The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1880-06-18
JAMES A. GARFIELD.
\ Biographical Sketch of the Next
PRESIDENT nf the limited States

\ Biographical Sketch of the Next
President of the United States.
James Abraham Garfield was born
November, 10, 1881, in the township of
Orange, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, about
fifteen miles from Cleveland. His
father, Abraham Garfield, came from
New York, but, like his mother, was of
New England stock. james was the
youngest of four children. The father
died in 1893, leaving the family de-
pendent upon small farm and the ex-
ertiOns of the mother. There was moth
ing about the elder Garfield to distin-
guish him from the other plodding
farmers of the rather sterile township of
Orange. No one could discern any
qualities in him which, transmitted to
the next generation, might help To make
"A statesman, unless it was industry; but
his wife. who is still living at an advanc-
ed age, was always fond q. reading when
she could get leisure from her hard house
hold duties, and was thoroughly capa-
BILE woman, of strong will, stern princi-
Piles, and more than average force OF
character. OF the children no one be
sides James has made the slightest mark
in the word. The older brother is a
farmer in Michigan, and the two sisters
are, / believe, farmers wives. James
had tough time of it as n boy He
had an absorbing ambition To get an ed.
ucation, and the only road open tG this
end seemed that of manual labor.
Ready money was hard to get in those
days. The Ohio Canal ran not far from
where he lived, and, finding that the
hOatmcn got their pay in cash, and earn
ed better wages than he could make al
farming or carpentry, he hired out as a
driver on the tow path and soon got up
to the dignity of holding the helm of q
boat. Then he determined 10 ship as a
sailor on the lakes, but an attack of fe
yer and ague interfered with his plans
He was i'll three months, and when he
| recovered he decided to go To school
called Geauga Academy, in an adjoin
ing county. His mother had saved d
small sum of money, which she gave
him, together with a few cooking utcn
| sils and q stock of provisions. He hired
| a small room and cooked his own food
to make his expenses as light as posi-
BILE. He paid his own way after that
| never calling on his mother for any
more assistance. BY working at thu
| carpenters bench morning and evenings
and vacation times, and teaching coun
| try schools during the winter, lac man
aged to attend the academy during the
| fall terms, and to save little money
towards going to college. He had ex
| cellent health, a robust frame, and a cap
Ital memory, and the attempt To com
bIne mental aud physical work, which
has broken down many farmer boys
ambitions to get An education, did no
hurt him.
GARFIELD AT COLLEGE
When he was twenty-threc years d
age he concluded he had got about al
there was to be had in the obscure cross
roads academy. He calculated that h,
had saved about half enough money Il
get through college, provided he couI,
begin, as he hoped, with the Junior year
He got life insurance policy and as
signed it to gentlemen as a security 70
loan to make up the amount he lacked
In the fall of 1854 he entered the JUNO
class of Williams college, Massachu
sets, and graduated in 1856 with tn
metaphysical honOrs of his class. L haV
seen a daguerrOtype of him taken abOu
that time. Ii represents a rather awk
ward youth, with a shock of light hal
standing straight up from big fore
head, and frank, thoughtful face, of
very marked German type. There
not drop Of German blood in the GaI
field family, but this picture would b
taken for some Fritz or Carl Just owe
. from the Fatherland
Before he went to college Garfield ha
connected himself with the Disciples,
sect having a numerous membership i
eastern and southern Ohio, West Vii
ginia and Kentucky, where its foundel
; Alexander Campbell, had Travelled an
preached. The principal peculiaritie
OF the denomination are their refusal {
formulate their beliefs into q creed, ia
independence of each congregation, til
hospitality and fraternal feeling OF til
members. When Garfield returned I
Ohio it was natural that he should 500
gravitate to the struggling little colleg
, of the young sect at Hiram, Portas
county, near his boyhood's home. II
became Professor of Latin and GreeI
and threw himself with the energy an
industry which are leading traits Of HI
character into the work of building U
the institution. Before he had been tW
: years in his professorship he was a