The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-09-26
Bryan, as a Man.

What manner of man IS he: How IS
he to be rated among other emlneut
citizens of the republic?
was assigned the difficult duty Of
answering these questions and request.
ed further to draw such a picture OF
him as would make him known to the
average citizen who had never seen
him. No light task. it may well be
imagined.
For it must be remembered that this
is the same Bryan who carried by
storm the Chicago convention of 1896
and leaped in a bound from compara-
tive obscurity to the leadership Of the
democratic party; who twice bore its
standard and twice suffered defeat
without losing prestige or hope
About Bryan enough has been writ
ten to fill volumes: he has faced audi.
ences, that. in the aggregate. would
run far into the millions. He has
drawn on himself the maledictions OF
the powerful, the scorn of the rich and
the hatred OF disappointed politicians.
He has had sharp differences with men
equally honest, within and without the
party. He has come through storm
anu IRE anu Travail.
When he was first nominated he was
81 years of age-only year beyond
! the constitutional bar.
Since then he bas gained wisdom, ,eN-
perlence: the years have not been in
vain: he has taken toll of them as they
passed, and the Bryan of today is alto.
gether different Bryan from the fiery
youth, who burst, like Lochirvar, upon
the revels of a great party.
His expression has gained in force,
tecseness, vigor, the great propositions
| he handles come easier to him; but his
| principles are the same. He has learn.
ed better how to express these princi'
Piles. he has mastered the art OF fence,
and he has had a wider contact with
the world which shows in his makeup
and is reflected in his expression. But
the deep, inward fire of the man, the
consistent champion of the weak
against the powerful, the advocate OF
the Rights of Man, the crusader OF
these later times, with lance in rest
and morton down. seeking the guerdon
of modern knighthood wherever wrong
is to be righted or innoccace protected,
4 these have suffered naught of change.
When Mr.. Bryan arose, in response
to the eloquent introductions yester-
day, as Gov. Heyward's closing words
were dying out, 81 introduce the Ne.
braskan, the American, the statesmen" ;"
he presented the picture Of typical
American manhood. H cal t h and
strength were written ir every line Ot
him. He stands about six feet, weighs
PIG pounds, with little or no surplus
flesh, his hair is. black and his eyes are
said to be grey, althoughthey showed
dark under his heavy brows. The
great jaw showed the f ghter, but the
sweet mouth showed the. lover of all
that is beautiful and good. His teeth
we're perfect and he seemed not to
have a single faulty one in his head.
His chest is broad and deep, and his
girth is spare for man of his weight.
The first words he uttered won his
audience: they were with him to the
end, although now and then it threat
ened rain. Attention was never re-
laXed. His voice has wide compass, is
mellow and penetrating. and be has
such perfect command OF it that he
hardly ever raised it above a conver-
sational tone.
His smile was broad and genial:when
he smiled every man, woman and child
in the audience smiled with him, and
at times the enthusiasm passed all
| bounds and the audience broke into tu-
muluous applause.
1t was key to this perfect flower OF
manhood that he joined the church
when he was only Il years OF age and
has since been consistent Christian.
De is model husband and sather, and
at 46 is grandfather. There is no
point at which Mr.. Bryan does not
touch some ideal, dear to the American
heart. His worst enemy, in the most
rancorous times of party strife, has new
er breaJhsd a syllable against the pur,
ity of Bryan's home life and it stands
out against the dark background Of
contemporary politics, like one star in
murky sky.
When he threw back his head and
the powerful head lay bare, somehow
the picture of Simon kenton, defying
the Redskins, as they bound him to the
wild horse was suggested. There was
in it the spirit of the dauntless pioneer
who conquered forest and prairie: cross
ed rivers and deserts, and made Amer
ica ft for free men to live in:thus must
Crockett, Bowie. Bonham and Travis
have looked as Santa Annals hosts
swarmed into the Alamo.
Again, there was distinctly note Of
sadness when he was speaking of the
benighted millions of the Orient, and
he said that he was more impressed
with the Christian ideal in the past
year thar ever before, because he saw
so much more need of it. Never look
ed the man so truly great as when he
spoke yearning sympathy for the
heathen, and, however much Mr.. Bry-
ans positions may be criticised at va
rious times, there cannot be the slight
est doubt of his sincerity, of his con-
suming desire 70 uplift the human
race.
However little this may suit current
standards of an age yet unregenerate,
of mass of men disposed to use the
sword that rightliving and right think
ing have put into their hands, no man
would dare deny that Bryan stands
here on the mouXtain-top: that his
ideal. impracticable of realization
though it be, is still the loftiest that
man or nation can entertain, and that,
if it could attain acceptance, the world
would be changed in the twinkling of
an eye, and the spear beaten into Il
pruning
I heard Senator Hoar's famous speech
on the Phippines. delivered in the Tn
tied States senate. in April 1901. Its
closing words: as recall them. were:
II turn from the clapping of hands, the
trampling of feet, the march of mighty
armies and the movement OF colossal
fleets, from the madness and deliriam
of empire. to the quiet chamber where
the Fathers gathered atPhiladelphia.:
It was noble effort OF 4 noble man,
and touched the heart, stirring mem
ories of that elder and better time
when the light of patriotism famed
pure in the breast of the citizen. Some
how veSter6ay BRYAN SUGGESTED that