The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-12-20
GARFIELD In PRIVATE LIFE.
ReoOllections OF Consult General
HOWells.

Inc Asntabuia (Onlol Sentinel
prints in full an address upon General
Garfield, delivered by Consul. General
W. G. Howells, by request, in To-
ronto, Canada, Nov. 4. The follow
ing extracts will be found of interest:
at has been my good fortune and
was delightful privilege to have en-
joyed with him the relations of politi-
cal and personal friendship, which
began over twenty years ago. We
were both residents of the Congress
ional district composed OF the ooun-
ties Of Ashtabula, Trumball, Ma
honing, Portage, Lake, and
Geauga, be living at Hiram, Portage,
and l at Jefferson, in Ashtabula,
where edited one of the prominent
Republican newspapers of the dis
trict. l first knew him in 1860 as a
Senator in the Ohio legislature o.
1860.61. He had then just entered
political life, and was about 80 years
of age, having been called to the
Senate from the management of Hi
ram College, an institution that he
had raised by his skill and industry
from a country academy. From the
age ct which he could earn any
thing toward his Support he had
worked at something-never hesitat-
ing to honestly win the bread that it
was 80 difficult for his widowed
mother 10 supply. In this way be
had worked for the neighboring farm.
ers where work offered. drove tie
horses of canal-boat, and ior time
worked with a carpenter, where
be found scope for his turn FIR me-
chanics that might have served him
if he had not had higher aspirations.
He seemel to have constantly in
view the improvements OF every oppor-
tunity to get good school education,
while he never forgot the practical
Importance Of earning living. OF
course he would take a hand at any
kind of work that would return
wages; and when he had learned
enough from suoh schooling as he
could get he turned it to account by
teaching school himself-alternately
taking the part of teacher to get
means, and pupil to further advance
himself-snd always devoting his lei.
sure to books and study. Of his
cansl-driVing experience. SO often
dwelt upon by those who sought to
use it politically. 1 recollect one
summer afternoon, when driving with
him near Warren, Ohio, We came to
the ruins OF canal, whose crUmblirg
banks were filling up its old channel
-for in this rapid age ruins come on
new things, and this canal had been
overrun by railway. Here said
be, is where | used TO drive the canal-
boat horses. From Il Guild had
thought of the sea, and read of voy-
ages with the deepest delight.
l0pged to sail on the broad ocean, and
see the world in it's vsstDess. | vas
out OF job, and here vas something
that looked like navigation, and, to
my bOylsh view it seemed 10 LEAD to
tho high seas. 1t was tame expert.
ence, but thought it might open to
ships and sailing This Was his after
view Of canal drlving-judeing il
fairly and without contempt OF the
trial or slow canal. In like spirit he
pointed 10 a barn on which he had
worked with bis carpenter friend. i
have olten,' he said, looked up at
that gable and cornice-cernish as
the men used TO call it-with the
pride of one who had achieved a
triumph He never despiaed the day
of small things, nor forgot the value
of useful labor. There was nothing
beneath his attention, and nothing
that be felt to be above his reach.
His manner was that of one to whom
the stewardship of life was committed
in trust, to make the most of all
things placed in his hsuds-nos for
himself, but for the trust he held
His gifts were unusually great-the
full five talents were committed to
him. Physically he had a noble
body-lsrge and handsome, with ami.
NAL force and activity in rare degree:
while his mental qualities were
equally remarkable. He was gifted
with q fine mellow voice, which he
had cultivated for the ready and
effective use OF his oratorical talent.
In conversation the charm of his
finely cultivated manner of speaking
and critical literary taste always pre-
vailed. If he read be filled every
word and sentence with life, and lent
graphic force to the author. II he
talked, it was to interest and profit.
And here he was never inappropli-
ate or reserved, He talked freely and
in accord with those present, but he
never dwelt long in small talk, invar-
isbly leading upward in subjects to
the extent of the appreciation of those
addressed, yet never weighing the
company down with ponderous topics.
Like all good conversationalists, h;s
humor was rich, quick, and inex-
haustible. He loved to laugh, his
fun was always kind and gentle, and
he dealt sparingly in ridicule or in-
vectiye. His iavorite social enjoy
ment was q conversational discussion
and criticism of literature, and espe-
ciaIlY poetry, on which occasion his
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