166 LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS in the same intellectual pursuits, he quickly dis covered sympathy in other tastes, and a conge niality of disposition, which paved the way for the one great love of his life. He was himself attrac tive at this time, exhibited many signs of intel lectual superiority, and was physically a splendid specimen of vigorous young manhood. He studied hard, worked hard, cheerfully ready for any emer gency, even that of the prize-ring; for, finding it a necessity, he one day thrashed the bully of the school in a stand-up fight. His nature, always religious, was at this period profoundly stirred in that direction. Garfield was converted under the instructions of a Campbellite preacher, was baptized and received into that denomination. They called themselves "The Disciples," contemned all doc trines and forms, and sought to direct their lives by the Scriptures, simply interpreted as any plain man would read them. This sanction to inde pendent thinking, given by religion itself, must have had great influence in creating that broad and catholic spirit in this young disciple which kept his earnest nature out of the ruts of moral and intel lectual bigotry. From this moment his zeal to get the best education grew warmer; he began to take wider views, to look beyond the present into the future. As soon as he finished his studies in Chester he entered (1851) the Hiram eclectic in-
