Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-06-18
Garfaii,

James abraham Garfield is empilatically
lnan of the people, humble in his origin and
: democratic in bis whole career. lie was
raised i'll Cuyah1sa county, Ohio, in Orange
township, fifteen miles from Cleveland,
where his father, Abraham Garfield, was Il
humble farmer an immigrant from New
York Both parents traced back their an
crstrv 10 New England, and lis mother.
Eliza Balluu, is niece of Rev. Hosea Bal
lou, one of the Univegsalist fathers. When
he was two years old (horn November 10,
1871, his father died, leaving his mother
with four children to bring up, James being
the youngest. She is still living. . woman
of strong character and considerable iutelil-
gencc, having wrung from the hours Of Il IL
the time To read and help the education Ct
her children. .Iunics's Older brother is u
farmer iu Michigan and his sisters farmers
wives.
James worked the farln summers aud at
carrentcrinS winters. bat deterlilincdto have
an education, if possible. To get the neces-
sary means he took to the Cuyahn-a canal,
where the boatrtn were well paid for those
days AMI in cash He hired out first ~ i
b
to the hrlmslnln. lie was ahou; to ship as
a sailor On the lakes when fever laid him
up for some months thCu he and lis mother
Joined savings and sent him To teaugI Acnti-
cmv. lie boarded himself ct coursc. and
did some odd jobs Of carpentering, winch,
with teaching school winters. enabled him to
accumulate means toward collegiate ecu
cation He also had his life insured. and
assigned the policy to . friend for al advance
of funds.
Next appears the green Westcrncr, already
man in wears. hut an ovcrgrown hoy in
manner. ut Williams College. the poor boys
| college. attracted by considerations of ccon"-
nv and bv President Hopkins When h.
wrote around to Yale. Brown and Williams
making inquiries. President Hopkins alone
seemed 10 take II personal interest in him by
adding Iii vuu come here We shall hr
glad IL dn what We can tor yoa.' To II
| friends he writes at that date: 'Othcr things
being So nearly Cqr.l, this sentyic9, which
seems to bc a kind of friendly grasp of the
hand, has settled the question for ne shall
start for Williams nrNt week. Strongly
religious in his early bent, it Was nat
that he gravitated to the home ot American
missions. Ills old mates recall him as big
young man, gnitc German III ap-
| pearancc, 81 strong is good Saxon
blood, after centuries Of exile from
[ the Saxon hni,-b1udc and bearded.
/ ston. limhed, serious, hui sociahlr. and with
the Western c;tsy-gning manners, ready Wit
and broad sympathy going ont toward all
his fellows rhc boys called him "Old
Gar" 81 readily dill he assume the pairi-
archaic of the college, in the lrirt tw" years
that he was there. lie bearded in club and
did not smoke or drink lie was acontribuio;
t. the Williams QRaTterig nr. Hopkins ami
the faculty readily recognized in Garhcld u
man Ol unusual stuff and carly established
that good II understanding which usually exists
between teachers and responsive pupils. Dr.
Hopkins ungursti1nahly nodded the plastic
mln in him grand product of the teachers
power. There Is one other teachtr 10 whom