68 AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 



gentlemen who united in endorsing me, and in 

 commending my system. 



I entered Washington about the middle of 

 February and speedily secured a site on which * 

 to erect an academy. The place selected was 

 on Pennsylvania avenue, and the building I 

 erected was of capacity sufficient to contain 

 three thousand persons. I announced a public 

 exhibition, and on this, the first day of opening, 

 the place was filled to the utmost At the close 

 of the exhibition I invited those of the audience 

 so disposed, to unite in forming a class. A large 

 number responded to this call, and, as I entered 

 on my work, I was encouraged by finding the 

 numbers increasing by hundreds. This nerved 

 me to the utmost, and at length, in sixty days ; 

 my class had reached the gratifying number of 

 two thousand five hundred and five persons ! 



President Grant intimated his desire to take 

 private lessons, and requested me to organize a 

 class to meet in the forenoon of each day. This 

 I did, and I soon had the honor of imparting in- 

 struction to such a class of distinguished men as 



