The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-10-01
(From Cd pdge)
OF study give you in letter written by
~ 1897

make n brief statement of my connection with
Geauga Seminary. l do this with the more
readiness because II Is a source OF great pleas
ure to me to recall the persons and scenes con
nected with the beginnings OF my student lie.
In the winter Of 1889 was at my mothers
house in Orange, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, SUI,
fering from three months siege OF fever ana
ague, which had brought from the ONO canal
the preceding summer. Samuel ID. Bates, now
a distin ruished minister OF tho gospel In Ma
rion, Ohio, was that winter teaching the dis.
trict school near my mothers. lie had attend.
ed q seminary near Chester, and urged several
young men in the neighborhood to return there
with him In the spring. Being yet too Ill tore
turn to my plan OF becoming sailor on the
lake, | resolved to attend school one term and
postpone sailing until autumn. Accordingly,
| Joined two other young men and, with the
necessary provisions for boarding ourselves,
we reached Chester, March o, lSi9, and rented
q room in an implanted frame house nearly
west from the seminary and across the street
from IT, bought the second algebra ever
saw and commenced the study Of 1t there
Studied also natural philosophy and grammar.
| attended there in the fall OF 1S49, and during
the following winter taught my first school.
Returned to the seminary again in the spring
OF 1850. | commenced the study OF Latin and
finished algebra and botany. At the close OF
the spring term made my first public speech.
II was six minutes Grafton at the annual exhi-
bition. My diary shows the anxiety and solicit
tude through which passed In Its preparation
and delivery. During the summer vacation OF
1850 worked at the carpenter trade In Ches.
ter. Among other things, helped to build
two story house on the east side OF the road,
little ways south Of the seminary grounds. At
tended school during the fall term, and COM
menced the study of GreeF. Worked mornings,
evenings and Saturdays at my trade, and thus
paid my way. After the first term at Chester l
never received any pecuniary assistance. The
cost of living, however, was much less than u
is now. In my second term Mt Chester had
board, lodging and washing for one dollar and
six cents per week.
In 1850 he made public profession of re-
llgion and united with the denomination
called Christian Disciples, of which body he
remained a member during his life. In 1901
he went to the Institute at Hiram, Portage
county, Ohio. The college was plain brick
building in the country, hamlet With two
churches and half dozen other bun lungs.
He supported himself by acting as janltor OF
the college. In 1868 he became teacher IN
this institute, and after teaching until 1854,
when he had saved money enough to enable
HIM to do so, he went to Williams College,
Massachusetts, which was then under the
presidency of the venerable Mark Hopkins,
one of the grandest men of his time,
and who is still living. l remember of the
President speaking Of him as Mark, the per-
feet man. He graduated in 1856, and re-
turned to the Institute at Hiram, OF which
he became the president. In 1859 he was
elected TO the OHIO state senate, and IN 1861
he entered the army as colonel. You are "a
millar with the distinguished part borne by
him in the battles of Middle Greek, where
he defeated Marshall, and OF Chickamauga,
where his courage and resolution were the
means OF stopping what threatened to be
total rout of the Union army. In this bat
tie his horse was shot and orderly killed at
his side The bullets which whistled around
him on every side that day were bid to spare
the man who was doomed to perish in times
of profound peace and security by the shot
of an assassin. He was made Major Gen.
eral for distinguished service at the battle OF
Chlckamauga. In 1862 he was elected to
congress. OF his great service to the coun-
try in that body can speak. Always cool,
sagacious and ready, he soon took rank
among the first He was a leading member
of the committee on military affairs, and at
forwards its chairman. He was also men,
Der of the committee on ways and means,
the leading committee Of the house. When
the proposition for a draft was first consid-
cred President Lincoln took the unusual
step OF going to the committee and stating to
them that IN less than one hundred days the
term Of enlistment of three hundred and
eighty thousand men then in the army
would expire and unless their places could
be filled Sherman must be recalled from At
lanta and Grant from the Peninsula. This
meant utter ruin. You all remember the
struggle that ensued upon the proposition
for draft. Gen. Garfield, from the commit
tee on military affairs, defended the bill. His
speech of June 9th, 1864, IN its support was,
IN my Judgment the ablest of his congress
sional efforts. Among other things he said:
Mr.. Speakcr:-It has never been my policy to
conceal truth merely because 1t was unpleas-
ant. 1t may be well to smile in the face OF dan
ger, but it is neither well nor wise to let dan
ger approach unchallenged and unannounced.
A brave nation, like q brave man, desires TO
see and measure the perils which threaten it,
It is the right of the American people to know
the necessities Of the republic when they are
called upon to make sacrifices for it,. 1t Is this
lack of confidence in ourselves and the people,
this timid waiting for events to control us when
they should obey us, that makes men oscilate
between hope and fear; now in the sunshine OF
the hll.tops, now in the gloom and shadows OF
the valley. To such men the bulletin which
heralds success in the army gives exultation
and high hope; the evening dispatch, announc-
ing some slight disaster to our advancing col
umns, brings gloom and depression Hope
rises and falls by the accidents OF war as the
mercury OF the Thermometer cnanges Dy TIE
accidents of heat and cold. Let us rather take
for our symbol the sailors barometer, which
faithfully forewarns him OF the tempest and
gives him unerring promise OF serene skies
and peaceful seas.
This bill was carried trumphantly, and
we all know the result. Always foremost In
defence of the country, always ready for any
sacrifice for it, always supporting with pa
triotic firmness every measure necessary TO
maintain the Union, he continued to grow
in confidence of the country until the fatal
hour when he was stricken down.
have not time to dwell upon his distin-
guished public services. l should weary
your patience, and you are familiar with
them. You remember with what unamity
he was elected to the Senate Of the Culted
States, where he never took his seat. When
the convention of 1880 met in Chicago his
voice was most potent IN bringing order out