Low State of Finances.--James Takes up Carpentry again.--The
Debating Club.--Bread and Milk Diet.--First Experience in
School-Teaching.--Becomes Interested in Religious
Topics.--Creed of the Disciples.--James Joins the New Sect.
After buying his school-books and some other necessary articles, James
found his small amount of funds rapidly decreasing. But this did not
discourage him in the least.
"I have never yet had any difficulty in finding work, and I don't
believe I shall now," he said to his cousins, as he started off one
Saturday afternoon to find a carpenter's shop.
In those days planing was always done by hand, and Mr. Woodworth, the
one carpenter at Chester, was very glad to engage so willing and capable
an assistant as the young student.
By working at his shop before and after school, and all day upon
Saturday, James earned enough money to pay all his bills that term, and
carry home a few dollars besides. From that time forward he never failed
to pay his own way, although to do it he was obliged to work very hard
and deny himself many comforts.
The studies of his first term at Chester included English grammar,
natural philosophy, arithmetic and algebra. It was one of the
regulations of the school to write a composition every fortnight upon
subjects chosen sometimes by the principal, and sometimes by the
students themselves. These essays were occasionally read before the
whole school, and the first time that James read his, he trembled so
that he was "very glad," he writes, "of the short curtain across the
platform that hid my shaking legs from the audience."
In the Debating Society James always took an active part. He was a
little diffident at first, but soon astonished himself as much as his
friends by his ready command of language. Whatever question came up
before the club he studied as he would a problem in mathematics. The
school library supplied him with books of reference, and his ready
memory never failed him. The students at Geauga listened with
astonishment to the eloquent appeals of their rough, ungainly
schoolmate. The secret of his power was largely due to the thorough
preparation with which he armed himself. He was so full of his subject
he could not help imparting it in the strongest and most impressive
manner. Here it was that he laid the basis of his future success as a
public speaker.
Having taken from the library the "Life of Henry C. Wright," he became
quite interested in the author's experiment of living upon a bread and
milk diet. He told his cousins they had been too extravagant in their
mode of living, that milk was better than meat for students, and that
another term they must try it.
The boys, always ready to follow James, acquiesced; and after a trial of
four weeks, found their expenses had been reduced to thirty-one cents
each, per week. But their strength also had become reduced; and while
still making milk their principal article of diet, they concluded to
increase their table to the amount of fifty cents each for the remainder
of the term.
When the long vacation came James was very anxious to teach school. The
principal at Geauga had told him that he was fully competent, and with
his usual energy and determination he started out to find a school.
"What! you don't expect we want a _boy_ to teach in our district?" was
the first reply to his modest application.
It was of no use to show the committee his excellent recommendation from
Mr. Branch--they wanted a man, not a boy.
Somewhat discouraged, James walked on to the next district, only to find
that a teacher had already been engaged. About three miles north was
another school, but here, too, they were just supplied with a graduate
from Geauga.
Two days of persistent school-hunting followed, but James was unable to
find any position as teacher.
"It may be that Providence has something better in store for you," said
his mother; but James was so tired and discouraged he had not a word to
say.
Early next morning he was surprised by a call from one of the committee
men belonging to their own district.
"We want some one to teach at the 'Ledge,'" he said to James, "and we
heard that you were looking for a school. Now, the boys all know you in
this district, and they are a pretty hard lot to manage, but I reckon
you are stout enough to thrash them all."
Not a very encouraging outlook for James, surely! But after talking the
matter over with his Uncle Amos Boynton, he concluded to undertake the
school.
Beginning as "Jim Garfield," he determined to win the respect of both
pupils and parents until he was known as "Mr. Garfield." To do this a
deal of firmness was required, and his first day at school was a series
of battles with naughty boys. After that a most friendly relation was
established between pupils and teacher. They felt he had no desire to
domineer over them, but that he would maintain order and decorum at any
cost. In "boarding around," as was the custom for district school
teachers in those days, he became well acquainted with all the families
in the neighborhood and gained a still firmer hold upon the affections
of his pupils. Before the winter was over, _Mr_. Garfield had won the
reputation of being "the best teacher who had ever taught at the
'Ledge.'"
It was a great delight to his mother to have him so near her. Every
Sunday he spent at home, and it was at this time that he became deeply
interested in religious questions. His mother was a member of the Church
of Disciples, or Campbellites, as they were sometimes called, from
Alexander Campbell, the founder of the sect.
Their creed is as follows:
I. We believe in God, the Father.
II. We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the
only Saviour.
III. That Christ is a Divine Being.
IV. That the Holy Spirit is the Divine agent in the conversion of
sinners, and the sanctification of Christians.
V. That the Old and New Testament Scriptures are the inspired word of
God.
VI. That there is future punishment for the wicked, and future reward
for the righteous.
VII. That the Deity is a prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God.
VIII. That the Bible is our only creed.
The founder of the sect was for a long time a member of the Baptist
Church, and declared that he differed from them only in his "disbelief
in the binding force of the church creed, and in the necessity of
ministerial ordinations."
The new church grew very rapidly, notwithstanding the persecutions it
received from both the Baptist and Freewill Baptist denominations, and
it numbers now over half a million members.
It is not strange that James was drawn to this single-hearted,
struggling sect of "Disciples." The earnest, persuasive arguments of one
of its preachers led him to Christ, and when, that same winter, he was
baptized in the little river at Orange, he became at once an earnest
champion of the new church. In all religious discussions, he claimed the
right of following the Bible according to the convictions of his own
conscience, and declared that every one else should have the same right.
His consistent Christian life added strength to his spoken words, and
the Disciples felt that a bright and shining light had been added to
their ranks.