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THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30. 1906.
MILE-STONES IN CAREER OF WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
SPEECH THAT WON
FAME AS AN ORA TOR
FAMOUS PERIOD IN SPEECH
OF CONGRESSMAN BRYAN,
Destiny. udI and dieheertene^. thought the bettle we. E.t? eUlVd to
« drummer boy and ordered him Jo boat a retreat.' The lad replied : *
“ '8lre, I do not know how. Oeteaix has never tauaht m« P
but I can teat a charge. Oh, I can beat a charge that wHI* mlka'thJ dZII
,.11 into line. I beat that charge at the Brijg. of L^d . | b..t it at
Mount Tabor: I beat it at the Pyramide. Oh, miy | beat it here?" * *
“The charge was ordered, the battle won, and Marengo w„ added to
the victories of Napoleon. Oh, let our gallant leader draw*inenirltinn
from the street gamin of Pane. In the face of an enemy proud and ooS"
fident, the president hasi wavered. Engaged in the battle^oyal between
him not"be 5ism‘.7ed ° C ° mm0n P,op, “’’ h * h “ o^ered a rVtreSt. Lat
"Let the charge be ordered, and the air will resound with the tramo of
men tcMrrcd in a score of battles for the people's riohts Let »u;.
mend be given, and this Marengo will be our glory and not our shame”
(Applause on the floor and in the galleries.) 7 sname.
Was Delivered in Con
gress August 16,
1893,
When William Jennings Bryan en
tcred congre»a as a representative from
Nebraska, he was practically unknown
rare to the people of his own state. On
the floor of the house he was soon rec-
ofnlzed as a forceful and ready speak-
but It was not until hJs great
fpeech against the repeal of the Sher
man law on August 16, 1893, that his
wonderful oratory sent his name click
ing over the wires throughout the
country.
It was this address, known long af
terward as the “drummer boy" address
from.a quotation he trumpeted.through
the house that .brought William Jen
nings Bryan first Into the eyes of the
nation. It was delivered In the heat
of a long debate'In which several of
the foremost orators of the house had
made their supreme efforts.
The young orator was Interrupted In
the early part of his address by ques
tions intended to confuse him; he was
badgered by the opposition with every
trick of the floor, yet when his time had
expired and the. speaker's gavel rapped
upon the desk, the applause which fol
lowed Mr. Bryan’s pause swept friends
and enemies alike, and the time was
extended indefinitely. At the close of
his address the gentleman from Ne
braska soared into ahelght of eloquence
auch ns the walls of the capitol have
seldom heard since the oratory of ante
bellum days, and only the magnificent
voice of the young orator from the
West could have been heard above the
tumult of applause which swept the
great hall In defiance of all rules.
Some extracts from that address are
herewith reproduced from the Con
gressional Record of that date.
Th# Address in the Hpuse.
“Mr. Speaker, I shall accomplish my
full purpose if I am able to Impress
on the members of the house the
far-reaching consequences which may
follow our action and quicken their ap
p. -latlon of the grave responsibility
which presses upon uA Historians tell
us that the victory of Charles Martel
at Tours determined the history of all
Europe for centuries. It was the con
quest ‘between the Crescent and the
Cross, v and when, on that fateful day,
the. Frankish prince drove back the
followers of Abderrehman, he rescued
the west from ’the nl-destroylng
grasp of Islam.’ and saved to Kuropc
Its Christian civilization.
"A greater than Tours Is here
mv humble Judgment, the vote of this
house on the subject under considera
tion may bring to the people of the
West and South, to the people of the
United States, and to all mankind, weal
or woe beyond the power of language
to describe or Imagination to concede.
“In the princely palace or In the
humblest hamlet; by the financier and
by the poorest toller; here, In Europe
and everywhere, the proceedings of this"
congress upon this problem will be read
and studied; as our actions bless or
blight, we shall be commended or con
demned. The president of the United
States, in the discharge of his duty as
be sees It. has sent to congress a ines-
Mg* railing attention to the present
financial situation, and recommending
the unconditional repeal of the Sher
man Jaw as the only means of securing
relief Some outside of this hall have
Insisted that the president’s recom-
mendutlon Imposes upon the Demo
cratic members an obligation, as It
‘ ere, to carry out his wishes, and over
turn* friends have suggested that
r>p<»sltlon to his views might subject
the hardy dissenter to administrative
displeasure. They do the president <
treat injustice who presume that he
would forget for a moment the In
dependence of the two branches or
nngress. He would not be worthy of
•ur admiration ot even respect If he
demnnded n homage which would vlo
late the primary principles of free rep
tentative government. * * *
No* it He Honest? But is Hs Right?
president has recommended an
unconditional repeal. It Is not suffl-
f l p nt to say that he Is honest—so were
the mothers who r wlth misguided zeal,
threw their children Into the Ganges.
Jhe question Is not ’Is he honest?’ but
’ Is he right?’ He won the confidence
*'* th»‘ toilers of this country because
* A taught that ’public office Is a public
and because he convinced them
hlfi courage and his sincerity. But
,h cy willing, to say, tn the language
Job. ‘Though He slay me, yet will I
trust Him.’ Whence comes this irre-
MtlbU. demand for unconditional rc-
Are not the representatives here
r* tho.people and as apt to know
f.clr wishes? Whence comes this de
mand'' x 0 t from the workshop and the
farm, not from the workingmen of this
country, who create its wealth In time
of peace and protect Its flag In time of
war.- but from the middlemen, from
what are termed the ‘business Inter-
ests,’ and largely from that class
which can force congress to let it issue
money at a pecuniary profit to Itself If
silver is abandoned. The president has
been deceived. He can no more Judge
the wishes of the great mass of our
people by the expressions of these men
than he can measure the ocean’s silent
depths by the foam upon Its waves.
A Magnificent Period.
“There are thousands, yes, tens of
thousands, aye, even millions, who have
not yet ‘bowed their knee to Baal.* Let
the president take courage. Muhlbach
relates an incident In the life of the
great military hero of France. At Ma
rengo the Man of Destiny, sad and dis
heartened thought the battle was lost.
He callea to a drummer boy and or
dered him to beat a retreat. The lad
replied:
‘"Sire, I do not know how. Dessalx
has never taught me a retreat, but I
can beat a charge. Oh, I can beat a
charge that will make the dead fall
Into line! I beat that charge at the
Bridge of Lodi; I beat it at Mount
Tabor; I beat it at the Pyramids. Oh,
may I beat It here?*
"The charge was ordered, the battle
won, and Marengo was added to the
victories of Napoleon. Oh, let our
gallant leader draw Inspiration from
the Atreet gamin of Paris. In the face
of an enemy proud and confident, the
presklent has wavered. Engaged In
the battle royal between the 'money
power and the common people,’ he has
ordered a retreat. Let him not be dis
mayed. %
Tribute to Cleveland.
"He has won greater victories than
Napoleon, for he Is a warrior who has
conquered without a sword. He re
stored fidelity in the public service; he
converted Democratic hope Into reali
zation; he took up the banner of tariff
reform and carried it to triumph. Let
him continue that great?* fight for 'the
FATHER AND MOTHER OF WM. J. BRYAN
FORMER VISITS TO CITY
OF WILLIAM J. BR YAN
JUDGE SILA8 8. BRYAN.
MARIE ELIZABETH BRYAN.
His First and Only Lecture of $50,000 Tour
Delivered Here Ten Years
Ago.
Judge Silas Bryan was a native of Culpeper county, Virginia, where three generations of his family had
preceded him. While not In any sense pioneers, for they followed rather than led the wave of settlement, the
Bryans have always been Inclined to abandon the centera of population and seek their fortunes In newer and
ruder communities. The son comes naturally by his love for public life. Judge Bryan sat for eight years In the
senate of Illinois, to which state he hod early removed, made an unsuccessful race for congress, was In 1870 a
member of the constitutional convention which gave hla state her present bnslc law, and was for twelve years
Judge of the circuit court. In 1852 he married, at Salem, Miss Marla Elizabeth Jennings.
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF MR. BRYAN;
HIS DEFEATS WERE VICTORIES
Some Biographical
Facts About Atlanta’s
Guest.
Among the lesser known heroes of
mythology Is one Antaeos. a wrestler,
who, when 1 In combat thrown to earth,
gold and silver coinage of the cohstttu- a ] Wa y B arose with greater ' strength
tlnn ’ tn which threp nntlnnnl nlatfnrtnii . .
tlon,’ to which three national platforms
have pledged him. Let his clarion voice
call the party hosts to arms; let him
but speak the language of the senator
from Texas, the reply fto those who
would destroy the use of silver: Tn
this hour fraught with peril to the
whole country, 1 appeal to the unpur
chased representatives of the American
people to meet this bold and Insolent
demand like men. Let us stand In the
breach and call the battle on and never
leave the Held until the people's mone)
shall be restored to the mints on equal
terms with gold, as It was years ago.'
Let this command be given, and the
air will resound with the tramp of men
scarred in n score of battles for th,
people’s rights. Let this command be
given, and this Marengo will be our
glory and not our shams. (Applauai
on the floor and in the galleries.)
Th, Parting of the Ways.
Well has It been said by (ho sena
tor from Missouri (Mr. Vest) that
we have come to the parting of the
cays. Today the Democratic party
atands between two great forces, each
Inviting Its support. On the one side
stands the corporate Interests of the
notion, Its moneyed Institutions, Its ag
gregations of wealth and capital, Im
perious, arrogant, rompasslonleso.
They demand special legislation, fa
vors, privileges and Immunities. They
can subscribe magnificently to cam
paign funds: they can strike down op
position with their all-pervading In
fluence, and to those who fawn and
flatter bring ense and plenty. They
demand that the Democratic party
shall become their agent to execute
their merciless decree. .....
"On the other side stands that un
numbered throng whlrh gave the name
to the Democratic party, and for which
. „*,» onnnlr Wiihlf .worn
To Think Well Means
Success
Healthy Brains Are Made By
Grape-Nuts
“There’* u Reason.”
it has assumed to speak. Work-worn
and dust-begrimed, they make their
sad appeal. They hear of nverage
wealth Increased on every side and
feel the Inequality of Its distribution.
They see an overproduction of every
thing desired because of the under
production of the ability to buy. They
can not pay for loyalty except with
their suffrages, and can only punish
betrayal with their condemnation. Al
though the ones who most desenre the
fostering care of government, their
rrlets for help too often beat In vain
against the outer walls, while others
less deserving find ready access to leg-
Islatlve halls. ,
Battle Hymn, "Home, Sweet Horn*.
"This army, vast and dally vaster
crowing, begs the party to be Its com-
nanlon In the present conflict. It can
not prws tts claims 'mid sounds of rev-
elry. Its phalanxes do not form In
grand parade, nor has It gaudy ban
ners floating on the breeze. Its bat
tle hymn Is 'Home, Sweet Home; Its
war cry 'Equality Before the Law. To
the Democratic party, standtng be
tween these two Irreconcilable forces,
uncertain to which side to turn and
conscious that upon Its choice Its fate
depends, come the words of Israel s
day Whom ye will
serve.' What will the answer be?
lit me invoke the memoir of him
whose dust made sacred the soil of
Montlcello when he Joined
centered sovereigns who
their urns.'
than before. Not without relevance
may Mr. Bryan In his political career
be llkefled to this deml-god, for a calm
consideration of his public life makes
It the Inevitable belief that hla defeats
have by chance, by destiny or what
not, been turned Into.victory.
In 1890, at the age of 30, Mr. Bryan
became for the first time candidate for
office. He aimed high as a starter, be
tng Democratic nominee for congress
from the First Nebraska district. Al
though It was normally Republican, he
carried the district by a plurality of
6,000 votes. Two years later he again
made the race and was elected with
only 139 votes to spare.
Id 1894 he was Democratic nominee
for the senate. The land slid about
that time and Mr. Bryan was over,
whelmlngly defeated.
Then he went to newspaper editing,
being ono of the writers of The Omaha
World-Herald. He kept at thlo till he
went as delegate to the Chicago con
vention. There was a split In the res
olutions committee on the money plank
of the platform. A majority declared
for hl-metalUsm. A minority report
was presented. Mr. Bryan closed the
debate for the majority or free silver
forces. He closed his speech with “You
shall not press down upon the brow of
labor this crown of thorns; you shall
not crucify mankind on a cross of
gold." Defeated for the senate, he was
nominated for the presidency. He was
defeated. It need hardly be said. Again
four yearR later, he was defeated, and
In 1901 he was not considered at the
Ht. Louis convention.
Yet. at that convention, he was
garded ns the strongest man In the
parly, and today he Is generally re
garded ns certain • to be next Demo
cratlc nominee—or else runner-up.
As to his life—the details have been
prosaic enough up to his thirtieth year.
There was little of the romantic In It.
Just hard work. But In those plodding
days he was working eighteen hours a
day, preparing himself for ‘the two
great opportunities that eventually
came to him and by the magnificent
seizure of which he established himself
as a statesman.
The Bryan skeleton in Who's Wht
reads like this:
Bryan, William Jennings, editor;
bom Salem, III.. March 19, 1860; early
education In public schools and Whip
ple Academy: graduated minola Col
lege, Jacksonville, valedictorian, 1881;
received degree mnster of arts 1884;
Union College of Law, Chicago, 1883;
married Mary E. Baird, Perry, III., Oc
tober 1, 1884; practiced law Jackson
ville, III.. 1883-1887; since then at Lin
coln, Nebr.; member congress 1891-’95:
received Dopiocratlc vote for United
States senator In Nebraska legislature,
1893; nominated In Democratic conven
tion for United State® senator, 1894,
OLD BRYAN HOMESTEAD
REMAINS MUCH THE SAME
AS WHEN BUILT IN 1792
The old Bryan homestead, built by
the great-great-grandfather ot William
J. Bryan, the Democratic candidate for
president, still stands on Oventop
piountaJn, at the eastern base of Mar<
vey's rock, the highest peak of the Blue
Ridge mountains, practically the same
as when It was constructed, 114 years
ago, by Joseph T. Bryan.
Mr. Bryan In 1762 left the tidewater
section of Virginia and pushed west
ward. Oventop mountain—then un
named—appealed to him an a perfect
place for a home, and there he settled.
From his door he could look down
through a beautiful valley, now dotted
with grazing herds and fine farms
made fertile by the mountain stream
that winds Its way to the waters of the
Rappahannock, while around him were
all the conditions necessary for a set
tler’s livelihood.
The Bryan house, after the fashion
of the time, was built of heavy, notch
ed logs. Cracks and crevices were fill
ed with mud and water. Thus It stood,
weather-stained and storm-shaken,
til about eighteen months ago, when
the family that now occupies the place
determined to Improve Its appearance.
The ell, however, Is now as It waa when
first constructed.
The barn stands on a small eminence,
almost directly In front of the house.
The rains and snows and heavy winds
of nearly a century and a half have
sadly marred whatever beauty the
sturdy old structure might have once
had
! county In 1806, having made a will by
w-hlch he, after providing for Ills wife,
Nettle Bryan, and two maiden sis
ters, who lived with him, divided his
property equally between his children,
James, John, William, Aqutlla, Lucy
and Elizabeth. He was at the time of
his death some 66 or 60 years old.
James, his eldest son, was the only
child married at the time of his death,
but they all married shortly thereafter,
one daughter marrying a Mr. Duna
way and the other a Mr. Baldeck.
one year after the death of William
Bryan his real estate was divided
among his children, and to John, the
grandfather of William Jennings, was
allotted the tract of 216 acres near the
town of Sperryvllle, and by reason of
Its location perhaps the most valuable
portion of the estate.
In 1807 John Bryan was married to
Nancy Llllard. He lived on the old
home place until 1826, when he sold
out and with his family femoved to
the then western part of Virginia, now
West Virginia, on the banks of the
Ohio, near the mouth of the Great
Knnawha.
The Llllard family lived In the same
neighborhood with the Bryans and are
supposed to be of Scotch origin. A
large remnant of the family still Ive
In Rappahannock and Culpeper coun
ties. They are people noted for their
courage and Integrity.
Silas Llllard, a brother of Nancy Lll
lard Bryan, and for whom the father of
the candidate was named, left Virginia
about the same time the Bryans did.
This Is the fifth visit of Mr. Bryan
to Atlanta. He first came while a
member of congress, and thei* again
ten years ago, less three months and
two days. His reception then was as
brilliant as that of Thursday, a decade
later.
“The First Battle," that campaign of
1896, had been fought and William
McKinley had 'overwhelmingly tri
umphed. But the matchless oratory of
the Nebraskan, concreted In the thrill
ing “cross of gold, crown of thorns”
climax to the Chicago speech, still held
the people of Atlanta and the South In
enthusiastic thralldom, and the defeat
of the hopes ot the Democratic party,
bringing the most intense disappoint
ment to Dixieland, did not In the least
diminish the admiration the people had
for him.
So, a brilliant idea struck Captain
V. E. McBee, of Portsmouth, Va., at
that time general superintendent of
the Seaboard Air Line, and one of the
best known men In the South.
About ten days subsequent to the
fateful Tuesday after the first Monday
In November, Captain "Bunch,” as he
was known to everybody, wired Mr.
Bryan, ottering hltn 350,000 to deliver
fifty lectures. Mr. Bryan accepted,
and Atlanta was named as the city for
the premiere.
On December 23 Mr. Bryan addressed
one of the most brilliant audiences
that ever gathered at the Grand opera
house. Every seat in the house, from
pit to dome, was occupied and hun
dreds were forced to stand. It was
the biggest crowd that ever heard a
lecture in Atlanta, with the possible
exception of that which greeted Henry
M. Stanley.
Yet that was the first and the last
lecture of the series Mr. Bryan de
livered. His own verdict of the lec
ture was that It was a failure, and he
Insisted on withdrawing from the con
tract and canceling the forty-nine
dates remaining.
Mr. Bryan's lecture was on "The
Ancient Landmarks." Read today, It
would be regurded ns applicable to
present conditions and as a powerful
yet temperate arraignment of modern
evils In economic and political affairs.
Yet as a lecture It was a flat failure.
It was an essay of strength, but there
was In It none of the oratorical fervor,
none of the burning eloquence of hla
famous speech In congress, which In
one day transformed a provincial law
yer into a national figure, and his
Chicago speech, which swept a Dem
ocratic convention off its feet and made
him the presidential nominee. The
public *expffcted to be thrilled, to be
transported Into a realm of mental In
toxication by flow of oratory. The pub
lic expected figures of speech, ana got
statistics. It expected frills and furbe
lows and got plain fabric all wool and
a yard wide, albeit woven by a master
hand.
Mr. Bryan was introduced by the late ’
Judge Hal T. Lewis, who had seized
the opportunity at Chicago and had
nominated him for the presidency.
Governor William Y. Atkinson was
master of ceremontes.
The social side of his visit ttas bril
liant. A luncheon by the Young Men’s
Democratic League was the first fea
ture of the day. VV. J. Mallard, at the
head of the league then, presided. A
reception at the governor’s mansion
followed, and after the lecture Mr.
Bryan waa entertained by the Fulton
Club.
It is significant that In the ten years
that have elapsed the personnel of po
litical ascendency In Georgia has
changed completely. Those who were
then most prominent officially and so
cially In the reception to Mr. Bryan
will this year be Inconspicuous In ex
tending the glad hand. As a politician
expresses It, "It’s another gong.” Yet
Mr. Bryan seems to have lost naught
by tho changes ot time, In his mastery
of the people.
Two years later Mr. Bryan passed
through Atlanta, stopping to make a
notable address at the state capitol.
The hall of representatives was packed
unto suffocation, hundreds stood out
side In the corridors, Just catching now
and then a word or phrase of the
speech he made, and untold others sac
rificed supper to be able to see him ns
he passed on his way to deliver the
address.
There seems to be no diminution of
that homage from Atlanta and Atlan
tans.
MRS. BR YAN STUDIED LA W
TO ASSIST HER HUSBAND;
IDEAL WIFE AND MOTHER
About a half mile from the.old home- He went to Mississippi and became a
stead, to the west, In a narrow, rocky
road. Is the old Dryan meeting house.
It Is a large, rambling structure, In
about the same condition as when the
great-great-grandfather of the presi
dential candidate worshipped, there
with his family and neighbors.
The Bryans are very devout Baptists
of the old school, and, Judging from
the fact that the church will seat about
800 persons, It Is evident that the
neighbors were nearly all of the same
faith.
The building to this day Is called
the "old Bryan church," as It was from
the first, from the fact that the Bryans
either built It complete or were the chief
contributors to the expense of putting
up the house of worship. Upon this
point the neighborhood traditions are
conflicting. , ,
Stories of the great devotion of the
first Bryan to the principles of liberty
—both religious and civil—are still
handed down to younger generations In
this vicinity.
William Bryan, the great-grandfath
er of the candidate, died In Culpeper
• ‘The ‘lend but
still rule
Our spirits fmui
tie was called a demagogue, and
followers a mob, but the Immortal
lirreraon dared to follow the best
SSTSSS? matter, "h’unianpjy
S"aUh >r ; n d n twer. rn pl«d*d^ th^cause
rtf the common people. * l *****
devotion to thetr Interests which made
his party Invincible while he lived, and
will make his memory revered while
history endures. And what message
comes to us from the Hermitage?
When a crisis like the present arose,
and the national bank of his day sought
to control the politics of the nation,
God raised up Andrew Jackson, who
had the courage to grapple with that
great enemy, and by overthrowing it,
he made himself the Idol of the peo
ple, and reinstated the Democratic
partv In public confidence.
•'What will the decision be today?
Tho Democratic party has won the
greatest success In Its history. Stand
ing upon this victory-crowned sum
mit, will it turn Its face toward the ris
ing or the setting sun? Will It choose
blessings or curses—life or death—
which? Which?” (Prolonged applause
on the floor and galleries and cries of
Vote! Votel”)
but was defeated by John M. Thurston;
editor Omaha World-Herald 1894-’96;
delegate national Democratic conven
tion 1896; wrote the silver plank In the
platform, made a notable speech and
was nominated for president of the
United States; traveled over 18,000
miles during campaign, speaking at
almost every stopping place; received
176 electoral votes against 271 for
William McKinley. In 1897-*98 lec
tured on bl-metallism; raised In May.
1898, the Third regiment, Nebraska vol
unteer Infantry, for the war against
Spain, becoming its colonel. Again
nominated for president in 1900 by
Democratic, Populist and silver Repub
lican conventions; "Imperialism” waa
declared by platform to be tho para
mount Issue; he made an active can
vass. but was again defeated, receiving
In electoral college 155, votes against
292 for William McKinley. After the
election he established the weekly po
litical magazine. The Commoner. Last
year he embarked on his tour around
the world, for articles on which he 11
said to have received $50,000. the big
gest price ever paid by a news syndi
cate. He visited the Philippines, Japan
China, India, Russia and other Euro*
peon countries*
wealthy planter, but died early In life
without Issue. Another brother, Cap
tain Benjamin Llllard, lived and died
Ih Rappahannock county.
Captain Benjamin Llllard died about
1870, and hla descendants of the male
and female line live In the counties of
Culpeper and Rappahannock. Con
spicuous among these Is p. H. O’Bran
non, who at one time represented the
county of Rappahannock In the state
legislature.
He Is an extensive land owner, as
well as the leading merchant of Sper
ryvllle. These, together with the other
descendants of the Llllard family, are
about all the Virginia relatives Can
didate Bryan has.
John, the grandfather of William
Jennings, was the last to leave the old
state. He sold out In 1826, when the
father of William Jennings was four
yeaj*s old, and started West, but, as If
reluctant to leave his native state, halt
ed on the banks of the Ohio, where
both he and his wife, Nancy, died, the
wife dying In 1830 and he in 1836.
Upon the death of John Bryan his
family scattered through several of the
Western states. Silas Llllard Bryan,
the father of William Jennings Bryan,
went first to Missouri and lived there
for a year or two with an older brother,
who had previously settled In that
state. There he sought to obtain an
education by working u part of the
year and going to school the remainder,
i was the custom In those days. After
year or two he went to Marlon coun
ty, Illinois, where he taught school for
a time. Afterwards he went to col
lege, was graduated, studied law and
began the practice In 1857, soon rising
to prominence In the profession.
lie held various positions of trust
and confidence. He was a state sena
tor, superintendent of schools, judge of
the circuit court for twelve years, and
was a member of the constitutional
convention.
Such was the Virginia ancestry of
the Democratic presidential nominee.
His mother was of good New England
stock, ir woman of uncommonly good
sense. Huch unions have In more than
one cose produced some of the greatest
Intellects and wisest statesmen of our
country. The tire, enthusiasm and
eurnestness of the Houthron. commin
gled with the persistent energy, forti
tude and perseverance of the New Eng
lander, seem to produce men fully
equipped for the highest attainments.
Famous American Fell in Love With Mary
Baird While They Were in College
Together in Illinois.
To say that he home life of a great
mnn typifies the Ideal home life of the
American citizen Iz to name the crown
ing glory of hla career. And to say
that such Is the good fortune of Wil
liam Jennings Bryan; to recall that
the btamelessness of his private life
has never found a detractor, and to
learn that hs himself declares that al
ways In the heat of action. In the
tension of supreme effort, he has found
his Inspiration ot home, Is to' feel an
Immediate Interest In the personality
of Mrs. William Jennings Bryan.
Mrs. Bryan, as the prospective mis
tress of the white house, la doubly
Interesting.
Were College Mates.
After a pretty romance, which lasted
through the years of their college life
In Jacksonville, III., Miss Mary Baird
and William Jennings Bryan were mar
ried In 1884. Their marriage, did not
Interrupt their student life together.
On the contrary, the union was but an
Incentive to Airs. Bryan, who entered
with full and ready sympathy Into
every detail of her husband's profes
sional life. When the all-abBorblng
Interests and manifold duties of moth
erhood claimed her time, Mrs. Bryan
continued to be the comrade of her
husband. Under his direction, she stud
ied law, taking tho course prescribed
by the Union College of Law, Chicago,
and being admitted to practice In 1888
before the supreme court of Nebraska.
To Help Hsr Husband.
What u momentous accomplishment
this seems, In view of the fact that Sira.
Bryan had neither need nor Intention
of practicing the profession, her aim j
being to keep pace with her brilliant
husband, and to enable herself to com
prehend more fully and sympathetical
ly the work to which he waa then
giving the greater part of his life. Mrs.
Bryan's energy and enthusiasm further
led her to take up her pen, and Mr.
Bryan's first book, "The First Battle,"
contains a brief biography of himself,
written by her. In this she says naive
ly. "A prize always flred William’s
ambition.” And she then tells bow
ho good naturedly but persistently en
tered every contest which schqol and
college afforded, and how a defeat only
Increased his determination. When v.e
recall Mr. Bryan’s public life, the little
story becomes highly significant.
Representative Club Woman.
Mrs. Bryan has been for years
representative club woman, and la an
earnest advocate of the reforms which
women's clubs atm to accomplish. She
believes that "organization” should be
the slogan of the twentieth century
woman.
Our admiration becomes love and
reverence when we turn from Airs.
Bryan, club woman, scholar and lltern-
teur, to Airs. Bryan, wife and mother.
She has been. In tho truest sense, the
helpmeet of her husband, and the wise
and gentle counsellor of her children.
Indeed, whatever Interests seemingly
extraneous to her home life she may
have had, these have but rounded that
development necessary to fit her for the
most sacred offices of womanhood.
Three children, all of whom are now
living, have beeq bom to Mr. and Mrs.
Bryan.
The Bryan Children.
Bulb Baird, the eldesL was married
recently to Mr. Leavitt, the well-known
artist, the romance having begun while
Air. Leavitt wa» painting Air. Bryan'*
portrait. Mr*. Leavitt ha* recontly
made an ambltloua venture In play-
writing, her play, "Mr*. Holmes, De
tective," having made It* appearance
shortly after the arrival of Air. and
Mrs. Bryan from abroad.
The second daughter, Grace Dexter,
Is u most attractive young woman, and
Is now u student at Hollins Institute,'
In Itoonoke, Va.
William Jennings, Jr., I* a boy of
nearly 17.
"The older girl,” Mr*. Bryan has said,
"Is like her mother, the younger strong- I
ly resembles her father, and the son 1
seems to be a composite photograph of.
both parents."
Prospective “First Lady."
It Is Interesting to speculate upon a
regime with Airs. Bryan a* mistress of)
the white house, she ha* never been. j
In any sense, a society woman, having i
chosen to devote her life to more serl- |
ous Interests. Although,the fashion-'
able society llfo of Washington would i
probably be dlstaateful to her, she
would prove a powerful stimulus to !
the woman who has no alms. We can ;
easily Imagine that with Mr». Bryan I
as mistress of the white house, such
substantial qualities as Intellect, energy
and worth of character would be in
vogue.
MANY ARE KILLED
WRECK
Bodies of Victims Horribly
Burned in the
Debris.
London, Sept. 20.—Ten persons kill
ed and sixteen Injured Is the latest
estimate given of the casualties In the
wreck last night of the Scotch ex
press on the Great Northern railway,
near Grantham.
The locomotive and several coaches
were dashed over an embankment.
Fire broke out In the wreckage. Many
of the victims taken from the wreck
were horribly burned. As In the re
cent Salisbury disaster, the wreck oc
curred on a curve. The train ehould
have stopped at Grantham, but failed
to do so.
Students Off to College.
Special to Tbe Georgian.
qoro°l, Wk in l,V " l ®’a%.’ 8 * P *' *0—MUM*
A, il e and Christine Smith have
S£“ °. 8hort *f College, at Rome;
Anna Waterman, Elsie Ragan,
5? a X Phillip*, Reba Jordan and May
-fi" SS“ *° *° Brenau at Gainesville,
and Allises Ruth Jelks and Kato Lewis
S' 1 “ , , ,en<1 Monroe Female College at
< onucth. ,