going straight from Hawarden to America, as I had intended when
leaving London.

I was prepared for a reception in Brooklyn on my return, but I never
dreamed it would be the ovation it was. It becomes difficult to write of
these personal courtesies, as I find them increasing in the progress of
my life from now on. I trust the casual reader will not construe
anything in these pages into a boastful desire to spread myself in too
large letters in print.

When I entered the Thirteenth Regiment Armoury on the evening of
February 7, 1890, it was packed from top to floor. It was a large
building with its three acres of drill floor and its half mile of
galleries. There were over seven thousand people there, so the
newspapers estimated. Against the east wall was the speaker's platform,
and over it in big letters of fire burned the word "Welcome."

On the stage, when I arrived at eight o'clock, were Mayor Chapin,
Colonel Austen, General Alfred C. Barnes, the Rev. J. Benson Hamilton,
Judge Clement, Mr. Andrew McLean, the Rev. Leon Harrison, ex-Mayor
Whitney, the Hon. David A. Boody, U.S. Marshal Stafford, Judge Courtney,
Postmaster Hendrix, John Y. Culver, Mark D. Wilber, Commissioner George
V. Brower, the Rev. E.P. Terhune, General Horatio C. King, William E.
Robinson and several others.

The Trustees of the Tabernacle, like a guard of honour, came in with
me, and as we made our way through the crowds to the stage, the
long-continued cheering and applause were deafening. The band, assisted
by the cornetist, Peter Ali, played "Home, Sweet Home." For a few
minutes I was very busy shaking hands.

The most inspiring moment of these preliminaries was the approach of the
most distinguished man in that vast assembly, General William T.
Sherman. He marched to the platform under military escort, while the
band played "Marching through Georgia." Everyone stood up in deference
to the old warrior, handkerchiefs were waved, hats flew up in the air,
everyone was so proud of him, so pleased to see him! Mayor Chapin
introduced the General, and as he stood patiently waiting for the
audience to regain its self-control, the band played "Auld Lang Syne."
Then in the presence of that great crowd he gave me a soldier's welcome.
I remember one sentence uttered by Sherman that night that revealed the
character of the great fighter when he said, "The same God that appeared
at Nazareth is here to-night."

But nothing on that auspicious evening was