The Piedmont Section 



it is not so much of the distinguished stateman that we think, as 

 of his lovable lady — Dolly Madison. Time has not dimmed her 

 charm. Washington Irving speaks of her "plump beauty" in con- 

 trast to her husband's delicate and feeble figure and wizened face. 

 Even in his prime, Madison was as Henry Adams says, "a small 

 man, quiet, somewhat precise in manner, pleasant, fond of conversa- 

 tion, with a certain mixture of ease and dignity in his address." 

 But Dolly was sprightly and lovable, with gifts of mind and char- 

 acter and a vivid personality that has made her name beloved 

 through all these many years. Strange, is it not, that such a 

 beautiful butterfly should have burst forth en seconde twee from 

 the drab chrysalis of Quakerism? That Dorothea Payne Todd, 

 of Philadelphia, should have become the first lady of the land 

 and the most brilliant mistress that has ever held sway in the White 

 House? True, she was originally from Virginia, and that accounts 

 for many wonders. 



Indeed, Montpelier was a suitable setting for the far-famed 

 Virginia hospitality that was so freely dispensed by its genial 

 master and his gracious lady. 



In a letter of Mrs. Madison, in 1820, she says, "Yesterday we 

 had ninety persons to dine with us at one table fixed on the lawn 

 under a large arbor. The dinner was profuse and handsome and 

 the company very orderly. Many of your acquaintances were here, 

 among others, the two Barbours. We had no ladies except Mother 

 Madison, Mrs. Mason, and Nellie Willis. The day was cool and 

 pleasant. Half a dozen only stayed all night and are now about 

 to depart. President Monroe's letter this morning announces the 

 French Minister. We expect him this evening or perhaps sooner, 

 though he may not come until tomorrow; but I am less worried 

 here with a hundred visitors than with twenty-five in Washington." 

 Great indeed was the social talent of this charming chatelaine. In 

 the words of one of her contemporaries, "She never forgot a name 

 she had once heard, or a face she had once seen, nor the personal 

 circumstances connected with every individual of her acquaintance. 



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