a change, too, from the backwoods boy,
in his suit of homespun, to the statesman of noble and commanding
figure, upon whom the eyes of the nation were turned. The boy who had
guided the canal-boat was now at the helm of the national vessel, and
there was no fear that he would run her aground. Even had storms come,
we might safely trust in him who had steered the little steamboat up the
Big Sandy River, in darkness and storm and floating obstructions, to the
camp where his famished soldiers were waiting for supplies. For, as is
the case with every great man, it was difficulty and danger that nerved
Garfield to heroic efforts, and no emergency found him lacking.

His life must now be changed, and the change was not altogether
agreeable. With his cordial off-hand manners, and Western freedom, he,
no doubt, felt cramped and hampered by the requirements of his new
position. When he expressed his preference for the position of a
freelance in the House or Senate, he was sincere. It was more in
accordance with his private tastes. But a public man can not always
choose the place or the manner in which he will serve his country.
Often she says to him, "Go up higher!" when he is content with an humble
place, and more frequently, perhaps, he has to be satisfied with an
humble place when he considers himself fitted for a higher.

So far as he could, Gen. Garfield tried to preserve in the Executive
Mansion the domestic life which he so highly prized. He had his children
around him. He made wise arrangements for their continued education, for
he felt that whatever other legacy he might be able to leave them, this
would be the most valuable. Still, as of old, he could count on the
assistance of his wife in fulfilling the duties, social and otherwise,
required by his exalted position.

Nor was he less fortunate in his political family. He had selected as
his Premier a friend and political associate of many years' standing,
whose brilliant talent and wide-spread reputation brought strength to
his administration. In accepting the tender of the post of Secretary of
State, Mr. Blaine said: "In our new relation I shall give all that I am,
and all that I can hope to be, freely and joyfully to your service. You
need no pledge of my loyalty in heart and in act. I should be false to
myself did I not prove true both to the great trust you confide to me,
and to your own personal and political fortunes in the present and in
the future. Your admi