The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1880-09-02
Gen. Garfield at Lake Chautauqua.

]
/ The following is the speech de-
livered by Gen. Garfield at Chau-
tauqua, during his recent visit there.
About 10000 people we're present.
Gen. Garfield was introduced by
Gen. Fisk. The Chautauqua salute
of waving of handkerehiofs greeted
General Garfield as he stepped for
ward. Then a few clapped their
hands, and at last the pent-up en-
thusiasm broke out in round after
round of. ringing cheers. General
Garfield said:
Fellow CITIZENS You have done
so much to me since I arrived on
this shore, that I am quite unable to
tell what sort of man I am this
morning. Laughter. I had never
been here, and really did not know
what you were doing. Last evening,
I asked Mr.. Vincent rather brusque-
ly to tell me what Chautauqua means;
what your work here means; and he
filed me so full of your idea, that I
have not yet assimilate5 it, so as to
be quite sure what manner of man
1 am, since I got hold Of it; but this
I see-you are struggling with one.
of the two great problems of civil
ization.
The first one is a very old question.
It is, Glow shall we get leisure 2"
That is the object of every hammer.
stroke, of every stroke that labor
has struck since the foundation of
the world. [Applause.l The fight ]
for bread is the great primal fight,
and it is so absorbing a struggle
that until one conquers to some
extent he can have no leisure. We
may divide the struggle of the hu-
man race into two chapters; First,
the fight to get leisure; and, second,
what to do with our leisure when we
have won it. I take it that Chau-
tauqua has assailed this second prob
lem. Applause. Like all blessings,
leisure is a very bad thing unless
we'll used. The man with fortune
ready made, and with leisure on his
hands, is likely to get sick of the
world, sick of himself, tired of life,
and become a wasted, useless man.
What shall you do with your leis-
ure? I understand Chautauqua is
trying to answer, to explore the field
of thought, to develop new ener
gies, largeness of mind and culture
in the better sense, "with the var
nish scratched off," as our friend,
Gov. Kirkwood, says. [Applause. ]
We are getting over the fashion of
painting and vanishing our natural
woods. We are getting down to
the real grain, and finding whatever
is best and most beautiful in it; and
if Chautauqua is helping to develop
in our people the native stuff that is
in them rather than the varnish and
gewgaws of culture, it is doing we'll.
Chautauqua, therefore, has filled me
with thought; and in addition to
tEat, you have filed me with graft
tude for your kindness and for the
great spontaneous greeting in the
early morning ng-earlier than men Of
leisure usually get up. Laughter.
Some of these gentlemen of the
press around me look distressed at
this early rising, by which you have
compelled our whole party to look
at the early sun. Laughter This
greeting on the lake slope toward
the sun is very precious to me, and
I thank you all.
This is mixed audience of citi-
zens, and I will not offend the pro
prieties of the occasion by discussing
cOntroverted questions or entering
upon any political discussion. I
look in the faces of men of all shades
of opinion but whatever our party
affiliations, trust there is in all this
audience the love of your benefcent
institutions which make it possible
for free labor to earn leisure, and for
our institutions to make that leis-
ure worth something. Applause ] Il
Our Union and our institutions IN
der the blessing of equal laws
equal to all colors and conditions
open a career for every man, how
ever hnmble, to raise to whatever