The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-09-28

approval IN every path OF life, In
which he has walked, and every de-
partment Of public activity which
he has occupied. Yet l think when
we come TO proper estimate of his,
character, and seek after the secret
of this world wide sympathy
and affection, we shall find Il
rather in the richness and inbeg-
rity Of his moral nature, and a thas
sincerity, in that Transparent hon
esty, in that truthfulneSS that lay
the basis for everything Of great
ness to which we do honor to-day. Z
may state here what perhaps is not
generally known, rs III illustration
of this: When James Il Garfield
was yet a mere lad in this country, =
series of religious MEETINGS were
held in one of the towns Of Cuya--
hoga county, by a minister by No
means attractive as an orator, pos
sessing none of the graces OF an ora
tor, and marked only by entire sin
| cerity, by good reasoning powers
and by earnestness in seeking to
win souls from sin to Righteousness
The lad Garfield attended these
meetings for several nights, ana
after listening night after night to-
the sermons he went one day 10 the
minister, and said to him Sir, l
| have been listening to your preach
ing night after night, and am fully
persuaded that ii these things You
say are true, it is the duty and the,
highest interest of every man, and
especially of every young man, so
accept that religion and seek to be q
man; but really l don't knows
whether this thing is true or not. I
can't say L disbelieve it, bat | dare
not say l fully and honestly believe
it. If | were sure it were truck
would most gladly give it my heart.
and my life" So, after a long talk
the minister preached that night-0nr
the text what is truth, and pre-
ceeded to show that, nOtWit Tristan d
! ing all the various and conflicting
theories and opinions in ethical
science, and Notwithstanding all the
various and conflicting opinions il,
the world, that there was one as
sured and eternal alliance for every
human soul in Christ Jesus. as to
the way of the truth and life that
every soul of man was sale, with
Jesus Christ; that he never wOul0
mislead; that every yeung -m2Lr
| giving HIM his head and heart, ard
walking in his pathway, would not
90 astray, and that whatever might
be the solution OF the 10000 -insellI-
BILE mysteries at the end of all things
the man who loved Jesus Christ
and walked after the footsteps Of
Jesus, and reaiiZed in spirit and LIS
the pure morals and the sweet pietV
was safe, if safety there were IN the
universe of God; safe, whatever else
were safe, safe Whate yer else might
prove unworthy and perish forever =
and he seized upon it after due rR
Election, and came forward and gave
! his hand TO the minister in pledge,
of his acceptance of the guidance Of
| Christ, for his life, and turned his
back upon the sins of the world fOES
ever. The boy is father to the mar
and that pure honesty and integrity
and that fearless spirit to enquire
and THAT brave surrender of all the
I charms of sin to a conviction o.
duly and right, went with him from
that bOyhOOd throughout his life,
and crowned him with the honorE5
that were SO carefully awarded to,
I him from all hearts, over the vast
! land. There was another thipg-hC7
! passed all the conditions OF d Virtu-
Gus life between the log cabin IL
CayUhOga, and the White House, and
in that wonderful rich and varied
experience, still moving Up from
higher to higher, he has touched
every heart in all this land in some
point or other, and he became the
representative of all hearts, aud
lives III this land, and not only the
| teacher but the interpreteT Of al
virtues, for he knew their wants
and their condition and established
legitimately the ties of brotherhood
with every man with whom he came
into contact. l take this as the basis
| of his character. This rock on which
his whole life rested, followed up
by the perpetual and enduring de
Stiny that marked his whole career
made him at once the honest and
the capable man who invited
scrutiny into every act " lis life,
and received the confidence ana
love, the unbOunded confidence anG
trust, of all who learned 30 know
him. There is yet one other thing
l ought to mention here: There was
such an admirable harmony of all
his powers, there was such beauti-
full adjustment and equitable distrl-
bution of his physical, intellectual
and moral force, that his nature
looked out every way to get at SYM
patty with everything, and found
about equal delight in all pursuits
and studies, so that he became
through his industry and honest
ambition really an encyclopedia
There was scarce any chord you
could touch to which ke would nCt
respond in a way that made you
know his hands had swept It ski
fully long ago, and there was no
/ topic you could bring before him.
no object YOU could present to him,
that you did not wonder at the rich
ness and fullness of the information
somehow gathered, for his eyes were
! ALWAYS omen and bic baorf -Vtrac a.