CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS. 77U 



reader can be grasped only by a careful reading of the \olunie. As to 

 the life of his father, he wrote an admirable and well-proportioned 

 sketch of it for the "American Statesmen," but the larger adventure, 

 planned on a very much larger scale, occupied much of his time and 

 thought for years, and had been carried to ISGl, when the end came. 

 Certain it is that it can never be completed as he intended it, for his 

 later studies in English and American records led him to modify many 

 of his earlier conclusions. Invited in 1913 to give at Oxford the lec- 

 tures on American history, he utilized the opportunity to gather a 

 rich harvest of private and official correspondence which was to be 

 used in the extended life of his father. 



His connection with the Massachusetts Historical Society encour- 

 aged his historical leanings and offered him a vent for his many studies 

 in American history. His value to the Society was early recognized, 

 and he rapidly rose in the official line, becoming a member in 1875, the 

 Vice-President in 1890, and the President in 1895, holding that posi- 

 tion until his death. What he accomplished for the Society, changing 

 it from a small social "club" to an active historical society, may be 

 seen in the printed " Proceedings." He brought to it the same energy, 

 the same questioning attitude, and the same fearlessness as had 

 given him reputation as a writer on social problems. Possessing a 

 true historical instinct he contributed freely from his own ability and 

 called out from others the best that was in them in historical investiga- 

 tion. In time, in money, and in papers he did more for the Society 

 than the records will show. 



In 1871 he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts 

 and Sciences. He was not a regular attendant on its meetings. 



Mr. Adams married, November 8, 1865, Mary Howe Ogden of New- 

 port, R. I., who survived him. He died in ^Yashington, D. C, March 

 20, 1915. 



Of Mr. Adams' many activities and positions, public and corporate, 

 it would be impossible to speak here. The list would be a long one, 

 and only a full presentation of each item could give a fitting concep- 

 tion of his aims and accomplishment. He was a man of letters, 

 possessed of a style at once clear, trenchant and individual, and capa- 

 ble of deep investigation and an orderly presentation of conclusions. 

 He had wide sympathies, was a generous supporter of social move- 

 ments and agencies, and encouraged the younger generation by aid 

 as well as by example. A liberal in religion, in politics and in social 

 questions, he retained an open mind and an independent position, 

 recognizing no party ties or dead conservatism. Eminently social, 



