The Washington herald., 1920-04-16
Prospective First Ladies" = =

such barometer. "Look a there.
he said, resentfuliy, soon as saw
that aluminium dishpan hanging out
on the back porch. I knew the
Bryans was getting the swell headr
Tho career OF william Jennings
political dictator. legis-
lator, newspaper man, writer and
too well known to men
tion here. but scarcely known at all
is the part which Mrs Bryan has
played in IL. She Is the type of
woman who keeps decidedly In the
OF her husbands sue
cess, preferring to play her part
behind the scenes rather than to
bask in it's Iimelight.
In the first place, she has not the
good mixing" proclivities that
have made the Bryan smile and
famous, nor has she ever
cared a great deal for the social
side of life. But in her quiet.
forceful way she has been Of tre-
mendous aid to Mr.. Bryan, and
about the only campaign man
ager" he ever had. He relies on
her sound Judgment and has never
inserted a plank In the Democratic
with Mrs Bryan
She personally opens all Of the
exceedingly heavy mail that Mr..
Bryan receives-no matter where or
what he is--and. with the aid OF
three trained assistants, answers
the most of II. She has campaigned
with her husband from one end OF
the continent to the other; attended
and Chautauquans by
the hundred with him; and, tits said,
has herself written some of the
spellbinders that roll from his sill
yer tongue.
Mrs. Bryan never seems to tire,
however. She worships her hus-
band as a hero. and the game does
MT grow stale. At the San Diego,
Cal. exposition. a few years ago, l
watched the play OF expression on
her race as she listened to Mr..
Bryan delivering his famous peace
speech. Not one OF his outdoor
audience Of five thousand people
enjoyed that speech any moro than
Mrs. Bryan. who drank ii in as
though she had heard IL for the
first time, instead of knowing every
line in it and probably having pol
ished IT innumerable times.
Laughs at His Stories.
And that night at a dinner given
by the exposition officials TO the
guests, she continued
the appreciative listener. and
laughed heartily with the rest at her
husbands stories which she. no
doubt. had heard many, many times
before.
I recall one. particularly. which
seemed to be her favorite. Mr..
Bryan stated that ne had found II
difficult TO make Mrs. Bryan under
stand why men stayed so late at
banquets when there were no ladies
present. II told her" he explained,
that, for my part. when she wasn't
time, and II took me twice as long
TO get home"
Mrs. Bryan's first official glimpse
of Washington was had during Mr..
Bryan's two terms in Congress-the
fifty-second and fifty-third. She was
by no means a stranger, however.
when she came back as the wife of
the Secretary of State. and needed
but little initiation in matters of
etiquette and form. She adhered to
the rules of precedence strictly. but
there was one rule which she did
break. Just because she was the
wife Of a Cabinet officer she saw no
reason why she should go against
her conscience and serve wine at
the state dinners.
u have no objection" she frankly
stated. ito people drinking what
and when they like. But ! never
served an Intoxicating beverage in
my home in my life. and I don't pro-
pose to make any exception now.
Hence the grapejuice, loganberry
program inaugurated during the
Bryan administration.
when He Liked Ii.
At the first big dinner given by
the Brysns when grapejuice was
perpetrated on the astonished
guests. one of the ladies present
leaned over to her next-door neigh
Dor at table. and whispered:
How do you like grspejuicc?"
Very much. milady." replied tho
high dignitary to whom she had
put the grave question. when it
is fermented."
The Bryans leased the fine old
residence of Gen. Logan during
their regime in Washington. 1t lent
itself charmingly to the hospitality
which they dispensed-to old friends
as well as to official Washington.
Both Mr.. and Mrs. Bryan are es-
pecially noted for their thoughtful
ness of others. and the very kind
things they have found time to do
in their busy lives. The employees
of the State Department swear by
them to a man. and tell a charac-
teristic story of Mr.. Rryan's big