The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-22
NebraSkaR Declares World Is
 Growing Better
.|LL|TERACY IS DECREASING
Great Crowd Gathers at Cooper Union to Hear Mir. Bryan, Who Tells of the Progress of Civilization
 in Recent Times.


 New York, April 21.-Rounding out a day that had a pleasant beginning in the welcoming Of his family returning from sojourn in Europe, and then carried him on flying trip to Trenton, N. J for brief speech. William J. Bryan returned here tonight and addressed the Civic Forum on 'The Brotherhood of Man" at one of the largest gatherings ever assembled in historic Cooper Union Mir. Bryan's lively day was ended at midnight when he made brief address at the supper of the Missouri society.
 MT. Bryan made the trip to New York to greet his wife, his daughter Mrs. Ruth Bryan Leavitt, and her two chil- dren, Ruth and Bryan Leavtt, returning on board the steamer Minnehaha, which arrived early today. Mrs. Bryan, Mrs. Leavitt and her family probably will leave for Nebraska tomorrow. While the steamer was in dock little Bryan Leavitt mischevously hid under a berth in the stateroom and long search led by his anxious grandfather. delayed MT. Bryan on board and he missed his train for Trenton.
 A large audience greeted MT. Bryan at the Trenton opera house when he reached there this afternoon. In his speech there he advocated the election of United States senators by the people direct and proposed reasonable regula- tions Of the trusts as feasible as the regulation of burglaries by law"
 
 Several hundred people were turned ! away from Cooper Union tonight, un- able to find seats, and when Mir. Bryan arrived he was greeted with much ap- plause He said in part:
 T am getting so that feel quite at home in New York. l find in this great center of activity of every kind congenlal spirits and sympathetic hearts. I have appeared at many political gath erings here and even in this very hall.
 "I devoted the best of my life to the science of government, but l recognize that no matter how good government may be, we miss it's blessings If we don't do right as individuals. No mat ter how much we may be absorbed in iss-es and methods of government we cannot be indifferent in the many kinds show my interest and sympathy with the object of uplifting the individual and ad- vancing the good of the community.
 Here IS my definition of civilization: The harmonious development of the human ra ce physically. mentally and nor ally, development of the threefold man. When We reach the perfect development of all citizens we will have perfect civiliza- tion Until we do our civilization must necessarily be imperfect. We are part of civilization and we have an influence great or small on fixing the level of civ ilization. As we present high illustra- tions of the three requisites we raise the level of the nation and civilization
 MT. Bryan, continuing, said:
 Word of Encouragement.
 q want to serve you in my limited way by word of encouragement. I want to show how the doctrine of brotherhood IS growing and what the growth means to the world.
 'The reformer is apt to be pessimistic. When he sees danger and points 1t out he sees that there is something to be done. and announces it to the world. He may be accused of being a prophet of evil.
 Because he sees clearly he wonders why others don't { see it as he does. And when he labors to bring others to his point of view it is not strange that he feels discouraged that zeal lags. One of the sad things is that one who has in- spred followers becomes discouraged by delay. disheartened by postponement of triumph and surrenders his ideas. He IS sometimes even led to deliver into tine hands of the enemy because he regards his followers as ungrateful.
 q want to say word to encourage those who are now struggling without the seeming prospect of success.
 World Knows Better.
 "The world is growing better, man Is moving onward and society going high CT and higher. I want to tell of signs of intellectual advance. the increase of number of schools. the length of terms and the general improvement of methods.
 The area of illiteracy is being de- creased. Public sentiment is agitating in favor of higher instrtc tion, not only tn this country. but in Every one that I have visited.
 Throughout the world the movement for education Is q real one. In Asia followed an unbroken chain of colleges for 6000 miles. and l saw thousands of people educated by American teachers or American women If the sun sets on our flag we can say that the sun never sets on American philanthrophy. When the Orient is redeemed the United States will deserve the largest share of the credit
 After his speech MT Bryan was inter rogated by those in the audience He was asked:
 "ls the democratic policy of disfranchis- ing the negroes in the south in accord with the spirit of brotherhood of which YOU have been speaking ?'
 The white man of the south puts a qualification on negro suffrage in self defense. replied Mir. Bryan. There is not q community in the north that would not put on some similar qualification under the same circumstances. The white in neither the north nor the south will permit few men to take the solid black vote and use it for the making of money regardless of the interests of the com munity as was done by the carpet-bag- gers in the south