The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-07-27
MARY BAIRD BRYAN.

friends and supporters of the two rae
ing candidates are fighting at fever
pitch, with their bodies and souls in
full possession of the political baciIli,
new and potent element will loom up
in the midst of the strife.
This latter will be Mrs. Mary Baird
Bryan, wife of William Jennings
Bryan. Mrs. Bryan has made no
plans for her part in the campaign, but
those who know her best say that it
will be impossible for her to sit idly
by doing nothing while her husband
is in the center Of the whirlpool of a
national campaign. For Mrs. Bryan
is not a passive woman. She is a YER
liable steam engine in the matter of
energy, Calling gun in the mater of
action and an Edison in the matter of
ideas.
She is new woman-not in The
blooner wearing, notoriety seeking
sense of the term, but a Womanly new
woman.
She is a member of many womens
clubs.
She rides bicycle.
She is a lawyer, regularly admitted to
the bar
She is athletic.
She is a believer in everything that
enhances the physical and mental
growth of women. She has abundant
faith in the capabilities of women, and
in herself she is a wonderfully fine eX-
ample of the truth of this belief.
Mrs. Bryan is thirtyfour years old,
and she doesn't claim to be a day
younger. In the early part of 1884 she
was married to the man who will go
down in history as the youngest presi-
Dental nominee ever put forth by any
party. She was twenty-five then, and
year later ner daughter Ruth, now
eleven years old. was born.
A HANDSOME WOMAN.
If Mrs. Bryan did not have so much
common sense she would look young
er than she really is Her intelligence
shows in her face and in her manner
Essentially she is a sensible, matter
OF fact woman. She has the good looks
which will stand the wear and tear of
years, and at fifty or sixty she will be
pleasant to look upon
She is a type of the fine, wholesome
American woman, fearless and honest
IN all things, thinking her husband the
pest human creature in the world and
her children the next best TO husband
Men may differ with the politics of the
man, but for the wife there will be no
feeling except that OF admiration and
respect, no matter what the outcome Of
the campaign may be, The triumph Of
gold or the victory of silver
Long before her husband had earned
fame in the political arena Mrs. Bryan
was a factor in he social life of LIN
coin, Neb. The city is not a large one,
but It's aspirations are as broad as the
nation Itself ana Mrs. Bryan did much
to plant The seed of ambition in The
minds Of her neighbcrs. Lincoln has
nearly all the advantages, of course.
on q small scale, of the greater cities.
and it is pushing bravely ahead Ill
search of more.
SWIAIS LIKE A FISH.
Not loag ago a natatorium was es-
tablished in Lincoln For some reason
1t did not flourish at first, but Mrs.
Bryan argued that it was a valuable
possession for the city and by inducing
her friends to become interested in it
she made Of 1T quite a fad Now she
says that her greatest delight IS swim
ming and she boasts +modestly of her
experiences i'll the water.
II the fates should land Mrs. Rrvan
in the White House it should
make the bicyclists as happy as the
s-lVeT1feS. She is a great believer II,
the wheel, although a convert Of
recent origin. She took her iirst lesson
two months ago and is still strug
cling with the problem of MOUNTING
and dismounting. Very AUTOMATICALLY
she refuses to speak for or against
boomers, but her individual taste in
the matter is apparent by the fact that
she wears a skirt an inch or two
shorter than the usual length.
Mrs. Bryan is student. She is not
afraid OF taking UP some task which
she knows involves long and hard
work, and she has the courage of keep
ing at it until she has ACCOMPLISHED
her object. After her first baby was
born she decided that if she knew
something of law she would be a great
help to her husband, at that time a
young man on whom fortune had only
smiled IN an economic way So she
studied, first. under her husbands tut
ton and later passing an examina ton
a the same Chicago law school of
which he is a graduate.
KEYNOTE OF HER LIFE.
In speaking of this Mrs. Bryan said:
1 never had any idea of practicing
law. | wanted to be thoroughly in
touch with husband in his work and to
assist him [ have always submerged
my life in his interests; my ambition
has been for his success
This last sentence forms the key
note of Mrs. Bryan's life since her
marriage. How much of his success
has been due to her, the husband of
every Val1ant-hearted, unselfsh woman
can picture, with ease, and the others
will have to imagine it.
Among it's other progressive belong
ings Lincoln has a Sorosis club, fash
Toned upon tine same lines as the moth
eT organization in New York Mrs.
Bryan was one of the first presidents,
and is still one of it's most active mem
bers. She is a believer in women's
clubs, and on several occasions has
mounted the platform to say SO, and
give her reasons She is much bet
ter speaker than the average woman.
as she possesses the faculty of stick
ing close to her subject and saying
what she intends to say in terSe, well
chosen language.
Educationally Mrs. Bryan had the
advantages only Of the average girl
reared in small town. If she were
a man it would be said of her that she
was self-educated The little town of
Perry, ILL.,, in which she was raised,
is mediocre in all things, and does not
differ a whit from the thousand other
towns of its size.
Unlike most women, she has not an
atom of superstition in her compost
tdon. She laughed when asked if the
nomination of her husband on Friday
did not worry her. At the same time
She brought into view finger ring set
with an opal and diamonds.
Mrs. Bryan's Lincoln home is a pretty
place, the most notable room in the
house being combination of study,
library and office. 1t holds two large
desks, one of which is presided over
by the husband and the other by the
wife.