Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-05-29
Bryan-The Man.

The moral passion which dominates
and enfolds Mr.. Bryan's public life is
also the key to his private character.
When Cicero spoke the people said,
chow eloquent is Cicero p but when
Demosthenes spoke the people said,
''let US 60 against Philip" There is
something about Mr.. Bryan that makes
all who associate with him more earn
est, more ready TO make sacrifices,
more Indifferent to mere abuse and
more intensely and peculiarly Ameri-
can. There are no secrets in his life.
To be with him is like walking on the
seashore in the sunlight. At forty he
has still the unsuiiied ideals, the
unbroken faith of boy. And any man
may be his comrade if he will; nay, his
very brother
The other night in Chicago com
mittee of strangers called to escort MIR.
Bryan to public banquet. Mr.. Bryan
went on shaving himself before mir
ror while he talked to the committee,
and presently his visitors were busy
putting the studs in his shirt bosom.
An hour or two later he scared out of
himself in really great Grafton, lifting
his hearers to the supremest heights of
patriotic thought-an appeal for a re-
public so just in all its ways, so majestic
in its virtue, that all the nations of the
world would turn to it as the arbitrator
of their differences.
Mr.. Bryan is temperance incarnate.
He loves literature rather than art, the
trout stream rather than the theater,
the farm rather than the city, the small
church rather than the cathedral. He
loves men more than books and books
more than money.
There was time when Mr. Bryan
felt that some day the crimes of lawless
wealth and rapacious corporate power
against the toilers of the country would
bring on a physical struggle, and n
those days Mr.. Bryan was gladiator,
with the fierce unforgiving spirit of a
gladiator But new tenderness of
spirit has come into his life. He seems
| to be filled with the idea that love is the
only uplifting force in the world, and
that love is as necessary and as natural
in politics and craftsmanship as in
private affairs. / have heard him talk
of his enemies without a word of bitter
ness. have head him defend Mr.. Me-
| Kinley from unjust attacks. He loathes
and avoids personalities or abuse in
conversation. This is one of the noblest
and most attractive traits in his person
| al life. He is decent and tolerant in
his speech; fair, just, even tempered.
Two days ago distinguished woman
said to me; you have associated with
Mr.. Bryan great deal. Isn't it fact
that he is provincial, that he has not
polish enough for the White House?"
1t is true that Mr.. Bryan is provincial,
but only in the sense that Abraham Lin
coin was provincial He is careless of
his clothes, but careful of his morals
He cannot speak French or lead a
cotillon, but he can give you in the
purest and sweetest English the story of
the struggle of man for liberty in evei y
| ege, and is familiar with the solid
literature of the world He has the
outwardness of man who is big of
mind as well as of body. There is the
ruggedness of truth in all his ways.
He lives simply and sometimes frugally,
| not because he cares for money or be-
cause he does not know that there are
other and more extravagant ways of
living, but because his ways are simple.
The very simplicity of his life and
speech is corollary of his native
dignity. His quaint points are ia: the
quaintness of his country. Like Lin
coin, his peculiarities are the signs OF
his pure aud undiluted Americanism.
Nothing can be more graceful than his
unaffected, sincere home life 1t may
be true that many of the present ele-
ments of social life in the White house
would be modified if Mr.. Bryan should
be elected president, but he would
bring to that place the glory of man.
hood that it has not known for many
years. He will attract to the White
house scholars, statesman and philoso-
pliers, rather than money changers OF
| political harlots. And the humblest
man in the nation would have access to
the president.
have met almost every great mau OF
my own time in the principal countries
of the world, but / have never met a
greater man than Mr.. Bryan. As a
rule, one finds the idealist man of
frail body, physically incapable of max
ing a continuous struggle. But here is
an incompatible idealist with the physi-
cal strength of an OK. Nowhere in the
world is there to be found more per-
feet combination of mind, spirit and
body The three are evenly balanced
in the democratic leader-mental ener-
gy controlled by intelligence, magma.
ton inspired by philanthropy, virtility
disciplined by virtue. He seems to
grow broader and deeper every year.
His religious convictions are vital to
him, but he avoids religious discussions.
He seems to feel that religion is pri-
vate thing between man and his God.
I'VE are all trying to cast out devils, .
he says, land each man works in his
| own way