The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-03-19
Ele Famous Common
s us Years cid III day

ID ~
j And lta winds never rest at ii;,tie,S.
(which IS a purely modern hoist Of
cIripped red brick. looking as u Il hal
been ATTENDED for city street anil
had fet to its present place hy mis-
ftt..c
In t:,e front yard OF the great Cosa;
j, oncr's 1853 acre farm stands a t,lI
stone Ian IN, which was given bin IN
Japan. during his recent trip atonld
The World. Fianking the broai st9ne
sieps .,a.lins 10 the front porch are
,t=r u re beasts. also from .Fnt.n.
The btsst Oh the left Is conserr;t:tsm
It's r,nl.ih is shut tight. The une on
In I.rht s. RacIcalism-Its mouth
vile open. and its teeth sho" e.rn
,norc than Teddy's when he s'nil"t
and says "dce-llshted."
Twelve ynars ago, when lie had
sa-e,l % little money from his law
r-,u ;iee, Bryan bought the frrl i've
acres If this farm. To put it has 'Say
each acre cost him 500 for scenery.
sla0 fer climate and $50 for soil.
Tie farm is well stocked witt prize
cattle. II. eli horses and fat SWINE and
t.e N.n.tsaan finds one Of his great
cit I,:o.,sures in these animals. The
Ito -. ilself IL handsomely, but Imply
:.~Misl.cd. With the library as Its rnfst
di"tinol.,e feature.
Like the 'est of the house, + is
handsomely furnished. With a plenty
Of polished ,tk and four walls q: Il
tercsring r ,,mes-pictuTed walls "
often reflect The personalities lT''!l'rS
within tacm, -ou know.
Frcm these walls look down m
ccln and Webster, Tolstoy, Bry.ai:
Ihimself-a large portrait in oil-and
Mrs. Bryan and Jefferson. There is
also a picture of the Capitol in Wash
ington done In split straw by an Ital-
ian admirer.
The books on the shelves run the
whole gamut OF literature, ancient
and modern, with the emphasis on
essays and economic subjects and the
aat.top desk, a massive affair. is
lightly burdened with writing mate
rial, since the Nimctallist h is still
that - does nearly all his writing in
his Office in the basement.
In the library, as in every other
room. there are curious and beautiful
ItrInlsets, some Of them rare and yalu-
able, which we're given to the Bryans
in foreign countries.
In the billiard room upstairs are
hosts of queer looking contraptlons
given him by missionaries here and
thereI heather lands. Among these
are many samples of the hats worn
by various peoples. and In these the
Nebraskan takes peculiar delight. He
dons one after another, even to the
, wlerd headgear of the Parsee widow,
and each time he smiles funny smile
n MS IL seeking some sort of expression.
$ to ut the topplece.
> Bryan. when at home, gets up at D
l. every morning so as to write while
8 before breakfast, and from that time
r Until 10 at night. Is about as busy as
II any man in the country. And the big
e gest Bryan is the co-worker with Mrs.
/ Bryan, who is his constant companion
e lin everything he does. She studied
n law Just after they we're married and
u was admitted to the bar-not because
n she wanted to practice, but because
she wanted to be a real help to her
b. husband In his work. And that she
q was and still Is.
d Now that his work has resolved it
/. self SO largely into withdrawing
u editorials, lectures, letters, books and
articles for magazInes-she has learn
IS cd to use typewriter, and, besides
l. his big desk in the office, in the base
/. ment OF Fairvlew. is little stand, at
:. which she sits whenever he Is there.
z taking dictation on the machine or an
J, swering some Of the hundred or more
e letters that are sent out to him from
G the Commoner Office every day.
: All his mail is delivered to the ONCE
Of his weekly paper, which is Just on
the main street in Lincoln and is en-
peryised by his brother, Charles w.
Bryan. And last year 100000 letters
addressed to william Jennings Bryan,
with variations, were received there.
He seldom goes to the office Of his
paper, though he writes the leading
editorial for IT each week and keeps
close eye on the proofs.
His home life is as simple as thai
Of the average well to do farmer,
though it diners from the latter in
! most ways. In a coy little frame
house not far from Fairvlew lives his
farm superintendent, who looks after
the stock and the crops, for Farmer"
Bryan seldom has time from bis desk
to look after the actual running of
things. He keeps close track OF how