The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-01-05

plain people over Wall street, it is
strange to overlook the man who first
drew the antithesis, and Roosevelt
took it from him, and Woodrow Will
son took it partly from Roosevelt and
partly from Bryan. When you speak
of the election as a triumph of west
over east, it is strange to overlook
the man who first led the embattled
west against us and came very near
winning. When you speak Of the
election as a condemnation of war, it
would be very strange indeed to ov-
erlook the man who talked universal
peace long before the war in Europe.
And if he did it on the Chautauqua
platform and for $500 a lecture, it
hardly matters. Simply as success
full Snowman, as a man who discover
ed what the public wants, Mr.. Bryan,
would have proved his title to one of
the highest gifts of the statesman. 1t
is my personal belief that Mr.. Bryan
did not write the Prince of Peace"
for money. l do not believe that he
would have written the Divine Mis-
sion of the Sword" for little more
money. He is to be considered rath-
er as very fortunate man who made
comfortable living out of preaching
an important doctrine in which he be-
lieved sincerely and in which his au-
diences believed AS to the perform
ing dogs and the Tyrolese yodlers
with whom Mr. Bryan was brought
into contact, l refuse altogether to
worry. The juxtaposition pleases me.
H1hnVz n nd r,oxyf 70 tho
Globe theatre in Southwark, and l
have no doubt the fine gentlemen Of
the time enjoyed Hamlet and the
bears equally. 1t is also probable
that Socrates and Alcibiades inter
rupted their table-talk about the
soul when the Lydian dancing girls
and the Indian snake-charmers came
in.
A detailed appraisal of Bryan's ca
reer is not what / am interested in;
though thorough study would prob
ably give the remarkable result Of a
man who was usually right in prin-
ciple and wrong in manner and the
specific application. 1t would also
show a man who was defeated in ev-
cry battle he fought and who won
the campaign, if his entire career be
viewed as a single campaign. What
no one can question, however, is that
ii has been a full and continuous ca
rcer. In twenty years he has been
himself nominated three times for
the presidency; he has permitted one
other mination-Parker's; he has
forced one other nomination-Wil
sons at Baltimore--in one of the
most dramatic episodes of our politi-
cal history; he has done his share in
bringing to fruition Wilson's second
nomination. Incidentally we may
contrast Bryan's loyalty to Wilson
with another public mans behavior
under the pull of ambition. This
other man shall here be nameless.
Now, in speaking of the two Will
liams, Holzollern and Bryan, began
with nothing else in mind than the
irrefutable facts of chronology But
as draw near the end of my page it
occurs to me how strangely the life
ideas of the two men have been
brought into contact. In 1896 Will
liam of Hohensollern, aged SO, began
his crusade for God, autocracy, and a
big navy, and William j. Bryan, aged
SO, made himself leader of an ethico-
social crusade. What we may rough
ly call the Hohenzollern idea is now
in conflict with the Bryan idea, and
1t looks as If William of Nebraska
will win out. Many people are now
saying that mankind shall no longer
be crucihed on an Iron Cross.