The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1881-11-10

t that fearless spirit of inquiry, and
/ that brave surrender of all the
charms Of sin and sense to convic-
/ tions of duty and right, went with
: him from that boyhOod through all
= his life, and crowned him with the
, honors that are now so eheorfully
t awarded to him from all hearts.
l. There is another secret of his sue
} cess. He compassed all the eondi-
r tions of Virtuous life between the
lOg-oabin in Cuyahoga and the White
! House and in that wonderful rich
and varied experience, still "moving
, up nom high to higher he touched
every heart at some point or other,
and became the representative ofall
hearts and lives. He became not
. only the teacher, but the interpreter
of ali hearts, for he knew every con-
ditiOn oflife, and its needs and es-
tablished legitimates ties of brother
hood with every man with whom per
sopally, or by his teaching and acts,
he came in contact. I take it that
these, lying at the basis of his char
! acter, formed the rock on which his
whole life rested; and building on
this rock by the perpetual and untir-
ing industry and earnest culture that
marked his whole career, he became
the honest and the capable man, who
invited and received the confidence
and love Of all that learned to know
him.
Nor should we fail to observe that
there was such an admirable har-
mony of all his powers, such beau
tiful adjustment of his working,
guiding and inspiring faculties and
capacities, such an squable distribu-
ton Of physical, intellectual and
moral forces, that his nature looked
out every way, and had sympathy
with everything, and found delight
in all pursuits and studies; so that
he became, through his industry and
honest ambition, really encyclopedia. |
There was scarce a single chord that
you could touch to which he would |
net respond in way that made you
know that he hands had touched it |
skillfully long ago; there was no top
10 you could present to him, that you
had not cause to wonder at the yioh-
ness and fullnegs Of Information he
had somehow gathered; for his eyes
and ears were always open, and his
heart was always open, and his brain
was ever busy and equally interested
In eVerything-the minute aud the
vast, the high and the loW-snd in
all Glasses and grades of men. He
thus gathered up that immense and
various store of the most valuable
practical knowledge, that made him
the eminent man he was, not in any
one department, but all around,
everywhere, in his whole beautiful
and symmetrical life and character.
His was
az combination and a form indeed,
Where every god did seem to set his seal,
To give the world assurance Of a man,"
The aolemnities of this hour forbid
any further investigation of this re-
markable life. With its details you
are already familiar, or if not, they
will be brought to notice hereafter
through various channels. It is my
duty, under these circumstances, in
the pregepca 9f tha dead, and in view
of ali the solsmnities that rest upon
Us in solemn burial service, to call
your attention to the great lessons
taught to you and me, by which we
ought to become wiser and purey
and better men.
/ wish to say, therefore, first of all,
that there comes q voice from the
dead to this entire Nation, not only
to the people, but TO those in placea
of power-to All who are honorsd
with trusts IL the Legislative, Judicial
and executive departments of our
Go7srnment-to our legislators, and
governors, our military men, and our
leaders of parties, and all clacses and !
grades of public and private men in
the Union and the States, down to
those in humblest life who are clothed
with the dignitiss and privileges of
citizenship. The great lessons to
to which / desire to point you can be
expressed in few words. James A.
Garfield went through his whole pub
lie life without surrendering for a
single hour his Christian integrity,
his moral purity. or his love for the
spiritual. Coming into the exciting
conflicts of political life, with a ma
ture as capable as any of feeling the
force of every temptation, with pow
erful temptations to unholy ambition,
with unlawful prizes within his reach, |
with every ipduoemeTt to surrender
his religious faith and be known
merely as q successful man of the
world, FROM first to last he manfully
adhered to his religious convictions
and to his moral principles, and
gathered about him in his terrible
Hufferings and untimely death, the
pure inspirations Of the hope Of ever
lasting life.
It was with the full knowledge of
all that belonged to him in his Chris
tian faith, and his efforts to live a
Christian life, that the nomination
WAS rendered to him and without
any resort to dishonorRble means, ne
was elected to that Office and began
his legislative career. When the
country called to arms, when the
Union was in danger, and his great
heart leaped with enthusiasm, and
was filed with worthy ambition to
render some service to his country,
it required no surrender of the digni-
ty or nobleneBs of his Christian life
to secure to him the honors that fell
upon him so thick and last, though
he entered upon that career all IN
acquainted with military tactics, and
could only win his way by the hon
ssty of his purpose and the diligence
and faithfulpegB with which he seized
gpon every opportunity to accom-
plish the work before him.
"He grasped the skirts Of haRPY chance,
Breasted the waves OF circumstance,
And ersppled with his evil Ptars,
And made by force his merit Known