West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1900-07-26
GEOGRAPHY STUDY
OlSLlkED BY BRYAN.
His Old Schoolmistress Attended the
Convention to Witness His
Nomination,
She Rode finty Miles In Stage to Reach
Kansas city In Time TO See IL.

One OF the most picturesque figures in the
convention hall at Kansas City the day of
the nomination was Miss Ada Boaman. the
old schoolmisiress of William Jennings
Bryan. She was accompanied 10y Mrs. Eos.
ter aud 10y Miss Ruth Bryan, the young
daughter of the Democratic leader. I'm spite
ot her feobleness and advanced age. Miss
boarmau had Travelled fifty miles by stage TO
Lincoln, where she took the train TO Kansas
City 70 see her former pupil nominated for
President
Miss Boarmon is the type OF the old
school Southern gentlewoman. Her rather
tall aud spare form is perfectly erect. The
old style black silk aud the bit OF ancestral
point lace at her throat tell of better DAYS
before the Civil War Her hair. as white as
snow, is parted ON the brow and falls in soft
curls around her wrmklcd face.
81 am very old woman now.r she said
TO the World correspondent. al was old
woman when taught Willie the rule of
three and the boundaries of IN. States which
hope he will soon be ruler Of. Il was al.
ways hard for him To remember the different
positions of the States aud territories. and
rememher that on one occasion when /
threatened TO whip him for missing his gocg.
raphy lesson he told me that he didn't think
It was at all necessary for an American boy
to know which way the rivers ran and how
many miles Maine was from Florida. II
was enough, he thought, for the American
boy To know what States there were. don't
believe he ever did know the geography les.
son in bis life.
"liut he never failed in arithmetic. Per.
haps this Is the reason he has calculated ON
10 TO T. do not understand the platforms
or anything pertaining 10 political standards.
but am sure that what William Bryan does
will he done from a sense Of duty and not
from any selfish motive. don't believe he
has done many things in bis life without
weighing the results and following the line
which his duty dictated
81 remember the first cent of money ne
ever made. II was during the blackberry
season, and he was paid ten cents for gal.
Ion of the berries, There were many things
/ ''' ~ "''N''N W. wv WIN Alat Nlults lie
had about decided TO buy a star.spangled
Kite, when hc met an old woman selling
newspapers, and the spectacle of her appa-
rent destituion appealed to him so strongly
that She got the dime, though she was in
fact a miser lie was just eight years old at
that time
The memory touched the old woman's
heart and tears started from her eyes. Then
she smiled through her tears.
al am not crying because am unhappy" "
she said, for this is one of the proudest days
Of my life. The only cloud in the day to
me is the absence Of the hero Of the hour,
my gown-up school boy.
"Willie was a sclfwilled. determined bov.
with the reputation all over the district of
being hard-headed. There were some boys
in The school who would never 90 into
game Of crcket,or shinny against Willie. for
they knew he would never give up until the
game was his and he Is not going to give mp
this time until the game is his, if know
| Willie Bryan New York World.