The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1881-09-22

ulihScli sstlu WHICH TIC lthtilOItdl iSlnCOiu7
was murdered, God reigGs and the gov
ernment at Washington still lives"
JAMES A. GARFIELD.
A Biographical sketch of the Late Pres
ident Of the united States.
James Abram Garfield was born
November 10, 1881, in the township of
Orange, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, about!
dfteen miles from Cleveland. His fa1I
Their, Abram Garfield, came from New
York, but, like his mother, was of Newt
En- gland stock. James was the young1
ST of four children. The father died in
1888, leaving the farmily dependent upon|
small farm and the eXeTtions of ihe|
mother. There was nothing about the
elder Garfield TO distinguish him froYG''
he other plodding farmers of the rather
sterile township of Orange. No one
could discern any qualities IN him which
transmitted 10 the next generation
might help to make a statesman, unless,
{ was industry; but his wife, who is still
living az an advanced age, w'as always
iond 81 reading when che could ret leisl
lre from her hard hourehOld- duties. and
vas thoroughly capable woman, of
strong will, stern PRINCIPLES, and morel
than average force of character. or the
children no one besides James has made
the slightest mark in the world. Tht
blder brother IL farmer in Michigan
md the two sisters are, believe, far-I
mers' wives. james had a tough TIME
Of IL as boy. lie had an absorbing
ambition TO get an education, and the
'nly road open 10 this end SEEM
d that of manual labor. Ready
money was hard to get in thoseI
lays. The Ohio canal ran not far from
where he lived, and, finding that theI
boatman got their pay in cash, and earn
ed better wages than he could make at
arming or carpentry, he hired out as a
iriver on the tow path and soon got up
o the dignity of holding the helm of a
Ooat. Then he determined TO ship as a
sailor on the lakes, but an attack of fe1
yer and ague interfered with his plans
he was i'll three months, and when he
recovered decided to go to q
school called Geauga Academy,
In an adjoining county. His
mother had saved small sum of money,
which she gave him, together with few
cooking utensils and a stock of provis-
IONS. He hired n small room and cook
ed his own food TO make his expenses as
light as possible. He paid his own way
after that, never calling on his mother
for any more assistance. BY working at
the carpenters bench morning and va
cation times, and teaching country
schools during the winter, he managed
70 attend the academy, during the fall
terms, and to save little money towards
going TO college. He had excellent
health, n robust frame and a capital
memory, and the attempt to combine
mental and physical work, which has
\ -
tons to get an education, did not hurt
him.
GARFIELD At COLLEGE,.
When he was twenty-three years of
age he concluded he had got about all
there was to be had in the obscure
crossroads academy. lie calculated
that he had saved about half enough
money to get through college, provided
he could begin, as he hoped, with the
junior year. He got life insurance
policy and assigned i'll a gentleman as
y security for o loan TO make up the
amount he lacked. In the fall OF 1854
he entered the junior class of Williams
college, Massachusetts,, and graduated
in 1856 with the metaphysical henors OF
his class. 1 have seen a daguerrOtypt
Of him taken about that time. 1t repre-
seDts a rather awkward youth, with 6
HAAOCH vi AikhN IalA Ct1A4aAIA D1 VI
from n big forehead, Aad frank
thoughtful face, of c very t9arked Ger
man type. There is not q drop of Ger
man blood in the Garllel4 family, bu
this picture would be saElfn for some
Fritz or Carl just Over freuRthe Father
land.
Before he went to college, Garfield mac
connected himself with the Deciples, {
sect having a numerous membership IL
eastern and southern Ohio, West Vir
ginia and Kentucky, where lis founder
Alexander Campbell, had travelled anC
preached. The principal peculiaritiei
pf the denomination are their refusal Il
formulate their beliefs into q creed, thu
independence of each congregation, thu
hospitality and fraternal feeling of thu
members. When Garfield returned Il
Ohio 1t was natural that he should sool
gravitate TO the struggling little colleg
Of the young sect ut Hiram, PortagI
county, near his boyhOod's home. IL
became Professor OF Latin and Greek
and threw himself with the energy ant
industry which are leading traits of hi
character into the work of building III
the institution. Before he had been wv,
years in his professorship he was ap
pointed president of the college. Hiram
is a lonesome country village, tire
miles from a railroad, build upon n higl
hill, overlooking twenty miles Of chees
making country to the southwark.
contains fifty or sixty houses clusiere'
around the green, in the center of whicl
stands the homeless red brick colleg
1 structure. Plain living and high think
ing was the order of things at Hiram
college in those days. The teacher
/ we're poor, the pupils were poor and tn
institutIon was poor, but there was
4 great deal of hard, faithful study done
' and many ambitious plans formed. Tn
young president taught, lectured, preacl
ed, and all the time studied as dilllgen
ly as any acolyte in the temple of know
edge. He frequently spoke on Sunday
n In the churches of the towns in the vic
I unity, to create an interest In the collegI
Among the disciples anyone can preac
5 who has a mind to, no ordination bein
required. From these Sunday di,
courses came the story that Garfield q
] one time was q minister. He never col
sidered himself as such, and never ha
any intention of finding a career in tn
, pulpit. His ambition, if he had an
4 outside of the school. lay In the directio
Of law and politics.
9 HIS MARRIAGE.
During his professorship CARTEL
married Miss Lucretia Rudolph, daugl
whose acquaintance he had made Will
1T the academy, where she was also
9 pupil. She was quiet, thoughtful CIR
Of singularly sweet and refined dispos
lion, fond of study and reading, posses
1 ing q warm heart, aud a mind With tn
capacity of steady growth. The MARI
age was love affair on both sides, an
has been a thoroughly happy one
Much of General Garfleld's subseQuen
success in life may be attributed TO th
! never failing sympathy and intellectus
companionship of his wife and tn
stimulus Of loving home circle. TIL
young couple bought q neat little col
tage fronting on the college campus
and began their welded life poor and i
D debt, but with brave hearts.
In 1850 the college president was elet
ted to the state senate from the countit
3 Of Portage and Summit. He did not n
sign his presidency, because he locke
upon a few months in the legislature q
h an episode not likely to change th
course of his HE. But the war came i
TO alter his plans. During the winter {
q 1861 he was active in the passage {
measures for arming the state milit
u and his eloQuence and energy made hi
q conspicuous leader of the Unto
party. Early in the summer of 1861 b
was elected colonel of an infantry reg
Y nent (the 42d.) raised in northern Obi
many of the soldiers in which had bee
Q students at Hiram. He took the field
d eastern Kentucky, was soon put in con
mand of brigade, and by making on
of the hardest matches ever made by r,
l. cruits, surprised and routed the rebs
forces, under Humphrey Marshall, &
Piketcn.
' From eastern Kentucky, Gen. CARTEL
was transferred TO Louisville. and froI
; that place hastened TO join the army G
o Gen. Buell., which he reached with b
!, brigade in time 20 participate il th
second days lighting At PIttsbuFg LanG
ing. He took part in the seige Of Co
NTH, and in the operations along th
Memphis q Charleston railroad.
IAnunrY laRa he Zna nnnninfed Chief