"In his domestic administration my father had this system . . . to keep a journal and insert in it all occurrences of any note . . . A record very pleasant to look at when time begins to efface the memory of events, and very well suited to get us out of perplexity: When was such and such a thing begun? When completed? What retinues came? How long did they stay? Our trips, our absences; marriages; deaths; the receipt of happy or unhappy news . . . An ancient custom, which I think it would be good to revive, each man in each man's home. And I think I am a fool to have neglected it." (Montaigne, Book I, Essay 35 (publ. 1580))

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

James Smithson; Washington D.C. tourists





Back in early April, Nicole, Chris and Patrick (plus a couple of their friends) visited Kerry in Washington, D.C. I heard they had an excellent visit. Among other highlights, Kerry used her “connections” to line up tours not available to mere tourists.

Anyway, they brought a gift for me: “The Stranger and the Statesman,” by Nina Burleigh. The book goes over what little is known of the fella that endowed the Smithsonian Institute (James Smithson). It’s well worth reading. While specifics about Smithson are hard to come by – including why the heck he bestowed his money on the fledgling United States – the author does a good job developing the information that’s available. And it’s interesting to hear the contrast between early 19th-century Europe – which was quite advanced in so many ways – and the frontier United States (in particular our then-dump of a capital, Washington D.C.). And the role of John Quincy Adams is interesting. The guy apparently had a long and varied career beyond his Presidency (remember Anthony Hopkins playing him in the movie “Amistad” in 1997?)

So I liked the gift a bunch, and am glad they had a fine trip.
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