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6
The Commoner.
Mr. Bryan in Kentucky
Tlio following report 1b taken from tho Lotiis
villo (Ky.) Courier-Journal: Speaking to five
audiences at different tiincH onco to an as
sembly of moro than 12,000 persons at the
Armory William Jonnings Bryan, here, under
tho auspices of tho General Assembly of tho
NTorthorn Presbyterian church, United States of
America, spent a strenuous day in Louisville.
Mr. Bryan addressed an audionco of 1,800
porsons on "Tho Larger Life," at 11 o'clock in
tho morning at the First Christian church. Jn
tho evening ho spoko boforo an equal number
of men at a mass meeting at tho Shubert Ma
Honie theater, his subject being "The Making
of a Man." After tho latter meeting he wont
to the Hope Rescue Mission, Eighth and Jeffer
son streets, to speak before a gathering of
"down-and-outs," offering a cheering word of
encouragement to them. Prior to tho First
Christian church meeting in the morning, he de
livered a short talk to 500 members of the First
Christian church Sunday-school. Tn all of his
speeches Mr. Bryan emphasized tho sacredness
of tho Bible, and its powerful influence making
for good. His speech at the armory, while de
voted principally to tho position of the church
in tho modorn world, treated also of the relative
attitude of tho church toward labor and labor
toward tho church.
Immediately following tho gathering at the
armory Mr. Bryan, with Gen. W.'B. Haldeman
and Mayor Head, was driven in an automobile
to "Mansfield," tho country home of Henry
Wattorson, near Jeffersontown. At Mr. Watter
son's residence, Mr. Bryan, tired from the ardu
ous round of speech-making during the morn
ing, was given an hour of rest and recreation,
spent in a sociable chat.
Next in Interest to the address of Mr. Bryan
at tho Armory meeting was tlat of Charles
Stolzle, superintendent of the Presbyterian
bureau of social service. Tho church, he de
olared, was actually responsible for the spirit of
unrest which exists in tho world today. Tho
preaching of a higher idealism, he said, had
made men dissatisfied with their old estate. So
cial unrest, therefore, ho pointed out, was one
of the most hopeful signs of the times. Labor
unions and socialism, with their respective bear
ing upon religion and the church, came in for
a measure of discussion in Mr. Stelzle's address.
Tho Armory was crowded long before the ar
rival of Mr. Bryan at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
Nearly tho entire space of the main floor was
taken up with chairs, while every available point
of vantage in the galleries was occupied. Exces
sive warmth in tho auditorium caused sonie dis
comfort, but few left the building until after
the distinguished Nebraskan had spoken.
It was a welcome announcement from the Rev.
Dr. Aquilla Webb when he informed the men in
tho audience that, inasmuch as tho women wore
permitted to appear in their shirt waists, ho
felt it would bo only fair that the men bo al
lowed to remove their coats. He made the. con
dition, however, that they could not do so until
after they had contributed their mito to the
collection boxes being passed around by many
ushers.
Tho lull preceding the arrival of Mr. Bryan
was made enjoyable, despite the heat, by selec
tions by a band of fifty pieces and the singing
of a largo choir. Mr. Bryan's appearance? on tho
platform, after ho had made his way from the
west-side door entrance to the stand, was tho
signal for a mighty ovation. He merely smilod
and took his place on tho platform.
Mayor Head introduced Mr. Bryan as a man
who had been fighting battles of the people "for
many years in the halls of congress and on every
hilltop and whenever needed" to champion their
cause.
"I am glad to participate in this meeting,"
said Mr. Bryan, as he arose and hold a palm
leaf fan aloft to quiet the choers that greeted
him. He had just put on his coat, which tho
excessive heat inside the Ar.mory had caused
him to remove a few minutes before.
"While my chief purpose," ho continued, "in
coming to this assembly at this time was to as
sist in bringing boforo the Presbyterians of the
body tho claims of a great Christian institution
tho Winona assembly, I am glad my coming was
at a time when I could be on the programme of
this meeting.
"Your mayor ha.s been kind enough to say
that I have been interested in the cause of the
people My interest in the cause of government
is as groat as it ever was and my enthusiasm -will
not wano whilo life remains. And yet, before
this body, 1 am willing to bear testimony that
1 regard religion infinitely superior in its rela
tion to human life and happiness than govern
ment. Religion touches all of tho life, while
government touches but a part of it.
"I am certain of my ground when I am dis
cusing religion. In that respect I have an ad
vantage; when discussing government, for in
stance, it is sometimes hard for me to get the
concurrence of the necessary majority (laugh
tor.) But when I am speaking religion I feel
that it is not in vain, although tho majority may
bo against mo. So this afternoon I am speaking
with the hope that I may touch some human
heart for good. My desire to be of service to
my fellowmcn increases as I see the sands of
life flowing out."
Here Mr. Bryan paid a tribute to the Rev.
Dr. Matthews, moderator of the general as
sembly, saying that ho addressed an audience
of men several weeks ago in the minister's
church in Seattle. Dr. Matthews, he declared,
was practical in the application of Christianity
to life, to business and to government.
He also spoke of Mr. Stelzle, who, he said,
was tho representative in tho Christian church
of the union men. He said he thought tho
speeches of Mr. Stelzlo and Dr. Matthews to
gether represented that condensation of the com
mandment which says: "Thou shalt lovo the
Lord thy God, and thy neighbor as
thyself."
Tho two speakers, said Mr. Bryan, in their
addresses represented the two aims of Chris
tianity, faith and work, without which, he said,
the Christian life is fruitless. Without one, he
declared, tho other was of no avail. There is
some antagonism todjay between various organi
zations which ar trying to work out the desti
nies of man, ho said, because they do not recog
nize tho proper emphasis of faith and work.
Christ put emphasis on' both, he declared.
"None of us is perfect," went on Mr. Bryan.
"Tho organizations to which we belong are or
ganizations managed by human beings, there
for likely to have tho weaknesses and frailties
of tho human being. Wo can not point to a man
and say of him: 'Bo as he is,' but we say:
'Take tho good qualities in him and overlook
tho imperfections.' "
Some people outside the church, the speaker
declared, were wont to point to people in the
church as hypocrites.
"When such a man comes to me," Mr. Bryan
declared, "I tell him that every man who sins
is not a hypocrite, Many sin through ignorance;
their inconsistencies ought to be brought to their
attention; we ought to persuade them to aban
don them and lead better lives. W must as
sume that tho man who says there are hypocrites
in the church is not a hypocrite."
Applause greeted Mr. Bryan when ho declared
that he would ask such a man to come into the
church in order $o make bigger the majority
against tho hypocrites. A man would go into
a labor organization because he believed its pur
pose good and had confidence in it, declared Mr
Bryan, in bringing out his point. He said a
man doesn't get married because he thinks he
is presenting his wife a model husband
"If such was the case," tho speaker added,
there wouldn't ho wany marriages."
"Do not think the church is not a power for
good in this land and in this world," Mr Bryan
said. "I am a defender of tho church and I
make my defense of the church on fundamental
grounds. I never made a speech in the interest
of religion that I couldn't make in a Methodist
church as well as in a Presbyterian or in a
Catholic church. I have been so busy with the
fundamental work of the church universal that
I haven't had time to take up the denomina
tional problem. I believe that denominations
aro doing good in this land of ours, but I will
let others build the walls betweenI will busy
myself with the foundation stones, the funda
mental religion.
"I believe there should bo tho utmost har
mony between the church and tho laboring men
also between tho so-called business men of this
nation and world. No ono oan monopolize the
church. There would bo no universal religion
if it were not universal for everybody everv
whero. ...
"Christ's government rests on the, principle of
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 22
Justice. It is the purpose of the church to make
it possible for every man to draw from society
in proportion to the benefits ho confers upon
society. The duty of God's church is to make
God's law a reality among men. If government
is obstructing that law, then it is the duty of the
Christian church to remove government. No
economic system can permanently endure if it
does not move in accord with that fundamental
law. God not only gave us an economic law, but
Christ gave us an even higher law.
"You may write your indictment as to the
church's misgivings, but I will offset it by say
ing that Christian churches are trying to throw
about the children, the children of both the rich
and the poor, such influences that will lead to
larger and nobler lives. The people are demand
ing a universal education for the poor man's
child, as well as the rich man's child, for tho
sake of justice and for the sake of his class."
Mr. Bryan said men were insisting upon legisl
ation to make the rich man help pay for the
education of the poor. The laboring man, ho
said, had a higher ambition than to provide his
children with food and clothing alone. He
said he gloried in what the labor organizations
had done to protect thoir women and children
from excessive toil.
He said the church probably had not done
everything it should have done. It could not
be denied, however, he declared, that it was a
leaven for good. He said tho American people
were wont to take the credit for good accom
plished by the church, but he believed there
was no man at the footstool of God whose ideals
had not been colored by tho Sermon on the
Mount.
"I believe," said Mr. Bryan, "that a great
deal of the seeming conflict between the church
and labor is due to the failure of one to under
stand the other. My friends, when you tell me
that an organization not acquainted with the
church finds fault with it, I tell you that if they
were more closely affiliated so much would not
bo found to criticise."
Mr. Bryan said Mr. Stelzle suggested in his
address that Christianity awakens discontent.
When Christ came into the world, he declared,
He bore not the emblem of peace, but the sword.
Yet, he said, Christ was heralded as the Princo
of Peace. When Christ came with his doctrine
of service, he asserted, it was a sword that
smote the battlements of error.
There was no inconsistency, he said, in the
singing of angels at the coming of the Son and
the proclamation of the Master, Christ came
to marshal His forces against opposition and
abuse that wrongs might be set right and the
world might be ruled by one who made justice
and peace the cornerstone of His government.
"If you think the church is going slowly,"
Mr. Bryan said, "come and help make the church
a greater power for good;' purge from it its
impurities." Mr. Bryan said ho was not a
preacher, but declared he was not going to let
preachers monopolize the joys of service and
the delight of testimony. He said his text would
be, if it became necessary for him to have a
text: "If any man says he loves his God and
hates his bro.ther, then I say he's a liar."
My sermon would be long if I would tell
how many there are of them. Let's make it a
living evidence of Christ's gospel and His doc
trine of peace. If a man shows he's a living lie
Xv. nating his hrother and loving God, let's
either convert him or throw him out of tho
?.mc,h as being blasphemous," said Mr. Bryan,
l he greatest need of this world," ho con
tinued, s the living of the life that Christ cam
to make known unto men. There ought ta be a
fellowship among all humans who come to tho
cross for consolation." He declared the greatest
?,the nations was to establish among
men Christ's measure of greatness.
hetler Ch,rist's 'aw shall be written in the
hearts of men," said he, "is the supremo issue."
tJ,i i coniusion of his address Mr. Bryan
ISSSJ ?el 0I th0. latform for a few moments,
S W"g hals with many Presbyterian ministers
IS? A f r8n?.h0 wi8hed t0 greet him- Then ho
H?nJ t?SUdl,ng With Gen Haldeman and Mayor
ih nm7fth WhJm h6 t00k an automobile trip to
lnw!ry re! dence of Mr- Watterson. After
SSnvr fh e8t,t?ere he retued to Louisville to
?hinir il Jesses at the Shubert Masonic
theater and Hope Rescue Mission.
confo Mer.niSg his remarks at the Shubert Ma
a pLhvi,ryan,lained hw he had become
thT imdZ an fldfp; He saitl lt wa because
PrGsbvfrf.n011, lad been sIven tllat h was a
com & e,ldep1 ancl that hG hal ""ally be
come tired of denying it; he said it also' was be-