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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 25, 1913)
mHurfv' The Commoner. APRIL 25, 1913 JfBPWWWT "y " T" Mr. Bryan in Philadelphia The following is from tho Philadelphia Public Ledger of Monday, April 4th: William Jennings Bryan, secretary of state, thrilled and entertained several thousand men, women and children in this city yesterday. The Commoner came here from Washington to take part in the closing exercises marking the 40th anniversary of the Bethlehem Presbyterian church, Broad and Diamond streets. Although many years have passed since he leaped into fame with his "Cross of Gold and Crown of Thorns" address, his charming personality and wonderful mag netism served to attract large crowds to the church and later in the Second Regiment armory. Scores of persons were turned away from the church because it was not large enough to take care of all who were eager to hear the three time standard bearer of the democratic party. Admittance to the church was by card only, and the edifice was filled to overflowing long before Secretary Bryan appeared in the pulpit. Many of those who could not get in rushed over to the armory and got in line to enter as soon as the doors of the big structure were opened. He was scheduled to make his address at 4 o'clock, but long before that at least 2,000 persons -were congregated in front of the building. The gathering looked like an election night erowd in Chestnut street, and when the main door was thrown open there was a rush for seats. In the meantime members of the congregation had been admitted to the building by special cards. Those who were fortunate enough to have them had to force their way through a crowd standing five abreast and extending for 300 feet on the north and south sides of the main entrance. According to the committee in charge, there were 4,500 folding chairs placed on the ground floor, and 1,000 more seats were in the upper gallery. Half an hour before Sec retary Bryan was introduced all the chairs had been taken, and hundreds were standing in the side and rear aisles. A few minutes before he began his address the doors were ordered closed in the faces of a throng of men and women who jostled and pushed each other in a desperate attempt to get inside. Several parties of well dressed women came to the armory in automo biles as the door was closed. They saw it was no use to try and force their way through the dense multitude and returned to their cars and drove away. In the crush handsome street cos tumes were torn, .pretty new spring hats were crushed and toes troa upon. From the time the secretary of state arrived in -Broad street station shortly after 2 o'clock from Washington he was the center of much attention. He was met at Chester by the Rev. John R. Sutherland, associate -secretary of tho Presbyterian board of ministerial relief. A large touring car was waiting at the station for the visitor, and immediately after his arrival he was whisked to the church. BUY AN "REVIEWS LIFE IN HIS ADDRESS AT BETHLEHEM CHURCH The Rev. Dr. John R. Davies, pastor of Bethlehem church, conducted the service and Introduced Doctor Sutherland, associate secre tary of the Presbyterian board of ministerial re lief and sustentatlon, to whom the church was Indebted for Secretary Bryan's visit. The f riend ahip between Secretary Bryan and Doctor Sutherland began many years ago in Jackson ville, 111., where Mr. Bryan, then a young lawyer, became a member of the First Presbyterian church of Jacksonville, of which Doctor Suther land was paBtor. In introducing Secretary Bryan, Doctor Sutherland referred to the Ne braskan as "the highest embodiment of Chris tian manhood." He added that there were two men who stood out pre-eminently in this respect William E. Gladstone and William Jennings Bryan. Secretary Bryan took for his theme "The iValue of a Sunday School," and for nearly an hour he spoke in behalf of religious training of the young. In this connection he drew largely upon his 'own experience, telling how the ab horrence of profanity, strong drink and gamb ling that was early Inculcated by his parents remained with and strongly influenced his con duct throughout his career. In hiB introductory remarks ho referred to tho fact that Sunday was a much needed day of rest for a secretary of stato. "If any one claims that the holding of public ofllce is merely a nominal duty I can assure him that the office I hold is no sinecure," he remarked. "I have never been so busy in my life not even in a political campaign as I have been since the fourth of March." "A speech is good in proportion as it fits Int,o the occasion," continued Mr. Bryan, "and pro priety suggests that I speak oT those things that are paramount in Sunday school work. The thought I wish to bring to you is that religious work must be done in youth. I wonder if any one here would say that a child must not bo called upon to decide religious questions until it has grown to maturity? I have heard paronts say that it Is not right to bias a child's opinion in these matters, and that it should be per mitted to decide for itself in its own good time. Let me suggest that tho porson who holds such opinions concerning a child's religious training is either himself deceived or is seeking to de ceive some one else. "In our schooldays wo learned that nature abhors a vacuum, and surely there can be no vacuum in the human heart. Tho heart that is not filled with religion is filled with irreligion. The young man who at twenty-one does not be lieve in God has already denied God. The young man at twenty-one who does not care for the Bible has already decided not to allow that book to influence his life. The young man who at twenty-one has decided that Christ is not divine has already classed Him with mere man. Tho Impressions that shape our lives are the im pressions received in youth, and it is foolish for parents to believe that a young man or woman will naturally follow the path of righte ousness if they have made no effort to assist them in their premature years. "As I look back over my life I must confess that I have added little In the way of things that are moral and fundamentally controlling since I reached man's estate. And when I say this of myself I assume it to be true of those to whom I speak. "I commenced attending school at tho ago of ten. Before that time my mother gavo mo instructions at home. Among other things, my mother impressed upon' me such a dislike for swearing that after I began attending school I would always withdraw when boys with whom I was conversing becamo profane. I havo never overcomo my dislike of profanity, and today I never hear a man swear without wanting to get as far away from him as possible. This feeling I owe to instruction I received when I was less than ten years old. It is one of tho impres sions my mother made upon my young life. "My father also had a hand in my moral training. My father hated gambling, and ho made no nice distinctions about it, whether it was in a parlor or in a largo gambling establish ment; whether it was for a small prize or for money of various amounts. He believed that gambling rotted the moral fibre of tho man, and before I was fifteen he stamped upon my mind a detestation of gambling which has influenced me to this day. It is ray opinion that gambling is more demoralizing than drink. I believe that tho confirmed gambler is harder to cure than the confirmed drunkard. That impression, which my father contributed to my character-building, has affected my attitude upon many public ques tions as well as my attitude toward men in pri vate life. "The third impression was made upon me by both of my parents, when they combined in teaching me total abstinence. I do not know the day on which I first signed tho pledge, but I guess it was the day when I first signed my name. I believe in signing the pledge; I am ready to sign one any time or- anywhere if I can get a human being to sign It with me. When men tell me it is humiliating to sign a pledgo to abstain from drinking liquor, I say it Is no more humiliating than tho vow taken at tho marriage altar. I believe in tho pledge because it strengthens the man himself and because the example it sets strengthens others. "I am afraid that we as Christians do not pay enough attention to the example we set for others. The great Apostle said, 'If eating meat makes my brother offend, I will not eat meat He was willing to forego the pleasure he took from eating meat, if his example had a bad effect upon others. So a man's love for his brother must be small indeed if he allows his fondness for a glass to jeopardize the moral health of that brother. "My lifo has been spent In public life, and my oxporionco Is that if there is ono place whero a man should not drink it Is in public life. No where are temptations greater, and for thin reason a man must carefully hold himself in hand. After having boon in public lifo one quarter of a century I can testify thoro has nover boon ono day when I found that it would havo been advantageous to mo to drink. And I never found that I lost standing ovon among thoso who did drink. I havo never hoard ono criticism mado of my position as a total abstainer. "In this respect I shall continuo as I havo been going. I'll not chnngo, oven in my high ofllce, whero some persons think that in tho In terests of diplomacy this or that should bo dono which does not exactly square with their con scientious scruples. American diplomacy Is not tho kind in which you havo to make a man drunk In order to doal with him." Secretary Bryan then spoke of his connection with tho Sunday school, and its Influence upon his career. He said ho becamo a member of tho church at tho age of 11. "Did I understand tho creed of tho church I joined?" ho continued. "I not only did not understand It then, but I'vo never had tho time to study it since. I believe in a creod. It Is as necessary to havo a croed In a church as it Is to have a platform for a political party. And you know, I am somothing of a sticklor for platforms." At this Juncture Mr. Bryan spoke of his oaTly membership In tho Cumberland Presbyterian church, and how ho later became a membor of tho Presbylerlan church when ho went to Jacksonville, 111. "I recently did a little figuring," ho continued, "and I found tho ratio between tho time I was in tho Cumberland church and tho time I was In tho Presbyterian church was 10 to 1. There fore, my double standard of Preabytorlaulsrn was firmly fixed." This Httlo sally provoked laughter. Secretary Bryan then told how, although ho was an elder In tho Presbyterian church, his wife had been a Methodist; how they frequently attended a Methodist church, and how their threo children wore, respectively, members of tho Protestant Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal and tho Congregational church. - "We have four grandchildren, " ho said, "through whom wo hope to becomo connected with other branches of tho church. So far as creeds are concerned, I am not apt to bo tena cious or combative. But i arn concerned about tho fundamentals upon which our Christian church rests. In college, I passed through tho period of inquiry and skepticism that I suppose Is common to all college men, and it was well for mo that during thoso years I attended Sun day school and heard things there that helped me in my struggles during the week. I havo never quit attending Sunday school. I am now fifty-three and I enjoy Sunday school as much as I ever did. "I believe that as we advance intellectually in lifo we should also advance morally. Every day ought to find us morally stronger than tho day before. And wd need tho Sunday school for its help and inspiration. Let mo urge upon mem bers of tho church not only to .attend Sunday school, but to teach in the Sunday school. I am certain that my teaching in tho Sunday school has helped me much more than those I havo tried to teach. "We should all bo busy In tho church. Effort strengthens men and women in religion. In tho church, as among children, Satan finds somo mischief for idle hands to- do. It is the idlo Christian who is in danger. The Christian who has learned what Christ was while upon earth, If he will try to imitate Him, will have no time to worry over fine-spun theories that annoy soma church people. And I havo no timo for tho minister who preaches on the things ho does not believe when the world is waiting to hear what ho does believe. "In conclusion, let rao again say that you can not neglect the period of youth. These children aro given to us as a sacred trust. They watch us and imitate us in things we do not want them to imitate. Woo to the child who is reared in a home whero the conversation is profane or re ligion Is sneered at or where the table talk Is of 'dollars and dress and food tor the exclusion of all that Is uplifting and good. The parent ought not only to send the child to Sunday school; ho ought to take the child to Sunday school. When we give proper attention to th religious and moral training of our children we (Continued on Page 11.) 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