LAMES ABRAM GARFIELD.

A RAY GA、
Born in

15, twentieth president of the Unite. Cuyahoga co., Ohio, 1) Nov, 1831, 1. Elderca, S. 1, 19 Sept., 1881. His father, Abram vie,told, was a ", tive of New York, but of Massachusetts inces.ry, descended from, Fdwa 1 Garfield, an Fish Puritan, who in 1630 was one of the founders of Watertown. H's mother, Fiza Bailou, w born in Nev Han, hire, of a Huguenot fam ly that fled from France to N England after the revocation of Je Ldst of Nantes, 1685 Garfield, there

1

fore, was f.on. Leage well reprecated in the strug, les for civil and religions liberty, bo World. Alam Garbeld,

and settled in what was the
as the
Western Reserve

people

a the Od and in the New

her, moved to Ohio in 1830,

dea 75 " The Wilderness," now which was occupied by Connecticut Abram Garfie made a posperous beg.oning in his new home, but died, adder liness, at the age of thirtythree, leaving a wid with tour small children, of whom J mes was the younge In brug ag up her family, unaided in a lonely cabin (v. accompanying rustration), and impressing on them a big' standard of moral and intellectual worth, Mrs. Garfield 'stayed an almost Feroic courage It was a life of struggle a privation, but the poverty of her home differed from the of cities or settled corimuraties--it was the poverty of the frontier, all shared it, and all were bound closely tu gether in a common struggle, where there were no humiliating contrasts in neighboring wealth. At three years of age Jeaes A. Garnel went to school in a log hat, lea aed to reac, and began that habit of omnivorous reading, which en red onis with his lite. At ten years of age he was accustomed to manud labor, helping out his mother's meagre come by work it home or on the farms of the neighbors. Labor was play to the

healthy boy; he did it cheerfully, almost with enthusiasm, for his mother was a staunch Campbellite, whose hymns and songs sent her children to their tasks with a feeling that the work was consecrated; but work in winter always yielded its claims to those of the district school, where he made good progress, and was conspicuous for his assiduity. By the time he was four

mar, and was particularly apt in the facts of American history, which he had eagerly gathered from the meagre treatises that circulated in that remote section. Indeed, he read and re-read every book the scanty libraries of that part of the wilderness supplied, and many he learned by heart. Mr. Blaine attributes the dignity and earnestness of his style to his familiarity with the Bible and its literature, of which he was a constant student. His imagination was especially kindled by the tales of the sea; a love for adventure took strong possession of him. He so far yielded to it that in 1848 he went to Cleveland and proposed to ship as a sailor on board a lake schooner. But a glance showed him that the life was not the romance he had conceived. He turned promptly from the shore, but, loath to return home without adventure and without money, drove some months for a boat on the Ohio canal. Little is known of this experience, except that he secured promotion from the tow-path to the boat, and a story that he was strong enough and brave enough to hold his own against his companions, who were naturally a rough set. During the winter of 1849-'50 he attended the Geauga seminary at Chester, Ohio, about ten miles from his home. In the vacations he learned and practised the trade of a carpenter, helped at harvest, taught, did anything and everything to get money to pay for his schooling. After the first term, he asked and needed no aid from home; he had reached the point where he could support himself. At Chester he met Miss Lucretia Rudolph,

his future wife. Attracted at first by her interest in the same intellectual pursuits, he quickly discovered sympathy in other tastes, and a congeniality of disposition, which paved the way for the one great love of his life. He was himself attractive at this time, exhibited many signs of intellectual superiority, and was physically a splendid specimen of vigorous young manhood. He studied hard, worked hard, cheerfully ready for any emergency, even that of the prize-ring; for, finding it a necessity, he one day thrashed the bully of the school in a stand-up fight. His nature, always religious, was at this period profoundly stirred in that direction. He was converted under the instructions of a Campbellite preacher, was baptized and received into that denomination. They called themselves, "The Disciples," contemned all doctrines and forms, and sought to direct their lives by the Scriptures, simply interpreted as any plain man would read them. This sanction to independent thinking, given by religion itself, must have had great influence in creating that broad and catholic spirit in this young disciple which kept his earnest nature out of the ruts of moral and intellectual bigotry. From this moment his zeal to get the best education grew warmer; he began to take wider views, to look beyond the present into the future. As soon as he finished his studies in Chester he entered (1851) the Hiram eclectic institute (now Hiram college), at Hiram, Portage co., Ohio, the principal educational institution of his sect. He was not very quick of acquisition, but his perseverance was indomitable, and he soon had an excellent knowledge of Latin and a fair acquaintance with algebra, natural philosophy, and botany. He read Xenophon, Cæsar, and Virgil with appreciation; but his superiority was more easily recognized in the prayer-meetings and debating societies of the college, where he was assiduous and conspicuous. Living here was inexpensive, and he readily made his expenses by teaching in the English departments, and also gave instruction in the ancient languages. After three years he was well prepared to enter the junior class of any eastern college, and had saved $350 out of his salary toward the expenses of such an undertaking. He hesi tated between Yale, Brown, and Williams colleges, finally choosing Williams on the kindly promise of encouragement sent him by its president, Mark Hopkins. It was natural to expect he would choose Bethany college, in West Virginia, an