It got to be known that no scholar could be ahead of him.

Our association as men has been almost as close as that of our boyhood, though not as constant.

The General never forgot his neighbors or less fortunate kinsmen, and often visited us as we did him." More vivid than any picture I could draw is this description, by the most intimate friend of his boyhood, of James Garfield's way of life, his struggles for an education, his constant desire to excel, and his devotion to duty.

We have already pictured the rustic boy in his humble room, cooking his own food, and living, as his cousin testifies, on a dollar a week.

Is there any other country where such humble beginnings could lead to such influence and power?
Is there any other land where such a lad could make such rapid strides toward the goal which crowns the highest ambition?
It is the career of such men that most commends our Government and institutions, proving as it does that by the humblest and poorest the highest dignities may be attained.