The Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1903-1909, 1908-05-16

L iiC Oiiiy PUOIiS OiiieS
has succeeded in obtaining was
that of Representative in Con-
gress from Nebraska, for the
four years preceding his first
nomination for the Presidency,
and during that four years he
was twice unsuccessful as a
nominee for United States Sem
ator in his own State. In spite
of his record of nearly fifteen
years of failure to obtain pollt-
ical office, there is not a hamlet
or cross-road country store IN
the United States where his
name is not discussed to-day as
the probable candidate Of the
Democratic party for the Pres
idency. i
Mr.. Bryan is an unsuccessful
politician if Office means sue
cess. He is a common place
author when judged by the best
literary standards; he is not a
great executive in industry or
finance; and although a lawyer
he does not try great cases nor
is he regarded as one OF the
masters of his profession by
his colleagues at the American
Bar. How, then, are his unde--
niable prominence and personal
influence to be explained?
In our judgment, Mr.. Har-
ger, whose study of Mr.. Bryan
appears on another page, has
found the correct solution of
this question. Mr.. Bryan is a
moral teacher and preacher. A
man of personal integrity,
trained from his early youth to
a firm belief in the simple fun
damental principles of a practl-
cal religion, he has been preach
ing to his fellow-citizens with
the power of a stirring elo-
quence the doctrine of faith in
God and justice and good will
to men. In fact, his power as
a preacher is the real explana-
ton of his failue as a candidate
for office. The great preacher
is rarely a great executive; it
is his function to inspire others
to do the real, often monoto-
nous, and always persistent
| work of administration. Few
| great preachers have been bish-
ops of the Church. No consid-
cradle body of men would have
thought Of selecting Henry
Ward Beecher or Charles H,
II Sturgeon, st. Frances Xavier
Il or Savonarola, for the great adj
ministrative positions OF the
church. Moses was an execu'
Il tive, not a preacher; Elijah was
a preacher, not an executive
Il 1t is a good thing for the coun
u try to have a man who car
: gather great audiences ano
7 hold them in close attention TO-
two hours at a time while HI
speaks to them upon the mora
and ethical duties of the citl
zen. Not many preachers O.
| the Church have this power. Z
half-hour is about as long a
the average congregation is will
ing to listen to the averag
preacher speak upon the text
'Thou shalt not STEAL" and we
at a recent address in Carnegi
hall in this city Mr.. Brya1
! spoke upon that text to an au
dience OF two thousand pee
Pile, composed largely of me
n and women who were NATURAL
lg opposed to him politically, an
" held the rapt attention of thi
N great audience for an hour an
as three-quarters. Even at tn
~ close of this long sermon hi
in auditors did not leave the hal
lie but waited to hear Br. Brya
m extemporaneously answer que'
sh lions suggested by his address
u We doubt if any man left tn
k hall that night without .feelin
is that political robbery, finances
to juggling and the perpetratic
n. of injustice or the denial of ju
.ly tice in the name Of law al
he mean and contemplate.
ed For the work of this kir
at which Mr.. Bryan has done
en- behalf Of practical morals, tt