The Democratic advocate., 1908-05-29
THE PHYSICAL BRYAN
VOICE MORE POWERFUL TODAY Than
IT WAS TEN YEARS Ago
A Delight to the Hostess and a Joy
to the Cook.

During two Presidential campaign:
William J. Bryan gave an eXhlbltlo1
of unrivalled staying powers as al
orator and now II years after the be-
ginning of the first tremendous effort
he seems in perfect trim to repeat tne
marvellous performance.
BRYAN nominated himself at the
I Chicago convention in 1896, single
handed. by means of speech such as
no physical weakling could have made
no matter what his mental power OF
oratorical cunning, says the New 1orf
Herald. The average Presidential con
yention hall holds from 10000 to To-
600 persons, all more or less noisy
There are few men in American poll
tics who can effectively address an
audience of this character, because Of
the actual physical power required
After the Chicago convention Mi
Bryan began to speak from car plat
forms and all other available places
wherever there arose what he consld-
cred proper opportunity. he launch-
ed headlong into an avowed face TO-
face e-with-the-people campaign. He
has been at it ever since, and now
more than a decade later, he is ap-
parently as resourceful physically as
when he started.
The speaking campaign of 1896 last
ed approximately four months and
there were on an average 70 cam
paigning days in each month. In this
campaign Mr.. Bryan made more than
| 2,10O speeches, short and long. Dur
| ing the last three months of the cam
paign it was a slow day for the Bryan
aggregation when the Nebraskan did
not make 20 speeches. For him to
deliver 35 addresses in one day was
not at all unusual. In one day in
New York State he made Al speeches.
The schedule of the Bryan train was
so arranged that each day was finish
ed in a large city where Mr.. Bryan
would speak for not less than an hour
and often longer.
Four years later he entered his
second whirlwind campaign with the:
zest of man to whom the game had
all the fascination of novelty. His
first big effort was in his speech OF
acceptance made in Indianapolis on q
day so hot that hundreds tainted in
the crowd that packed the park. Fic
spoke for an hour and half under
physical circumstances that would
have confined the average campaign
orator to half an hour, even II he had
the temerity to tackle the task at all.
With such a beginning, Mr.. Bryan
broke his speech-making record OF
the first campaign. On one occasion,
working westward from ST. Louis, he
made his first speech at a small Mis-
souri, town at o'clock In the morn-
in, or as soon as the break of dawn
would permit; spoke almost contin-
uously during the day and closed with
an address at Fort Scott, Kansas,
that night at midnight-19 hours OF
continuous performance. His night
speech was made with the yigor OF q
man who had made no previous public
appearance during the day. In fact,
at no time was there less ginger IL
the last speech of the day than in the
Arst. 49,,
In each campaign in which ne clo
his famous whirlwinding he traVeled
more than $4,000 miles. 1t was weeks
in the beginning of each campaign De
fore arrangements were made Ior
private car. While travelling by regu-
lar trains Mr. Bryan was subjected
to daily and nightly d1scomtorts tnat
temporarily wrecked every MEMBER OF
his party except himself.
To increase further the tax on his
strength there was the necessity OF
meeting and talking with thousands
OF admirers and politicians between
speeches. He was left alone fol
scarcely a moment. The Reception
Committee from one place usually
met him at the town at which he
made his last speech and Insisted or
talking to him until their own towr
was reached Then the speech, the
Reception Committee from the mex
town, an other speech-an endles:
chain. Mr.. Bryan never asked to o.
let alone or that special arrangement
be made for his comfort. He thanked
no one for keeping the ''peepul" ava!
from him.
To accomplish these feats requirs
more than a fine natural physica
equipment. In the case of Mr.. Bryal
they are performed by means OF hi
own system, which, aside from fev
general rules, is no system at all.
Take the item of voice. There 1
no record of any other man ever hav
ing subjected his voice to such trem
endous and continued strain as ha
Mr.. Bryan. Yet it is a better an
more powerful voice for public speak
ing purposes now than it was II year
ago.
His method of conservation of voca
energy is simple. Have you eve
heard Mr.. Bryan call the Republican
party the Republican party? You ma
have thought so, but what you hav
heard him call 1t is the pub par,
with slight rests between thes
spoken syllables to fit the ones h
does not care to waste energy or
He never uses the slightest force Of
a word or a syllable that is not alb
solutely essential to carry his mean
ing. More or less 1ntuitive at first
Mr.. Bryan has cultivated this metho
of conserving his vocal power until b
has reduced it to fine art.
Therefore, Mr.. Bryan deliberatel
throws away two-thirds of the sylla
bles the less experienced orators pro
, nounce. The effect is exactly tn
reverse of what might be expected
Every one within the enormous rang
of his voice understands all he says
They go away praislng the wonderful
ly clear enunciation of the orator o
the Platte whereas in reality the
have been listening to a man VIII
slurs over or throws away more word
!, and syllables than any other know
orator.
Mr.. Bryan is no physical culturist
in the accepted meaning of the tern
He never went in for arhletics-partl
because he never had the time. A