The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1900-10-06

cheers and the small storm uf flags.
They saw him and his pleasant, frank
smile. And then they began to leave
the hall. The fact was pat
ent that the crowd had largely come
out Ut curiosity to see him.
Then he said he would read his re-
marks about TRUSTS" instead Of
speaking extemporaneously. Instant.
ly there was rush. rattle, clatter and
rumble all over the hall, caused by
the departure Of people by the hun
dredS. He was not into his manuscript
until the galleries were practically
emptied, and the crowd in the arena
was reduced one.half The bOx-crowds
thinned Olt. The women in the bOxe,
''stuck." You could hear them say
ing, "Ah, poor Mr.. Bryan. Don't let
us leave him this way"
Mr.. Bryan read his piece He read,
Lord but it was wearisOme! The PEG.
slept. Many of them held merry con-
verse in quite loud tones.
Now and then some one gave forth
long whining or yelping yells without
regard to the matter Of the reading.
The evening was lesson. 1t taught
me that the people are tired
of politics. The people have a curl
Osity to see Mr.. Bryan. They have a
curiosity To hear him, because he has
the reputation Of au orator. They
do not care for what he says so much
as for how he says it. They like the
man. There is no denying that they
have an affection for the Bryan per-
sonality, for the physical charm Of
him, for some pleasant memory or in
stinct or subtle prepOsseSsion he
arOuses in them. But the great ques-
tiOn of TRUSTS" which / have
thought. and have said in these col
umnS. was the one closest their hea IT'S,
actually does not concern them so
much as l thought. They
care for Mr.. Bryan as they care for a
popular actor or preacher who has a
fine delivery. They do not
regard him as great, as they did in
1896. They like him. In a general
way they agree with him; they love
to hear him assail the things which
are. They would like to believe that
things would be different, but they
seem to feel and know, somehow. that
what he promises is pretty dream
like the New Jerusalem of the preach
er or the Phaeacia of the poets Of old
time.
He is sort Of trOubadour
singing men songs that make them
sorry for themselves, picturiDg them
the possibilities Of transforming the
world into a place where their ideals
will be realized. But they know that
the ideal is not realizable. - They de-
light tG hear him assail those who are
mighty and in high places. to see him
fighting dragons or octopi, but. some
how, in dim sort of way they realize
that the mighty and the strong in
high places are only made Ogres and
the dragon or the OctOpi are in reality
lar will that will protect the people.
tie, but it is battle like like that Of
heroes in novels and poems and plays.
The stage is fixed for the hero to win.
The villains are not villains after all
They are painted as such to throw
Bryan with John Drew, Hackett, Fa-
NtISudtu, T1cuIy Mlllcr. MI. DTyd0 lS\
the manifestation Of the romantic
school in politics. In another way
Colonel Roosevelt is manifestation
of the same thing, but Colonel Roose-
Welt has a strong flavor Of the prac-
tical. He poses, but he has done
things. He is an egotist, but he is
not SO much of theoriSt. He lacks
Mr.. Bryan's blandness of idealism, be-
cause he has rubbed up harder against
the realities and has had a somewhat
though not cyniciz-
ing familiarity with history. The
world is all new to Mr.. Bryan. To
Colonel Roosevelt it is an old, old
world but still fair and growing fairer
in its old, old way and by virtue of