New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-13
GEN. GARFIELD IN COLLEGE
TWO BUSY YEARS AT WILLIAMS.


IN vACATIoNs-AN INCIDENT OF TIE CHICAGO
CONFERENCE.-The FIRST POLITICAL SPEECH.
lFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUSEl
MENTOR. Ohio, July 9.--When Garfield reached
Williams College, In juno 1854, he had about S3OO
which he had saved while teaching In the Hiram
school. With this money he hoped to manage TO
get through year. A few weeks remained OF the
closing school year, and he attended the Rotations
Of the Sophomore class in order to get familiar with
the methods of the professors before testing his ab
ity to pass tho examinations for the Junior year.
He had keen sense of his want of the advantages
of society and general culture which the students
with whom he camo In contact had enjoyed al
their lives, but his homely manners and Western
garb did not subject him to any sights or morrill,
cations The spirit Of the college was generous and
manly No student was estimated by the clothes
he wore no one was snubbed because he was poor
The intellectual force, originality and immense
powers Of study possessed by the new conner IRON
Ohio were soon recognized by his classmates and ne
was shown rs much respect. cordiaity and COM
partnership If he had been the son OF million
aire. The beauty of the scenery around Mechanics
vile made strong impression upon his fancy. He
had never seen mountains before. The spurs of
the Green Hills which reach down from Vermont
and nclose the little college town in their arms
we're 10 the young man from the monotonous land
scapes of the Western Reserve wonderful revela
ton of grandeur and beauty. He climbed Grcylock
and explored all the glens and valleys of the neigh
borhood.
The examination for entering the Junior class was
passed without trouble. Although self-taugft save
for the help of his friend and companion in his
studies. Miss Booth his knowledge of the books
prescribed was thorough. A long Summer vacation
followed his examination, md this time he employed
in the college library, the first large collection Of
books he had ever seen. His absorption in tho
double work of teaching and fitting himself for
college had hitherto left him little time for general
reading, and the library opened new world OF
profit and delight He had never read line OF
Shakespeare save few extracts in the school read
ing-books From the whole range OF fiction he had
voluntarily shut himself off ut eighteen, when he
joined the church. having serious views of the bust
ness of life, and imbbng the notion then almost
universal among religious people in the country
districts of the West that novel reading was waste
of time and therefore a sinful worldly sort OF
intellectual amusement. When turned loose in the
college library with weeks CT leisure to range at
will over Its shelves he began with Shakespeare,
which he read through from cover to cover. Then
he went to English history and poetry. or the
poets TennysOn pleased him best, which is not to
be wondered at. for the influence of the Laureate
was then at its height He learned whole poems
by heart and can repeat them now.
READING NOVELS FOR REsr
After he had been six or eight months at college,
and had devoured an immense amount OF serious
reading he began to suffer from intellectual
dyspepsia. He found his mind was not assimilat-
ing what he read and would often refuse TO be
held down to the printed page. Then lie revised
his notions about books of fiction and concluded
that romance Is rs valuable part of intellectual
food as salad of dinner Ho prescribed Ter HIM
self one novel month, and on this medicine his
mind speedily recuperated and got back All Its Old
elasticity. Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales were
the first novels he read, and afterwards Walter
Scott. An English classnate introduced him to
the works OF Dickens and Thackeray lie formed a
habit in those days OF making notes while he read OF
everything he did not clearly understand such as his
torical references NEUROLOGICAL illusions technical
terms etc. These notes he would take time to look
up afterwards in the library, 70 as to leave nothing
obscure in his mind concerning the books hc read.
The thoroughness he displayed IN his work In
alter life was thus begun Mt that early period ana
applied to every subject be took hold Of. The
ground his mind trayersed he carefully cleared aud
ploughed before leaving it for fresh fields.
Garfield studied Latin and Greek, and took up
German as an elective study. One year at Williams
completed his classical studies on which he was far
advanced before he came to Williams. German ho
carried on successfully until he could read Goethe
and Schiller readily and acquired considerable
1ucncy in the conversational use OF the language.
lie entered with zeal into the literary work of the
school Joined tho Philologan Society. was
vigorous debater, and in his last year was one OF
the editors of The UHliams Quarterly n college
periodical of a high order of merit. To this maya
zine he was frequent contributor In prose, and
once wrote a poem. The influence of the mind and
character of DR.. Hopkins was powerfully felt In
shaping the direction of his thought and his views
Of life lie often says that the good President rose
like a sun before him. ana enlightened his whole
mental and moral nature. His preaching and teach
ing were o constant inspiration to the young Ohio
student and he became the centre of his college
life-the object of his reverence and hero-worshp.
At the end of the Fall term of 1854 came
Winter vacation of two months, which Garfield
employed in teaching a writing-school at North
Pownall Vermont He wrote bold, handsome,
legbe hand not at all like that in vogue nova
days in the systems taught in the commercial
colleges but a hand that was strongly Individual
and the envy of the boys and girls who tried to
initiate it in his Vermont class. 1t IL said that
year or two before Garfield taught his writng-class
In the North Pownall schoo-house Chester A.
Arthur kept the district school IN the same building
At the end of the school year in June, Garfield
went back to Ohio and visited his mother, who
was then living with daughter in Scion. His
money was exhausted and he had to adopt one of
two plans either to borrow enough TO take him
through to graduation at the end OF the next year,
or to go to teaching in order to earn the money and
thus break the continuity Of his college course. He
then hit upon the plan of insuring his life, and
assigning the policy as security for a loan. His
brother Thorias undertook TO furnish the funds IN
instalments but becoming embarrassed was not able
to do So and a neighbour DR.. Robinson, assumed tho
Obligation Garfield gave his notes for the loan,
and regarded the transaction on far business
basis knowing. that If he lived he would repay
the money and that II he died his creditor would
be secure.
TURNING-POIST IN HIS CAREER