Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-03-14

w. j. Bryan arrived in Wausau very
early Monday morning, coming in on
the gag Northwestern from Minnea-
polls, OF course no one expected him at
that hour and there was no one at the
depot to pilot him around. Every one
who saw him at the hotel knew him
and very early in the moSning it was
known on our streets that he was here
During the forenoon he met very many
of his admirers at the hotel Bells par
lors, in charge of Messrs. Walter Alex
ander, Il. e. Flieth and Chas. Turner
the reception committee.
In the afternoon at two O'Clock, Mr..
Bryan spoke in the assembly room of
the high school, willingly consenting to
do so. The large room was filled with
the students and faculty of our school
the Training and Agricultural schools
and the Wausau Business college, and
a number of citizens. He was intro
duced by g. ID. Jones, president of the
Board of Education. Mr. Bryan spoke
on matters educational and charmed
all present by his eloquence and excel
lent words of advice. At five, in
charge of the reception committee a
reception was held in the parlors of the
club house where MIR. Bryan met a
large number of ladies and gentlemen.
At six O'Clock he was given dinner at
the home Of the Hon. Neal Brown and
at which there were present a half
dozen of the those prominent in the
ranks of the democratic party At
eight o'clock the Grand opera house
was packed from the gallery to the
orchestral chairs and the stage was
seated with chairs and these were
all taken by those who we're anxious
to hear the great orator.
1t was $50 when the curtain was
raised. Mr.. Bryan was introduced by
B. H. Conlin and for one hour and a
half the speaker held the attention of
his audience exclusively. Mr.. Bryan
well sustained his reputation as great
orator and none went away in the least
disappointed. 1t is Impossible for the
PILoT to give more than brief synop-
sis of the lecture. Mr.. Bryan started
out by saying that he was glad that he
came here under the auspices of the Y.
NJ. c. A. That that organization
throughout the land was doing great
and a good work. His lecture was
on '"rhe Value of an IDEAL" and he
said in part:
What is the value of an ideal? Have
you ever attempted to estimate its
worth? Have you ever tried to measure
its value in dollars and cents? If you
would know the pecuniary value of an
IDEAL go into the home of some man of
great wealth who has an only son; go
into that home when the son has gone
downward in path of dissipation I'M
til the father no longer hopes for his re-
form, and then ask the father what an
ideal would have been worth that would
have made man out of his son instead
of wreck. He will tell you that all
the money that he has or could have,
he would gladly give for an ideal of
life that would turn his boys footsteps
upward instead of downward.
Ifyou will pardon reference to my
own case, have had three ambitions,
two so far back that l can scarcely
remember them; one was so recent that
l can hardly forget it. My first ambi-
ton was to be a Baptist preacher.
When | was small boy if anybody
asked me what | intended to be, al
ways replied "a Baptist preacher" but
my father took me one evening to see
an immersion and upon reaching home
/ asked him if it would be necessary to
go down into that pool of water in
order to be Baptist preacher. He re-
piled that it would, and it's tradition
in our family that | never afterwards
would say that l was going to be a
Baptist preacher.
My second ambition was to be a far
mer and raise pumpkins, and there are
doubtless a great many people who are
glad that | now have a chance TO
realize my second ambition without
having my agricultural pursuits inter-
rupted with official cares.
My third ambition was to be lawyer.
When | was a barefoot boy used to go
to the court house and sitting upon the
steps leading up to the bench upon
which my father then sat, | listened to
the trial of cases and looked forward to
the time when | would be practicing at
the bar. That ambition guided me
through my boyhood days and my col
lege days. / studied law, was admitted
to the bar, practiced for while in
Illinois and then located in Nebraska.
In removing from Illinois to Nebraska
| was influenced solely by professional
reasons. | need not give you any fur
Their assurance that did not move IL
Nebraska for political reasons than TO
say that at the time of my location in
Lincoln, Nebraska was republican, the
congressional district was republican,
the county was republican, the city was
republican, the ward was republican,
and the voting precinct was republican
and to tell the truth about it, there
has not been as much change in that
respect as there ought to have been
considering the intelligence of the peo
pie among whom have been living.
There is abroad in the land spec
ulative spirit that is doing much harm
Instead of trying to earn living, young
men are bent on making fortune
Not content with the slow accumula
tions of honest toll. they are seeking
out a short cut to riches, and are not
always scrupulous about the mean:
employed. The get rich quick
schemes that spring up and swindle the
public until they are driven out, prey
upon the speculative spirit and find al
/ their victims among those who are try
ing to get something for nothing. If (