Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-04-05
GENERAL GARFIELD.


From Theodore Tilton's paper, the
Golden age, under the caption Of ga
I few photographs Of notable heads, -
we clip the following relative to our
present representative in Congress:
"What q head that is! one ex-
claims, who sees General GARFIELD for
the first time. "It seems As big IS
any two to be foun8in the Heighbor-
hOOd.n "Hes, says a friend. "Pv
actual measurement It Is inst the size
Of Daniel Websteris.n HAnd how
about the inside OF it7'' "It needs a
different kind Of tape TO measure
that; but according 10 all evidence
there are no rooms 10 be let unfur-
nished In that sizable craniumn
The student Of men is not satisfied
till he has found the master-word
I which solves the problem which eve
I ry successful career may thrust before
/ him. In this case, Il seems TO me
/ that the unaster-WOrd is "equip0ise."
III Should say that General Gsrheld's
power is based on the perfect balance
| OF his faculties Of all sorts, spiritual
and physical. His large healthtul
body is the organ Of large healthful
soul and between these two there Is
perpetual treaty Of peace, offensive
and defensive. Some men In Con-
gress are deYoured by tyrannical in
telleet that makes them lean, not
only in flesh. but in friendships. 9th
ers are swayed by gross lnsts that
drag them into the mire; and others
by passiohs and anabitions, which,
though not ignoble. are yet inordi-
nate, and tear their lives to pieces.-I
But OF Garfield I should say that now
In his fortieth year he Is in perfect
command OF himself; and therefore
that between thought and action, con-
tentment aud aspiration, there is the
fine equilibrium which ensures reeti-
tude, advancement, the loyeof friends
and the peoples faith. OF how many
public men in Washington OF bril-
liant and great possibilities, must 1t
be said, These mems lives are run
ming to wastelp This cannot be said
Of Garfield. No Incidence, no con-
suming vice, no fury nor feebleness
hiss taken possession Of him TO pre-
vent his making the most Of himself:
That man knows what Is inside Of
him. Pure-minded, strong-minded,
alert, generous. ambitious, he means
to make the most Of himself And II
prosperity does not corrupt him into
.presumptiOn, and he continues the
clean soul he still Is, he will do It.
The past of so young man is
chiefly valuable as helpiHg Us to guess
what his future will ue Let US raise
Concerning him NapOleon's famous
ouestion-dWhat has he dOne2" That
Question cannot fully answer but
here. from the Congressional DireetO-
~, Is the meager outline Of an an
swer. Born in Ohio, November IS,
1881, he graduated at Williams Col
lege. 1856: was President Of literary
Institution for several years. studied
and practiced law; was q member OF
the Senate Of Ohio In 1853 and 1850
entered the Union army in 1851 as
Colonel Of the I'D Ohio Volunteers
was promoted TO the rank OF Brlgadier
General; was appointed Chief-Of-Stah
to General RoseeraBs, and was pro-
NOTED to the rank Of Major General
was elected to the XXXVIIIth,
XXXIXth and XLth Congresses, and
was reelected to the 8LIst Congress,
receiving q, ,1s7 votes, against s,159
votes for bis antagonist.
Few public men In Washington
keep up literary studies. General
Garfield Is one Of the few. No one
is more constant in attendance at the
Capitol than he; no one more labOri-
Gus on committees yet he keeps
abreast Of current literature, allowing
no good book to escape him. When
q long-Winded and unimportant dis
cussion blows up in the House watch
Garfield. He is an economist Of time.
Chatting and buttOnhoiing as he goes,
he quietly glides out, passes through
the rOtunda, and escapes into the
serene realm Of Mr., Spaford, where,
amid all that amplitude Of books, he
regRles himself in reading and in lit
erary conversation, He and Mr..
Spafford are close friends, and when
ever q box Of new books arrives from
New York or Europe, message gets
to Mr.. Garfield to that effect, and he
has the fiBt peep. He Is a late
student He burns the midnight gas.
In his position no man can study con-
till the benign night, which
bushes the world, and sends office
seekers and log-rnllen to bed gives /,
repOse TO bis door bell, and leaves him
D few hours for himself. Here, once
more, comes 90 his aid that royal
health Of his. Thus Mr.. Congress
man Garfield is enabled to keep his
mind freshened by delightful letters,
and 70 prosecute those more rugged
in law, social science,
philosophy. and politics in which the
statesmen Of America must be
experts