The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-27
At HIS ALMA MATER
THE STUDENTS OF ILLINOIS COL
LEGE ADDRESSED BIZ THE BOY
ORATOR.
POLITICS STRUGGLED IN.
INDIRECTLY THE WHOLE SPEECH
WAS A PLEA FOR FREE
SILVER.
THE DAY DEVOTED TO ILLINOIS.
Bryan Heartily Received at jack
sOnyflle, But Many Yellow Rib
bOns Were Displayed.

l. sIr
JACKSONVILLE, Ill, Oct 26.-Per-
haps the. noisiest demonstration that
ever was given any one within the
walls Of the chapel of the Illinois coll
lege, was the one accorded William
Jennings Bryan today by the students
of his Alma Mater. This morning he
spoke to the students Of the college
from which he graduated and the ap-
plause which greeted him seemed out
of place in the room devoted to the
devotional exercises of the institution.
Ills address. while of a political nature
and defense of the double standard
theory of finance, was SO diplomatical-
~ given that no student within his
nearing could take offense at it. The
simple exercises in which he partook
Tor SIX years, as student in the coll
lege, We're gone through with this
morning. DR.. John E. Bradley, the
president of the college, presided over
the meeting, and the exercises were
opened by the reading of scriptures by
DR.. Bradley, responsive reading of a
b1ple lesson and prayer by DR.. T. p.
Carter, professor of natural science,
linen DR.. Bradley gave a short intro
ouctory address. saying that of the
distinguished alumni of Illinois college
who had reflected honor upon that in
! stltution, that no one stands, and no
| one ever stood in such public distinc-
ton as the guest of the morning. He
! SAID that with the duties and enga ge-
ments which press SO heavily upon the
! distinguished visitor. it was note
that
aside for little while to visit the
scene OF his old associations and greet
! MS old friends, and to permit them to
greet him. and to lay his honors at the
Feet OF his Alma Mater. The applause
winch followed the introduction was
nearly and Of long duration. After
MI Bryan'S address, DR.. Bradley an
nounced that in honor OF the presence
OF the distinguished guest, the stu
| dents would observe the rest of the
day as holiday and he called upon
the members Of the Sigma Thi to es--
cort Mr. and Mrs. Bryan to the car
| riage and act as a guard of honor
| through the grounds Of the institution.
| The members of that fraternity drew
up in line and singing their fraternity.
| song. marched on either side of the
carriage, and, when the vehicle CON
| tanning the guests had reached the
| gates, the students bade the nominee
ed the farewell with long and loud col
1ege yells. In his speech at the col
lege Mr.. Bryan said:
man who forgets his mother loses the
respect of all good people, and q man who
leaves college and forgets his alma mater
can hardly expect to enjoy the esteem of
good people. It always gives me great pleas
ure to come back to Illinois college, because
l remember the days in which spent two
years in Whipple academy and four years in
college, as not only among the most pleas
ant days of my life, but as the most profta-
BILE days of my life, and when l return to
| these scenes food of memories presses upon
me. remember that it here, as a young
man, that began to study the subject of DO
itical economy, and it under that great
leader that we had in this college for so many
years. DR.. Sturtevant, that l became first in
terested in the great public questions of the
day. l remembered his teachings as l list
ened to him at that time, a boy and for
many years l could find no better arguments
in defense Of one of the questions before the
people than his book, which was textbook
in the college.
And when another great question came be-
fore the people and began to engage public
thought, I wondered whether he had covered
that question in his book and whether his
great mind had applied itself to the funda-
mental principles which underlie the question
which now so arouses the thoughts of the
people. When 1 began to examine I found
that in that book. don't know whether you
use 1t now or not, but you did when I was
science
Wealth" by DR.. Sturtevant-I found that in
that book he had stated the great fundamen-
tai principle which underies the question. 1
always go with pleasure before the college
students. but l come with especial pleasure
before the students of this college; because
while man in public life must expect to
have his
MOTIVES MIsCoNsTRUED,
and his purposes doubted yet I know some
what about how young men feel and be-
hot I0IiA
tell them that my study of economic ques-
tions has been with one single purpose and
that has been to find out what solution of
public questions was best for the majority of
the people,
Now have differences of opinion, and it
is proper that that there should be charity
shown to one another because, you know
none Of are infallible; we are all apt to
make mistakes, but believe that those who
desire most to ascertain the truth and who
labor hardest to find out what is best will
come the nearest to arriving at just con-
clus1on, and that 10 one who desires to know
the truth, who desires to do the best that can
be done, ever objects to hearing from one
who may differ from him. You know truth
does not exist in seclusion. Truth comes
from the clash of ideas, from the comparison
of views. Error is the only thing that fears
public discussion.
While differ here, as young men, upon
various questions that arise, l know that you
will agree with me that, in the long run
that policy which proves to be the best is
going to be adopted, and that those who at
tach themselves to a righteous cause are sure
to triumph at last. l never get among young
men without feeling that I ought to impress
upon them lesson which impressed up
on me, and that is, that when man believes
he Is right he can afford to stand alone: he
can afford to be called anything because IL
is not what people call you that determines
character. 1t is what you are yourself In
the study of this question now before the peo-
pie want to cite you two or three things
that DR.. Sturtevant said, in order that YOU
may apply those things in the study of this
question.
Now, in this campaign we are trying to
find out what is the best kind of money
Some say that one kind of standard will
give the best kind of dollars; others saw
that another kind of standard will give the
best kind of dollars. You must have some
thing by which you judge those standards
and / think that Prof. Sturteyant has sue
gested the means by which you can arrive
at an idea on this subject. You will find
that he says:
This function of money becomes very i'm
one contracts to pay 100 bushels of wheat in
twelve months, the next harvest NAV be a
very bad one, and he may therefore ha
under the necessity of paying 100 bushels
when bushel Is worth twice as much as
when the contract was made This makee
the transaction inequitable. and such a la
bility will make men averse to all tine
contracts and throw a great impediment in
the way of working on the natural law Of
exchange"
Now, 1 say that the doctor recognized that
when man made contract, he ought to
tity Of value that 1t had when it was made
and he goes on to argue that If you attempt
to make contracts in any kind of commodity
those fluctuations in value would make the