The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-03-02


which Daniel Webster was poor
10Y; in the same sense in which large
majority of the eminent men Of Amer
ca IN all generations have been poor
,oys.
Before q great number of men in q
public speech, Mr.. Webster bore this tes- j
imony: at did not happen TO me to
De born ina log cabin, but my elder
brothers and sisters were born in a log
cabin, raised amid the snow dEi(ts OF
New Hampshire at q period so early
that when the smoke rose first from hs
crude chimney andcurled over the fro
zen hills, there was no similar evidence
of white mans habiiation between it
and the settlements on the rivers Of Can
ada. Its remains still exist. make 10
it an annual visit. carry my children |
to il to teach them the hRrdships en-
dured by the generations which have |
gone before them. love 10 dwell on |
the tender FecoHections, kindred ties |
and early affections, the touching mar
ratives which mingle with all alike now
OF this primitive family abode" With |
a requisite change of the scene, the same
woods you'd Gould, apply portray the Is early ~
in a common struggle and Where
n common sympathy and hear
ty cooperation tighten The. bur
dtns of each, is a very different poverty,
different in kind, different in influence,
and effect from that conscious and hu-'
initiating Indulgence, which is every
day forced to contrast itself with neigh
boring wealth on which il feels sense
of grinding dependence, and has the
boundless possibility of the future al
ways opening before it. No man! ever
grew up in the agricultural regions OF
the west, where house raising or even
q corn husking is n matter of common
interest and helpfulness, with any other
feeling than that of 4,a Z
BROAD MISDED, GENEROUS ISDEPENDr
This honorable independence marked
the youth of Garfield, as it marks the
youth of millions of the best blood and
brain now training for the future citi=
zenship and future government OF the
republic. Garfield was born an heir to
the land, to the title of a free holder,
which has been the patent and passport OF
self respect with the Anglo-Saxon race
ever since Hengist and Horsa landed on
the shores of England. His adventures
on the canal as an alternative between
that and the deck of lake Erie schoon-
err, was a farmer boys device Tor earning
money, just as the New England boy
begins possibly great career by saii.
ing before the mast z of
coasting vessel or mer7
chairman bound To the farther India or
China seas. No manly man feels any
thing of shame in looking back to
early struggles with adverse circnm-
stances, and no man feels a worthier
pride than when he has conquered an
obstacle to his progress. But no one of
noble mind desires 10 be looked upon
as having occupied mental position,
as having been repressed by q feeling of
| inferiority, or as having suffered the
| evils of poverty until relief was found
at the hand of charity. General Gar
fields. youth presented no, hardshIps
which family love and family. energy
did not overcome; subjected him 10 no
privations which he did not cheerfully
accept and left no memories save those
which were recalled with delight and
transmitted with profit and pride.
Garfsld's early opportunities for secur-
ing education were EXTREMELY limited,
and yet were sufficient to develop in
him an intense desire to learn. He
each winter he had the advantage Of
the district school. He read all the
books he found within the circle of his
acquaintance. Some of them he got
by heart. While yet in childhood,
he was a constant student of the
Bible, and became familiar with
its literature. The earnestness of his
| speech in his mature life gave evidence
Of this early training. At IS years of age
he was able to teach school, and thence
forth his ambition was to obtain a col
lege education. To this end be bent all
his efforts, working at the carpenters
bench and in the winter seasons teach
| ing in the common schools Of the neigh
borhood. While thus laboriously occu-
pied, he found time to prosecute his
studies, and was so successful that at %
ne was able to enter the junior class at
Williams college, then under the presi-
dency of the venerable and honored
Mark Hopkins, who in the fullness of
his powers survives the eminent pupil
to whom he was of inestimable service.
The history of Garfieid's life up to this
period presents no new features. He
had undoubtedly shown perseverance.
selE.reliance, self sacrifice and ambition,
qualities which, be it said for the honor
of our country, are everywhere TO be
found among the young men of Ameri
! ca. But from his graduation al
| his tragic death Garfleld's career was
EMINENT AND EXCEPTIONAL. as
Hourly working through his educational
period, receiving his diploma when "a
years of age, he seemed at one bound tC
spring into conspicuous and brilliant
success. Within six years he was sue
cessiVely president of a college, state
senator of Ohio, major general of the ar
my of the United States and represents
tive to the national congress, q comb
nation of hoEors so varied within d pc
Rod so brief and to a man so young, il
without parallel in the history of thu
country. Garield's army life was begun
with no other military knowledge thar
such as he had hastily gained from
books in the few months preceding hi!
march to the field. Stepping from civi
life to the head of a regiment, the frs
order he received when ready to crosl
the Ohio was to assume command of 1
brigade and to operate as al indie
pendent force in eastern Kentucky
His immediate duty was to check the
advance of Humphrey Marshall, who
was marching down the Big Sandy with
the intention of occupying, in connection
with other confederate forces, the entire
territory OF Kentucky and of pre-
cipitating the state into secession. This
was at the close of the year 1861; sell
dom, if ever, was young college pro
and discouraging position. He knew
just enough of military science, as he
expressed 1t himself, to measure the ex
tent of his Ignorance, and with a hand
full of men he was marching in rough
winter weather, into a strange country,
among a hostile population, to confront
q largely superior force under the com
mand OF a distinguished graduate of
West Point, who had seen active and
important service in two preceding
wars. The result of the campaign is a
matter of history. The skill, the endur-
ance, the extraordinary energy shown by
| Garfield; the courage he impaired to
his men, raw and untried as himself, the
measures he adopted to increase his
force and to create, in the enemy's mind
exaggerated estimates of his numbers,
bore perfect fruit in the routing of Mar
shall, the capture of his camp, the dis
persion of his force and the
seizing OF an important territory
from the control of the rebellion.
Coming at the close of a long series
of disasters to the Union army, Gar
fields victory had an
| UNUSUAL AND EXTRAORDINARY IMPORT
ANcE,
and in the popular judgment elevated
the young commander TO the rank of
a military hero. With less than 1000
men in his entire command, he had met
an army of 5000 and defeated them,
driving Marshall's force successfully
from two strongholds of their own selec-
ton, fortified with abundant artillery.
Major-General Buell., :hen commanding
the department OF the Ohio, an expert
enGed and able soldier, published an or
der of thanks and coagFatulation on the
brilliant result of the Big Sandy cam
paign, which would have turned the
head of less sensible man than Gar
field. Buell. declared that his services
had called into action the highest quail.
ties of soldier, and President Lincoln
supplemented these words of praise by
the more substantial reward of a briga-
dier generals commission, to bear date
from the day of this decisive victory over