Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-11-26


| among the vast population of London. He de-
| lighted in tracing out etymologies and In run
| ming words home TO their roots in Greek,
| Latin, German. or Anglo-Saxon. His early
| imbibed taste for the classics appeared TO lose
no zest with the advance of age or Of cares He
| was never too busy TO quote Horace, or TO come
| to the library after a haf-remembered passage
in Virgil In the midst OF one of the busiest
sessions of Congress, he struck of one day lin
| the rough. as he termed it. a metrical transla-
ton of the fine ode Of Horace. ITO the Ship
| which Carried Virgil to Athens" His favorite
poet. next to Shakespeare and Horace. was Ten
| nyson: and next. i think, Elizabeth Browning. OF
| the best novels he never tired and his prime
favorites he read over and over again. l well
| remember his questioning the dic,an Of some
| critic. that George E!iots Romola was the most
perfect work Of fiction ever written. When
| asked his own preference he unhesitatingly
gave the palm to Thackeray, but could not
quite make up his mind which of his works was
| the finest as a masterpiece of fiction. He in
| fensey enjoyed the exquisite fun of Dickens, -
| unlike the late Charles Sumner. who seldom
| read a novel. and had almost no sense of humor.
Garfield has been sometimes compared with
Sumner as a man of letters. but between the
two men there were far more striking contrasts
imam points of resemblance.
Gariield's library motto was ''i,tc- fo'ia fi7,c-
| bts'-fruit among the leaves and a rare gatherer
Oh the sweet fruits of literature was he. His in
tereSt in libraries was great and he made the
library at the Capitol the recipient of his large
annual collection of pamphlets. After he was
PRESIDENT he continued his visits to the library.
Always accompanied 10y his wife. whose intellect
ual gifts were noble complement TO his own.
His entrance into the library no matter on how
| serious an efrand. was always like CLEAN of
! sunshine.
Of the writings of Garfield the most numer-
Gus were ms speeches and occasional addresses.
Many of these bear the marks of the most care
! ful preparation. He was ever most soiictous
To verify every fact and quotation, and after
| speaking eI tempore. he was anxious until he
had carefully corrected the proofs One of mis-
articles but little known is the elaborate paper
upon the census ancient and modern. contributed
| 10y him to the first volume of JohnSons Universal
| Cyc,opadia in 1872. This is performance
which would do credit to the most careful
! | think you will concur with me i'm the iud"-
ment that there have been few characters. in
deed who have united i'm themselves So much
! at once of the strength and the sweetness of hui
! man nature. 4 man of marked ndyduaty-of
robust intellect as well as of robust physical
| frame, he yet had rare refinements Of taste. and
rare gentleness of temper. The only faults he
ever had came from his too great softness OF
nature There were many who envied him his
splendid animal spirits, his sunny temperament.
his frank, hearty and cheerful way-in short.
what seemed to be his genuine delight i'm living.
If sometimes in later years, when worn down
with care and severe labor, he Was
weary or melancholy, he quickly
recovered himself. He delighted i'm
| the fresh, unhackneyed WAYS of children and
| in the perennial charm Of youth. Even i'm the
midst of that fearfully trying ordeal of the
presidential campaign of 1880, when the venom
OF thousand Guteaus poured from thou
sand pens upon him. and the long campaign of
| SANDER bore witness to the unutterabe br,l-
tally of our politics, he kept the serenity of his
| temper
Would you see an example of strong and
healthy nature, improved but not spoiled by the
| reiinements of culture? You will lind il in Gar
field. Would you look for a scholar of lofty
ideals and instructive habits of investigation
| the law of whose mind was progress for ever
more: You will discover him i'm Garfield Do
you seek for a patriot full Of enthusiasm for the
republic, growing continually i'm political wis
dom. and developing from politician into a
statesman: Look at Garfield. Are there those
| in foreign lands who would study our free iasti-
| tutiOns and the men they breed. and find out
the typical Americana Behold him in Garfield!
But he is gone. We shall no more see that
beaming face, the tones of that CHEEKY voice we
shall hear no more forever. No more will his
lips utter for us those wise and thoughtful say
lngs to which we were wont To listen. Since We
! last met together tragedy more pathetic than
the pages of antiquity record has taken away 81
once the head of this Society and the head OF
the Nation. To MANY here present the sense OF
public calamity is Oyershadowed by a private
grief too profound and sacred to be expressed
| In words. In the fine elegiac verse of Shakes
peare:
''Fear no more the lightning fash.
Nor the aii-drceded thunder-Stone:
Fear not SANDER. cenSure rash:
Thou hast finished 10y ana moan:
quiet contamination have,
And renowned be thy grave.
Fear no more the heat OF the sun,
| Nor the furious winters RACES:
| Thou thy worldly task hast done,
| lone art gone, and ta'en thy wages"
Into that unknown home of the inmortals
our eyes cannot follow him. But there is left to
US the example OF his achievement. the benign
memory of his person and character, the cOhsO-
iati0n that he has well done his work i'm the
world. and that the world is the better that he
has lived in it. Gentle. high-souled gifted
Garfield, receive our tender. our cheerful Fare
well!
Portraits Of Garfield.
At the conclusion Of Mr.. Spoffords address
the vice president called attention to the life size
three-quarter length study of Gen. Garfield in
oils, which had been especially prepared for this
meeting within the past week by Mr.. T.. +. An
| drews, one of the artist members of the society
| Also TO "A head Of the late President in crayon
| by Mr.. f. ii. Miller. likewise a member OF the
| society. Both these portraits were much adj.
mired. Mr.. Miller also presented design for a
| medal Of Garfield. carrying out the suggestions
| of Miss f. Il. Johnston. another member Of the
| society. proposition in reference to which has
ueen referred Dy the senate Oh the Eiteu States
to its library committee.
Mr.. I. +. Dwight. the secretary Of the society,
then read most affecting note from Mrs. Gar
field. expressing her great interest i'm this cele-
bration of her husbands fftieth birthday and
sending afiectionate greetings to the members
| of the society.
Judge Drake. who preceded Gen. Garfield in
| the presidency of the society. spoke in terms of
| highest praise of Mrs. Garfield, wife who
deserved to be spoken of as the equal of her
noble husband.
DIR. Hoffman. librarian of the Supreme Court,
who was vice president of the society during the
first year of Gen. Gariieid's presidency followed
with several incidents showing Gariield's great
interest aDdprOfciency in classical studies
Garfield in Science.
Col Garrick Mallory, of the Bureau of Eth
nology, then gave history of Gen. Garfeld's
labors in Congress in the interest of govern
| mental aid to scientific operations. of which the
| following is an abstract:
| The laws of science are derived only from
| the correct classification Of ascertaned facts.
| For the discovery of those laws the world
| is indebted to three classes Of men. Some
| can observe the facts, and even classify
! them for their own use, without the power
of formulation to the public; others can
express in distinct and attractive style either