•<58 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 disposedj 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 



