Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1880-07-01
GarfIeld's Early Life,

| y
cured employment on the Ohio canal, an
from driver on the tow path rose after tim
to be boatman. The irregular life disagree
with him, and the fall of 184S found hir
back under his mothers roof, slowly recover
ing from three months siege of fever an
ague. Up to this time he would seem TO hav
cherished little ambition tor anything beyou
the prospects offered by the la6orious life b.
had entered. But it happened that this winte
the district school was taught by a promisin,
young man named Samuel d. Bates (since Al
esteemed minister of the Gospel at Marion
| Ohio) He had attended high school in 81
| adjacent township known as the Geaug,
Seminary, with the proseIyting spirit com
mon among young men in the backwood
who were beginning to taste the pleasures OF
education, he was very anxious to take back
several new students with him. Garfield
listened and Was tempted. He had intended
to become sailor on the lakes, but he was
yet too i'll to carry out this plan, and so he
finally resolved to attend the high school one
term, and postpone sailing unlil the next fall.
That resolution made scholar, a Major
General and Congressman out of him. in
stead OF a sailor before the mast or a Lake
Erie schooner.
Earlyin March, 1S49, Young Garfield reach
ed Chester, the site OF the Geauga Academy,
in company with cousin and another Young
man from his native village. They carried
with them frying pans and dishes, as well as
their few school books. Being too poor to
pay for boarding, they were to board them
selves. They rented a room in an old un-
painted frame house near the academy, and
Wentto work. Garfield bought the second alge-
he had ever seen and began it. English gram
mar, natural philosophy aud arithmetic made
up the list of his studies. His mother had
scraped together little sum of money to aid
him at the start, which she gave him with her
blessing when he left her. After that he
never had dollar in his life that he did not
earn. AS soon as he began to feel at home
in his classes he sought among the carpenters
OF the village tor employment at his trade.
tie worked mornings, evenings and Satur-
days, and thus earned enough to pay his way.
When the summer vacation came he had a
longer interval for work, and so when the
tall term opened he had money enough laid
up TO pay his tuition and give him a start
again.
By the end of this fall term young Garfield
lad made such progress that the lad of eigh-
cen thought he was able to teach district
chOol. Then his future seemed easy to him.
The fruits of the winters teaching were
,nough with his economical management to
'ay his expenses for the spring and fall terms
It the academy. Whatever he could make in |
ddition to his mornings and evenings work |
t the carpenter trade would 60 to swell an
ther fund, the need of which he had begun |
o feel
For the backwoods lad, village carpenter,
owpath canal hand, wOuld-be sailor, had now
esolved to enter college. "lt is great point
aimed, he wrote years afterward, when, in
ur hurrying times, a young man makes up
is mind to devote several years to the &C
of definite work" 1t was so
ow in his own case. With definite pur-
ose before him, he began to save all his
loney and to save all his exertions to the one
nd. Through the summer vacation of 1850
e worked at his trade, helping to roof and
eatherboard houses within a stones throw
the academy benches on which he had re-
entity been constituting Latin. At the opening
the next session he was able to rise a little
the world he could now abandon board
g himself. But he was thereby ipdulging
no extravaganza. He found boarding, |
dying and washing at some miraculously
reap house for one dollar and six cents per {
eek.
The next winter he taught again; then, in ,
e spring, removed to Hiram, and attended
e ''lnstitute," over which he was after G
ards to preside. So he continued, teaching {
term each winter, attending school through r
e spring and fall, and keeping up with his l.
asses by private study during the time he 1
Is absent. Before he left the Hiram Insti- 4
te he was the finest Latin and Greek scholar 4
at school had ever seen. b