Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-02-28


Hill, at Saratoga, and at Monmouth, and in
great cause in the war which preserved the
Union of the States.
Losing his father before he was two years
old, the early life of Garfield was one of
privation, but its poverty has been made
indelicately and unjustly prominent. Thou
sands of readers have imagined him as the
ragged, starving child, whose reality too
often greets the eye in the squahd sections
of our large cities. General Garheld's IN
fancy and youth had none of their destltu-
ton, none of their pitiful features appealing
to the tender heart and open hand OF char-
ity. He was poor boy in the same sense
in which Henry Clay was poor boy; ID
which Andrew jackson was poor boy; III
which Daniel Webster was poor boy; Id
the same sense in which a large majority OF
the eminent men of America in all genera
lions have been poor boys. Before great
multitude of men, in a public speech, MIR.
Webster bore this testimony:
at did not happen to me to be born IN
log cabin, but my elder brothers and sisters
were born in a log cabin, raised amid the
snow-drifts of New Hampshire, at PERIOD
SO early that when the smoke rose hrst from
its rude chimney and curled over the frozen
hills there was no similar evidence OF a
white mans habitation between it and the
settlements on the rivers of Canada. Its re-
mains still exist. l make to it an annual
visit carry my children to it to teach
them the hardships endured by the genera
tons gone before them. | love to dwell on
the tender recolections, the kindred ties,
the early affections, and the touching nara
tiyes and incidents which mingle with all
L,,oxr Of tb,S ,,rip,itiva foniIv abode -
With the requisite change Of scene the
same words would aptly portray the early
days of Garfield. The poverty of the
frontier, where all are engaged in common
struggle and where common sympathy
and hearty cooperation tighten the burdens
of each, is very different poverty, differ
emit in kind, different in influence and effect
from that conscious and humiliating indi-
genee which is every day forced to contrast
itself with neighboring wealth on which it
feels a sense of grinding dependence. The
poverty of the frontier is indeed no poverty.
1t is but the beginning of wealth, and has
the boundless possibilities 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 corn-husk-
ing, is matter of common interest and help
fulness, with any other feeling than that of
broad-minded, generous independence.
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 citizenship and fu-
ture government of the republic. Garfield
was born heir to land, to the title of free
holder which has been the patent and pass
port of self-respect with the Anglo-Saxon
race ever since Hengist and Horsa landed on
the shores of England. His adventure on
the canal-an alternative between that and
the deck of Lake Erie schooner-was a
farmer boys device for earning money, just
as the New England lad begins a possibly
great career by sailing before the mast on a
coasting vessel or on a merchantmen bound
to the farther India or the China seas.
No man feels anything of shame in look
ing back to early struggles with adverse
circumstances, and no man feels worthier
pride than when he has conquered the OBJ
stacles of his progress But no one OF
noble mould desires to be looked upon as
having occupied mental position, as hav-
irg been repressed by feeling of inferior
ity, or as having suffered the evils of pov-
erty until relief was found at the hand Of
charity. General Garfeld's youth presented
no hardships which family love and family
energy did not overcome, subjected him tc
no privations which he did net cheerfully
accept, and left no memories save those
which were recalled With delight, and trans
United with profit and with pride.
Garfelds early opportunities for securing
an education were extremely limited, and
yet were sufficient to develop in him an in
tense desire to learn. He could read a
| three years of age, and each winter he haC
| the advantage of the district school He
read all the books to be found within the
circle of his acquaintance some of then
he got by heart. While yet in childhood h
was a constant student of the Bible, anC
became familiar with its literature. TIL,
dignity and earnestness of his speech in hi
maturer life gave evidence of this earl,
training. At eighteen years of age he wa
able to teach school, and thenceforward hi
ambition was to obtain college education
To this end he bent all his efforts, workin,
in the harvest field, at the carpenters bench
and, in the winter season, teaching the com
mon schools of the neighborhood. Will
thus laboriously occupied he found time t.
prosecute his studies, and was so successful
that at twenty-five years of age he was abb
to enter the Junior class at Williams College
then under the presidency of the venerable
and honored Mark Hopkins, who, in tn
fullnesS of his powers, survives the eminen
pupil to whom he was of inestimable ser
vice.
The history of Garfield's life to thi
period, presents no novel features. He ha.
undoubtedly shown perseverance, self-reli
ance, self sacrifice, and ambition-qualitie
which, be it said for the honor of GU
country, are everywhere to be found anon,
the young men of America. But from hi
graduation at Williams onward, to the heu
of his tragical death, Garfelds career wa
eminent and exceptional Slowly workin
through his educational period, receivin
his diploma when twenty -four years of age
he seemed at one bound to spring into cor
spicuous and brilliant success. Within 81
years he was successfully president of
college, State senator of Ohio, major ger
eral of the Army of the United States, an
Representative elect to the National Cor
gress. A combination of honors so varied
SO elevated, within period so brief and t
a man so young, is without precedent G
parallel in the history of the country
Garfeld's array life was begun with n
other military knowledge than such as b
had hastily gained from books in the fe7
months preceding his march to the field
Stepping from civil life to the head of
regiment, lue uTbt OrOer ne received VINE
ready to cross the Ohio was to assume CON
mand of brigade, and to operate as a
independent force in Eastern Kentucky
His immediate duty was to check the &C
vance of Humphrey Marshall, who wa
marching down the Big Sandy with the il
tention of occupying the entire territory c
Kentucky, and of precipitating the Stat
into secession. This was at the close of tn
year 1861. Seldom, if ever, has youn
college professor been thrown into a NOR
embarrassing and discouraging position. Fl
knew just enough of military science, q
he expressed it himself, to measure the e1
tent of his ignorance, and with handfr
of men he was marching, in rough winte
weather, into strange country, among
hostile population, to confront Target
superior force under the command of
distinguished graduate of West Point, VIII
had seen active and important service j
two preceding wars
The result of the campaign is matter c
history. The skill, the endurance, the e.
traordinary energy shown by Garfield, th
! cOuraUa ha imrartaI fn b,c WAN ror, n =,