He had now become firmly established as a teacher, and was soon at the head of the profession in Cleveland as a guitar-instructor. This, however, did not satisfy him; and he determined to attain to still greater proficiency. Finding that the best systems for guitar-playing were such as were taught in the works (foreign) of Sor, Carulli, D'Aguado, Giuliani, Ferranti, and Mertz, Mr. Holland entered upon a course of study of the French, Italian, and Spanish languages, in order that he might read in the original the systems of those great masters, and thus be the better able to understand and apply the same. He soon by diligent study acquired a knowledge of the languages mentioned; and, as will hereafter appear, this knowledge became of great use to him. The secret of our subject's great success as a guitar-virtuoso may be readily gathered from the statement I have just made about the foreign languages. _He was always thorough, enterprising, singularly industrious._ Loving deeply his chosen profession and instrument, he could never be satisfied with a position of mere mediocrity, either as a performer or teacher; but with most studious care he sought both near and far all sources of theoretical information, in order that he might thus secure skill in elucidation; while as a performer he reached to the innermost depths, so to say, of all forms of great musical expression, that he might bring from thence such sweets of melody and harmony as would charm his pupils, and rivet their attention on that beautiful instrument, the guitar. He ever aimed, in fine, to carry guitar-playing in this country to a state that comported with the highest laws of science,--to elevate it to the high level whence it had been taken by the great masters of Europe. His success in these aims will be more fully seen as this account progresses.