The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-08-29

| given in these worlds
 'Pessimism is the poisonous fruit of breeding. and optimism is the gracious flower of service"
 And Brother. Bryan" never has known a pessimistic moment all his life. for his days and nights are filled with an opp timism that radiates sweetness and nope and peace and joy.
 q am debtor both to the Greeks and tc the Baroarians' Romans 1:lD are the words that Brother Bryan chose as the keynote to the little story he was tellins me the other day-a story that was sug 1 gested to me by a very dear friend O. mine--as being held within the hollow of Mir Bryans hapd-snd which was drought with much interest and deeply steeped in real religion
 "Go to Brother Bryan said my to tell you about the various languages l that are spoken in this district in hi, ministrations among the rich and thu poor
 Accordingly, l asked Brother Bryan t. tell me about this phase of his work. With his usual modesty. he declared tha, there was nothing to tell which hadn't been told before, although to him the various nationalities represented in aaC around Birming gham-those he had beei called upon to minister toto marry, tc baptize, to bury, to visit-made an ir- teresting study to him.
 l Ut is estimated by some said Air. Bryan that there are thirty-six Ian guages spoken in the southern states, but [ think this is an exaggeration; twenty seven, I would say, covers to field
 Tn this immediate vicinity" Mir. Bry- an continued, where my work carries me into every crack and corner, l find ,Hungarians Bulgsrians, Slavs, Bohe- lmians, Chinese, Japanese, Germans, French, Syrians, Armenians, Sicilians Irish. Scotch, African, English, East Indians-a varied assortment, to De sure.
 .sThe syrians>are characterized espe' lcially by their sweetness said Mir sry- an "The women are so kind and so gen. tie in their home life an6 the men stick together always; they are loyal, true friends and can be depended upon have often been asked to perform the narriag ge ceremony in Syrian families; sometimes they understand Enghsn sufficiently to do without an interpreter; others mustl have an interpreter. Hum | garians also have asked my services al other times and they, too, understand English sometimes well enough not tc have to employ an interpreter
 q recall an instance when I was called on to officiate at Hungarian funeral. Mr Bryan said. The undertaken called
 me and l went. When l got to the house. I realized that the sorrowine husband had loved his wife very dearly her women >krends had evidently loved her. too: they were heart broken at her death and so was the husband. We sang
 Jesus, Lover of My Soul, and the hus' band seemed to understand' great tears rolled down his cheeks, and he was heart broken. l prayed with him and told him that Jesus was his friend-hls Father-and would comfort hifn, and looking up at me out of his big brown eyes as the tears rolled down his cheeks, he said: Mr. Bryan, I understand; sure Jesus is the BossSs
 .I wish everybody could understand that" MT Bryan added. "as well as my Hungarian friend. And this Hungarian lis the most appreciative of friends, lnever pass his fruit stand that he doesn't stop me and want to give me something la banana, pear. an apple-something l-iust to show he still remembers.
 NO, l never question what man s nationality is" MT Bryan said, in an swer to my question. For I am debtor both to the Creeks and the Barbarons Just as l never ask man what church he belongs to do, l don't attach much iimportance to man who starts out with me by asking: MT. Bryan, what ts the size of your membership? l answered lone recently, who asked this question, by saving: sThirty-seven thousand six hun drsd and thirty-four at the last count That's the way I felt about it; they al belong to my church.
 There is never a moment of leisure lr MT. Bryan's life; from house to house Inc goes from hovel to mart from man, sion to church always with word oi prayer always with word of kindness l to some broken hearted creature-man woman or child-taking the very clothes off of his back-the bread out of his mouth--to give 10 the needy.
 A story which is typical of Brothei Bryan is told of him and his gentle wife; how, often they are relegated witf their little family to sit on boxes-ir place of chairs-having given every rock inr chair in the house-away--to some iuvalid-some poor struggling sick crea turs who needed just that comfortable rocxer during a convalescent periodic aid In the hard fight back to health.
 And to whom but Brother Bryan would hey appeal?
 AEain-many an evening when he has