The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1907-01-30
GLIMPSE AT HOME LIFE OF
FARMER BILLIE J. BRYAN
Surrounded bv His Broad Acres, Growing Good Crops
and Raising Thoroughbred Stocks, the Great
Commoner Writes for a Living.

BRYAN gets up at every morning,
so as to write a while before break
fast. and from then until 10 at night
is about as busy as any man IN the
country. Mrs Bryan is his constant
companion in everything that ne
does. She uses the typewriter and
takes from him his dictations of let
tiers, editorials and other manuscript
All his mail is delivered to his news
paper office, where his brother,
Charles, supervises it. Last year
300. 900 letters addressed to William
T. BRYAN were received. Compare
lively few of these reached Bryan
himself. Bryan seldom goes to the
office of his paper, though he writes
the leading editorials. Once a year
the whole force of the Commoner is
taken out for an all-day picnic, and
the biggest boy in the bunch is
Billy" Bryan. He runs in all the
races and climbs the creased pole,
or makes a try at it; and at base
ball he is corker for a man his
size. So he's mighty popular with
his force.
His home life is as simple as that
of the average well-tO-do farmer,
though it differs from the latter in
most ways. In a coy little frame
house, not far from Fairview, lives
his farm superintendent, who looks
after the stock and the crops, for
Farmer" Bryan seldom has time
from his desk to look after the ac-
tual running of things. He keeps
close track of how matters are
comm on" however, and he knows
political economy, which is very well,
indeed.
But his literary labors occupy ev-
cry minute of his time nowadays.
He is constantly in demand as
lecturer-in summer at Chautauquas
and in winter on the lyceum plat
form, though he declines most OF
the offers of this sort. 1t would be
quite possible, however, for him to
lecture six times a week 50 weeks
in the year, if he so desired, and
with chances of very few vacant
seats, too. For his popularity seems
to be steadily increasing, and his
hold on the great mass of the people
is nothing short OF remarkable.
Still a Young Man.
His exemplary life, which, in it's
moral aspects might well be accept
ed as a standard by any young man,
has repaid him many fold for the
few so-called pleasures of which it
may have deprived him. At 46 he
looks as freshly strong as a man
half his age; and while 46 is by no
means old most men of that age
who had done all Bryan has done
in the way of hard work would be
far less fit than he. Yet his side
hair-he has none on tops iron
gray.
And though the general public is
constantly reminded that he has
made so much money from his writ
ing and lecturing as to justify it in
CHASING him as a rich man, the facts
in this regard, which l am privileged
to make public for the first time, do
not warrant the classification.
AS matter of cold fact, MIR. Bry-
an is not worth 100000 today.
Were he willing to devote his time
to lecturing he could easily clear
$4,000 a year, but he is not willing
to do this, for it would deprive him
of the time he wants for study and
writing. His actual income is re
duced to a very small figure by the
many demands made upon him in
the name of charity, few of which go
unanswered, at least in some man