The herald., 1896-07-12

slowed away in his capacious Uranium
much Of the golden grain OF wisdom and
little Of the husks, and it is all there for
use. either as argument or embellish-
ment. Some men are so ugly and un-
calmly that 1t is a positive advantage
to them as public spekerS. Some are
so handsome and graceful that they are
on good terms with the audience before
they open their lips. OF the latter class
Bryan Ia a shining example. His ap-
pearance Is a passport to the affections
of his fellow men which all can read.
He is the picture Of health, mental, moral
and physical. He stands about feet
10, weighs about ITO, is a pronounced
brunette, has massive head, clean
shaven face. an aquiline nose, large
lustrous dark eyes. a mouth extending
almost from ear to ear, teeth as white as
pearls, and hair-what there is left Of
it-black as midnight. Beneath his eyes
is the protuberant flesh which physio-
nomists tells us Is indicative of fluency
of language and which was one of the
most striking features In the face of
James G. Blaine.
Bryan neglects none Of the accessor-
les of oratory. Nature richly endowed
him with rare grace. He is happy in at
titude and pose. His gestures are on
Hogarth's line Of beauty. Mellifluous
Is the one word that most aptly describes
his voice. It is strong enough to be
to charm those the least inclined to
music. 1t is so modulated as not to vex
the ear with monotony, and can be stern
and pathetic, fierce or gentle, serious or
humorous, with the varying emotions
Of it's master. In his youth Bryan must
have had skiliful teacher in elocution
and must have been docile pupil. He
adorns his speeches with illustrations
from the classics or from the common
occurrences of everyday life with equal
felicity and facility. Some passages from
his orations are gems and are being
used as declamations by boys at school
the ultimate tribute to American elo-
quence.
but his crowning gift as an orator
is his evident sincerity. He is candor
incarnate and, thoroughly believing
what he says himself, 1t is no marvel that
he makes others believe.
"Bryan's first speech in the house
the one on the tariff in 1892, fixed his
status as one Of the crack orators of this
generation. 1t astonished old stagers.
electrified the country and stimulated
the ambition of every young man in the
iano. Envious carpers lugubriously pre-
d1cted that he could never duplicate that
far-resounding performance, that he
would be like wasp, biggest when first
Matched, and that his congressional song
would be pitched in diminuendo instead
or crescendo. But he utterly confounded
these jealous Cassandras by DELIVERING
speech on silver which must forever re-.
ture.
If 1t did not increase his fame as
much as did his initial effort, it was for
the all-sufficient reason that there was
not SO much room for him to grow in
IL Danlel webster himself could have
come back to life, he could not bv
twenty years Of ceaseless endeavor in
crease his fame as an orator: for while
here before he butted his lofty head
against the stars. But BRYAN went on
to the end making speeches stronger
and ever stronger. manifesting new
powers every time he arose. Perhaps
his later addresses lacked something in
effervescence, brilliancy and piouancy.
but they grew constantly more logical
if less rhetorical
The following extracts from some of
Mr.. Bryan's speeches in congress have
been much quoted by campaign orators
and did much to establish his fame as
one of the leading exponents Of the in
come tax and free silver theory:
They call that man statesman whose
ear Is tuned to catch the slightest puI-
sations Of pocketbook, and denounce
as a demagogue anyone who dares to
listen to the heartbeat of humanity.
The poor man who takes property bv
force Is called thief, but the creditor
who can by legislation make a debtor
pay . dollar twice a. large Al he bor-