The Columbus journal., 1880-06-23

ey was repaid in time, and was
probably saved in part from what
would otherwise have gone to land
lords. The children grew up in
pleasant home surroundings, and
the house became a center of much
simple and cordial hospitality. Five
or six years ago the little cottage in
Hiram was sold, and for a time the
only residence the Garfields had in
this district was a summer house he
built on Little Mountain, a bold
elevation in Lake county, which
commands a view of thirty miles of
rich farming country stretched along
the shore of Lake Erie. Three years
ago he bought a farm in Mentor, in
the same county, lying on both sides
of the Lake Shore and Michigan
Southern railroad. Here his family
spend all the time whenhe is free from
his duties in Washington. The farm
house is a low, old-fasbioned, story
and-a-half building, but its limited
accommodations have been supple
mented by numerous outbuildings,
one of which General Garfield uses
for Office and library purposes. The
farm contains about 120 acres of ex-
cellent land, in a high state of Guilt
walton, and the congressman finds a
recreation, of which he never tires,
i'm directing the field work and
making improvements in the build
ings, fences and orchards. Cleve-
land is only twenty-five miles away ;
there is II postoffice and railway
station within half a mile, and the
pretty country town of gainesville
is but five miles distant. One of
the pleasures of summer life on the
Garfield farm is a drive of two miles
through the woods to the lake shore
and a bath in the breakers.
Gen. Garfield has five children
living, and has lost two, who died
in infancy. The two older boys,
Harry and James, r now at school
in New Hampshire. Mary, or Mol
ly, as everybody calls her, is a hand
some, rosy-cheeked girl of about
twelve. The two younger boys are
named Irwin and Abram. The
generals mother is still living and
has long been a member of his fam
lily. She is an intelligent, energetic
old lady, with a clear head and a
strong will, who keeps well posted
in the news of the day, and is very
proud of her sons career, though
more liberal of criticism than of
praise.
Gen. Garfield's district lies in the
extreme northeastern corner of
Ohio, and now embraces the cOun
ties of Ashtabula, Trumbull, Geauga,
Lake and MahoDing. His old home
county of Portage was detached
from it a year ago. With the ex-
ception of the coal and iron regions
i'm the extreme southern part, the
district is purely a rural one, and is
inhabited by a population of pure
New England ancestry. 1t is claim
ed that there is less ~illiteracy in pro-
portion to the population than in
any other district in the United
States.
In person Gen. Garfield is six
feet high, broad-shouldered, and
strongly built. He has an unusually
large head, that seems to be three
fourths forehead, light-brown hair
and beard, large light-blue eyes, a
prominent nose, and full cheeks.
He dresses plainly, is fond of broad
brimmed SLOUGH hats and stout
boots, eats heartily, cares nothing
for luxurious living, is thoroughly
temperate in all respects save in that
of brain-work, and is devoted to
his wife and children, and is very
fond of his country home. Among
men he is genial, approachable, COM
panionable, and a remarkably enter
tanning talker.-E. y. Smaley.