The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-08-21

were 'lectrd |" the hlHh"$t office in
; tn" gilt Of the American woman.
For all four successfully ruurtrd
american girls. TIE political story
OF these men has been told often.
! Their public trinmphs and defeats
are we'll known. But the greatest
! triumph that has come to any of
lh"m-'r that comes f. any nnn. in
dred-that Of winning the woman he
loves for his wifc--has remained un-
ctroniclrd. Undoubtedly, William
! Howard Taft would rather be the
husband Of Mrs. William Howard
| Tart than to be president were he
compelled to choose between these
honors, to one Of which he was elect
ed some 22 years ago by one vote
that Of Miss Helen Heron, Of Gin
cnati, while for the other he is still
merely a candidate. Ambitious as
William Jennings Bryan undoubtedly
Is, he, too, would declare his candi-
dacv for the hand of Miss Mary Eli
zabeth Baird the most important for
| which he has ever offered himself.
The courtshipS Of these two notable
Americans, together with those Of
James 5. Sherman, Of Utica, n. V,
and John w. Kern, Of Indiana, arc
az interesting lis the men themselves.
Miss Helen Heron. who became
Mrs Will m Itnwar.! Taft, and
whom MIR. Taft calls the "politician
OF the family,' was the daughter of
former United States District Attor-
ncE John w. Heron, who was the law
partner Of President Rutherford b.
Hayes. In her early ~irlhood Mrs.
Fatt spent Il great deal Of time at the
Nmtr House as the guest of the HAY
oS Family. but il is doubtful if she
ever thought that her meeting with
,, young "Bill' Taft. whose father.
AlphonSo Taft. had been secretary Of
war and minister to Russia. would in
! all probability brin" her back to rule
, over it Us its mistress.
Mediocrity will never ln for VII
lie. said fir father. when the Rprub-
llcan candidate was eight years old.
And "Willic '-by that time promnt-
ted to "Bill '-proved il when he
grew up by fallin" in love with Miss
Helen Heron. The Taft and Hrrron
| Families had known each other al
ways. Young Taft went - Vale. the
40" Of II. At that time hi; future wife
i was Il little girl in short skirts. to
whom he had never paid the slightest
attention. Returning to Cincinnati
| at u. after graduating second in a
class OF l20, Young Taft went to work
as court reporter Of Il local news
paper at $6 week. Miss Helen Her.
ron was then II. She waS Il Studious
girl with il great love of books and n
! passion for music. While young Taft
WAS Stndving law out Of the hours
gwen 10 newspaper repairing she was
attending Cincinnati University, and
! after a years course began teaching
IN private school. She was even
| then believer in The hi"hcr cduca-
! tIon Of women. She marr'ird Mr..
| Taft when she was - and he %, but
! the marriage was the culninalion nf
an understanding which had existed
! Tor some years. Fhcr were waiting
simply fer young Taft : income i'm
the practice OF law to equal 800 Il
month. Young Taft never had any
other sweetheart than thc serious
Young student. and no other man had
ever interested Miss Heron as did
the young lawyer in whom she de-
tc"tcd the material Of great man.
When William Jcnnii9s Brvan,
/ then student in Illinois, University,
met Mary Elizabeth Baird. who was
to become his wife. for ;h" rirS, time,
| he W"' ~ ,Tc rs nll She was a
! year N"Un@cr~-a tall. slim wil, with
! brown hair and blue eyes. with a
forehead so remarkably wide for a
woman as TO be almost startling.
Mrs. Bryan has described this meet
in" herself in Mr.. Hryan's book,
"Thc First Battlc.'
My personal knowledge of Mr..
Bryan dates from September. 1870, "
she wrote. 81 saw him first in the
parlors Of the Young Ladies' School,,
which / attended in Jacksonville. He
entered the room with scvrr?l other
students. was taller than the rest
and attracted my attention at once.
Ills Face was pale and thin: pair Of
keen dark eyes looked out from be-