Chapter 22 Silence (1894-1898) Summary

Adams attempts to analyze the failure of Clarence King, the man whom Adams had considered to be the ideal American type of his generation, but he fails to find a satisfying explanation. He travels a lot, and muses on the sense that everything is falling apart and that, in the end, there will be nothing more for him to say, only to remain silent. He rejects this solution, however.

He leaves Washington when McKinley is elected president and begins to make appointments based on favoritism rather than merit, which Adams still refuses to accept. Besides finding a good influence in Mrs. Cabot Lodge, who insures that he stays in contact with his society, nothing positive happens. Adams decides that, for him, at least, the 19th century is already over.

Chapter 22 Silence (1894-1898) Analysis

Adams rejects silence as a reaction...