The record-union., 1896-10-19
Wrong.

by William ]. Bryan to avoid any public
addresses on Sunday was broken to-
night when he spoke briefly to a crowd
of newsboys at the Newsboy Hail. He
did it to oblige his friend and supporter,
Colonel /. G. Butler, President of the
Newsboys' Association. AT Mr.. Bryan's
request the affair was kept very quiet
and outside Of the little news venders
few outsiders We're present. Thinking
that Mr.. Bryan could not come PreSi-
dent Butler dismissed the boys shortly
after 8 O'Clock. They were nearly all
out of the hall when Mr.. Bryan ap-
peared. They all scampered back in
their places and heard this little speech:
Boys, l did not come to make a
speech tonight because this is the day
l rest and have felt the need of a day
of rest more recently than / ever did be-
fore. But / come because l did not
like to decline an invitation to attend
any place where an endeavor is being
made to do good. / do not know of any
work which is better than that work
done for boys We were all boys once
and some of us not very long ago-and
when l see boys l am reminded of what
one of our Presidents, l think it was
Garfield, said, that you could not tell
what possibilities We're buttOned up
under the vest of a boy. When / think
Of the possibilities that lie before a boy
in a country like this, 1 can appreciate
any movement which has for it's object
the bettering Of the condition of boys
or giving them higher ideas in life and
the making Of better men.
Now we are not ourselves responsible
for the surroundings of youth. We are
born into this world and the surround
ingS meet US and to certain extent they
affect US. But beyond that we have
much to do with shaping our own
course. What we amount to in this
world depends upon the ideas which we
have Some one has said that a person
who aims at the stars will shoot higher,
which simply means that those who
have the highest purposes will accom-
pliSh most. A meeting of this kind
where they teach you patriotism, where
they teach you regard for each other,
respect for each others rights, neces-
sarily elevates your ideas, gives you
broader views of life and those views
Will help you to accomplish more.
Now in this country in which we live,
boys are more blessed than in any other
country on earth, because the boy in this
country has everything open to him and
the boy in this country may accomplish
more than he can in any other country.
| am here simply to testify by my pres
ence more than by my words to the
interest that i feel in organizations such
as these. | care not under what aus
piceS they are conducted. No good eff
fort is ever lost and if a kind word
spoken to boy, a kind hand given to
boy, gives him hope, makes him desire
better things, starts him on an upward
course, there is no measuring the nflu-
ence that that kind word or kind act
has. There is a song that they sing in
Sunday school, Kind words can never
die, kind deeds can never die
Now there are times when a human
life, or many human lives, will depend
upon the action Of one person; there are
times when the welfare of the commu-
nifty will depend on one person; there
are times when the welfare of the Ma
ton will depend upon one person, and
when you remember how influential one
person may become in the destinies Of
the Nation, how useful he may be to his
fellow, to society-you can see that if
kind word or act should be the cause of
getting that boy started right, leading
him up to take advantage of his oppor-
tunities, what results may follow.
Il want you to remember that no
good ever comes to boys or men from
doing wrong, and that right always
pays. l know it is hard always to be-
lieve, but if you take a broad view of life
and It's possibilities you will find that it
always pays to do what you believe is
right. 1t is always necessary that you
q
the education which you receive in the
schools enables you to see things and
understand things, and then the desire
to do the best thing leads you to take
advantage Of the opportunities that are
offered to you.
i notice that there are notices on the
wall, and notices have national sig
nificance. want you to grow into larger
boys and into men appreciating the ad-
vantages which your country affords,
and then that each one Of you shall have
the ambition to make the most out of
those advantages: because, you know,
if advantages come to persons and they
do not use them, advantages might just
as well not have come, and if a person
desires to use advantages and they do
not come, then he is helpless. But if in
country like this you have the ad-
yantages and then make the best of the
opportunities, you can seek the high
est form of citizenship.
Il feel interested in you boys who are
starting out so young to make living.
Some Of us, instead of having to depend
on our own exertions, were carried for
ward by others. am not sure that you
who begin this life of independence and
Of necessary activity so early have an
advantage over us who did not, but
whether you had the advantage or not,
IL you improve every opportunity that
comes and let your motto be treat
every one as you would have that per-
son treat you. and to make the best op-
portunity of everything that comes
within your reach, and to do nothing