James A.Garfield was then spoken of for the presidency; Edward wondered whether it was true that the man who was likely to be President of the United States had once been a boy on the tow-path, and with a simple directness characteristic of his Dutch training, wrote to General Garfield, asking whether the boyhood episode was true, and explaining why he asked.

Of course any public man, no matter how large his correspondence, is pleased to receive an earnest letter from an information-seeking boy.

General Garfield answered warmly and fully.
Edward showed the letter to his father, who told the boy that it was valuable and he should keep it.

This was a new idea.

He followed it further; if one such letter was valuable, how much more valuable would be a hundred! If General Garfield answered him, would not other famous men?
Why not begin a collection of autograph letters?
Everybody collected something.
Edward had collected postage-stamps, and the hobby had, incidentally, helped him wonderfully in his study of geography.