Polk seldom told her that she did wrong, — but by a smile which she well understood to mean disapproval of her inconsiderateness. The following incident shows her high ideal of the dignity of her position as the wife of a Con- gressman. The wife of a Cabinet officer wrote her that she was going to the races on that day because two prominent Tennesseans were to run their horses, both of which were noted for good blood and great speed, and that if Mrs. Polk wished to see the spec- tacle, she would call 'in her carriage at the proper hour, and take her out to the course. Mrs. Polk replied with thanks, but declined to go. In the MRS. POLK'S PROPRIETY. 49 evening, meeting her at a party, the lady said, " Oh, why did you not go with me to-day ? " She then told of the large concourse, including government officials, members of Congress, and many ladies, Mrs. Polk answered that she declined because she had never attended the races, and did not wish to violate her rule. " Well," was the laughing reply, " that is a reflec- tion on me." " Oh, no," returned Mrs. Polk, " not at all. You are in the habit of going. I am not." She did not break this rule, and never saw a horse- race. Her ideal Qf propriety was the counterpart of her husband's, who had a delicate conception of the fitness of things. He did not wish his wife even to jest about personal incongruities, or anything that reflected on the character or manners of others. He would sometimes say, " Sarah, I wish you would not say that. I understand you, but others might not, and a wrong impression might be made." " That," said she, " was the strongest rebuke he ever gave me. When persons speak of my strict ideas of propriety, I think of my husband's circum- spection, and reply, ' You were not brought up in so strict a school as I was.' " Though Mr. Polk was one of the youngest mem- bers when he first took his seat in the House, he was at the beginning of his second session made 4 50 HER ENTERTAINMENTS. chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations. He was not only the firm political supporter, but the ardent personal friend of President Jackson, and was looked upon as the leader of the Jackson forces in the House of Representatives. Recollections of the past undoubtedly aided to strengthen the warm friendship always felt by General Jackson for Mr. Polk. It is said that when young Jackson with his mother and brother fled before the army of Corn- wallis in the war of the Revolution, they took refuge in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and lived for some time with the neighbors and friends of Mr. Polk's father and grandfather. About the middle of General Jackson's second term Mr. Polk was chosen Speaker of the House, and held the office until his withdrawal from Con- gress. The responsibilities which this position im- posed upon his wife were fulfilled by her with ease and dignity, while her entertainments left many pleasant memories. Additional rooms in the house where they boarded were obtained for these festival occasions. Making her apartments elastic and ex- pansible at her pleasure, she could receive a large party of guests at any time, without the care of an extensive establishment. Among her associates were Mrs. Seaton and Mrs. Gales, although their husbands were adher- MRS. SEA TON. 51 ents of the party to which Mr. Polk was opposed. Gales and Seaton published the " National Intel- ligencer" for many years, and it was a prosper- ous paper under their control. On one occasion, Mrs. Seaton was desirous that Mrs. Polk should attend an entertainment she proposed giving, and was told by Mr. Polk that his wife would be present if he could get through with his duties in time to escort her. She impulsively replied that Mrs. Polk must come, whether he could attend her or not, and that she would provide an escort for her. Thereupon she invited Mr. Buchanan, a bachelor senator, afterward President, and Colonel King, another bachelor; but the lady did not appear. When Mrs. Seaton next met Mrs. Polk she said, " I invited those two old Democrats to be company for you, and behold, you did not come ! " ) Mrs. Polk preferred to remain at home when her husband was too closely engaged to give her his attendance, although there were many gentlemen offering courtesies and desiring to wait upon her to places of amusement. Taking a deep interest in his patient inquiries into the abstruse and complicated political questions of the day, she was at pains to inform herself on these subjects, and become familiar with the 52 BIDDING ADIEU. great matters then exercising the minds of pub- He men. But she had the intuitive tact which is rarely united with such insight and understand- ing, and was too dehcate and reserved to proclaim political opinions, or to join in the discussions of party differences. Being so intelligent and well- informed, yet so unobtrusive, she was a charming companion. Able also to enter into the views of public men, and to quickly comprehend their plans, while appreciating every remark, she was not always looking out for the first lull in the conversation to express her own peculiar opinions, but on the contrary always listened intently and answered courteously. She was ever a good listener. Mr. Franklin Pierce, afterward President, at one time a boarder in the next house, was one of her most cordial and constant friends. At public assemblages he sometimes took charge of her, saying to her husband that he could go and talk politics with the gentlemen, and leave to him the more agreeable privilege of promenading and conversing with Mrs. Polk. When, in 1839, they were bidding adieu to their friends, at the close of his Congressional service, Mrs. Seaton and Mrs. Gales were among the throng making the parting call. When Mrs. Seaton approached Mrs. Polk she said : " I am BIDDING ADIEU. 53 very sorry you are going away; we have had many pleasant hours together. But while I am sad on account of losing your society, there is a feeling of joyousness connected with it which I will not hide from you. When Mr. Polk is gone he will not be electioneering against Mr, Seaton, and will not record his vote against him." Messrs. Gales and Seaton were defeated in their efforts to obtain the public printing as long as Mr. Polk's influence was in Washington to oppose them ; hence Mrs. Seaton's undisguised joy at his depart- ure. " She was a perfect lady," added Mrs. Polk, in relating this incident, " and she would not have said that behind my back." Among the pleasant episodes of this time of leave-taking, was the presentation of a poem in her honor by Judge Story. When Mr. Polk be- came Speaker of the House, he and his wife took a suite of rooms in a large house on Penn- sylvania Avenue, known as Elliott's _ ^jijjding. It was not then considered proper for the Speaker to sit at table with the other members of Congress, the principal reason for this notion being the awkward positions which might ensue when the affairs and measures of Congress were discussed at meals, as would inevitably happen. The Speaker would be criticised or blamed, or at least often 54 POETIC TRIBUTE. mentioned. The remainder of Elliott's Building was appropriated to the Supreme Court. Mrs. Polk frequently met the judges and members of the court, and became so well known to them that upon her departure many of them sent let- ters expressing regret at the loss of her presence. Judge McLean said in his letter that he " could not write poetry like Brother Story," but that his sentiments toward her were as warm, and his regrets at her leaving as great, as if he possessed the power to express himself in verse. To Mrs. Polk, On her leaving Washington. Lady, I heard with saddened heart The melancholy strain : So soon from these fair scenes to part, Ne'er to return again. How swift have flown the busy hours, Since we as strangers met ; And some so bright, so strewed with flowers, Are fresh in memory yet. For I have listened to thy voice, And watched thy playful mind, Truth in its noblest sense thy choice, Yet gentle, graceful, kind. O, may thy future days be blest With all our hearts approve ; The sunshine of a spotless breast, The joy of mutual love. FAREWELL. 55 Farewell ! And when thy distant home, Cheered by thy smile shall be, And o'er the past thick fancies come, I ask one thought of me. Joseph D. Story. Washington, February, 1839. At the close of the session of Congress, March 4, 1839, the House passed a unanimous vote of thanks to the retiring Speaker. In his farewell address, one may plainly read between the lines his devotion to duty, and the combination of firmly held opinions with courteous deference to the opinions of those opposed to him. WIFE OF THE GOVERNOR. CHAPTER Y. 1839-1843. 73 EFRESHING indeed was the repose of the -*■ ^ Columbia home to the two who returned to abide beneath its peaceful shelter, after fourteen years of going and coming, like birds of passage. This frequent change, and her light-hearted enjoy- ment of every day's experience, had been beneficial to mind and body, while the prospect of uninter- rupted home life was all the sweeter, contrasted with the ceaseless change and variety of the last ten years and a half According to his habit Mr. Polk at once resumed the practice of law, his wife taking up the old daily routine, more than contented with her surround- ings, securing order and peace by her presence, while sympathizing with her husband in all his studies and pursuits. But this tranquillity was soon broken. Mr. Polk became a candidate for governor, and began the laborious task of canvassing the State. It was the most warmly contested campaign that had ever 60 MR. FOLIC ELECTED GOVERNOR. taken place in Tennessee, and he went on horse- back all over the State, making speeches every- where to the crowds assembled to meet him. His competitor was the then Governor, the Hon. Newton Cannon. From the loopholes of her re- treat at Columbia, his wife watched the conflict, receiving frequent letters from her absent husband, whose round of arduous labors had such an electric effect in disturbing the quiet of her cottage-home. At the election in August he was triumphant by a majority of three or four thousand, a result highly gratifying to General Jackson, who was delighted to see his own Tennessee going in the political path he considered safe and right. Judge J. C. Guild relates the following incident of that summer, which parts the curtains of the past and affords a glimpse of the scenes and the persons of more than half a century ago in Tennessee. "After the August campaign of 1839, which resulted in the election of James K. Polk to the gubernatorial chair, the leading Democratic politi- cians in and about Nashville assembled with their families and a concourse of young people at Tyree Springs, in Sumner County, for a little rest and recreation. " General Jackson was there. Felix Grundy, then Attorney-General of Mr. Van Buren's administra- MOOT COURT. 6 1 tion, with Judge Campbell, the old minister to Russia, General Armstrong, a lineal descendant of the gallant old trooper, and captain of General Jackson's body-guard in the Creek war, Governor Polk, who had just been elected, and all the old notables of that party, with a bevy of beautiful young ladies to grace the occasion, were also there. " The weather was delightful, the spring Avaters refreshing, and arrangements were made to pass the time pleasantly. An old gardener, not far dis- tant, was employed to bring fresh melons, fruits and flowers to the party every morning, and upon the greensward under the ample shade of the great elms with which the yard was studded, was held every day, after breakfast, a moot or mock court, of which Judge Grundy was the Chief Justice, and General Jackson, who sat near by, an associate. The court was opened in due form every morning by Colonel Harris, the Marshal, and the young gentlemen, indicted for every little trivial offence conceivable, such as failing to bow when passing a lady, or any other slight breach of common cour- tesy, were brought up for trial. To be tried was to be fined. No one got clear. Judge Grundy announced that one rule of the court was that he who grumbled at the magnitude of his fine should 62 MOOT COURT. be fined double. So the fines were always paid without a murmur, and the party was constantly supplied with watermelons, muskmelons, canta- loupes, peaches and pears in abundance, while all the ladies had a daily supply of beautiful flowers. " After each and every gentleman had been fined several times, the marshal reported to the court that the expenses were becoming a little too bind- ing on some of the guests, and asked what should be done. On ascertaining that the wagon had arrived that morning and was full of nice supplies, Judge Grundy decided that as so much money had been already paid to the gardener, his prices must be exceedingly high, and therefore he should be indicted at once, and brought before the court for extortion. Accordingly, the old gardener, who had been a soldier with General Jackson in the Creek War or at New Orleans, was formally in- dicted and brought into court. He had retained two eminent lawyers of Louisiana, who happened to be of the party, as his counsel, and they argued the case with much ingenuity and humor for an hour or more, taking the ground that not being of the party, their client was not within the juris- diction of the court. To the guests who attentively followed and enjoyed the argument, it seemed that the old gardener would certainly get clear, but at AT NASHVILLE. 63 the close, Judge Grundy turned to General Jackson and asked, ' General, is not a sutler subject to the rules and regulations of the camp?' " General Jackson replied, 'Most certainly, Judge Grundy.' " ' Oh ! ' exclaimed the old gardener, ' it is all over with me ; there is no appeal from the decision of General Jackson.' " So the Judge fined him the entire load of his wagon, which he promptly delivered without a word of complaint; albeit a subscription was quietly taken up, and the old gardener was fully remunerated. " And it was quite remarkable that during that week so pleasantly spent there, not a word of politics or upon any question of public affairs was heard, notwithstanding it was a sort of Democratic love-feast." The capital of Tennessee continued many years at Knoxville, where it had first been established ; then it was removed to Kingston, then to Murfrees- borough, and finally, in 1827, to Nashville. This city had never enjoyed the luxury of a governor's mansion, and the new incumbent rented the large dwelling on Cherry Street known as the Craighead house. The rent, only five hundred dollars a year, shows the difference between those times and the 64 AT NASHVILLE. present. The Governor's yearly salary was two thousand dollars. Cherry Street was then a choice neighborhood, and Mrs. Polk had sunny memories of the excellent society of those early days. Across the street was the home of Col. Samuel D. Morgan, an active leader in the Whig party. This, however, did not prevent genuine friendliness between his family and the Governor and his wife, who were often invited over to dine with other guests. These invitations Mr. Polk generally declined, saying he " could not lose half a day just to go and dine." But he wished his wife to go, and she usually repre- sented him on these occasions. The attachment of the members of Colonel Morgan's family to her sometimes produced a division of sentiment in the household. One evening Colonel Morgan had an illumination in honor of some Whig event, — per- haps the triumph of the Whig party in the hotly waged presiclential campaign of 1840, — when one of his daughters followed him as he lighted the candles in the window-panes, and blew them out. He bore this outbreak of opposition patiently for a little while, relighting the candles ; but suddenly turning round, he said, "That is enough now! Just come and help me to light these candles ! " And she was compelled to assist him in the dis- play so obnoxious to her friend across the street. AT NASHVILLE. 65 Colonel Morgan was one of the Board of Com- missioners intrusted with the charge of building the State House. During the Civil War, earthworks were thrown up around this building by the Federal army, to form a fortification, which obstructed the view from the lower terrace. The sides of the hill were stony and rough, in strange contrast to the noble temple of liberty rising above them. That sight is entirely forgotten now in the beautiful grounds surrounding the Capitol. The expanses of luxuriant grass, the growing trees, the walks winding up and around the hill, with frequent flights of steps to aid in the ascent, the fountain and flow- ers, and the equestrian statue seem to make Jackson, Tennessee's beloved hero, the perpetual guardian of his adopted home. The crown of this little gem of a park is the fine view, taking in at one sweep the city below with its church-spires, its vistas of streets, its public buildings and happy homes em- bowered in trees ; and the green country beyond ; miles and miles of as delightsome a land as was ever bestowed upon man by the bountiful hand of the Creator. This extensive landscape has the magi- cal effect of making the Capitol grounds seem larger than they really are, imparting the sense of elevation and of ample space. Not far from Colonel Morgan's residence lived 5 66 AT NASHVILLE. James Walker, the father of VVilHam Walker, of Nicaragua fame. His wife was a sister of Caleb C. Norvell, editor of the " Nashville Whig," whose vigorous editorials against Mr. Polk and his party were issued with telling effect every other day. Mrs. Walker who was warmly attached to Mrs. Polk, was so aggrieved at Mr. Norvell's onslaughts upon the husband of her friend, that she would sometimes say to her, " I have n't opened my brother's paper to-day, for I dislike so much to read what he says against your husband." When party spirit was heated and ready to burst into flame at the slightest touch of antagonism, the Governor would say to his wife, " When you hear that so- and-so, and you will hear it, is going to vote against me, don't you get excited and say, ' I never will forgive him.' " He thought that every man had a right to his own opinion, and so far from be- ing offended with those opposed to him, he was always ready, as his wife said, " to give them the hand." Opposite to Mr. Walker lived Col. Thomas Claiborne, whose son, young Tom Claiborne, was Mr. Polk's companion during his canvass for the governorship, keeping his papers and pamphlets, and taking charge of the documents after every day's speaking. Another neighbor was Dr. Felix RETURN TO COLUMBIA. 67 Robertson, noted for being the first white male child born in Nashville. His father, in the spring of 1780, founded in these Indian-haunted wilds the little settlement of " Nashborough," and the name " Felix," given to the new settler shows that they were happy in their adopted home. Near the close of Governor Polk's term, in 1841, he gave " a party " to the General Assembly of Tennessee, which in those days was considered a suitable precursor to the termination of his gov- ernorship. One of the expected guests was the Ex-President living then in his chosen retirement, the Hermitage. On account of ill-health, he was unable to be present. Mrs. Polk's escort to the table on that occasion was the Rev. R. B. C. Howell. Governor Polk was a candidate for re-election, but was defeated by Mr. James C. Jones, and once more Mrs. Polk had the pleasing prospect of living in Columbia. Gifted with a keen appreciation of social life, she nevertheless appreciated as keenly the pleasures of a home, though narrower, still sweeter and deeper. This endowment of opposite qualities made her free from the limitations of cir- cumstances, and capable of happiness and useful- ness wherever she might be. She said sometimes that she would go into her husband's study and 68 TRIP TO MISSISSIPPI. finding him engag-ed as usual, would say, " You work so much." Taking up a newspaper, he would quietly reply, " Sarah, here is something I wish you to read." " And so he set me to work too." In giving him sympathy and assistance in many wifely ways, she found no time for loneliness. A letter often came with the request, " Can't you come to Nashville? I want to confer with you." In the evening he would ask, " Sarah, would n't you like to go to Nashville?" Mrs. Polk laugh- ingly said, in telling this, " I cannot find fault now with the ladies for going away from home so much, because I went so often with Mr. Polk. I always went, except in cases when it was obviously unsuitable, and then it would have been foolish to go,^ He always wished me to go, and he would say, ' Why should you stay at home } To take care of the house } Why, if the house burns down, we can live without it.' ' She sometimes went with him to the plantation in Mississippi, going in a carriage and taking a riding-horse, that he might change to horse- back whenever he so desired. They were enter- tained in the overseer's house and there received the visits of the neighbors. He was very kind to the negroes on his plantation and careful of their comfort. VISIT FROM AN EX-PRESIDENT. 69 His delicate constitution, weakened by unremit- ting labor, required the rest which could be had only by adequate sleep. The presence of his wife often prevented an indulgence in late hours, to which he was exposed by those who came to talk with him on law matters or political affairs. To help him in this way was one strong motive im- pelling her frequent journeying with him. In April, 1842, they had the pleasure of a visit from Ex-President Martin Van Buren, who was the occupant of the White House when they left Wash- ington in 1839. He was accompanied by the Hon. James K. Paulding of New York, his Secretary of the Navy. They had visited Jackson at the Her- mitage, and after spending a few days with them, went to Lexington, to see Mr. Clay. Old Hickory and Young Hickory gave every attention to their distinguished guests. The calm of this domestic life was again dis- turbed by Mr. Polk's canvass for the governor- ship in 1843. Letters frequently passed between them in the long absences occasioned by these can- vasses. Writing from Jackson, West Tennessee, April 4, he says, " Yesterday I addressed a very large crowd, including the leading men of both parties from every part of the State. I spoke for three and a half hours. I received your letter to- 70 CANVASS FOR GOVERNOR. day. I will be at Savannah on the 14th, at which time I hope to receive another letter from you. After that, the points on the main stage-route where letters will reach me without delay are Somerville, Memphis, and Camden, and I shall hope to hear from you at each of those places. If any letters come which you think important, enclose them to me." On the 1 8th of June he was a guest of Dr. J. G. M. Ramsey, at Mecklenburg, four miles from Knoxville, at the romantic spot where the Holston and the French Broad rivers unite. From there he wrote, " You write a little despondingly, and it distresses me that you seem to be in low spirits. If I could be with you, you know I would. It is, however, impossible for the next six weeks, and I hope you will endeavor to renew your former cheerfulness and good spirits." It was his custom in every letter to her who was so practically his help-meet, to begin with the words, "My dear Wife," a short, simple phrase, but rich and weighty with meaning. Mr. Jones the opposition candidate, was re- elected and Mr. Polk returned home. In addi- tion to his law practice, he carried on a large correspondence with political friends, among whom were Silas Wright of New York, and all the Demo- CORRESPOiYDENCE. 71 cratic leaders of that day. The interchange of letters between him and General Jackson was frequent. It is said that Jackson was one of the most indefatigable letter-writers in the whole country. WIFE OF THE PRESIDENT. CHAPTER VI. 1844-1845. TN May, 1844, came the stirring event of Mr. Polk's nomination to the presidency by the Democratic National Convention at Baltimore. This was followed by a season of conflict and of inevi- table suspense and anxiety; but those weeks of weary waiting were afterward suffused with the lus- tre of a triumphant ending, and whatever sadness there might have been was forgotten in the joy that followed. In November, by a majority of sixty-five electoral votes, and of about forty thou- sand in the popular suffrage, Mr. Polk was chosen President of the United States. In those days all news travelled by mail, then the quickest mode of conveyance. Returns had been received from a number of States sufficient to show that the vote of New York would decide the combat between the Whig and Democratic parties, — be- tween Mr. Clay and Mr. Polk. It was generally believed that New York would vote for Mr. Clay, 76 NEWS OF THE ELECTION. and the Whig papers were constantly declaring that he was elected. The news from New York was slow in coming in, owing to the magnitude of the terri- tory and the closeness of the contest. But, at his home in Columbia, Mr. Polk knew of his election twenty hours before the people of that town knew it, and fifteen hours before it was known by the people of Nashville. The welcome information was sent to him by Gen. Robert Armstrong, a warm friend, who was the postmaster at Nashville. The daily Eastern mail arrived about 9 o'clock at night, and General Armstrong was in the habit of opening the packages from all the principal cities of the country, and comparing the number of letters with the way-bill. In opening the package from Cincinnati he saw, in pencil, written on the way-bill by the postmaster there, that New York had cer- tainly gone for Polk and Dallas. The Nashville postmaster quietly placed the writing in his pocket, handed the letters to one of his clerks for distribu- tion, and retired to his private room. He imme- diately sent a servant to Mr. George L. Sloan, pro- prietor of a large livery establishment, a devoted Democrat, and an active partisan. He was asked if he could reach Columbia, with an important letter for Governor Polk, by daylight next morning. He said he could, and while he went to his stable for a NEJVS OF THE E LECTIO A\ 77 fast horse, General Armstrong wrote a brief letter to Mr. Polk, telling him of the news from the post- master at Cincinnati. Mr. Sloan rode rapidly, and obtaining a fresh horse from a friend a few miles beyond Franklin, reached Columbia, a distance of forty miles, by early dawn. Mr. Polk was called from his bed-chamber, and Mr. Sloan delivered the letter in person, not knowing its contents. He then quietly left the town, and leisurely came home, taking his own horse on the way. Mr. Polk was very much gratified, of course, and told his wife the exciting news. They agreed to keep it quiet, and went about their daily duties as usual. During the day political opponents, calling at his office, or meeting him on the street, would say, " Well, Governor, we are sorry that you are defeated, but glad Mr. Clay is elected." Mr. Polk thanked these personal friends for their good wishes, knowing however that they were mistaken. The mail next morning announced that the large elec- toral vote of New York had been cast for Mr. Polk, and that he was elected. A public meeting of the Democrats of Columbia and of Maury County was soon called, and the joy of the Democrats knew no bounds. Crowds came pouring into town, the houses were illuminated, and Mr, Polk's house was besieged by a multitude who 78 A'EIVS OF THE ELECTION: came with a band of music, and with noisy hurrahs and other manifestations of pleasure usual on such occasions. Mrs. Polk was in the parlor with congratulating lady visitors, when a gentleman entered, saying, " Mrs. Polk, some of your husband's friends wish to come into the house, but we will not let the crowd in, because the street is muddy and your carpets and furniture will be spoiled." " The house is thrown open to everybody," was the reply. " Let them all come in ; they will not hurt the carpets." This decision was exactly in accord with Mr. Polk's wishes and preferences, if not in great part unconsciously impelled by them ; and coming in that moment, he heartily seconded the enthusiastic invitation. The next day, the hospitable lady sent word to the gentleman who was so politely careful regarding the soiling of her furniture that, just as she expected, the crowd " left no marks except marks of respect." The Whigs were in deep sorrow, and Mr. Clay's defeat was greatly deplored by his large and influ- ential party. He was their idol, and probably no politician ever had warmer friends or more bitter enemies. General Jackson alone excepted. Large sums of money had been wagered, and changed PASSAGE AT AH MS. 79 hands, on the result. In Tennessee, owing to the pres- ence of General Jackson, the struggle was especially violent. Every effort possible was put forth on both sides to obtain even a single vote, and bets were freely made that Tennessee would go for Mr. Clay. The race was close, and Mr. Polk lost Tennessee by only one hundred and thirteen votes in the entire State. Mr. Polk visited Nashville, and was honored with a public reception in which both parties joined. A civic and military procession escorted him to the Court House, where he was addressed by the Hon. A. O. P. Nicholson, In the evening many buildings were illuminated, and joy and hilarity prevailed. One day, at Colum.bia, in these agitating times, a lady remarked to a friend of Mrs. Polk's that she hoped Mr. Clay would be elected to the presidency, because his wife was a good housekeeper, and made fine butter. To this singular remark, which seemed to cast a reflection upon the wife of Mr. Clay's opponent, a rather spirited retort was made, and a wordy little passage at arms followed, which was duly reported to the lady supposed to be most interested as the rival of Mrs. Clay. She was amused at the incident, and said to her friend, " Now, Ophelia, you go to-morrow morning and tell Mrs. Blank that you are sorry for all those sharp So FAREWELL TO JACKSON. replies you made, and tell her I said that if I should be so fortunate as to reach the White House, I expect to live on twenty-five thousand dollars a year, and I will neither keep house nor make butter. This answer will not offend her, and neither will I be offended." This pacific message had the desired effect. There has perhaps been no other in- stance in which a capacity to make good butter was considered a fitting excellence for the President's wife. In February, 1845, the journey to Washington was begun, Mr. and Mrs. Polk first going to the Hermitage, near Nashville, to see General Jackson. Mr. Jenkins says, " The leave-taking was affec- tionate and impressive, for each felt conscious that in all probability it was a farewell forever. Ere another harvest moon shed its holy light upon a spot hallowed by so many memories and associa- tions, the ' hero of New Orleans ' and ' defender of the Constitution ' slept that sleep which knows no waking. A few years passed, and he to whom that parting blessing had been given with so fair and bright a promise of a long life before him, had also joined the assembly of the dead. Truly, the realities of history are sometimes stranger far than the wildest creations of fiction." Among those who accompanied Mr. and Mrs. ' u- Ji \yiv. Polk was Mr. V. K. Stevenson. They went from Nashville to Wheeling on a small new steamer built of cedar, called by the river men the " cedar boat." In going up the Ohio, some distance below Louis- ville, in a terrific storm, the boat was blown ashore and among the trees. Colonel Stevenson says that amid the general dismay Mr. and Mrs. Polk did not seem in the least alarmed. When they passed Louisville it was late at night, yet many people were at the wharf, sending up cheer after cheer. On Sunday a band of music came on board, in- tending to honor the President's party by playing during the day. When Mrs. Polk first heard the music, impelled by her sense of right and propriety, she requested Mr. Stevenson to have it stopped, because it was unseemly on that day. He said, " Madame, it can be done." When the matter reached Mr. Polk's ears he quietly remarked, " Sarah directs all domestic aff"airs, and she thinks that is domestic." At Madison, Indiana, a large party came aboard and warmly welcomed the passenger toward whom all eyes were turning in hope and anxious expecta- tion. Mr. Stevenson presented many persons sep- arately, and toward the close of the ceremony he introduced a noted, old-time Irish school-teacher, who, standing in front of Mr. Polk, bowed low and 82 JOURNEY TO WASIIIXCTON. said, " Yure koontenance is indicative of a bro-a-d ba— sis," spinning out the latter words to their fullest extent. Then going behind him and bow- ing again, he repeated the same words. Passing to the front, he again went through the whimsical solemnity, and left the boat perfectly satisfied that he had made known the true character of the new chief executive. At Cincinnati, as at all other landings, crowds were on the shore, and in every case, Mr. Steven- son presented Mr. Polk, who made a brief reply of thanks. During their stay of a day or two in Wheeling, there were throngs of callers, among whom were representatives of all classes, and one lady felt herself obliged to apologize because so many of the " common people " were there. That act of " politeness " only showed that she had failed to understand the character of this woman, whose exaltation, so far from raising a barrier between her and the masses of the people, had enabled her the better to discover the good in them, and to appre- ciate their kindness. Mrs. Polk in the retrospect of her life, called herself a " proud woman," and such she was, in the highest sense, — proud of her husband, of his worth and his success ; proud of the position and happiness with which she had been endowed; and too proud to hold herself aloof from JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON. 83 the humblest person. She had no fear of any pos- sible tarnish by such association, and was affable and gracious to all. From Wheeling to Cumberland, they travelled by carriage over the National Road. This highway was built from Wheeling to Baltimore, for the pur- pose of transporting government troops and stores over the mountains. The most important consider- ation, however, was the inducement it would offer emigrants to settle the western lands, and thus bring these lands into market for sale. For years this project provoked fierce discussions in Congress, Mr. Polk being opposed to it, while Mr. Clay advocated the measure. Once an object of great public in- terest, and a means of comparative ease in travel, the National Road is now scarcely more than a memory, and flourishes only in the encyclopaedia. At Cumberland, they took the railroad train, and at the Relay House, near Baltimore, were met by committees from Washington, Baltimore, and other places. Here they were also joined by the Vice- President-elect, the Hon. George M. Dallas. Mrs. Polk said that " he was an elegant man, tall, ex- ceedingly handsome, and gentle in manner." Here a scene occurred, quite out of keeping with the dignity of the occasion, and illustrating the hetero- geneous mixture of affairs, the continual nearness 84 THE CABINET. of right and wrong, of high and low. A pickpocket in the crowd had doubtless heard that Mr. Stevenson paid all the expenses of the trip for Mr. Polk, and he accordingly undertook to get into his pocket, lie had discovered that there were no outside pockets, and was in the act of reaching over and trying to get his hand into the inside breast pocket, when Mr. Stevenson caught it, and by twisting his arm forced him to come round in front. The fel- low was an affrighted, woe-begone spectacle, and when it was learned that he had failed in his lawless purpose, was released. They reached Washington about two weeks be- fore the 4th of March, and in this interim Mr. Polk accomplished the delicate task of selecting , the officers of his Cabinet. The usages of society had established relations of close intercourse be- tween the household of the President and those of the Cabinet officers, and his selection of these exerted an influence on his home life as well as on public affairs. To the office of Secretary of State he appointed James Buchanan, of Penn- sylvania, whose long service in the Senate ad- mirably fitted him for that high position. The Treasury Department was committed to the care of Robert J. Walker, of Mississippi. The War Department was placed under the charge of ex- THE INAUGURATION, 85 Governor William L. Marcy, of New York, and the success of his conduct in the struggle with Mexico proved the wisdom of Mr. Polk's choice. George Bancroft, of Massachusetts, was made Secre- tary of the Navy; but after a short time he was sent to the Court of St. James, and John Y. Mason, of Virginia, appointed in his stead. The office of Postmaster-General was given to Cave Johnson, of Tennessee, and during his occupancy of that position the reduction of the rates of postage was begun. John Y. Mason had been appointed Attor- ney-General, but upon his becoming Secretary of the Navy, Nathan Clifford, of Maine, was selected in his place. Mr. Clifford was afterward sent as a commissioner to Mexico, and Isaac Toucey, of Con- necticut, became Attorney-General. For the confi- dential post of Private Secretary, the President chose one of his nephews, J. Knox Walker. The 4th of March was rainy and cheerless, but the ceremonies of the day filled the streets with gayly dressed people. According to custom, the President-elect was accompanied by the retiring President, and they rode to the capitol in an open carriage drawn by four horses, and escorted by the chief marshal and his aids, who carried as emblems of the new head of the republic, batons of young hickory, decked with a profusion of 86 A NATIONAL FAN. ribbons. The President-elect and his escort were received in the Senate Chamber by the assembled Congress. Mrs. Polk, with several of her special friends, witnessed the proceedings from the gallery. When the oath of office had been taken by Mr. Dallas, and some other formalities had been com- pleted, Mr. Polk was escorted to the eastern portico by the members of Congress, the foreign legations, and other distinguished persons. This procession was led, as was customary, by the judges of the Supreme Court, attired in their robes of office, seeming thus to give judicial sanc- tion to the choice of the people. The vicinity of the capitol was crowded with enthusiastic spec- tators. Mrs. Polk with her friends was seated on the portico. She held in her hand what may be called a national fan, which had been presented to her. In the folds, above an ivory handle of beautiful open-work, were eleven circles enclosing the portraits of the eleven Presidents, from Wash- ington to Polk, each inscribed with the name and the date of the term of office. Above Mr. Polk's was written, " President-elect." In the flower- gilded spaces between these circles were the United States escutcheon, and statues of the Goddess of Liberty. On the reverse was an oval picture of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Chief-Justice Taney administered the oath of office. The multitude listened quietly during the delivery of the Inaugural Address, then with shouts and cheers applauding the new-made President, joined the procession, and attended him in a vast body to the door of the White House. The Bible upon which the oath was taken is a small one, printed in clear, minion type, bound in black morocco, and was presented to Mrs. Polk by Alexander Hunter, chief marshal of the District of Columbia. On the fly-leaves he wrote the following letter: — " Madame, — I feel it alike an honor, a pleas- ure, and a duty, to present you (as I now do) the sacred volume on which the oath of office as President of these United States was administered to your honored husband on the 4th day of March just passed. I will not permit myself to doubt that it will be esteemed and preserved by you as a sacred and not unbefitting memorial of an event of interest to your family. It is calcu- lated to unite in solemn associations the recollec- tion of the highest honor on this earth, with the bright hopes and glorious promises of another and happier sphere of existence. United with your distinguished husband in the enjoyment of the utmost favor of his countrymen, and the 38 INAUGURATION BALL. highest station which their votes and their con- fidence can bestow, when time shall have passed, and the troubles and the honors of this life shall have known their termination, may your union still continue undisturbed, and be blessed with that happiness which the Holy Book teaches, as the hope and the promise." A group of select friends dined with the President and his wife at the White House, and this eventful day was closed with the customary Inauguration Ball. This took place in Carusi's Hall, and was in- tended as an opportunity for the people to get a near view of the new chief magistrate. To prevent too great a crowd, the tickets were sold at ten dollars each. When the President and his party entered and took their places on a platform at the end of the hall, the dancing ceased, and the band played " Hail to the Chief," and there was a general recep- tiort. Mrs. Polk remembered that she wore a ma- zarine blue velvet dress, with a deeply fringed cape. When the ceremony of introduction and handshak- ing was over, Mr. and Mrs. Polk with their friends left the hall. The -new mistress of the White House showed her simplicity and moderation in her decision con- cerning the renovation customary with each new resident in the old mansion. The " New York REFUSING PRESENTS. 89 Journal of Commerce " commended her sensible views as follows : — " A couple of upholsterers who went from this city to pro- cure so much of the job as falls within their department, came back with very reduced expectations. They were referred to the President's lady, who gave them a cour- teous interview of three quarters of an hour, but told them that only the public rooms would require repairs, for if the private apartments had been satisfactory to Mrs. Tyler, they would be so to herself" One day, soon after the beginning of the adminis- tration, some one sent a fine riding-horse to the White House stable. When the President heard of the gift, he told his secretary to have the horse sent to the livery-stable and to inform the owner where it was. He would accept presents of little worth, such as books, canes, etc , but m.ust decline any of larger value. This wise course effectually closed an opening to irregularities and corruption. Not long afterward, the citizens of New York wished to present to him a carriage and horses, but he de- clined the proffered kindness. These two instances convinced the public of his determination, and no one afterward ventured to offer a costly gift, for fear of giving offence. Sometimes a naval officer would say to Mrs. Polk that in a foreign country he had seen some rare or rich article which he wished very 9° hoa: joh.v c. calhouw. much to bring home to h.r, but had feared to do -so. In later life she said that she did not then realize as fully as afterward, the worth of such a ng,d and self-denying uprightness, and would smil- ingly say to her husband, •' Oh, I have lost so many pretty things by your refusing to take costlv pres- ents ! ■ He would never consent to accep't such favors for his wife any more than for himself Mr. Polk had been privately informed that the Hon. John C. Calhoun, the Secretary of State in Mr Tylers Cabinet, was desirous of remaining in that office until the annexation of Texas was con summated, a measure which he ardently advocated. Mr Polk was also solicitous concerning it, and Mr. '^aihoun naturally exoecterl m .^r^ ■ t> / t-.xpcLceci to remain. But the ZT P ?t' ''°"""" "" ''""-' "-- -'-«-". land T,'^"'"'"'™'"^™-- '° Eng- land. Th.s post was declined, and preparations were made for his return to South CarolL. He had for years cherished a cordial friendship for Mrs Polk, and calling to bid her farewell, she expressed her regret that he had decided not to accept ""ss.on. "Madame," replied the H' ,• , So„fl, r ,■ ■ rtpned the distmguished South Carohn.an, "you know me well enough to be aware that I am a domestic man in my nature and •a. .s, and that such a Place would It .sui::; taste. She admired his o-r^.f ,. ^iis great powers, and his GOING TO CHURCH. 9 1 honest adherence to the pohtical principles he be- heved to be right, whatever might be the convic- tions of others. He was a worthy descendant of the resolute Huguenots, many of whom in their ex- patriation fled to South Carolina, and enriched that State by their noble character and valuable labors. ■ The ladies of the diplomatic circle added much to the vivacity and enjoyment of social affairs. The wife of the Russian Minister possessed unusual attractions. Mrs. Polk had known Madame Eodisco when she was Miss Williams, and a pupil at the Georgetown school. It is said that the dignified ambassador then met the young school-girl who subsequently became his bride. Of those connected with the families of the sec- retaries, perhaps it was to Mrs. Marcy that the President's wife was most strongly attached. They often went to church together, Mrs. Marcy attend- ing the Presbyterian, with her friend, and Mrs. Polk returning the favor by going with Mrs. Marcy to the Baptist Church. During the fourteen years of her residence in Washington, while her husband was in Congress, Mrs. Polk was a regular attendant of the First Presbyterian Church on Four-and-a-half Street, not far from the capitol. When she returned, it was supposed that she would worship with the Rev. Mr. Lowrie's church, not far from the White 92 DANCING DISCONTINUED. House. But she continued to frequent the old sanc- tuary, though it was a mile away. " I loved the fami- liar place," she said; "and why should I not go' there, when it was my intention to ride, and a mile more would make no difference?" The dazzling and deceptive allurements insepar- able from high position had no power to blind her to the truth. She regularly attended church, duly observed the Sabbath, and maintained Christian charities. " The greater the prosperity," she said, " the deeper the sense of gratitude to the Almighty Power from whom all blessings flow. My heart never yielded to worldly honors or seir vanlly " In her new home, one effect of her principles was the discontinuance of dancing. This stroke of author- ity made a sensation, and with a few exceptions was universally applauded. Some young ladies re- monstrated : " Oh, Mrs. Polk, why will you not let us dance? These rooms are so magnificent." " Would you dance in so public a place as this?" she would ask; and when they said yes her reply was, " I would not. To dance in these rooms would be undignified, and it would be respectful neither to the house nor to the ofiice. How in- decorous it would seem for dancino- to be eoinsf on in one apartment, while in another we were conversing with dignitaries of the republic or MKS. MAD/SOA'-. g, ministers of the gospel. This unseemly juxtaposi- tion would be likely to occur at any time, were such amusements permitted." The "Nashville Union" thus applauded her decision : — " The example of Mrs. Polk can hardly fail of exerting a salutary influence. Especially does it rebuke the con- duct of those ladies who professing godliness, nevertheless dishonor its profession by their eager participation in the follies and amusements of the world. However politicians may differ in regard to the merit of Mr. Polk's administration, there can be no diflerence as respects that of his lady, in her department of the Presidential mansion." Mrs. Polk saw Mrs. Madison frequently, and en- joyed taking her for a drive on pleasant summer afternoons. It was the custom to invite her to every Cabinet dinner, and to all entertainments given at the White House, the President himself escorting her to the table. She was always attired in black silk or velvet, with a kerchief of muslin and lace around her neck and shoulders, folded across the bosom. In after years Mrs. Polk wrote, '• The White House was the abode of pleasure while I was there." At the weekly re- ceptions, she pleased every caller with her words of welcome. At the large dinners, complimentary to distinguished persons, members of the Cabinet, 94 MARKING NEWSPAPERS. civil, military, and naval officers, eminent citizens, diplomatists, and noted foreigners, the dignity and courtesy of the hostess impressed every one, and her praises were trumpeted by the newspapers. The President's duties left him little time for even a cursory scanning of the numerous news- papers. There were frequent allusions to his ad- ministration, and it was necessary for him to know the drift of public feeling and opinion. He would send the papers to his wife, requesting her to examine them and mark such articles as it was desirable for him to read. This task, requiring judgment and knowledge of public affairs, she gladly performed. Carefully folding the papers with the marked pieces outside, where a glance might detect them, she would place the pile be- side his chair, so that whenever a few moments of leisure came, he could find and read without loss of time. Knowing much of political affairs she found pleasure in the society of gentlemen ; and some one remarked that " she was always in the parlor with Mr. Polk." In a letter to her from Judge Catron, dated at Nashville, June, 1845, he says: — *' We had the pleasure to hear by Mrs. Marshall's letter that you were very well, and the President not— overworked, of course. On this head I am LETTER FROM JUDGE CATROAT. 95. uneasy, and advise lectures on your part, on all in- ordinate and especially irregular labors. The ma- chinery of government looks well at a distance, smooth, still, and statesmanlike. I think the Presi- dent has deeply impressed upon him the early copy set him in the old field school: ' Least said is soon- est mended.' It is worth more in practice than all ever written in Italy and France on slippery policy. All sides seem to vie in vaunting you, and if this keeps on through the four years, will stilt you up to so giddy a height that you may incur more danger in getting down than in climbing up." The following paper, written by Mr. Polk on his fiftieth birthday, Sunday, November 2, 1845, was found among his manuscripts, long afterward: "Attended the Methodist Church (called the Foundery Church) to-day, in company with my private secretary, J. Knox Walker. It was an in- clement day, there being rain from an early hour in the morning, and Mrs. Polk and the ladies of my household did not attend church to-day. Mrs. Polk being a member of the Presbyterian Church, I generally attend that church with her, though my opinions and predilections are in favor of the Methodist Church. This was my birthday, being fifty years old. The text was from the Acts of the Apostles, chap. 17, verse 31: 'Because He ^6 MRS. FOLK'S BIRTHDAY. hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained.' It was communion day, and the sermon was solemn and forcible. It awakened the reflec- tion that I had lived fifty years, and that before fifty years more would expire I would be sleeping with the generations which have gone before me. I thought of the vanity of this world's honors, how- little they would profit me half a century hence, and that it was time for me to be ' putting my house in order.' " A New York newspaper of the time says of him : " He would have a pew in church and regularly occupy it. No visitor would be admitted into his house on the Sabbath except family acquaintances. If a week's journey was to be undertaken he would start on Monday morning and reach the place on Saturday night. And all this though not a professor of religion. Mr. Polk had a deli- cacy and propriety of feeling, which showed how well and kindly he had yielded his heart and his habits to a most auspicious domestic influence ; how fully he acknowledged the legitimate influence of a pious wife, to whom he was bound by ties of the strongest affection, and who indeed was, in many senses, his guardian angel amid the perils and darkness of the way." LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. CHAPTER VII. 1 846- 1 849. /^NE afternoon in July, when the beams of the ^-^ sun were flaming with scorching heat, Mrs. Polk was sitting at a window overlooking a part of the White House grounds where several men were at work. Her husband was absorbed in writing, and there was no one else present. " Mr. Polk," she suddenly said, " the writers of the Declaration of Independence were mistaken when they affirmed that all men are created equal." " Oh, Sarah," said he, " that is one of your foolish fancies." " But, Mr. Polk," she returned, " let me illustrate what I mean. There are those men toiling in the heat of the sun, while you are writing, and I am sitting here fanning myself, in this house as airy and delightful as a palace, surrounded with every comfort. Those men did not choose such a lot in life, neither did we ask for ours; we were created for these places." 100 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. Mr. Polk was amused at her criticism on the venerable and honored document, and rehearsed the incident as an example of " Sarah's acumen." Circumstances certainly seem sometimes to dis- prove the grand truth that all men are created with equal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ; but she believed, as we all do, that it is nevertheless the powerful principle underly- ing the beneficent liberty and marvellous growth of our country. It is the wonder-working Aladdin's lamp of the Occident, holding forth the radiant light of a new era, and its mighty genius is build- ing homes of peace and content for the poor and oppressed of every land. The following extract is from a letter of Judge Lewis of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who was Mrs. Polk's agent in the following incid.ent: — "On the 4th of July, 1846, the President's man- sion was thrown open for the reception of visitors, and the rooms gradually filled with guests ' of high and low degree,' Amid the motley groups present, the President's lady was receiving with becoming courtesy the guests who advanced to pay their respects, when she perceived an old man, sup- ported by a long cane, and dressed in humble garb, totter into the room, and in a dif^dent man- ner take a station at a distance and gaze with LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. loi unmingled wonder upon the scene before him. Mrs. Polk despatched a gentleman with whom she was then conversing, to bring the old man to her, and talked with him for some time with the kindly sympathy for old age which is a beau- tiful feature of woman's character. He said that he was one hundred and five years old, had dined with Washington, and his memory reached thirty years beyond the stirring events of the American Revolution. His reminiscences of bygone times were received with attention by his auditress, and when other guests claimed her ear, she followed the old man with her eye, and directed that the venerable visitor should be treated with special respect. This incident, while it evin'ces that Mrs, Polk's heart was where it always is, in the right place, speaks volumes in favor of our republican institutions. The poor man enters the Palace of the People, stands in the presence of assembled senators and ambassadors, converses with the lofti- est lady in the republic, and receives every attention and respect." In those times, there were few of the flowers and vines whose natural grace now adorns the grounds of the White House. Some years later, funds were voted by Congress for the establishment and main- tenance of a greenhouse there. A conservatory 102 LIFE AT THE WITITE HOUSE. was attached to the Patent Office, but the pubHc did not have the privilege of plucking the flowers. Whenever the President's wife came, the gardener cut a profusion of blossoms, and arranging them into a handsome bouquet, presented it to her. Occasionally, visitors who observed this would ask a similar favor, to which his reply would be that he was not allowed to give the flowers away. When it was rejoined, " You gave some to that lady," he would disclose that lady's name. Some of them would be satisfied, but others were of- fended. " I did not desire this distinction to be made between others and myself," she said, " and I requested the gardener not to cut any more flowers for me. His reply was, ' Madame, if you will receive them, I will still give you flowers.' But I did not wish for the attention. I always had so much that I could not wish for more." A letter from Washington in November, 1846, says : — " At no period in our history have we seen the hospitalities of the White House more handsomely dispensed, or displayed with greater republican simplicity. There is no extra formality exhibited when a Secretary or some other high officer of government presents himself. ^The quiet, unher- alded citizen receives a polite and cordial saluta- LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 103 tion, as well as the rich man or the Minister of State. I was struck with Mrs. Polk's patriotic sentiments. A gallant lieutenant, just from the bloody but glorious conflict at Monterey was there also ; and as she carried back his thoughts to the distant field of his fame, he caught the inspiration, and dwelt briefly upon some of the thrilling inci- dents of those scenes. In the course of this ani- mated conversation, the young officer remarked that something — I do not now recollect what — was rather too democratic; to which Mrs. Polk replied that whatever sustained the honor and advanced the interests of the country, whether regarded as democratic or not, she admired and applauded." On Christmas Day Mr. Polk's thoughts were with his old home in Columbia, and with the central figure of that home, his mother, to whom he wrote as follows : — "Dear Mother:— It has been many months since I have written to you, but you have been constantly in my affectionate remembrance. My whole time has been occupied in the performance of my public duties. This is Christmas Day, and is one of the most quiet days I have spent since I have been President. Congress does not sit, the public offices are all closed, and the population I04 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. generally attend church. My official term has nearly half expired. My public responsibilities and cares are very great, and I shall rejoice when the period shall arrive when I can bid adieu to pub- lic life forever. I shall return to Tennessee at the close of my term, and spend the remainder of my life in quiet retirement." In the summer of 1847 the President, with several state officers and a few personal friends, made a tour in the northern and eastern States. A Buffalo news- paper had a long article about the reception in that city, and said, among many other good things: — " We are not in the least addicted to man-worship ; we look upon the man with no more regard because he holds an office, for this is only an evidence of his worth in the estimation of his fellow-citizens. But we do give honor to the faithful discharge of public trusts, that others may be led to emulate the example. The administration of Presi- dent Polk has been one of great events, and will form an era in our history. There has been a combination of those events which has scarcely occurred since the organization of the government." The reception in New York was a grand one. The people were out in vast numbers. One of the newspapers of the day, said : — " We confess that we admire the man. not less for the stern integrity and purity of his private life, the noble and LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 105 Sterling qualities of his personal character, than for the honorable and commanding station which he holds as the reward of his political integrity, his private virtues, and his personal worth." Mrs. Polk went as far as Baltimore, where she left the presidential party and travelled west under the care of Mr. Sumner, a young Tennessean, a clerk in one of the departments, whose vacation occurred just at that time. Some members of the party begged her to change her purpose. " Do you want the trouble of having me all through the trip," she asked, " when a separate committee and a sep- arate suite of apartments for my use are always necessary?" " I could not go with Mr. Polk at the receptions," she said to us in relating these experi- ences, " for he was always with the officials, and I could not stand with him to shake hands with the multitude who crowded to see him, the populace, the working-men, the high and low whom he must receive. In these days opinions and manners are quite different. The ladies go with the gentlemen into all places and all assemblies. In those days it was not thought suitable or dignified for them to be thus prominent and conspicuous." While visiting her mother, she received the following letter, dated July 4, 1847, Portland, Maine : — I06 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. My dear Wife : — After I wrote to you at Lowell on the morning of the 2d inst., I proceeded to this place, where I was handsomely received, and proceeded the same evening to Augusta (the seat of government of the State), and arriving about one o'clock on the 3d, found the capitol and the whole city brilliantly illuminated. On the 3d (yes- terday) I had perhaps as gratifying a reception as I have received on my tour. I was received by both branches of the legislature, in the hall of the House of Representatives, and was addressed by the Governor ; to which I of course responded, as I think in one of my happiest efforts. Afterwards I was introduced to as many of the immense crowd, and especially of the ladies, as could have access to me. Senator Evans met me at Augusta and behaved very handsomely. At five o'clock I visited his family in the town in which he lives (five miles from Augusta), and afterwards, on a platform erected on the wharf, just before going on board the steamboat to return to this city, Mr. Evans ad- dressed me in the presence of some two thousand persons, male and female, in a very handsome man- ner and in a very kind spirit, to which of course I responded; and my friends say I made the best speech of the tour. I can give you no more de- tails, but content myself by saying that my whole LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 107 visit has been of the most gratifying character. The receptions given me by the legislatures and execu- tives of New Hampshire and Maine, in tbpii official character as such, were highly honorabJe to me, and were all that my friends could hav- desired. Nothing of a party or of an unpleasant chp.i'acter has occurred anywhere. I reached here about midnight, last night, and have spent a very quiet day, having been twice to church. Mr. Buchanan, Mr. Clif- ford, Judge Woodbury, Governor Hubbard, General Anderson, Governor Dana, and Governor Fairfield, of Maine, Governor Monten, of Louisiana, Commo- dore Stuart, besides many members of Congress with whom I have served, have been with me for several days. In a word, I am highly delighted with my visit. On to-morrow. I proceed on my return, dining at Portsmouth (Judge Woodbury's residence) ; expect to reach Boston at five o'clock, P. M., and proceed immediately to New York, where I will arrive the next morning, and expect to arrive at Washington on Wednesday morning. My health has been good, but my fatigue has been so great that I have been at some times almost worn down, and hence some of the newspapers have represented me to be in bad health. Mr Burke tells me he has written to you to-day, and I send you several newspapers, which will fur- I08 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. \ nish you with many incidents connected with my to:."" which I have not time or opportunity to write. 1 have ^r^.eived no letter from you, except the one you wrotJs at WheeHng. I hope you reached the end of yc^ir journey safely, and I calculate that you are to-n.^ht with your mother and sister at Mur- freesborou4*ii- Your affectionate husband, James K. Polk. On the last page, Mr. Buchanan adds a postscript: " P. S. — I cannot omit this opportunity of pre- senting you my kindest regards. There was nothing wanting to make our party everything it ought to have been but your presence. We have got along as well as could have been expected in your absence. The President has everywhere been received with enthusiasm, and has played Republican in grand style. He has made a decided impression on New England. One of the prettiest exhibitions on both sides I have ever witnessed came off last even- ing between him and Mr. Evans, of Maine. The speeches of both were excellent; but I think the President's impromptu reply surpassed the studied effort of the ex-Senator, who has behaved himself extremely well throughout." LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 109 A glimpse of familiar scenes, and a re-union with dear friends, was the pleasure of Mrs. Polk's visit to Tennessee; but the trip was mainly taken on ac- count of some items of business. Determining to fix his residence in Nashville at the close of his ad- ministration, Mr. Polk had purchased the home of the late Judge Felix Grundy, in whose office he had studied law in his youth. Judge Grundy was, in his day, the most celebrated criminal lawyer in the South, and he had attained high honors also in the Senate of the United States. This purchase was effected by the sale of Mr. Polk's patrimonial estate in Columbia and Maury County, and was not much more than an exchange of residences. The new home was receiving additions and alterations, under the supervision of Mr. V. K. Stevenson, Mr. John B. Johnson, and other of Mr. Polk's friends, and his wife came to suggest whatever changes she might desire. In October a powder magazine west of Capitol Hill was struck by lightning and a terrific explosion appalled the city. The north and west walls of the Polk mansion were so shaken that it was necessary to rebuild them. On her return to Washington Mrs. Polk chose the interior fittings of the house. Knowing the exact dimensions of floors, walls, and windows, she wc*- jumetimes to Stewart's establishment in Ne\« Vork City to make purchases, no LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. and sometimes rolls of material were brought to the White House for her inspection. In this way, while gratifying her own taste, she prevented the unwise outlay of many hundreds of dollars, likely to be thoughtlessly expended by incautious ordering. Some time after her return to the capital Mrs, Polk had the unusual experience of a severe sick- ness. A correspondent of the " Baltimore Sun " writes from Washington : — " We have a peculiar sorrow in the dangerous illness of the honored lady of President Polk. All admire her char- acter, all revere her virtues, and all with one consent join in supplicating the Father of mercies to spare her long, very long, to her husband and the friends to whom she is so dear." Mrs. Maury, in her volume, " An Englishwoman in America," says: — " One morning I found Mrs. Polk reading. ' I have many books presented to me by the writers,' said she, 'and I try to read them all ; at present that is impossible, but this evening the author of this book dines with the Presi- dent, and I could not be so unkind as to appear wholly ignorant and unmindful of his gift." Select parties were frequently invited to dine at the White House. On one occasion, there were twenty-five or thirty literary persons, among whom was Mrs. L. H. Sigourney. ivL^, Polk remembered LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. m that she was then rather stout, and had the appear- ance of one who was thinking, with a straight- forward look in her face. Washington is so much farther south than her home in Connecticut, that she spoke of it as a Southern city. Mrs. Alexander Hamilton was also there, and according to the cus- tom of aged ladies of that day, she wore a white cap with a crimped ruffle around the face, and white muslin strings tied under the chin. An elderly lady, who had been present at this dinner-party, called on Mrs. Polk a day or two after- ward, and during the conversation said, " May I take the liberty accorded to ladies of my age, and make a suggestion to you, Madame?" The dining-table at the White House was adorned with a long mirror laid down in the centre of the table, the edges of which were concealed under a border of vines with clustering leaves and blooms, and upon the mirror were placed pyramidal bouquets of flowers, — this arrangement, called the plateau, reflecting the light of the candelabra, and giving an attractive brilliancy to the scene. The table extended about a foot beyond the plateau, and this space was covered with a long napkin, which upon the removal of the dishes for dessert was rolled up by the servants, and formed a bulky bundle of linen. The lady's suggestion was that the long napkin should be cut 112 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. into short pieces, for the convenience of the ser- vants. " I seldom noticed these things," said Mrs. Polk, " and did not know when the napkin was rolled up and taken ofif, being engaged in conversa- tion ; and I was often so much interested in the stream of discourse that the steward thought I ate too little, and he would put away some dish he knew I liked, hoping I might enjoy it afterward." She said that the servants knew their duties, and she did not undertake the needless task of directing them. Once when Col. Thomas H. Benton had been invited to dinner, and 6 o'clock, the appointed hour, had passed, he said, " Mrs. Polk, did you not invite us to come and dine at a certain hour? " " Colonel Benton," was the reply, " have you not lived in Washington long enough to know that the cooks tix the hour for dinner? " " Madame," he replied, "you have the advantage of me." One day, when Daniel Webster was placed beside Mrs. Polk at dinner, Mr. Speight, a senator from North Carolina, was sitting at one end of the table. This was considered an inferior position, the favo- rite seats being at the middle of the table, where the President sat on one side and his wife opposite, the places on either side of them being filled by guests who commanded the highest respect. Mr. Speight had requested this obscure seat that he LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 113 might dine quietly, unhindered by company or conversation. Seeing him placed there, Mr. Web- ster created much amusement by exclaiming, " Is he not a respectable gentleman?" A pleasant speech made to the mistress of the White House was specially ingenious. In the course of an evening reception, when the rooms were filled with guests, there fell one of those sudden silences that sometimes occur in the midst of the buzz of talk; then a deep, distinct voice slowly said, " Madame, I have long wished to see the lady upon whom the Bible pronounces a woe! " The remark was startling, and no one ventured to make a reply. Mrs. Polk looked with a puzzled air at the speaker, when he continued, " Does not the Bible say, ' Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you ' ? " The company was considerably relieved at this happy turn of so solemn a speech, and the lady bowed her thanks for the delicate compliment. Mr. Jenkins has preserved in his pages an inci- dent which occurred during a visit made by Henry Clay to Washington, not long before the presidential election in 1848, when he dined at the White House, with many other distinguished men on both sides in politics. " The party is said to have been a very pleasant 114 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. affair; good feeling abounded, and wit and lively repartee gave zest to the occasion. Mr. Clay was, of course, honored with a seat near the President's lady, where it became him to put in requisition those insinuating talents which he possesses in so eminent a degree, and which are irresistible even to his enemies. Mrs. Polk, with her usual frank and affable manner, was extremely courteous to her distinguished guest, whose good opinion she did not fail to win. " ' Madame,' said Mr. Clay, in that bland manner peculiar to himself, ' I must say that in my travels, wherever I have been, in all companies, and among all parties, I have heard but one opinion of you. All agree in commending in the highest terms your excellent administration of the domestic affairs of the White House. But,' continued he, directing her attention to her husband, ' as for that young gentleman there, I cannot say as much. There is,' said he, ' some little difference of opinion in regard to the policy of his course.' "'Indeed,' said Mrs. Polk, 'I am glad to hear that my administration is popular. And in return for your compliment, I will say that if the country should elect a Whig next fall, I know of no one whose elevation would please me more than that of Henry Clay.' LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. II5 "* Thank you, thank you, Madame.' " ' And I will assure you of one thing. If you do have occasion to occupy the White House on the 4th of March next, it shall be surrendered to you in perfect order, from garret to cellar.' " ' I 'm certain that — ' " But the laugh that followed this pleasant repartee, which lost nothing from the manner nor the occa- sion of it, did not permit the guests at the lower end of the table to hear the rest of Mr. Clay's reply. Whether he was ' certain that ' he should be the tenant of the President's mansion, or whether he only said that he was 'certain that' whoever did occupy it would find it in good condition, like the result of the coming contest for the presidency, remained a mystery." Mr. Polk's health, never very strong, began to fail under the heavy weight of his cares and respon- sibilities. These had been greatly increased by the Mexican war. The Hon. Charles J. IngersoU called to tell Mrs. Polk that her husband was wearing himself out with constant and excessive application; that if he did not take some recrea- tion, he would die soon after the close of his term ; that she must insist upon his driving out morning and evening; that she must order her carriage and make him go with her. "I did so," she Il6 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. said, " and the carriage waited and waited, until it was too late. It would have been obliged to wait all day, for somebody was always in the office, and Mr. Polk would not, or could not, come. I sel- dom succeeded in getting him to drive with me," she added sadly. In May, 1848, the Mexican war was brought to a triumphant close. In the summer the President visited one or two watering places in Pennsylvania and Virginia, and the annexed letters were written at this time by his wife, who was detained by the presence of guests in the White House : — " Dear Husband : — I do hope when you re- ceive this note you will not say to yourself that your wife is as annoying as the office-seekers, per- secuting you wherever you go by compelling you to open and read a little budget of nonsense of my own sad complaints that I am separated from you. Yesterday, not being very well, I kept my room and felt disconsolate ; everything bore the appearance of universal quietness. The doorbell rang only a few times. I beg that you will stay long enough at Bedford to renovate your health. Grieved as I may be at your absence (don't think I am jesting), I do not wish you to leave there before Monday week; a shorter time cannot benefit you. How often do you intend to write me? " LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. \\y Two days afterward she wrote as follows : — " I am this morning distressed on your account at the change in the weather, fearing that you will be discouraged and return home without benefit to yourself. I hope that you will not get sick, and know that you will keep a large fire, and wish that you may be able to stay as long as you intended when you left. There is nothing to call your atten- tion back here so soon. I saw Mr. Buchanan last evening; he was full of the foreign news, but I learned nothing very specific. I did not go to church on yesterday. I coughed so much I was afraid of disturbing the congregation. I would be very happy to be with you to-day at Bedford. The visit of our family circle to Mt. Vernon has passed off very well. The trip to New York and Tennes- see is still on the tapis, and when they will be ac- complished is more than I can tell. I heard from you verbally on yesterday morning. I fear that you will be so taken up with the Democracy of Pennsylvania that you will not find time to write me. If it rains to-morrow as it does to-day I will look for you back on Wednesday. Not that I think you ought to come, but knowing you as well as I do, I fear that you will. I beg you to be patient and wait for sunshine." Il8 LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. During this summer the portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Polk were painted by Healy. In the year 1847 or 1848 Daguerre's sun pictures were intro- duced in the United States, and the President and his wife sat for one of the new artists, who came to the White House to soHcit their patronage. In the last winter of this administration gas was brought into the Presidential mansion. It was in use in public buildings, but had not then taken the place of oil-lamps in private houses. The work of putting in the pipes and adjusting the fixtures was troublesome and tedious. Against the remon- strances of several friends, Mrs. Polk insisted that the reception-room should remain as it was, with its elegant chandelier for the use of wax candles. It had become known that at the next entertain- ment the Executive mansion would be lighted with gas. When the evening arrived, and the house was thronged with guests, lo, the brilliant jets suddenly vanished, and the company was left in darkness. One room, however, was still lustrous with many points of light, — the reception-room, where the wax candles were shedding their soft radiance. There were numerous lively exclamations of pleas- ure at what was called " Mrs. Polk's sagacity," which in this instance seemed to be a kind of foresight. ^^"^f^ 0^^. K /.^^^Jr- .% ^-^j-^ ^ y^^^ / Dnn-ys hoffrijit, paiiileii tii 1878. CHAPTER XIV. 1881-1885. '"T^HE guests assembled at " Our Home on the -*- Hillside," a summer resort at Dansville, New York, were talking one day on the engrossing theme of President Garfield's illness, and discussing the latest bulletin in the morning newspaper. Re- calling various incidents connected with the White House, some one remembered that it contained no portrait of Mrs. President Polk. After an animated interchange of opinion on the subject, Miss Frances Willard suggested that the present occasion was a fitting time to set on foot an effort to secure the desired portrait. Suitable resolutions were adopted and a committee composed of representative women chosen, and empowered to carry out the details of the plan. The order was given to Mr. Dury of Nashville. In due time Mrs. Porter, the President of the Ladies' Association at Nashville, received a letter from Senator Jackson in which he announced the arrival of the portrait at Washington, and its 234 HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. conveyance by himself and his colleague, Senator Harris, to the Executive Mansion, where it was to be hung in a place to be designated by President Arthur. This picture was a copy of Healy's por- trait, taken when Mrs. Polk was mistress of the White House. In 1878, when she was seventy-five years old, she had sat to Mr. Dury for her portrait, and the artist has well preserved her familiar feat- ures and bright expression. Her home, year after year, grew richer in pic- tures and rare objects. In the large hall near an engraving of the Washington Monument, and of the equestrian statue of General Jackson, hung a portrait of Mr. Polk, painted by Healy for Judge Catron. After the death of the Judge and his wife it had been presented to Mrs. Fall by Mrs. Jane Marshall, who thought Polk Place the safest deposi- tory for so valuable a picture. In the dining-room were two attractive old portraits : one of Mrs. Childress, Mrs. Polk's mother; the other of Mrs. Jetton, Mrs. Fall's mother. In the east parlor was a portrait of Mr. Polk by a Nashville artist, Mr. William Cooper ; while another by his brother, Mr. Washington B. Cooper, hung over the mantel-piece in Mrs. Polk's bedroom. In this homelike chamber was the massive furniture of former days. An im- mense four-post canopied bedstead occupied a HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 235 large space. Here upon a centre-table stood a student's lamp; and the books, papers, pen, and ink, were arranged in the order which betokened a habit of carefulness. This room was shared with the little niece Saidee, when a child. The relics, heirlooms and treasures with which the house abounded, were assigned to one and an- other of her friends, to be delivered after her death. Of this nearing event she always spoke with as much quietness as she would of taking an ordinary journey. To Saidee, the pet of the household, the greater part of these mementos has fallen. Among them is a trunk full of the Paris dresses worn by the President's wife on state occasions. Other treasures were the heavy gold watch, the specta- cles, pencil-case, and pen used by her husband. She kept these with the inauguration Bible in a box fashioned of dark wood ornamented with a band of bird's-eye maple, covered with a glass lid, and fastened with a tiny lock and key. Red tissue- paper and masses of white cotton concealed the Bible and other reminders of pleasant occupations in the past. This watch had belonged to an elder brother of Mr. Polk's, a handsome, dashing young man, who one day took it from his pocket, and placed it in that of his brother, saying that his brother's watch was too plain. This brother was 236 HOME SCENES AND rNCIDENTS. not twenty- five years old when he died, away from home ; and one of his last messages was that his brother James should have the watch. After Mr, Polk's death it was worn by his brother William ; and when he died, it was sent to Mrs. Polk. Some years before her own death she sent it to Tasker, a son of William H. Polk, of North Carolina. During the war Major William H. Polk and the Hon. Bailie Peyton, of Tennessee, went to Wash- ington, to confer with the Government concerning an exchange of prisoners. While they were there, an officer in the Federal army, whose name is now forgotten, gave to Major Polk a watch that he said had once belonged to General Washington, and afterward to General Robert E. Lee. Engraved on the back was the letter W. Returning to Columbia, Major Polk handed it to his wife, requesting her, in the event of his death before the end of the war, to see that it was returned to General Lee, or his family. After his death, not willing to risk so valu- able a relic in a passage through the army from Tennessee to North Carolina, she took it to Mrs. Polk, asking her to return it to General Lee. Im- mediately after the surrender Mrs. William H. Polk wrote to General Lee concerning the watch. He replied that if it came from the White House, Vir- ginia, or from Arlington, it was his property; if HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 237 not, it did not belong to him. Mrs. Polk sent it on, and as it proved to be his, received from him a courteous letter of thanks. Early in 1882 a bill appropriating a pension to the venerable widow of ex-President Polk was intro- duced in Congress, and ably advocated by Senator Jackson and his colleague. In the House of Rep- resentatives the Tennessee delegation successfully urged its passage. It was amended so as to include all the widows of former Presidents, then living; and the pension was fixed at five thousand dollars per annum. The justice of such an appropriation may be better understood, in Mrs. Polk's case, by referring to an address made by ex-Governor Aaron V. Brown in the Democratic Convention, in January, 1852, in the Capitol at Nashville. Speaking of Mr. Polk, he said, " From yonder window you may look out on the spot where lies entombed all that was mortal of that eminent and good man. But if you would contemplate the never-dying principles which he illustrated and adorned, you must extend your view far beyond our present horizon. You must gaze with amazement over the whole area of this great continent; on Texas now teeming with a con- tented population ; on California and Oregon already building ,np cities on the distant shores of the Pacific, and opening for us the way to the boundless wealth 238 HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. and commerce of the Asiatic world. Never until we have taken a broad, national survey like this, shall we be prepared to pay homage to the great principles of Jackson and Polk." In a familiar conversation on the pension, Mrs. Polk said, "I 've often thought, if I had a strip of California I would make Sallie rich, — and you too," she added, looking at a friend sitting beside her. She helped many who came to the door, saying that a little money would at least give them bread ; she preferred, however, to assist the needy through the Relief Society and similar associations, in order that the gift might be wisely dispensed. But, to use her own words, she " had no surplus to donate to institutions of learning or benevolence." On Decoration Day, at the National Cemetery near Nashville, Colonel House of Indianapolis de- livered an original poem. He visited Mrs. Polk while here, and after returning home, sent the following sonnet to the "Nashville American: " SERUS IN COELUM REDEAS. " Dear lady, when life's day was young and fair, Thine own and country's, then thy youthful eyes Caught glow of cloudless light from happy skies. Though thou hast stood within their noontide glare, The fountains of thy heart were not dried bare ; Nor when arose dense clouds of funeral dyes, And hope afar seemed clothed in sombre guise, HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 239 Didst thou lose youthful heart or greet despair. And as from thy calm eyes we catch the o-Jeam Of skies that once o'erarched life's flowery plain The phantom Time fades from us like a dream, And comes the thought that, born 'neath fairy reio-n, Thou found'st in days when ruled the old regime The fountain Ponce de Leon sought in vain." A few months after Mrs. Polk's marriage in January, 1824, one of her friends was visiting the home of Mr. John Catron, at Rokeby, not far from where the Vanderbilt University now stands. This friend told her that when Mr. Catron came home one evening, he said that he had been asked what sort of a girl James K. Polk had married, and that he had replied, " Oh, a poor, sickly thing, who will not live a year." He used to repeat this inci- dent with much amusement long afterward, when time had proved that he was not so well fitted to be a judge of feminine longevity as of the intricate problems of the law. In her old age, when Judge Catron himself and all who had heard the remark were dead, she often spoke of the impressive fact that of all that circle of friends she alone was living. On the 4th of September, 1883, she was eighty years old. A complete surprise was given her by the congratulations of many friends. Some scores of citizens, more or less prominent, paid their re- 240 HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. spects. Mrs. Dr. Cheatham sent a large bouquet, the figures " 80 " in the centre made of tuberoses on an ample background of crimson geraniums, the whole bordered with heliotropes and other deli- cate blossoms. Bouquets were also sent by several others. The newspapers on the following morning con- tained these lines: — Sept. 4, 1S03. Sept. 4, 1883. To THE Hon. ]\Irs. James K. Polk. The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. — Proverbs iv. 18. The singers of the earth, with plaintive strain. That fills the soul with sense of loss and pain, Lament the course of life's declining day. That slowly, surely leads to evening gray. Just when high noon is glorious and complete, And strength and skill make every labor sweet. But are they not with partial view content ? And, Madame, make they not undue lament? They see alone the body's sad decline, But think not of the spirit's essence fine. Which grows in wisdom and in beauty still, With each experience of good and ill. Thus, growing greater still, thy life appears. Seen through the vista of these eighty years ; Beginning with the maiden's gentle ways, Compelling then the world's admiring gaze. And then, through sad bereavement's chastening power. Attaining character's most lovely flower. HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 24 1 Mid clustering memories of life's happy day, Thou waitest gladly in its evening gray, With eyes of faith turned westward to the sky, Behind whose rainbow banners, tower! no- hicrh Stand Heaven's bright gates, which soon will open wide. And thou wilt go where life and light abide. F. D. N. From an editorial of the " American," the same day, the following sentences are taken: — " This country has produced no statesman whose home was happier than was that of the great man who sleeps so quietly while the beloved wife watches over his grave. Through all his conflicts, and as the tide of fortune carried him up, she was ever by his side. She is well preserved, exceedingly cheerful and bright, and is the highest type of a Christian woman." One afternoon, in the middle of March, when we called to inquire after her health, and one spoke of the fresh, green leaves, and the yellow spring flowers, looking like spots of gold, and the purple and pink hyacinths on either side of the long walk, she said, "Are they blooming? The flowers and I are alike, both going downward." This was said with a smile, as if she concurred in the wisdom of nature, which made it necessary for her to fade and disappear. Like the flowers that had rejoiced in their free and fragrant life, so had she rejoiced in hers. As we rose to go, and spoke of the Immigra- tion Committee guests of the city who had called 16 242 HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. on her the week before, she said that she had re- ceived so many calls of respect and so many marks of kindness that she feared she was not as appre- ciative as she wished to be. " If, in my old age," she continued, " I can give pleasure to my fellow- citizens by receiving them, it gives me pleasure to do so." Then she resumed, smilingly, " You know a woman never grows too old to be indifferent to a compliment." One day when the June heat brought to every one a sense of lassitude she expressed a feeling of a loss of interest in public as well as in private affairs, — a loosening of the links binding her to the world of thought and action. Some one remarked that prob- ably the feeling was owing to a lessening of her physical strength, A moment after, however, she began to dwell with evident interest upon the merits of the candidates for the presidency. And when one of the group, changing the subject, mentioned the recent elaborate celebration of the six hundredth anniversary of the charming of the children of Hamelin by the Pied Piper, she remarked with ani- mation that, both in Europe and in America, much more attention than formerly was now paid to historical incidents, and to the gathering of data for history and biography. Then with a little glow of animation she continued : " The journals of the day HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 243 contain many Interesting historical references, and it would be pleasant to read them if it were not for the flaming head-lines of dreadful deeds just com- mitted that deface almost every column." Admiring the striking and popular sermons of Dr. , she said that in the judgment of former days, his excellence would have been marred by his peculiarities. " How the times have changed ! " she exclaimed ; " but it is necessary for every one to advance with the times, so that the generation pass- ing away may not be too widely separated from the one just arising. When our church was trying to find a suitable pastor," she continued, " some one asked me what my choice was. ' I have no choice to make,' I replied. * What ! consult an old lady about the selection of a minister? It is not to old ladies that the minister comes to preach. It is his chief calling to gather the young in, and to interest them that they may become Christians. I could sit at home, and read a sermon, and do very well. It is the young people who must be pleased in the choice of a minister.' " The conversation drifting to the subject of relig- ious newspapers, her opinion was that they draw us too much away from the Bible. The various beautiful lives of Christ, and the multitude of relig- ious publications satisfied us, she thought, and con- 244 HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. sumed the hours that ought to be spent in reading chapter after chapter of the Divine Oracles. Speaking one day of the rehgious movements of the time, mention was made of a recent series of meetings of ladies for Scripture-study and prayer, which had attracted much attention in the city. Miss G. had begun a Httle meeting of a few friends for prayer and Bible-study, which soon grew to large proportions, filling the double parlors of her father's house. Replying to a remark concerning this un- usual manifestation of interest in spiritual themes, Mrs. Polk said: "I have always believed in prayer, and I believe in it still. I told Miss G. that if I were younger and stronger, I too would go to her meetings. Let the ladies pray, and if they think any sickness they have may be cured by prayer, it is a beautiful faith. I have often prayed for such things, and whenever I have failed to get the desired answer, my faith was only strengthened, because I considered that my prayer might not have been made in the right spirit or at the right time, and that another time my desire might be granted." Her mind reverting to the Rev. Mr. Henderson, who had officiated at her marriage, she said that in those old times he once preached a sermon in the Court House in Nashville, to the few Presbyte- rians living in the city, who had then no house of HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS 245 public worship. He spoke strongly against duel- ling, which in those days was a not infrequent oc- currence, and enlarged upon its sin and evil con- sequences. To the dismay of his friends, General Jackson sat among the auditors, — whether known or not to the preacher declaiming so earnestly against one of his practices, they could not tell. He was aware, however, that the general would certainly hear of the sermon. The next morning, while the good friends were still trembling for Mr. Henderson, supposing that he had incurred the wrath of the fiery soldier, the general had already visited a tailor and ordered for the minister the finest suit of clothes that could be made ! When any one presumed that the inquiries of strangers concerning Mr. Polk's life would become monotonous, or be deemed an intrusion upon the sacredness of her gravest memories, she would reply: " I feel an exquisite pleasure in giving infor- mation, especially to young men, concerning his public and private life, for of course I deem it a life eminently worthy of emulation. Not long ago, a number of college students called upon me. In the course of a most agreeable conversation I observed that some of the young gentlemen hesitated to make inquiries for certain information of a some- what personal nature concerning Mr. Polk's life. 246 HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. Anticipating their wishes, I told them that nothing dehghted me more than to resurrect these long- ago facts, and thus contribute to the happiness of others." She said that during Mr. Polk's lifetime she often had a delicacy in repeating compliments paid to him, but that now she did so without scruple. She had a natural reluctance to any conversation about her own experiences, and it was difficult to draw from her the information essential to a faithful story of her life. Many letters came to her from strangers, making divers requests: that she would join a certain praise- worthy society ; that she would contribute to this or that deserving object; that she would give items of information regarding some one she had known sixty years ago ; that she would grant the favor of a few pieces for a crazy quilt, etc., etc. Every day or two brought applications for her autograph. Kindness and courtesy impelled her to comply with these appeals as far as possible, but in her later years many of them were, of necessity, indefinitely postponed. Until the last months of life her eyes were good, and she used them to her heart's con- tent in the luxury of reading. She could still read large print with unaided sight, and would sometimes look over her letters, and pen one or two short HOME SCENES AND INCIDENTS. 247 answers, before putting on her glasses ; and would often express a profound gratitude for the long-con- tinued gift of strong and clear vision. While the feebleness of advanced age made walking some- what difficult, she was still animated in manner and bright in conversation, showing the ready tact and wit of former times. She was obliged to excuse herself to many callers, but those who saw her found her still so young and fresh in her interest and sympathy that it seemed strange to hear her speak of the impossibility of keeping up the corres- pondence and the social habits of other days. Her interest in the newspapers was a never-failing source of pleasure. Her insight into the hidden springs of action and change in national and local affairs was remarkable, when it is considered that for nearly two-score years she had lived continuously in the retirement of her quiet home. REMINISCENCES. 1 CHAPTER XV. 1885-1891. /^NE day Mrs. Polk told us that in the first ^-^ year of Mr. Polk's presidency she went, as she often did, to take Mrs. Madison for a drive. The servant returned to the carriage with the mes- sage that Mrs. Madison was engaged with company, and that she wished Mrs. Polk would come in. En- tering the parlor, she found a group of ladies with whom she had interchanged visits when her hus- band was a member of Congress. They immedi- ately began to complain playfully that she did not return their calls, saying, "Now, Mrs. Polk, we have you before Mrs. Madison, and we are going to try you. Now, Mrs. Madison, we leave it to you ; don't you think so young a lady as Mrs. Polk ought to return visits, and come to see us as she used to do? Did you not return calls and make visits when you were in the White House?" "Yes, my children, I did," said the venerable widow; "but one parlor would then contain all who came to my receptions. How could the 252 REMINISCENCES people come to Washington in those days? There were no raih'oads, and there were stage-Hnes only from New York and Baltimore and Richmond. There were even no turnpikes. And the people would not come in their carriages. Now there are so many people in the city that it is an impossi- bility to return the calls that are made on the President's household." Mrs. Polk said, " I gave up the custom of return- ing calls, because it soon became plain to me that I could not visit without making discriminations, and that would inevitably give offence." A gentleman, in talking with her of his parents whom she had known forty years before, asked how it was that we so seldom in these days meet with persons like them, eminent for intelligence and re- finement. " It is," she replied, " because of the great diffusion, in the present time, of education and knowledge, and the universal advancement of the country. Everybody knows more, and there are therefore fewer persons eminent for knowledge and cultivation. Many years ago it was only the rich who could be educated, and therefore there were comparatively few eligible to office and politi- cal appointment. They continued for years in ofn- cial position because through experience they be- came thoroughly conversant with their duties, and REMINISCENCES. 253 were fully competent to discharge them. As a rule, they were also men of sound principles and integrity. Now, men are more generally compe- tent to hold office, and more easily get into places of honor and trust, and," she added, " they are more easily turned out by others. And, some- how, many men are not governed by the upright, stern principles of former days." A few days before Christmas, 1885, we saw her in her own room. Some one had asked for infor- mation from her concerning Mr. Polk's conduct of the Mexican war, and she was beginning' to make notes of what she could recall. A friend had sent her a wood-cut, clipped from a newspaper, of the log house, near Charlotte, North Carolina, in which her husband was born. It was a fac-simile of the primitive abodes in which so many noted persons began life. The picture was lying in a large copy of the New Testament and Psalms which rested on the broad arm of her easy-chair. Looking with interest into the well-worn volume, one of us read some of the marked passages. She spoke of the pleasure the sacred writings gave her, and said, " Did you ever notice the correspondence between the ninetieth and the ninety-first Psalms? The latter seems, verse by verse, to answer the former." 254 REMINISCENCES. Referring to her husband's abstemiousness and the hard work which had cut short his hfe, she said that she herself was in the habit of eating but httle. When the kindness of her nieces and the attentivenes3 of her servants pressed her to partake more freely, she told them that she was satisfied, and that it was unseemly for one who was waiting for her last order to be thinking of eating and drinking. Then, with a burst of feeling, she exclaimed, " My whole heart is a thank-offering; and I am ready to go when the mandate comes." Smilingly she spoke of having attended church after a long enforced absence, and of the good sermon of her pastor. Dr. Wither- spoon, from the text, " And the door was shut." She was impressed with the beautiful singing, in which her young niece took part. She said that in this country and in Europe there were clergymen of ability and education who, in the perhaps uncon- scious desire to show their learning, had lost the guidance of faith, and were confused in the laby- rinth of error. On one occasion, when seated at a diplomatic dinner at the White House, and attended by M. de Bodisco, the eldest foreign representative, she spoke of having been present at a certain relig- ious service. The Russian ambassador, who of course was a member of the Greek Church, said to her, "Why did you go to hear that man, Madame? REMIA^/SCENCES. 255 Why do you care to hear a man tell of things that you can learn without him, and that you know as well as he does?" She replied simply with the question, " What do you do in your church, Mr. Bodisco?" "We go to church, Madame, to worship." She was much grieved by the tragic death of Mrs. Pendleton, of Ohio, who was thrown from her car- riage in Central Park, New York, and instantly killed. Mrs. Pendleton was the daughter of Francis Scott Key, and Mrs. Polk recalled her friendship with the writer of our grand national hymn. He used often to visit Representative Polk and his wife, in their boarding-house; and the ladies of the house would say to her, " I get tired of staying in the parlor so long, but I wish very much to see ' Star-Spangled Banner; ' do please let me know in some way when he comes." The marriage of President Cleveland called forth a brief letter of congratulation. Accompanying the modest announcement of the wedding of " Mr, Grover Cleveland and Miss Frances Folsom," she received a piece of the wedding-cake, wrapped in silver paper and lace, and enclosed in a little white satin box on which, in gilt letters, was the date of the auspicious event, and a card bearing the autographs of the bride and bridegroom. 256 REMINISCENCES. One evening in August Mrs. Polk told us an in- cident in her early married life, when she and her husband were travelling from Columbia to Murfrees- borough. They went in their own carriage, and the route lay through Franklin and Triune. The rains had been heavy and the rivers and creeks were high. About ten or twelve miles from Franklin they came to a creek so dangerous to ford that they hesitated. While considering what to do, a man approached them from a long lane opening into the road, and with cordial salutations advised them not to attempt a passage of the turbulent waters, and pressingly invited them to wait at his house near by until they could proceed safely on their journey. He was a wealthy farmer, and their stay with his family from Friday until Monday was remembered as a pleasant episode in their changeful lives. One of the daugh- ters was a mute, and she took a fancy to a bead reticule carried by Mrs. Polk according to the cus- tom of that day. She would gaze at it, and drawing near, would point out the vari-colored flowers to the others, and talk rapidly to them in signs and finger-language. Just before leaving, Mrs. Polk took her handkerchief and purse out of the bag, and smoothing the ribbons, and wrapping it in a piece of paper, she presented it to the young girl. Her delight was enthusiastic, and she spelled out this REMINISCENCES. 257 sentence, which was interpreted to the gentle and gracious guest, " I will pray for you." In the summer of 1887 Miss Fall went to Europe with a few friends. Frequent letters from abroad enabled Mrs. Polk, from her loop-hole of retreat, to see many interesting scenes in the old world, through the eyes of her niece. Speaking one day of the great change in public sentiment regarding the respectability of labor, now nearly the opposite of what it was forty years ago, she said : " It is beautiful to see how women are supporting themselves, and how those who go for- ward independently in various callings are re- spected and admired for their energy and industry. It is now considered proper for young ladies, when they leave school, to teach or to do something else for themselves. It was not so in my young days. When we were in Washington an estimable lady, who with her husband successfully conducted a large school, was invited to visit us at the White House, with her pupils. She said to me, ' Mrs. Polk, this is the first time I have ever been invited' to the White House ! ' Though a woman of culture and high character, her occupation of school-teach- ing barred her from social equality." Whenever she was not able to attend the public celebration of the Lord's Supper, she read the Scrip- 17 258 REMINISCENCES. ture passages referring to the Supper, and the beau- tiful Episcopal service in the prayer-book. Show- ing us a small volume for daily devotions, called " The Watches," she said that Bishop Otey gave it to her a few weeks after Mr. Polk's death. It was marked and underscored, and much worn with use, and had been re-bound. She said the Psalms were a great delight to her, and the day seemed incom- plete when she had failed to read one or more of them. In July, 1888, a telegram in the morning paper announced the death of Rev. Dr. Riddle, who had been pastor of a church in Pittsburg for fifty years. This brought to Mrs. Polk's remembrance a Sab- bath she had long ago spent in that city. The rain was pouring, and Mr. Polk thought the day too in- clement for her to go out. Mr. Campbell, of Al- bany, who was travelling with them, proposed to order a carriage, but she declined. However, when the hour arrived he was at the door, and they drove to the church together and had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Riddle preach. Dr. Rubey, of Clinton, Missouri, wrote to Mrs. Polk concerning the authorship of an anonymous book presented to him some years before by Judge Caruthers, of Lebanon, Tennessee. It is a small muslin-bound volume entitled " Monterey Con- A'£A//JV/SC£A'C£S. 25Q quered," published in New York, in 1852. It is an epic poem, with Roman names distinguishing the American characters, reminding one of the fashion formerly followed by sculptors of disguising modern statesmen in the Roman toga. It contains some fine passages and beautiful similes, and is pervaded by a lofty spirit, not always equalled by grace of expression. President Polk, General Taylor, General Scott, and others prominent in the stirring scenes of the Mexican war, are the principal figures; and fictitious events and characters are mingled with the real, after the manner of historical romancists. She had no recollection of the volume or of its author. On one rainy Saturday she brought out a gilded morocco case, within which, on a red velvet lining dulled with age, lay a costly fan, saying that Gen- eral Pillow had presented it to her at the close of the Mexican war. The pearl strips of the handle, gleaming with soft opaline tints, were ornamented with open-work and gilding. " It is too heavy for use," she said. " I carried it only on state occa- sions." Not long afterward she gave to a daughter of General Pillow's this beautiful remembrance of her father. From her home in St. Louis, Mrs. Dr. Brown wrote thus to a friend in Nashville : — 260 REMINISCENCES. " Ask Mrs. Polk if she remembers their ride from Washington, Pennsylvania, to Brownsville, in a stage-coach, on the way to the White House, when her husband was to become the President of the United States ; and if she recalls a little black-eyed school-girl who by mistake had seated herself in the decorated presidential coach — large as life. When the President and his wife were handed in she wished to vacate, as she saw the gravity of her mistake, but dear Mrs. Polk said, ' No, keep your seat.' When the stage stopped for dinner Mrs. Polk, out of the kindness of that generous heart of hers, said, ' You are our guest, and will dine with us.' That little girl has never forgotten the gracious treatment bestowed upon her on that day, and only a few weeks ago was telling it all over ; and now I tell it to you, and you must tell it to Mrs. Polk. That little girl is my own dear cousin, and bears my mother's name. Her father was a Whig, but that did not interfere with her enjoyment; to be the guest of President Polk and his wife was a great honor, with which party had nothing to do." When Mrs. Polk was eighty-six years old, she received the following remembrance : — Washington, September, 1SS9. My dear Mrs. Polk, — Your birthday returns, and your friends are happy in your continued REMIX/SCEXCES. 26 1 health and enjoyment of hfe. As the oldest of them, and as one who, if spared, will in a few days enter on his ninetieth year, I congratulate 3^011 on your health and vigor. May the coming year be one of perfect health and happiness to you ; you hold the affectionate regard of your country, and the esteem and best wishes of a nation minister to your length of days better than all the efforts and care of the men of the healing art can do. There is a constant refreshment of life in enjoying the highest esteem and regard of a free people, who elected your husband to be their chief, and who en- abled him to fill his years of office with the greatest deeds. Live long, that you may more and more see the astonishing results of his administrative genius. Count me ever as one of the most earnest of your friends, — perhaps the truest as the oldest of them all. Ever with affectionate respect. Your devoted friend, George Bancroft. Speaking of her refusal to give to friends letters of recommendation for office, addressed to the President, she said she had always declined the repeated requests for such letters. She reasoned that should she give such a recommendation, and the applicant for office be successful, it would be 262 REMINISCENCES. heralded over the country that she was now med- dh'ng with poHtics. This would not only increase the number of such applications, but would have the effect of making her recommendations annoy- ing, and render her liable to the loss of whatever influence she might possess. " Besides," she said, " in my opinion, it is undignified to make such solicitations ; and in scores of cases I have politely declined to do what old friends and acquaintances have urgently asked. I have maintained this posi- tion through all the years from 1849 ^o the present time, though it was often painful to refuse valued friends." Few indeed have been the women who continued to receive poetical tributes after passing the allotted bound of three-score years and ten. Christmas Day, 1889, brought her an acrostic-sonnet from General McAdoo, of Knoxville. In the note ac- companying it he wrote, " Its prime commenda- tion is that it truly expresses my feelings toward you." TO THE ILLUSTRIOUS MRS. EX-PRESIDENT POLK. Loved relict of our nation's ruler pure, Oh, ble.ss thee that thy h'fe hath spanned the years, Vexed not by time's dechne, and still appears Exalted toward fame's summit yet more sure I Deep-graven history shall through time endure ; J ^^^~ oU, .^M, ^^^j^^^^ REMINISCENCES. 263 So with thy noble husband's rule long years All impotent defies ; and ceaseless cheers Rewards shall to his deathless fame assure ! As Helena, illustrious, in bright glow. Her sunset years enjoyed when her great son. Proud Constantine, proclaimed that Christ is King. Oh, ever thus thy vigor pleaseth so ! Life's mortal still is blest ; and when all 's done, Kings no translation loftier can show ! Referring often to the friends who had ever been ready to advise and assist her in business affairs, she mentioned many names with grateful regard. Her acquaintance with Mr. Anson Nelson began when he was the tax collector of the city, before the Civil War. Judge Catron urged her to consult him about her financial affairs. " He told me," she said, " that I needed some prudent adviser who could be seen at anytime; and as Major Graham had removed to the country, and he himself was away from Nashville more than half the time, hold- ing court in other States, it was necessary to have other advisers. So, at my request, Mr. Nelson called to see me regularly once a week. During the war, when no business advice was needed, he was accustomed to call on Sunday afternoons, and has kept up the habit ever since, to my gratification." Through the winter of 1889- 1890, we were re- ceived in her own room. She always took part in 264 REMINISCENCES. the conversation, and was specially interested in all that related to the old days. Her thoughts seemed to be gradually weaned from subjects that had long interested her, — even from politics. Oc- casionally a little flicker of enthusiasm for some man or some measure would flare, and then she would sigh and say, " I don't care for these things. Why should I? I am astonished at myself that I am here, when nearly all the friends of my younger days are gone." She would then repeat with evi- dent pleasure some incident of the former times, thus pleasing her visitors as well as herself. One day she said that years ago, while there was sitting with her a lady of high integrity and of an intelligence above the average, yet of such stern and strict candor that by many her friendship was dreaded rather than enjoyed, several gentlemen were announced. These visitors were eminent men, lawyers, judges, preachers, and the spokesman a scientist of repute, but somewhat peculiar in his personal appearance. When they had taken their departure this lady asked her, " Why do you re- ceive visits from those men? And why do you wish to talk to a man who is filled with vanity, pride, and ambition? It is unbecoming a Christian to do so." " Mrs. Blank," was the reply, " I have never sought anything for myself. I have been J^EMimsCEATES. 2 6 1; placed where I am by a higher power ; for the Bible says, ' Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge; He putteth down one, and setteth up another.' And if I did not accept the visits of professional men, ministers of the gospel, as well as others, it would be a pretence of being a bet- ter Christian woman than I am." To this reply, from her own standpoint, the lady could offer no objection. The day before her eighty-seventh birthday the Rev. Dr. Whitsitt thus wrote to a mutual friend concerning his kinswoman : " It is matter of re- joicing that her health and spirits are so fine, at her advanced age. I trust that she will be spared yet many years. Her lively religious hope has been a strong comfort to her, and it has often edified me to hear her speak of the value she set upon the prospects of a higher world. In this whole world there are not many such elevated and noble characters. I honor her without any reserve." During this summer Mrs. Polk received from Mrs. ex-Governor Perry of South Carolina, a niece of Gen. Robert Y. Hayne, several volumes which contained valuable writings of her deceased hus- band. Benjamin Franklin Perry was Provisional 266 REMINISCENCES. Governor of South Carolina in 1865. There was no organized government in the State at the time, and no legal protection for life, liberty, or property. Although the claims of several other prominent citizens were presented to President Johnson, he saw proper to appoint Mr. Perry. At the close of the year the State government was re organized. The correspondence between Mrs. Polk and Mrs. Perry, carried on for the former by the hand of a friend, was interesting to the two widows whose husbands had taken so active a part in the affairs of their country. When a letter announced that Mrs. Polk had been elected an honorary vice-president of the Daughters of the American Revolution, she ac- cepted the compliment with appreciation and pleasure, ^ — "extremely grateful," she said, "to be associated with such an order." New Year's Day, 1891, brought a pleasant greet- ing from an old and tried friend : — Lealand, Jan. i, 1S91. Mrs. James K. Polk: Dear Madame, — The weather is so inclement that I have to deprive myself of the very great pleasure of paying to you my annual visit, but I send my greetings and give to you all the good wishes of the season. REMimsCENCES. 267 For more than the length of years allotted to the average hfe of man or woman, on the anniversary of this day, with scarcely a single omission, have I visited your hospitable home; and though absent on this occasion, I beg that you will consider me as one of the numerous friends who will call to pay to you their respects. Sidney Smith says, "One is all the happier for having once been happy," and judging by that standard, who more blessed than you, or who more grateful for the blessing? Your life, dear Madame, has been dimmed only by a single cloud, only one real grief, and that comes sooner or later to every household ; death enters every hovel and every palace. All else with you has been only what heart could wish, — honor, re- spect, and " troops of friends." May blessings always accompany you, and, though aged, may you yet linger many years above the horizon ; such is my greeting. Very sincerely, John M. Lea. Judge Lea's father, Luke Lea, was in Congress with Mr. Polk, and on one of their returns home- ward Mr. Lea prevailed upon Mr. and Mrs. Polk to rest at his country home at Campbell's Station, fifteen miles west of Knoxville. This mansion, RE MINISCENCES. situated on a high hill, and shaded with grand old trees, commanded a wide and beautiful pros- pect. When Mr. Polk died, in 1849, Judge Lea was mayor of Nashville. Interments within city limits were not allowed, except by special per- m-ission, and Mrs. Polk sent to him to obtain the necessary order to build the tomb on her own grounds. Instead of sending a messenger, or a letter, he came himself, and kindly and courteously offered his services, while granting the desired permission in the name of the city. On the 17th of January George Bancroft passed away, in his ninety-first year. Standing herself so near the boundary of life, her affections naturally turned from the past, and became fixed more and more upon the future now lying just beyond. She was not therefore deeply moved by the earthly loss of this true friend of well-nigh half a century. It gave her pleasure to receive about this time a poem entitled, " Reminiscences of the Polk Man- sion," written by Mrs. C, of Massachusetts. This lady had been an invalid for nineteen years, and wrote the lines in her sick chamber, knowing Polk Place only through the medium of a newspaper arti- cle" describing a visit to that interesting house. In March Mrs. Polk had a severe illness, from REMINISCENCES. 269 which, however, she recovered in a few weeks. Her moderation in all things, her quiet contentment, and above all, her habitual submission to the Divine will, contributed to an early restoration which was a surprise to all. With her wonted spirit of serenity, she said that she was not half grateful enough for the goodness which had been showered upo" her all her life. She also spoke of her light-hearted happiness, freedom from care, and exemption from severe discipline, and quoted various passages from her favorite Psalms. She said that she had not cared for society life, and had not entered its charmed circle in Nashville. " No, Madame," it was returned, "you have gone out only to church." "Yes," she replied, "and received the visits of those who came to honor the character of my husband, which was very great. I have not sought anything. I have not travelled. I have remained at home, and received what came to me. And I am satisfied with it, and am not anxious for anything more. I am content now to be the old woman declining in life, and waiting the Almighty's orders, and to accept His way of directing my days. God is good. I am thankful. My heart is filled with joy." Concerning the approaching nuptials of her young niece, she remarked, " Saidee wishes to be married at home; and she sa)'s that if I am not 270 REMINISCENCES. able to witness the ceremony in the parlor she will be married right here at my bedside." The marriage took place on the twelfth of May. It was a brilliant home wedding, in the large parlor, and Mrs. Polk was present. THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUM- PHANT END. CHAPTER XVI. 1891. A LTHOUGH growing feebler day after day, ^ ^ and disinclined even to the slight exertion of getting into a carriage, nevertheless, in the sultry August weather Mrs. Polk rode out three afternoons in succession. On returning home on Wednesday, the I2th of August, she sat a little while in her accustomed place in the hall, talking with the family in her usual bright strain. As she went to her room, leaning on her servant's arm, her strength suddenly failed. She seemed very ill, and immediately lay down, instead of partaking of the supper which had been spread for her on a little table beside her easy-chair. The next morning the family were at first greatly encouraged, believing her to be much better. But it was soon evident that the wonderful vitality was ebbing away. There were intervals of suffer- ing throughout the day, and the succeeding night. Life was now surely going out. On Friday morn- 18 274 ^-^^ PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. ing, just before daybreak, the doctors who had been in attendance upon her were hastily sum- moned. As one of them entered the room he informed the family that the end was very near. She said to her niece, " Sallie, if you will let me turn over, I will try to get a little sleep." Mrs. Fall, who was kneeling by the bedside, re- plied in trembling tones, " Aunt Sarah, the last long sleep, for which you have been waiting, is very near. That is the sleep which will soon come to refresh you." She looked at her niece quietly as these words fell from her lips, but seemed a little surprised that the departure she had been expecting daily for many years had at last come with so brief a warning. Then she said, in the calm, clear voice familiar and dear to them all, " Well, I am ready. I am willing to go. Praise God from whom all blessings flow ! " Mrs. Fall, bending over her, said, " Darling, do you love me?" "I do, I do," was the emphatic response. "We have lived together a long time, peacefully and happily." Then, softly, distinctly, earnestly, she repeated the words of thankful submission and joyous praise which had so long dwelt in her heart, and ever ready to break forth. She reiterated her unshaken trust in God, quoting the passages of Scripture that had sustained her THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. 275 hope ; and also began to repeat certain lines from her favorite hymn, " I would not live alway." This outflow of feeling continued but for a little while, as her strength was waning every moment. But the strong, beautiful intellect remained un- dimmed. It was nearly seven o'clock when, plac- ing upon her niece's head the soft hands, now cold with the chill of approaching death, she pro- nounced a blessing which seemed like the benedic- tion of a bishop : " The Lord bless thee, and keep thee, and make His face shine upon thee, and give thee happiness and love and everlasting peace ! " It was her last utterance. She lay quite still, breathing naturally. A slight sound came from her lips, and the name " Sallie " was feebly whis- pered, but nothing further could be understood. As the clock in the hall struck half-past seven, the faint breath ceased, and she passed into the Better Country. In the absence of her pastor, the Rev. Dr. Witherspoon, the Rev. Mr. McNeilly had been sent for. Living a little distance from the city, he did not reach Polk Place until the spirit had taken its flight. The flags on the State and Federal buildings were placed at half-mast; and the solemn tolling of the bells of the city, stroke after stroke, in slow 2/6 THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. succession, gave expression to the sorrow of the community among whom had hved for nearly half a century this stately woman of the olden time. Mr. B. G. Wood, the president of the local Association of Mexican Veterans, wrote : " We are anxious to pay our last respects to the noble woman who presided at the White House while we were in the service of our country in a foreign nation, and her husband was the Commander-in- Chief of our army and navy. Mrs. Polk has been the idol of the veterans for many years, and they always met a hearty greeting from her." The " American " in its next issue voiced the general sentiment: — " All the people of Tennessee grieve as the news goes forth that Mrs. James K. Polk is dead. Full of years and of honors, rich in the devotion and tender affection of her household, and in the deep and universal esteem of Tennesseans, the end of life came peacefully, — not as to one whom the infirmities of age and the forgetful- ness of friends has made weary of the world, but as to one blessed in all earthly surroundings, and blessed in the sub- lime serenity of a Christian's faith. Conscious of the waning vitality which warned her of the approach of death, she has waited for the summons with cheerfulness and patience. It is needless to dwell upon the charac- ter of Mrs. Polk, — the intellectual mind undimmed to the end, the unfailing gentleness which continued to the close, the loyal heart which cherished to the last the THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. 77 memory of the great man whose life was blessed with lier constant devotion and faithful help. It is a positive blessing to this generation that this noble woman was spared to bring to bear upon it the beautiful character- istics and the splendid mental and heart training which were hers in a measure that can be said of few women. The South will for generations to come recall proudly her memory and point with profound pride to hei career." The following letter was sent from the Execu- tive office at the State House: — Nashville, Aug. 14. To THE Family and Friends of Mrs. Sarah Childress Polk : On the part of the State of Tennessee, I desire to extend sympathy in this bereavement. I feel that not only the State, but the nation, has sus- tained a loss in the death of so refined, so cultured, so noble a woman as Mrs. Polk, the widow of one of Tennessee's greatest, best-beloved sons and the nation's most exalted chieftains, James K. Polk. She has stood a peer among the women of the land, a perfect type of the gentle woman- hood of the old South, and her influence will live forever. The State of Tennessee will hold no spot more hallowed than that which has the honor to contain the remains of this distinguished son and his gentle wife, and will ever give all 278 THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. honor to their memory. With great respect, I beg leave to subscribe myself your obedient servant, John P. Buchanan, Governor. Adjutant-General Norman profifered the family a military escort and guard, which was courteously and gratefully declined, in compliance with Mrs. Polk's desire for perfect simplicity in the funeral services. The body lay in the chamber where she had slept for two and forty years, her niece saying that she could not let it be carried into the lonely parlor. In accordance with Mrs. Polk's request, a white silk winding-sheet was wrapped about her, similar to the one in which her husband was buried. The sweet, dignified features bore an ex- pression of peace and rest. It seemed as if she had just fallen asleep and would soon waken and speak again. Telegrams continued to come in for several days from all parts of the country. One was sent by Judge Lea, from Maine, where he was sojourning: "The death of Mrs. Polk removes from me a life- time friend. Deeply do I, and deeply does Tennes- see sympathize with her afflicted family." The Rev. Dr. VVitherspoon, absent in Washington, sent the following: "Have just heard of your sorrow. THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. 279 Accept my profound sympathy." The Hon. James D. Richardson, a member of Congress from Tennes- see, telegraphed from Minneapohs to Capt. John W. Childress: "Please tender assurances of my sympathy to the family of Mrs. Polk. I would attend burial if physically able." Colonel McClure, of Philadelphia, sent the following: " Mrs. McClure joins me in sincerest expressions of sorrow at the announcement of Mrs. Polk's death. Her memory will ever be enshrined in the country's love." A cablegram from London brought " Sympathy ! " from the Hon. Thomas D. Craighead and Dr. William L. Nichol. The city press gave details of the event, full of pathetic interest. " The Daily Herald " said : — " No stress is laid upon the magnificence of the flowers ; but the small posy of delicate, old-fashioned blooms, which Miss Thomas (an aged and life-long friend) brought in her own hands, was given the place of highest honor within the still white clasp of those hands which have ^ever known but to do good. The great stone doors of the tomb shall close upon the quaint cluster of flowers modestly and sweetly adorning the great lady's hands, and the token shall be eternal. " One of the most beautiful stories which comes to liglit in connection with the death is the attachment of the ven- erable Anson Nelson and his wife to the lady whose hus- band figured so prominently in the stirring political scenes which made memorable the earlier days of his residence 280 THE PEACEFUL AA'D TRIUMPHANT END. here. It has long been their custom to visit her every Sabbath afternoon, and to engage in an hour of Christian conversation. When it was impossible for them to see her, they proved their constant devotion by writing a letter to her upon the subjects nearest their hearts. And when the news reached them that the friend of so many years had passed away, they immediately left their brother's home in Asheville, North Carolina, and with heavy hearts hastened upon a journey which meant such a sad ending to them of ties faithfully cherished." Mr. Cornelius, who had charge of the funeral, performed the same service for Mr. Polk, forty-two years before. It was thought that Sunday morning was " the sweetest time," and the last sad rites therefore took place at nine o'clock on that day. An old lady from the country, who came early, said as she looked into the large south parlor where the flow^er-designs were grouped about the casket in rich profusion, " This is not a funeral. This looks like heaven." Many persons came from the adja- cent towns and counties, and from all classes of society, the poor and humble and obscure, as well as the wealthy and prominent. The services were conducted by Rev. Dr. Price, of the Presbyterian University at Clarksville, assisted by Rev. Dr. Steel, pastor of the McKendree Methodist Church, and the Rev. J. H. McNeilly. After prayer and Scripture-reading, and the singing of several hymns, THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. 28 1 one of which was her favorite, " I would not live alway," Mr. McNeilly delivered a beautiful and ap- propriate discourse. He had examined Mrs. Polk's daily companions, the "Watches." and the New Testament which lay on the broad arm of her easy- chair, and from the marked passages therein had formed a just estimate of her spiritual life and character. Among the pall-bearers were four elders of her own church, and Colonel Claiborne, who was a bearer at the ex-President's funeral in 1849. The procession passed from the house to the tomb, and the casket was lowered into the vault, and placed beside the casket of her husband. After prayer and a benediction, the family and friends withdrew, and the multitude had an opportunity to pass and look into the tomb. During all the services the city bells were tolling a solemn requiem. In a letter to the family. Dr. Witherspoon •'■ote : — "My distress at the intelligence it is impossible for me to express. Along with that sorrow was a feeling of sincere regret that as her pastor, and yours, I was so far away, and thus providentially deprived of the privilege of witnessing an end so peaceful and triumphant, and of giving you what of consolation I might have been able. I shall always 282 THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. be happy and proud in the thought that Mrs. Polk was my friend, and that I bore to her the sacred relation of pastor. It is a sweet satisfaction to know that her confidence I enjoyed while she yet lingered with us to brighten our lives by her womanly worth and her noble Christian character. ... I can well imagine what a change in your life, and in that of your loved ones, is made by her going from you. We all know how she loved the inmates of that home, who tenderly loved her in return, and ministered to her so faithfully in the evening of her precious life. He who rewards the giving of a cup of cold water in His name to one of His disciples, will surely recompense you and yours for smoothing her path to the grave. May the God of all grace who took the sting out of death for her, bless and comfort you." Judge Lea wrote : " Her friendship for me was one of the treasures of my life." From an article in the " American " we extract the following paragraph : — " She was a true woman and a strong woman ; true to all the best feelings of a warm and honest heart ; strong in all that belongs to a cultivated mind, and a brave one. She had strength of purpose, a clear intellect, and was a wise and sagacious student of affairs, not only because she had the mind to comprehend and appreciate, but also because THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHANT END. 283 she ^tenderly revered the memory of her husband, who had been honored with the highest gifts by the people of his country. She was a great woman, and few have lived like her ; for she passed unscathed through an ordeal that few women and men, living or dead, could have passed, and left a bright record behind them." The following inscription has been placed on the west side of the tomb, in the place originally left vacant for this purpose: — ASLEEP IN JESUS. MRS. SARAH CHILDRESS POLK, WIFE OF JAMES KNOX POLK. BoRX IN Rutherford County, Tenn., Sept. 4, 1803. Died at Polk Place, Nashville, Tenn. August 14, 1891. A noble woman, a devoted wife, a true friend, a sincere Christian. " Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord." These memorials m,ay fitly close with the follow- ing letter, addressed to Mrs. Fall : — 284 THE PEACEFUL AND TRIUMPHAN' END. EvANSTON, III.. .g. 15, 1891. Dear Friend, — A noble Christ- n and typical American lady of the old school h.^a gone from this world, and a beloved aunt an-d household comrade has left your historic home. Seeing Mrs. Polk first in i88r, I have omitted no opportunity to do so when in Nashville since then. The portrait at the White House, placed there by American women, Northern and Southern, was a beautiful token of our renewed love and good understanding. The Christian example of Mrs. President Polk at the Executive Mansion will brighten the annals of our common country. These lines cannot express the full measure of appreciation and reverence that I have always cherished for your illustrious aunt. Well might the church bells toll for one always loyal" to our Lord, and the flags be placed at half- mast for a patriot who dignified the name " Amer- ican." May God's blessing be with you all who loved her, and who have lost her out of your lives, is the prayer of Yours in the love of God and of Humanity, Frances E. Willard. -i 19^'.^ ..O'^^ c «'^' <^ . V^^ /X^' s^ %. is * -\ /V' '^ v^ -I -^ K.r ■■:■ ,o;. -^ < ■1\^ '^^. ^."^ "^, ?-■ y ■'XSS^ S ,\\'' o f^ (. ,, '--o ■ ""-'; '^ v^ ^0 :"» /^i^:^/\ ^.# ;^.r •xN^- "■^:: V-'. .-^^ - ^ -%. '. - ■ er . • /■ %;^.^\^ '^b V' w ' o- - t' % A-^^ ^^- ; ^-^ >^^ .<^'' -0 : x^^ °x. - /^^ ''^><. a ^. ->, 0- %^ • •^ /^ ' c- V '' '^ V ^ .«. ,^*- ■' •b ^i-.