Newspaper Page Text
-:ifnpuw» ■ I
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 190*.
MILE-STONES IN CAREER OF WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
SPEECH THA T WON
FAME AS AN ORA TOR
FAMOUS PERIOD IN SPEECH
OF CONGRESSMAN BRYAN,
Mou nt T * b £ ri I be»t it at the Pyramid!. Oh, may I beat it here?’
"The charge was ordered, the battle won, and Marengo waa added to
the victories of Napoleon. Oh, let our gallant leader draw inapiratlon
from the street gamin of Paris. In the face of an enemy proud and con
fident, the president has wavered. Engaged in the battle aoyal between
the ‘money power and the common .people/ he haa ordered a retreat. Let
him not be diamayed.
"Let the oharge be ordered, and the air will reaound with the tramp of
men scarred In a aeora of battles for tho people's rights. Let this com
mand be given, and thta Marengo will be our glory and not our shame"
(Applause on the floor and In thi galleries.)
Was Delivered in Con
gress August 16,
1891,
When William Jennings Bryan en
tered congress as a representative from
Nebraska, he was practically unknown
rave to the people of his own state. On
the floor of the house he was soon ree
ngnlsed as a forceful and ready speak
or. but It was not until his great
treech against the repeal of the Sher.
nmn law on August It, 1893, that his
wonderful oratory sent his name click'
Ing over the wires throughout the
country.
It was this address, known long at'
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
ol 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 confute him; he was
badgered by tho 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 pauso swept friends
and enemies alike, and the time waa
extended Indefinitely. At the close of
his address the gentleman from Ne
braska soared Into ahelght of eloquence
such as the walls of the capitol have
seldom heard since the oratory of ante
bellum days, and only the magnificent
voire of the young orator from the
West could have been heard above the
tumult of applause which swept the
great hall lit defiance of all rules.
Rome extracts from that address are
herewith reproduced from the Con
gressional Record of that date.
The Address In the House.
“Mr. Speaker, I shall accomplish my
full purpose If I am able to Impress
upon the members of the house the
far-reaching consequences which may
follow our action and quicken their ap-
p,-. flatten of the grave responsibility
which presses upon us. Historians tell
us that the victory of Charles Martel
ut Tours determined the history of all
Europe for centuries. It was the con
quest 'between the Crescent and the
»'rose,' nnd when, on that fateful day,
the Frankish prince drove back the
followers of Abderrehman, he rescued
the west from 'the al-dcstroylng
grasp of Islam,' nnd saved to Europe
Its Christian civilization.
"A greater than Tours Is here!
my 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 tho
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 flnnncler and
h.v the poorest toller; here. In Europe
and everywhere, the proceedings of this
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
sliver 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 ocenn'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 preaident 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 waa lost.
He called 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 street gamin of Paris. In the face
of an enemy proud and confident, the
president 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. I*t
him continue that greater fight for 'the
FATHER AND MOTHER OF WM. J. BRYAN
JUDGE 81 LAS 8. BRYAN.
MARIE ELIZABETH BRYAN.
FORMER VISITS TO CITY
OF WILLIAM J. BR YAN
His First and Only Lecture of $5^0,000 Tour
Delivered Here Ten Years
Ago. •
Judge Silas Bryan was a native of Culpeper county, Virginia, where three generations of his family had
P receded him. While not In any sense pioneers, for they followed rather than led the wave of settlement, the
iryans have always been Inclined to abandon the centers 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 had early removed, made an unsuccessful race for congress, was In 1870 a
member of the constitutional convention which gave his state her present basic 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 Ahtaeos, a wrestler,
who, when In combat thrown to earth,
gold and sliver coinage of the constitu- always arose with greater strength
(Inn * (n u-hlnh thrAA nntlnnnl nlolfnrma J . .
than before. Not without relevance
•ngress upon this problem will be read
find studied; as our actions bless or
Might, we shall be commended or con
demned. The president of the United
States, In the discharge of his duty ns
lie sees It, has*nent to congress a tnes-
Fage calling attention to the present
rtnunelal situation, and recommending
the unconditional repeal fit the Sher-
tnnn law as the only means of securing
relief. Some outside of this hall have
Insisted that the president’s rocnm
mendatlon Imposes upon the Demo
crutic members tin obligation, as It
were, to carry out his wishes, and over-
zealous friends have suggested that
opposition to his views might subject
the hardy dissenter to administrative
displeasure. They do the president a
Brent injustice who presume that he
would forget for a moment the In
dependence of the two branches or
«onqrPH*. He would not be worthy of
••ur admiration or even respect If he
demanded a homage which would vio
late the primary principles of free rep
resentative government. • • •
Not is He Honsst? But Is Hs Right?
•'The president has recommended an
unmndltlonal repeal. It Is not sufTl-
rlent to say that he Is honest—so were
the mothers who, with misguided seal,
threw their children Into the Ganges.
The question Is not ’Is he honest?’ but
he right?’ He won the confidence
the tollers of this country because
h* taught that ’public office Is a public
trust; and because he convinced them
n * tits courage and his sincerity. But
*re they willing to say, In the language
Job, Though He slay me, yet will I
,r u«t Him.* Whence comes this Irre-
n»rib!* demand for unconditional re
peal? Are not the representatives here
** Bear the people and as apt to know
tl,e lr wishes? Whence comes this de-
,n *nd? Not from the workshop and the
To Think Well Means
Success
Hfillfcr Brains ire Mails By
Grape-Nuts
"There’* a Reason."
tlnn," 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 to those who
would destroy the use of ellver: 'In
this hour fraught with peril to tho
whole country, I appeal to the unpur-
chosed representatives of the American
people to meet this bold and Insolent
demand like men. Let us aland In the
breach and call the battle on and never
leave the field until the people's mone)
Bhall 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 a, score of battles for tbs
people's rights. Let this command be
given, and this Marengo will be our
glory and not our shame. (Applauai
on the floor and In the galleries.)
The Parting of tbs Ways.
"Well has It been said by the sena
tor from Missouri (Mr. Vest) that
we have come to the parting of the
ways. Today the Democratic party
stands between two great forces, each
Inviting Its support. On the one side
stand* the corporate Interests of the
nation. Its moneyed Institutions, Its ng
gregatlons of wealth and capital, Irn
perlnus, arrogant, compassionless.
They demand special legislation, fa'
vors, privileges and Immunities. They
can subscribe magnificently to cam
palgn funds; they cun strike down op
position with their all-pervading In'
fluence, and to those who fawn and
flatter bring ease 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 which gave the name
to the Democratic party, and for which
It has assumed to speak. Work-worn
and dust-begrimed, they make their
sad'appeal. They hear of average
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 deserve tho
fostering care of government, their
cries for help too often beat In vain
against the outer walls, while others
less deserving find ready access to leg
islative halls.
Battle Hymn, "Home, Sweet Home.'
••This army, vast and dally vaster
growing, begs the party to be Ite com
panion In the present conflict. It can
I. _ minima 'mill ■Atinfla of PAV.
not press Its claims 'mid sounds of rev
elry. Its phalanxes do not form In
grand parade, nor has It gaudy ban
ners floating on the breeze. Ite bat
tle hymn Is 'Home, Sweet Home:' Its
war cry 'Equality Before the Law.' To
the Democratic party, standing 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
second law-giver:
Choose ye this day whom ye will
serve.' What will the answer be?
Let me Invoke the memory of him
whose duet made sacred the soil of
Montlcello when he Joined
•The dead Imt seeptered sovereigns who
■till rule
Our spirits from their urns.
••He was called a demagogue, and
his followers a mob, but the Immortal
Jefferson dared to follow the best
promptings of his heart. He placed
men above matter, humanity above
property, nnd, spurning the bribes of
wealth and power, pleaded the cause
of tho common people, it waa this
devotion to their interests which made
may Mr. Bryan In his political career
be likened to thle deml-god, for a calm
consideration of hie public life makes
It the Inevitable belief that hie defeats
have by chance. by f destiny or what
not, been turned Into victory.
In 1880, at the age of 30, Mr. Bryan
became for the flreC time candidate for
office. He aimed high as a starter, be
Ing Democratic nominee for congress
from the First Nebraska district. Al
though It waa 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.
In 1894 he was Democratic nominee
for the senate. The land slid about
that time and Mr. Bryan waa over
whelmingly defeated.
Then ho went to newspaper editing,
being one of the writers of The Omaha
World-Herald. He kept at thin till he
went as delegate to the Chicago con
vention. Thero was a split In the res
olutions committee on the money plank
of the platform. A majority declared
for bl-metalllsm. A minority report
was presented. Mr. Bryan closed the
debate for the majority or free silver
forces. He closed hie speech with “You
Bhall not presa down upon the brow of
labor this crown of thorns; you shall
not crucify mankind on a cross of
gold." Defeated for the Benate, he was
nominated for the presidency. Ho was
defeated, It need hardly be said. Again
four years later, he was defeated, and
In 1901 he was not considered at the
St. Louis convention.
Yet, at that convention, bo was re
garded as the strongest man In the
party, and today he Is generally re
garded as certain to be next Demo
crallc nominee—or else runner-up.
A9 to his life—the details havo 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 skeloton In Who's Wht
reads like this:
Bryan. William Jennings, editor:
born Salem. III.. March 19, I860;' early
education In public schools nnd Whip-
>|e Academy; graduated Illinois f'o|-
pge, Jacksonville, valedictorian, 1881;
received degree maater of arts 1884;
Union College of Law. Chicago. 1883;
married Mary E. Baird, Perry, III., Oc
tober 1, 1884; practiced law Jackson'
vlllc, 111., 1883-1887; since then at Lin
coln, Nebr.; member congress 1891-'95;
received Democratic vote for United
States senator In Nebraska legislature,
1893; nominated In Democratic conven
tion for United Statce senator, 1894,
OLD BRYAN HOMESTEAD
REMAINS MUCH THE SAME
AS WHEN BUILT IN 1792
The old Bryan homestead, built by
the great-great-grandfather of William
J. Bryan, the Democratic candidate for
president, still stands on Orentop
mountain, at the eastern base of Mar-
vey'e rock, the highest peak of the Blue
Rldgo mountains, practically the same
as when It was constructed, 114 Vears
ago, by Joseph T. Bryan.
Mr. Bryan In 1752 left the tidewater
section of Virginia and pushed west
ward. Orentop mountain—then un
named—appealed to him ae a perfect
place for a home, and there he settled.
From hie door he could look down
through a beautiful valley, now dotted
with graslng herds and fine farms
made fertile by the mduntaln 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, un
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.
Tho 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
which he, after providing for hie wife,
Nettle Bryan, and two maiden sis
ters, who lived with him, divided his
property equally between hie children,
James, John, William, Aqullla, Lucy
and Elisabeth. He was at the time of
his death some 5S or 60 years old,
James, his eldest eon, was the only
child married at the time of hie death,
but they nil 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 bis children, and to John, the
grandfather of William Jennings, was
allotted the tract of 215 acres near the
town of Sperryvllle, and by reason of
Its location perhaps the moat valuable
portion of the estate.
In 1807 John Bryan was married to
Nancy Llllard. He lived on the old
home place until 1828, when he sold
out and with his family removed to
the then western part of Virginia, now
West Virginia, on the banks of the
Ohio, near the mouth of the Great
Kanawha.
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 Hill 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 la the fifth visit of Mr. Bryan
to Atlanta. He first came while a
member of congress, and then 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 of 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, offering him 850,000 to deliver
fifty lectures. Mr. Bryan accepted,
and Atlanta was named as the city for
the premiere.
On December 33 Mr. Bryan addressed
one of the most brilliant audiences
that ever gathered at the Grand opera
house. Every sent In the house, from
pit to dome, was occupied and hun
dreds were forced to stand. It was
the biggest cron-d that ever heard a
lecture In Atlanta, with the possible
exception of that which greeted Henry
M. Stanley.
Yet that was the first and ths last
lecture of the series Mr. Bryan de
livered. Hie 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-nlpe
dates remaining.
Mr. Bryan's lecture was on "The
Ancient Landmarks.” Read today, It
would be regarded ae applicable to
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 his
famous speech In congrei.-, which In
one day transformed a provincial law
yer Into a national figure, and hla
Chicago speech, which swept a Dem
ocratic convention off Its feet and mails
him the presidential nominee. The
public expected to be thrilled, to be
transported Into a realm of mental In
toxication by flow of oratory. The pub
lic expected figures of speech, and 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 ceremonies.
The social side of his visit waa bril
liant. A luncheon by the Young Men’s
Democratic league was the first fea
ture of the day. w. J. Mallard, at the
head of the league then, presided. A
reception nt the governor's mansion
followed, and after the lecture Mr.
Bryan was entertained by the Fulton
Club.
It Is significant that In the ten years
that have elapsed the personnel of po
litical ascendency In Georgia. Mg
changed completely. Those who were
then moet prominent officially and so
cially In the reception to Mr. Bryan
will thle year be fnconeplcuoue In ex
tending the glad hand. As a politician
expresses It, “It's another gang." Yet
Mr. Bryan seems to have lost naught
by the changes of 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 corrtdors. Just catching now
and then a word or phrase of the
speech he made, and untold others sac
rificed supper to be able to sec him ns
he passed on his way to deliver the
address.
There seems to be no diminution of
present conditions and as a powerful that homage from Atlanta and Atlpn-
yet temperate arraignment' of modern I tana.
MRS. BR YAN STUDIED LA W
TO ASSIST HER HUSBAND;
IDEAL WIFE AND MOTHER
Famous American Fell in Love With Mary
Baird While They Were in College
Together in Illinois.
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, anil by overthrowing It,
he made himself the Idol of- the peo
ple, and reinstated the Democratic
parly In public confidence,
■'Whnt will the decision be today?
The Democratic party has won the
greatest success In Its history. Stand
ing upon this victory-crowned sum
mit, will '.4 turn Its face tow aril the ris
ing or the setting sun? Will It choose
blessings or curses—life or death—
hlch? Which?” (Prolonged applause
the floor and galleries and cries uf
Vote! Vote!")
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 Bryan meeting houso.
It le a large, rambling structure. In
about the same condition os 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 tho 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 nnd civil—are still
handed down to younger generations In
this vicinity. ..
William Bryan, the great-grandfath
er of the candidate, died In Culpeper
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-metalllsm: 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" was
declared by platform to be the para
mount Issue; he made an active can-
vase. but was again defeated, receiving
In electoral college 155 votes against
292 for William McKinley. After the
election he established the weekly po
litical magaslne. The Commoner. Last
year he embarked on his tour around
the world, for articles on which he ft
raid to have received $60,000, the big
gest price ever paid by a news syndi
cate. He visited the Philippines. Japan
China, India, Russia and other Euro
pean countries.
wealthy planter, but died early In life
without Issue. Another brother, Cap.
tain Benjamin Llllard, lived and died
In Rappahannock county. '
Captain Benjamin Llllnrd died about
1870, nnd his descendants of the male
and female line live In the counties of
Culpeper and Rappahannock. Con
■plcuous among these 1s P. H. O'Bran
non, who at one time represented the
county of Rappahannock In the state
legislature.
He le an extensive land owner, as
well as tho 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 1828, when the
father of William Jennings was four
years old, and started West, but, os It
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 1880 and he In 1815.
Upon the death of John Bryan his
family scattered through several of the
Western states. Bilan 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 a part of the
year and going to school the remainder,
as was the custom In those days. After
a 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 1867, soon, rising
to prominence In the profession.
He 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, a woman of uncommonly good
sense. Such unions have In more than
one ease produced some of the greatest
Intellects and wisest statesmen of our
country. The tire, enthusiasm and
earnestness of the Southron, commin
gled with the iierslstent energy, forti
tude nnd perseverance of the New Eng
lander, seem to produce men fully
equipped for the highest attainments.
To say that hq home life of a great
man typifies the Ideal home life of the
American citizen Is to name the crown
Ing glory of hi* career. And to say
that such Is the good fortune of WII
Ham Jennings Bryan; to recall that"
the blamelessness of his private life
has never found a detractor, and to
learn that he himself declares that al
ways In the heat of action. In the
tension of supreme efforL he has found
his Inspiration at home, le to feel an
Immediate interest In the • personality
of Mrs. William Jennings Bryan.
Mr*. Bryan, as the prospective mis
tress of the white house, Is doubly
Interesting.
Were College Mates.
After a pretty romance, which lasted
through the yeare of their college life
la 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 wo* but an
Incentive to Mrs. Bryan, who entered
with full and ready sympathy Into
every detail of her husband’s profes
sional life. When the all-absorbing
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 the course prescribed
by the Union College of Law, Chicago,
and being admitted to practice In 1888
before the supreme court of Nebraska.
To Help Her Husband.
What a momentous accomplishment
this seems, In view of the fact that Mrs.
Bryan had neither need nor Intention
of practicing the profession, her aim
being to keep pace with her brilliant
husband, and to enable herself to com
prehend more fully and sympathetica!
ly the work to which he was then
giving the greater part of his life. Mrs.
Bryan’s energy and enthusiasm further
loil 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 prtao alwaya fired Wllllam'a
ambition." And she then telle how
he good naturedly but peralstcntly en
tered every contest which school and
college afforded, and how a defeat only
Increased his determination. When we
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 Is an
earnest advocate of the reforms which
women's clubs aln( to accomplish. She
believes that “organisation" should be
the slogan of the twentieth century
woman.
Our admiration becomes love and
reverence when we turn from Mrs.
Bryan, club woman, scholar and litera-
teur, to Mrs. Bryan, wife and mother.
She has been, In the truest sense, the
helpmeet of her husband, and the wise
and gentle counsellor of her children.
Indeed, whatever interests seemingly,
estraneous 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 been bom to Mr. and Mrs.
Bryan.
The Bryan Children.
Huth Baird, the eldest, waa married Foraub.
recently to Mr. Leavitt, the well-known
artist, the romance having begun while
Mr, Leavitt waa painting Mr. Uryan'a
portrait Mrs. Leavitt has recently i
made an ambitious venture In play-
writing, her play, "Mrs. Holmes. De
tective," having made Its appearance
shortly after the arrival of Mr. and
Mrs. Bryan from abroad.
The second daughter, Grace Dexter,
Is a most attractive young woman, and .
la now a student at Hollins Institute,
In Roanoke, Va.
William Jennings, Jr- Is a boy of
nearly 17.
"The older girl," Mrs. Bryan has said,,
"la like her mother, the younger strong- I
ly resembles her father, and the son '
seems to be a composite photograph of i
both parents"
Prospective “First Lady.”
It Is Interesting to speculate upon a.
regime with Mrs. Bryan as mistress ofj
the white house. She has never been, |
In any sense, a society woman, having
chosen to devote her life to more sert.
ous Interests. Although tho fashion
able society life of Washington would
probably be distasteful to her, she
would prove |i powerful stimulus to
the woman wno has no alma. We can
easily Imagine that with Mrs. Bryan
ae mlatresa of tha white house, auoh
substantial qualities as Intellect, energy
and worth of character would bo In !
vogue.
M Iff KILLED
• 11 EMU WRECK
Bodies of Victims Horribly,,
Burned in the
Debris.
I-ondon, Sept. 20.—Ten persons kill
ed and sixteen Ihjured 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. Tho train ehould
have stopped at Grantham, but failed
to do so.
Students Off to College.
Specie! to The Georgian.
Hawkinsvllle, Oa.. Sept. 20.-M(sses
Sarah, Alice and Christine Smith have
gone to Shorter College, at Rome-
Misses Anna Waterman, Dale Ragan
May Phillips, Reba Jordan anil May
Caldwell go to Brenau nt Gainesville
and Misses Ruth Jellu. anil Kate Lewis
Jrtll attend Monroe Female College at