ence at dressing fashionably or stylishly.
Hiram was a little country place, with no fascinations or worldly
attractions to draw off the minds of the students from their work."

Such is an inside view--more graphic than any description I can give--of
the life of James Garfield at Hiram Institute.

CHAPTER XV.

THREE BUSY YEARS.

Among the readers of this volume there may be boys who are preparing for
college. They will be interested to learn the extent of James Garfield's
scholarship, when he left the Geauga Academy, and transferred himself to
the Institute at Hiram. Though, in his own language, he remembers with
great satisfaction the work which was accomplished for him at Chester,
that satisfaction does not spring from the amount that he had acquired,
but rather that while there he had formed a definite purpose and plan to
complete a college course. For, as the young scholar truly remarks, "It
is a great point gained when a young man makes up his mind to devote
several years to the accomplishment of a definite work."

When James entered at Hiram, he had studied Latin only six weeks, and
just begun Greek. He was therefore merely on the threshold of his
preparatory course for college. To anticipate a little, he completed
this course, and fitted himself to enter the Junior class at Williams
College in the space of three years. How much labor this required many
of my readers are qualified to understand. It required him to do nearly
six years' work in three, though interrupted by work of various kinds
necessary for his support.

He was not yet able to live luxuriously, or even, as we suppose,
comfortably. He occupied a room with four other students, which could
hardly have been favorable for study. Yet, in the first term he
completed six books of Caesar's commentaries, and made good progress in
Greek. During the first winter he taught a school at Warrensville,
receiving the highest salary he had yet been paid, eighteen dollars a
month--of course in addition to board.

At the commencement of the second year the president sent for him.

James obeyed the summons, wondering whether he was to receive any
reprimand for duty unfulfilled.

President Hayden received him cordially, thus dissipating his
apprehensions.

"Garfield," he said, "Mr. ----, tutor in English and ancient languages,
is sick, and it is doubtful whether he will be able to resume his
duties. Do you think you can fill his place, besides carryin