The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1909-04-12
Bryan's Visit to the Valley.
CONTINUED from Page u

THE Prince of Peace" was the sub
ject of one of the most eloquent and
most convincing lectures ever deliv-
cred by William Jennings Bryan. on
Saturday evening last, when he spoke
at the district court room in Browns
vile, for the benefit of the public
school library The large room was
filled with an audience representing
the most cultured and intelligent citi-
zens of Brownsville, about four hun
dred being present.
The distinguished speaker was in
troduced by Hon. F. w. Seabury of
this city. who needs no introduction
to Texans, as the former speaker of
the house of the Texas legislature for
two terms. In a few brief but appro-
pirate remarks. Mr.. Seabury pre-
scented the distinguished lecturer as
Americas greatest private citizen
and one of the greatest orators in the
United States. our fellow citizen and
our neighbor, Hon William Jennings
Bryan of Nebraska and Hidalgo
county"
As Col Bryan mounted the plat
form, he was greeted with a storm
of applause which lasted for several
minutes Col. Bryan spoke for two
hours and twenty minutes prefacing
his address as follows:
Ladies and gentleman: / was here
last November and spoke then to all
who cared to hear me, and therefore
felt that / was not committing a
great wrong in accepting the invita-
ton to deliver a lecture here tonight
for the benefit of the public school
library and l feel grateful that so
many are interested enough to come
out on this occasion. l am glad of
the times between campaigns when l
can take up the themes that draw us
together as citizens" Mr.. Bryan
then stated that his address would
not be along political lines. but on a
religious subject. He stated that he
was justly interested in the science
of government. He had been making
political speeches since he was 20
years old. but he had made religious
speeches for six years before that
time. He liked to make a political
speech and he expected to make many
political speech every time he read
the speech of a Republican, yet he
would rather make religious
speech; when making a political
speech he knew that not everyone
was interested in it. but all of man
kind was interested in religion and if
he could touch one human heart. he
would feel that he had not spoken in
vain no matter how large a majority
might be ageinst him The lecture he
would deliver tonight, Mr.. Bryan
declared had been prepared with a
purpose He had found some young
men who seemed to think it mark
of the highest intelligence to scott
at creeds and churches, and he hoped
that he might shame some young men
who thought it smart to be a skeptic.
Coming thus to his subject. the
speaker first laid down the PROPOSE
ton that back of all theories of crea-
ton there was always the admission,
whether tacit or open, that some IN
seen. unexplained power existed be-
fore aught else The Laplace theory
began with space filled with particles
of matter and a force that acted upon
those particles. to combine them into
suns and worlds, but did not explain
away the power that must have ere
ated that matter and caused the force
to act upon it. In other words. God
could not be explained away The
inconsistency of the finite mind which
attempts to measure the infinite by
it's puny standards was dwelt upon
the acceptance of the miracle of plant
life. and the rejection of the miracles
wrought by Christ With beautiful
imagery, he described the wondrous
birth of beautiful plant from tiny
brown seed, and challenged any to
explain the miracle whereby the seed
buried in the earth could so combine
the warmth of the sun. the moisture
and the chemical elements of the soil
Some thought that religion should
be based upon morality, but. on the
contrary, morality itself is based upon
religion.
If a man tries to do right only
when he thinks people are looking his
morals are sure to take a vacation
sometime, when people are not look
ing.
Mr.. Bryan said that he had passed
through period of skepticism while
at college, and he had been glad ever
since that he joined the church be-
fore going to college He did not
know how long drawn out was the
process of creation but you could
Continued on page A.