Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. III.djvu/205

 JAMES ABRAM GARFIELD 167 stitute (now Hiram college), at Hiram, Portage County, Ohio, the principal educational institution of his sect. He was not very quick of acquisition, but his perseverance was indomitable, and he soon had an excellent knowledge of Latin and a fair acquaintance with algebra, natural philosophy, and botany. He read Xenophon, Caesar, and Virgil with appreciation; but his superiority was more easily recognized in the prayer-meetings and debat ing societies of the college, where he was assiduous and conspicuous. Living here was inexpensive, and he readily made his expenses by teaching in the English departments, and also gave instruction in the ancient languages. After three years he was well prepared to enter the junior class of any eastern college, and had saved $350 out of his salary toward the expenses of such an undertaking. He hesitated between Yale, Brown, and Williams colleges, finally choos ing Williams on the kindly promise of encourage ment sent him by its president, Mark Hopkins. It was natural to expect he would choose Bethany college, in West Virginia, an institution largely controlled and patronized by the &quot;Disciples of Christ.&quot; Garfield himself seems to have thought some explanation necessary for his neglect to do so, and with particularity assigns as reasons that the course of instruction at Bethany was not so extended as in the old New England colleges ; that