Evening star., 1886-09-25
THE GARFIELD FAMILY.
Their RemOdeled Home 1t Mentor
MementOes OF the Dead.

McDCueVO0 VI b10 DGDWs
Last Sunday was sad day in the Garfield
home. It was the nth anniversary Of the
Presidents death, and the day Is always kept
sacred to his memory. A correspondent Of the
New York Tribune, writing from Mentor, says:
In five years there have been many notable
changes in the Garfield family. There have
been no deaths, but the children, of whom the
father was 80 fond, have grown up. The two
older boys have just begun course in the
Columbia college law school, and Harry, the
elder, has been teaching in some eastern school.
Both are graduates of Williams college. James
r Garfield has been studying law with Judge
Boynton In Cleveland, and Is looked upon BY
every way. He has his fathers size, COM
piexiOn, eyes and manner. Both sons are now
men, and have. it is said, great ambition. Miss
Moii1e, the only daughter, Is now young
woman taller than her mother, and has about
finished her studies. The two younger sons.
Abram and lrwin-the latter named for Gen.
Irwin McDOwell-are old enough to enter q
school on the Hudson, and left alone for their
duties there last week. They had never been
TO go forth as they did. Mrs. Garfelds family
circle Is therefore not large, with her four boys
all away.
Since the preliminary education of Abram
ana irwin In the Cleveland public schools the
mother has had no further desire to live in q
CITY. Sne mas ordered her mansion In Cleveland
sold and has decided TO make her future home
at Mentor. She has here added to the modest
frame house OF her husband palatlai "Qneen
Anne structure which cost $500 It IS the
most imposing home in the county, although
the new part is behind and wholly subservient
to the old house in which the President lived
Ihls still remains the head and front OF the
Garfield home, although remodeled to conform
with the addition. A $4,000 addition to a
ture, but sentiment for the past aud its illustri-
Gus dead inspired 1t. There are probably sixty
rooms in both cid and new houses: They are
all furnished in modern style and with con-
siderable elegance, and there IS an air OF
aristOcracy about the interior which Garfield in
ais a1,,d NE did ahd not not know In his own home
all the cOnveniences of city home, in plumb
ing. gas.iitting and steam-heating. A natural
gas Well has been bored on the farm and the
yard is kept lighted day and night The main
entrance is through the old house. In the hall
facing the door is 'Grandma" Gartelds old
wail-sweep clock which her husband brought
home sixty years ago. It Is still the standard
time" OF the house and keeps on ticking lust as
1t did when the President was born. To the lett
is the smoking room, which is a lounging room
for the family, James being the only one who
smokes. TO the right is the old parior, now q
1t was once his study. Bibles aud other books
are upon the tables and the furniture is much
the same as when the family lett for Washing
ton.
To the left is modest little room occupied By
the aged Grandma" Garfield. Everybody
calls her Grandma" She is eighty-tive but a
day and rides about the country to visit her
relatives OF three different generations Her
room Is modestiy but richly furnished and the
face OF her son looks upon her from every side
A handsome fire screen with the transparency
Of the dead stands before the hearth half
dozen other portraitso OF him hang where tue eye
meets them at every turn. Over the mirror OF
the dresser is picture ot him as young man,
taken iii 1882. On AN opposite side is picture
IN coiors oi the old pioneer home Of the GARFIELD
family, painted by Mrs. Garfield. But the great
relle OF this room is The last letter the SOU to
his mother oi which so many thousand fac-simile
copies were sold. Here is the original, soiled
frPunRnf rs.hi inr II tu,
framed and hung up where tue fond mother
reads 1t morn ana eve, AS ii il were part uf ker
devOtiOns.
Dear Mother Do not be distui bed by conflicting re-
ports OF my condition. 1t Is / All, stui weaA but
patience brins through. Give my love 10 all ali
the 'rs1as YoSI aa reves anu e1pesy Aunt ey
There is less simplicity in other parts o; the
great house. The paintings in the parlors are
works OF art. Some by Mrs Garfield who
spends spend her spare hours among her husbands
books and papers or in her studio with brush
and palette. But the one great idea in this
home IS Carried the father, Garfield the states
man. Pictures and busts OF him are every.
where. On the stairway leading to the library is
an oil portrait of hun made In 1862 when he
came from the war Above it hung his swords.
The library is in the refuge room. 1t Is in the
upper story OF the new part aud an iGeai spot tor
rest or literary labor. There are thousands of
volumes here arranged tor convenience The
tables are loaded with art books aud magazines
Where there arc walls above the books Sictures
OF authors with their autographs attached are
hung. The autographic portraits OF Bismarck
and dambetta occupy pro;ninent places.
With Mrs. GARFIELD live her father Mfr
Rudolph, a brother aud his family, and also
the two Misses Mason, OF Cleveland, whose
mother and sister are now in Europe. There
are sixteen in the family, and five servants A
halI dozen lnen are EN- sJioyeL the iarm,
winch consists or 200 acres. 1t is paying,
nOLhing is sold from 1t but beci cattle
Mrs. Garneld Is only tnirty miles from Cleve.
land, and often visits the city. Her husbands
tomb In Lake View cemetery is nearing COM
pletion. The Garfield Monument association
Of which ex-Pfesidcnt Il. B. Hayes il president,
and j. II. Rhodes, secretary, has raised
Sl3OOOO Tor the monument, now half COM
pieted, with Charles keiiar, OF New Haven,
supervising architect. The contributions did
uOt reach the amount desired tor the original
plans, ana the design mas been Changed accord
inSly. IIe DOuy Is now ~ the reg ulur receiv-
ing vault OF the cemetery, guarded only ut
night Oy special watcnmal. Tue casket will
never again De opened.