The herald., 1896-07-11
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
A New Star Above the PO-
litiCal Horizon
bL0SSOM|RG TINE Of A|S LIFE
Something of the School Boy
Days in Illinois
FOUR YEARS AT COLLEGE
How Those Days We're Speut and tho
Manner of Man
A Professor Now in Business Ia This City
Tells The Story
Tho Student Wns Pine Young Man ard .
Good, Straightforward Youth. Well Pc.
vored, Not Brilliant, but csnsci.
entious-- Ordtofy Ills Gift
Something of the School Boy
Days in Illinois
FOUR YEARS AT COLLEGE
How Those Days We're Speut and the
Manner of Man
A Professor Now in Business In This City
Tells the Story

A new star has arisen above the polit-
ical horizon and is now in the full blaze
of day, where all may see, and seeing
criticise. Many will admire, some will
decry, while others again will be in
different
w. ]. Bryan is the Democratic nom
inee for the presidency. Upon him Will
devolve the duty of carrying the party
banner either to victory or to defeat.
William Jennings Bryan of Lincoln
Nebraska, was born in Salem, Marion
county, Illinois, on March 10, 1860. He
attended public school until Is years Of
age, spending his vacations on the farm.
In the fall of 1875 he entered Whipple
academy a preparatory school, at jack
sonville, Ills, and entered Illinois Con-
gregational college in the same city in
1877, where he completed classical
course and was graduated with the
highest honors in 1881. He at
tended the Union college of law, Chicago.
for two years, during which time he was
connected with the office of the late ex-
Senator Lyman Trumbull. He then be-
gan the practice Of his profession at
Jacksonville. and on October l, 1887, re-
moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, becoming
! member OF the firm Talbot & Bryan
He held no elective Office prior to his
election to the Fifty-second congress,
In the Fifty-third congress he received
1874 votes against 1854 votes for Allen
w. Field. Republican; S63 votes for r,
w. Maxwell. Populist, and 2409 votes for
Jerome Shamp, Independent.
There is In one sense no more inter-
esting period In a mans career than.
say from his sixteenth or seventeenth
until his twenty-first or twenty-third
years, for 1t is then that he shows those
around him the quality of the stuff of
which he is made. 1t Is the blossoming
time of life. period in which indica-
tions appear that tell what may be ex-
pected of the later fruition AS stated
In the foregoing, young Bryan was sew
enteen years old when he entered COL
lege and he was twenty-one when he
graduated. How were these college
days spent, and what manner Of young
man was he during this period of time?
A professor in that college at that time
is now living and doing business in Los
Angeles. His name is H. E. Storrs, and
he is in the real estate business at S04
west First street. He was seen last
night, and. while his recollection of
Student Bryan and his doings is def
cient in several minor matters, never
theless he Is able to tell an interesting
story regarding the youth who TODAY
stands before the great American public
as a candidate for the highest office and
glft 1t has to bestow. In reply to inter-
rOgatfOnS Mr. Starrc cofI.
Yes. know w. J. Bryan. I was
professor in the Illinois college. Jack
sonville, between the years 1870 and 1887.
and young Bryan graduated in the class
of 81. Bryan was 20 or 81 years old
when he graduated and had been at the
college something like four years. He
was fine young man and a good.
straightforward student who never
fiinched in his work. He was bv mn
means a brilliant youth, but he was a
conscientious worker and stood we'll
among his fellows and with the faculty..
Yes, we had better. brighter scholars
than he, but he stood we'll and was a
plodder.
Bryan, even in those young days.
was an orator. This was his one great
est gift, and in my opinion to this in a
very large measure may be attributed
his later successes. He possessed a
rich, ringing, resonant voice of a pitch
somewhere between a baritone and
bass. He had ideas in plenty and he
could express himself in ready and
choice language.
Political economy was a favorite
study Of his and the professor in this
department, the late DR.. j. NJ. Sturte-
want, who for over forty years -.s
president of the institution, had no more
apt pupil than young w. j. Bryan. Bry-
an, 1T seems, would whenever possible
get Dr. Sturtevants notes. 1 person.
ally am not Democrat, and I am not
D free trader, but all colleges, you know.
teach the latter faith. Well, when Bry-
an got into Nebraska politics he got out
The old doctors notes and expatiated up
On them with such good eff
feet that Bryan soon had the
equation OF being invinciblo
n argument on such economic
questions He swept everything before
aim and made himeslf more than To-
,ally famous in his talks upon the tariff
and all this, so I am told. by the use
# poor old DR.. Sturtevant's economic
notes. for which young Bryan showed
such fondness. OF course, Bryan took
o free trade theories as a duck takes
o water. He was born a free trader.
"Oh, yes; we had hazing in those days.
remember that one young fellow was
shen all was ready the boys touched
i'm on with lighted match. hutwheth-