Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (March 19, 1909)
VOLUME 9, NUMBER 2 Two Views of Fairview; Mr. Bryan in Defeat Written By Richard L. Metcalfe and Printed in the March Number of Pearson's Magazine ,??... 1U- The Commoner. K ft fr- At a privato picnic party, perhaps scventy nvo people -among them many children were gathered. In tho party was a man of wide ex perience, of great activity and of recognized ability. When luncheon was served, he was Invited to tako tho place of honor at the head of tho snowy cloth sproad on tho green grass. Looking around tho gathering, ho asked: "Do ou remember the little verso in which we gave Thanks at our last picnic?" Many children, and jomo of tho grown folks, responded in tho Urinative, and, with bowed heads, the men, women and children Joined with this big, pow erful man in repoating tho simple words: God is great, and God is good, And we thank Him for this food. By His hand must all be fed, Give us, Lord, our daily bread. That was William .7. Bryan, then the twice defeated candidate for the presidency. It was natural for Mr. Bryan, spending a day in tho woods and among the children, to "say grace" In tho children's way. It 'was the samo Bryan who, in tho press gallery of the repub lican national convention for 189 G held at St. Louis a few weeks prior to his own nomina tion for tho presidency engaged with news paper correspondents in a "paper wad battle," participating in tho sport with real zest, making himself as "ridiculous" as any of his com panions and finding keen delight every time one of his own well-rolled wads lilt the mark. It was tho samo Bryan who. during t'he St. Louis convention, attracted some attention by going to the rescue in the middle of a mud mied street of a bicyclist who had been thrown from hia wheel. Tho accident was of such a commonplace character as to exclude tho ele ment of heroism. But although the rescuer's offorts seemed superfluous to-the Crowd on tho sidewalk they appeared to be helpful to the real party in Interest. It was tho same Bryan who a fow years later happened to be in a disas trous wreck in Kansas. There some men and women lost their lives, others were seriously in jured. Newspaper dispatches of that day told how Bryan worked, with the tears rolling down his cheeks, lifting a heavy timber from off a human limb or carrying an injured or a dying man or woman or child to some place of shelter. Ol course ho did no more than others were doing, or than others would have done. But in the bicycle Incident at St. Louis as in the train disaster in KansaB tho opportunity for service simple service, perhapswas at hand: and service is writ large throughout the career of this remarkable man. Just how remarkable he is will not be known by those whoso observation of him has b Jen confined to his public life. To be sure the world knows him better than it did in 1896 when, after his first defeat for the presidency, a New York paper called him "an addle-pated boy and, congratulating tho country on his defeat said: "Let him go with the hissing of a people's scorn!" No editor, having concern for his standing, would now speak of tho thrice de eated Bryan with such contemptuous words an yrW g0d ?sor" :s a conim remark, and to that generally recognized fact 4s duo some of his present-day popularity But the Shh ;pliil08PJly" dl? dSes Bryan's attitude toward defeat. ,ttU8 After the recent election when many neonle were offering him consolation some one calfed him by telephone and asked him to find com fort in the fifteenth verso of the thirl oh ? of Ecclesiastes. He read: "Tha which ffih been is now; and that which is to be hath ol ? I Lonon,i. aild G0(1 uireth that which is iiis SS2 Syjt si Another friend directed his attention to tho and justice in a province, marvel nc R matter; for he that is higher than the lHth ? regardoth; and thero be iK0?t ,, ?' Then he remarked: "Wlutt afJondertul book' it This touching personal tribute to the thrice-defeated leader of democracy is from the associate editor of Mr. Bryan's Commoner, who was also his editorial associate on the staff of the Omaha World Herald before he was first nominated for president. Editor Pearson's. is!" thus indicating that this particular verse had touched him. The newspaper men who were assigned to "do Bryan" in 1908 could tell some wonderful stories showing the simplicity and the realness of tho man. They could tell of the relaxation he found and the boyish enthusiasm he dis played while making plans for the arrival of the mascot mule; how very like a' boy pulling himself away from the vexations of a political campaign he consulted with the newspaper men as to the selection of a name for the mule and conspired with some of them in the selec tion of one of their number as the first rider; how in all seriousness he devoted considerable time to a conference called for the purpose of selecting a name. The majority finally settled on "Major Minnamascot" the chosing obvious ly required more than mere passing effort. The initiation proceedings were broken up when the mule threw the chosen correspondent. It was not generally known that as the result of those proceedings the correspondent was confined to his bed for several days. The anxiety displayed by Mr. Bryan for the condition of the injured man was as genuine as his smile was broad whenever after the correspondent's recovery ho discussed with his journalistic co-conspirators the artistic manner in which that particu lar correspondent parted from that particular mule. Admittedly this looks ridiculous enough when reduced to merciless print and used in the history of a dignified public man, but it is real and Bryan is essentially real. Perhaps it will be frowned upon as a caper unbecoming a statesman, but somehow or other the news paper men did not seem to object to it. On the contrary, they seemed to admire him for his boyishness at play even as they admired his manliness at work. And it is at least worthy of remark that no public man or private citizen ever had more devoted friends than William J. Bryan found in the newspaper writers who were assigned to accompany him on his trips or to do duty on the alfalfa-strewn fields of Fair view. Some years ago Bryan read a biographical sketch In which appeared the words: "He had Si n J11? wisdom of doing right." That has i?edmhlm htext for many a well-ordered speech Take that motto In connection with two other of his favorites and we become better acquainted with the man. His favorite poem is n.wLBa ,0de,to a Water Fowl" from which this verse is taken: He who, from zone to zone, Guides through the boundless sky thy cer tain flight, In?i 1i0ng, way that l must treal alone, Will lead my steps aright. His favorite song is an old Pentecostal hymn 1 11 go where you want me to go:" "Iun It may not be on the mountain's height Or o'er the stormy sea; It may not be at the battle's front My Lord will have need of me- To nnLVH" a11 VOiCG He'CaS To paths that I do not know, 1 11 answer dear Lord, with my hand in Thine I'll go where you want me to go " There's surely somewhere a lowly place ' In earth's harvest fields so wide ' Where I may labor thro' life's short day For Jesus, the crucified ?y , So trusting my all to Thy tender care, And knowing Thou lovest me ' I'll do Thy will with a heart sincere, 1 11 bo what you want me to be. It is not difficult to understand why a man with such "literary favorites" as these should be "a good loser." It would require somethinE more than three defeats to break the heart of a man who, in the calmest sort of way and through a considerable period of time, has grown into the deep conviction that he has a mission to perform the duty of working, under God, for the welfare of his fellowmen. And this brings me in desultory fashion to the subject of this sketch, "Two Views of Fairview." One view was taken July 4, 1908. Then the sun in the democratic sky was shining brightly as brightly, indeed, as Old Sol was shining above the hill upon which the Bryan home stands. Hundreds of delegates and visitors on their way to the Denver convention were tramp ing up the hill to see Bryan.. Bands were play ing; banners were flying; men and women were cheering and all in honor of the master of Fairview. Really the public man at tho height of his success or for that matter, any human being in the midst of an intoxicating good for tune is not at his best. However modestly he may bear the honors showered upon him one can not avoid the thought that it does not re quire great heroism for a man to smile while favors fall thick about him. But the beauty of the panorama' and it was a panorama of strong men, beautiful women and magnificent banners moving all the long, hot day the beauty of that scene fades into insignificance compared with another view of Fairview on November 5, 1908. That was two days after the election when, for the third time, the master of Fairview lost a battle for the presidency. An old-time democrat asked -'a"' correspondent for a New York paper: -J'-. " - "How does he feel?" f !:ut r'- ' The correspondent repliediJ-'ui'He's-a crushed man." ,, "':ntn The first-speaker said: "I have known him since he first entered public life and I have never seen him crushed yet. I shall watch him with interest." "When the party reached the Bryan home "tho crushed man" put his arm around the news paper correspondent's shoulders and giving him an old-fashioned hug asked: "Well, old man, are you feeling better?" "No, sir," grunted the correspondent, "not a bit better and I never intend to!" "Oh, you'll get over it," replied Bryan, pat ting him on the back. "I have often felt nearly as badly as you do; and look fit? me now. I have lived to tell the story." While there was plainly a weariness on tho part of the democratic leader, It was equally plain that the correspondent, rather than Bryan, was the "crushed man." It happened that this was the third time when one particular visitor had gone two days after a presidential election to condole with William J. Bryan. "Does it hurt any 'worse than it did before?" asked the visitor. nit an reDlIed: "I am not seriously hurt, although J am surprised. I am also very tired. For myself I am relieved, in spite of my dis 32? ? tm,ent- There is one thing, however, that does hurt. When these friends, particularly the oia men, come out here to console me and get to crying; then I have to console them. Their great concern for me touches me so deeply that it keeps my heart aching all the time." Khen 4that visitor walked away Bryan was Diauing two newspaper correspondents good bye, boon he was overtaken by the two news narPoefr m,!?Te t renubcan, the other a dem mln' b0th bie-nearted big-brained, noble J1 1G7 .w?re savine concerning popular fn nHnment'lings that would not look well If1"1 and ,tlley were crying. They didn't 2?J? be ashad of the tears, either. Mr 2? edUorial writers have declared that hia;?Jy!? , no Ben' oi humor." In all l?'y ther has been no other public man SLmnlaii ai ke,ener sonsG humor than tho n?C f ad?r- A fev days Prior to election rnnvifl ?d Yho vIsIted fairview was unable, conveniently, to obtain an audience, so great Mufrtt...