Page:Famous Living Americans, with Portraits.djvu/77

 WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN By Matnabd Lee Daqgy SOME men are bom great, some achieve greatness, while others have greatness thrust upon them. ' ' William Jen- nings Bryan was bom great : he inherited a dean bill of physical, mental and moral health; he began life with no handicaps. He achieved greatness : the influence of environ- ment gave emphasis to those ideals out of which the individ- ual molds character and builds a career ; he builded a charac- ter and dedicated its powers to the needs of his age. He had greatness thrust upon him : he entered public life during that period which required the leadership of one possessing his unique powers ; his age demanded his services and with loyal devotion he met its demand. William Jennings Bryan was born during the period when the struggle between North and South made public questions the one subject of daily conversation. March 19, I860, was his birthday. He was bom in a section where the union of Puritan and Cavalier gave a peculiar intensity to the ante- bellum and war-time debate. Salem, Illinois, was his birth- place. His father was Silas Lillard Bryan, a man of sturdy an- cestry, strong convictions, and the fine pubUc spirit which blends patriotism with common sense. Mariah Elizabeth Jennings, his mother, was a gentle woman who was devoted to home and children, and at the same time was keenly alert to a wider circle of interests. She possessed a personality in which there was united womanly dignity with refinement of mind and nobility of bearing. Thus the future statesman passed the formative years of childhood under the influence of parents who regarded the home as the nursery of char- acter. The early life of Mr. Bryan has been duplicated in thou- sands of American communities. His boyhood days are de- void of the impossible traditions that surround the youthful