The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-04-12
BRYAN'S DISEASE.
1t Is One That AnIicts Many Young
Men of the Day.
Kansas City Journal.

Kansas City journal.
Mr.. Bryan is ordinarily considered an en-
tirely healthy man. Such, however, is not
the case. He is suffering from an acute at
tack of a disease which is altogether too
common among the men of the DAY.
a large part of the teaching OF the time
is to the effect that no young man is sue
cessful unless he holds political office. If a
young man leaves the East and goes West
and is not sent to Congress by his Western
constituency, his old Eastern neighbors
conclude that he has not been particularly
sue ceSSful. The first thing young man Is
supposed to desire when he comes out of
college or a law school is an ofiice, and the
last thing that he reaches for before he
falls into the grave Is political prefer
ment.
No matter how much such preferment a
man gets he never gets enough The more
greater the chances are that he will be a
candidate again. This does not relate to
men who are candidates because they
ought to be and will continue TO hold office
practically all their lives because they are
competent to hold office, and because they
deserve the name of statesmen. and be-
cause their services needed by the peo-
pie. but it applies rather TO those young
men who rarely get beyond the period OF
The diseased condition of the mind on ac-
count of which it cannot endure quiet and
obscurity, but must have relation to
clety where Its proprietor in his most eX-
clusively personal capacity is constantly on
parade, renders the sufferer first useless to
society, then nuisance to society. and
after that too often hopeless all-around
lunatic.
The place of all others in the United
States where people with this disease are
seen in greatest numbers is on Broadway
in the city of New York. between Four
teenth street and Forty-fifth street. On
any pleasant afternoon an observer on that
street may see great number of
walking aimlessly up and down who will
remind them strikingly of Mr.. Bryan. not
only in appearance but i'm action. They
are the cheap actors of the metropolis or
rather certain class of cheap actors who
are in the metropolis. The actual working
actors In the metropolis of all grades are
never particularly noticeable on the streets
They treat their business as a business
and are glad enough to be alone and be let
alone whenever their duties do not require
them TO be in public. But the men who
claim TO be actors and who act once i'm
awhile, but whose sole aim i'm life is TO be
seen personally. and whose personal vanity
led them to the stage but prevents them
from being useful on the stage, are the
men who are seen airing themselves like
peacocks in the sunshine. strutting strad-
ding and fiuttering UP and down the Rialto
where observers are most plentiful.
Like one of these cheap actors Mr.. Bryan
would far rather be defeated candidate
on the wrong side than be on the right side
and not be a candidate. He would not
rather be right than be President but
would any day prefer publicity and noto-
rety and parade TO a modest life, no mat
tel how honorable and dicnified
The man who has this disease can hear a
call to speak when no one has called. and
he takes the beatings of his own heart to be
Invitations to candidacy. This is n fearful
disease and young men should guard
agains. II with prayerful vigilance.