The herald., 1896-11-01
BRYAN'S WIFE AND FRIEND
An Intellectual Woman Who Is Wrapped
Up in Her Home
Society Has No Tempting Joys for Her.
Simplicity in Taste-The
Truest Partner.

The wife of William Jennings Bryan
| is an absolutely new species of woman
among those who have stood a chance
| of ruling in the executive mansion.
| Briefly, she is a pale-faced, intellectual
| slip of woman. She has an immense
amount of determination and silent ag-
gressiveness, is rather studious and very
| reserved. She does not care for fashion
or society, and pays no attention what
| ever to either.
Attention was first drawn to Mrs. Bry-
an at the time Bryan made his famous
| tariff speech in the house. Inside of a
few hours, in the midst of the adula ton
he was receiving, Bryan generously de-
clared that his wife deserved a share
| in the praise.
This is the kind of woman Mrs. Bryan
Is. For weeks the Bryans had been pre-
pairing that speech. The Bryans is said
because the husband and wife worked
| over the speech day and night together.
Every preparation for it was made with
determined GOODNESS.
Mrs. Bryan afterwards told me how
they had worked over it, how sentence
after sentence had been polished and re-
polished and cut until each was a gem
of it's kind. They had already discover
ed Arlington, the famous cemetery of
the soldiers. There they went twice. and
among the graves of the great worked
over paragraphs that proved especially
| effective when delivered. Mrs. Bryan
knew almost every word by heart.
A week before the big speech was made
Bryan had delivered a eulogy on dead
colleague. Mrs. Bryan then, unknown
even to her husbands 8 colleagues, sat in
the gallery and carefully noted the vol
ume of tone required by Bryan to fill the
hall. Anything more deliberate could
| heardly be conceived By means of sig
nails the husband on the floor and wife
in ha mt tod h.
| creased or lowered his voice at her sug-
| gestion until she had satisfied herself
that he had struck the most effective
tone.
When the critical moment arrived
Mrs. Bryan was in the gallery. She has
told me how anxious she was, yet sure
that her husband would wake up the
house as 1t hadn't been stirred for
months At first Bryan held a low voice.
Mrs. Bryan nodded for fuller tones. Her
eyes never left his face except to study
the effect some sentence might have on
the house. From time to time Bryan
glanced for encouragement at the pale
face of the woman in the gallery and
when it was all over there was one quick
| glance of intelligence; both knew that
| their work had been we'll done, and the
woman sank back in her seat almost
overcome by the intensity of her satis-
| faction and relief.
1t was a few days later that Mr.. Bryan
| took me into the house gallery to meet
| his wife, who came over nearly after
| noon to meet him and walk home with
+, him at the close of the session.
| Mrs. Bryan told me how she and her
| husband had known each other as young
| people back in Illinois, where they be-
| longed when her name was Mary Baird.
When they We're married and went to
| Nebraska to live and Bryan studied law,
| she took up the same study with him.
Thlr, prJra 11i GOLF irr int
| politics, but Mrs. Bryan kept on with
her law studies took her examinations
| and was admitted to practice. All this
| was done that she mightw with and
| help her husband
In this connection Mrs. Bryan said
| "It amused me after I was graduated to
| see the women of our town. OF course
| it was then little unusual for woman
| to be admitted to practice. My friends
called in numbers on me, and it was
| queer to see how they manoeuvred to
| approach the subject. About half of
| them finally got to it, and one and all
seemed to think that I was bigger Curl
| osity than mummy.
Mrs Bryan can be very sarcastic when
| sufficiently aroused, and at any time will
say droll, witty things with only gleam
| of a smile in her dark eyes.
| She is the mother of three children,
| and is very domestic in her inclinations.
| When it was discovered that she was
| lawyer, a congressman who meant to
| be very agreeable inquired of her with
| what line of law she was most familiar.
Mrs. Bryan's quick answer W es
| Domestic relations, sir"
If the Bryans should come into the
White House many people would recall
| and contrast the night of their first ap-
| pearance there with Mrs. Bryan's pros
pect of standing at the head Of the re-
ception line.
1t was just after Bryan's speech when
| everybody wanted to see him and his
lawyer wife. Mrs. Bryan appeared in a
| high-necked, long -sleeved black cash
| mere dress, not even fashionably cut or
| made. Bryan wore the usual Prince
Albert broadcloth coat, and possibly a
white lawn tie. The pair stood about
and looked lost while people told each
other who the unostentatious, rather
old fashioned looking couple were. yet
| neither was at all embarrassed Both
got more than a little amusement out
of watching the crowds. They went
! out very seldom in Washington, and
| then only on official occaZons l never
| heard of Mrs. Bryan appearing in even
ing dress during their Washington life.
| / don't think she ever possessed a low
| cut gown, nor dress with silk Innings
and Bryan surely has never owned a
dress suit. They never attended fash
ionable dinners and certainly gave none
| themselvs.
The Bryans when in Washington lived
in a small, quiet boarding house on
Capitol Hill. three blocks from the capl
toll itself. There was a real estate office
in part of the ground floor. During
their stay In Washington they had
! rooms on the second floor. Mrs. Bryan