Stranica 402 [402]
OCR
De. 4 PPD OOD DECLrLON SS Se — _— — = = — a 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 contrast 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 conversation, with a certain mixture of ease and dignity in his address.” But Dolly was sprightly and lovable, with gifts of mind and character 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 noce trom 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. L258]
