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12
FROM POVERTY TO «*— .
,^^TWO HUNDRED MILLIONS
CHAPTER I.
This is the story of America's wealth
iest man and greatest philanthropist. It
is the history of a man who, with al
most $200,000,000 at his command, gives
art-ay over $500,000 yearly in charity,
says tht New York Herald.
in short, it is the story of John D.
Rockefeller, the Standard Oil Midas,
Croesus, wizard, magician or magnate,
whichever you may choose to call him.
Thirty years ago he was a poor man.
With one uncertain foot on the bottom
rung of the ladder of fortune, he began
to mount with amazing speed toward
the top. He has amassed wealth at
the rate of six million dollars a year
for a period of thirty years. He now
iinds it difficult to keep track of his
property
Ami still the great sold ball rolls on,
accumulating- and increasing with the
years, becoming more colossal and
more formidable as the days pass, until
some day it may require an array of
men to look after it. John D. Rocke
feller does not earn money now as he
did in the old days when his brain was
taxed with the problem of how to make,
instead of how to keep.
Whether he sleeps or wakes, whether
in sickness or health, whether dreaming
away his tjme on his yacht or idling
the days away at one of his many
country homes, his income of $20,000
a day will continue. Should he sleep
for only a minute during an afternoon,
he wakes to the knowledge that he is
$14j-icher than a minute before. Should
he sleep for an hour, $833 roll into his
co#ers in a trickling stream. Every
morning when he opens his eyes he
finds himself $10,000 better off than on
the evening'previous; and this without
an effort other than a few hours' daily
scheming to render his wealth more se
cuce, and to further fasten the finan
cial rivets and cleats that hedge his
RoTfden granary. Yet he was born poor
and penniless, as far as inheritance is
concerned.
T'have said that thirty years ago
John D. Rockefeller was a poor man.
More than that, he was not only poor.
blif fven his best friends would not ac
cord him any credit for industry or
sagacity. He was a plain, plodding
bookkeeper— that is all. What John D.
Rockefeller does not know about his
own wealth would at pres3nt make rich
m«p of thT>se very frietvls. He prob
ably cannot guess within ten million
dollars of how much money he is worth,
without extensive figuring.
Jjahn D. Rockefeller is of Scotch par
entage. His parents came to this co.in
try shortly before the birth of the fu
ture great magnate. The family set
tled in the western part of this state
on -a smaH farm near Moravia. Here
the^ Rockefellers rapidly increased,
until the "family consisted of father,
mother, two sons and two daughters.
From Moravia the Rockefeller family
moved to a farm near Ow^o. At this
time, John D., the eldest son, was a
tall, slender lad, nine years old. The
farm house ocupied by the Rockefellers
at^this time- is still standing. It was
then and is still owned by Mr. G. M.
Lanioiitr,"a well-to-do farmer. It was
In his service that young Ro--:kef filer
°a«ned his first 25 cents, hoe
ing" potatoes. According to a statement
made afterward by Mr. Lanonte. the
boy did the work slowly, >ut well.
TJje two young Rockefeller boys
tvere always together, working on their
mvn little farm, or hunting, Railing and
'iid's nesting about the noun cry. They
iv,-ro not bad boys, as hoys «0,, but
iv ore in for all sorts of harmless mis
chief. And it was on account of this
propensity for harmless mischief that
John onee 'got into trouble w'uh his
mother.
TRIES TO EVADE A SWITCHING.
7?oth John, and William had a great
love and respect for their mother, but
their thoughtlessness was sometimes
the cause of disaster. One day, when
Mrs.' ■Rockefeller was sick, her son
Jolm committed some overt act in con
nectton with the cupboard or the sugar
bowl. He was promptly called in and
arraigned before the awful tribunal
of justice at Mrs. Rockefeller's bed-
Bidet
He acknowledged the corn. Then
he was sent out to procure a switch
f*>r his own punishment. This is an
awful trial for a boy. In his desire
to temper justice with mercy, John
brought in the frailest kind of a willow
affair, _. tha,t would not have hurt a
kitten. Thus early he displayed that
acumen for which he is now so well
known.
l'.ut the scheme did not work. Mrs.
Rockefeller sent William out to pro
cure another switch. William had no
BUCD compunctions. The switch he
In ought in was a peach. He cut it
from the tree in the back yard. It was
large, tough and serviceable. Job -> did
not take his punishment in unflinching
consciousness of wrong doing like the
grood little boy in the story book.
Oh, no! He howled like a Coman- j
che, just as another boy would have
done. He was a mercurial boy, how
ever, and soon forgot all about it. As
the boys grew up into tall, healthy \
striplings, they began to earn more j
money from the surrounding farmers.
"With this transitory prosperity they
developed an astonishing fondness for
the circus, whenever it made a stay
in Owego. From being a desperate pi
rate, with an old threshing machine
for a rakish craft, young Rockefeller \
was determined to become a circus j
tumbler or a trapeze performer. He I
concocted a spring board and utilized !
all the straw in the neighborhood as a :
cushion to preserve his bones.
During the Owego period of the
Rockefeller family's existence the
father was always away from home.
In truth there was some talk of do
mestic trouble, but nobody outside the '
immediate family seemed to know
much about it. Mr. Rockefeller sent
money regularly from Cleveland for
his family, and they were fairly well
to do. He visited them occasionally,
but did not stay for any length of i
time.
Among the neighbors young John
Rockefeller had the reputation of be
ing a rather lazy boy, but even at this
early age he showed signs of the strong
■will, calm judgment and perseverance
that have since made him famous.
Who shall say that even while he was
hoeing potatoes or ploughing corn his
mind was not so active that his mus
cles performed their allotted tasks
lazily and mechanically?
Endowed with mental activity and
capacities that were perhaps still un
dreamed of by himself, young Rocke
feller began to long for a wider field
of action. It was only a dream as yet.
His ideas were acute, his character
unformed, his habits unstable and un
settled. "John is too much of a
dreamer," said the neighbors; "he will
never make a good farmer. While sow-
ing his wheat he will be counting upon
the profits of the coming harvest. He
will have it all in the market before
a blade is in sight."
The men who spoke in this wise are
still planting their corn and sowing
their wheat about Owego. Some have
prospered; others have failed and fall
en into poverty. But the boy who
dreamed of unharvested wheat and un
hatched eggs could buy all their farms
rolled into one for a double price, and
then allow the land to lie idle until
the end of time without inconvenienc
ing himself in the least.
REMOVES TO CLEVELAND.
The father of John D. Rockefeller is
said to be still living in Cleveland, al
though he has never occupied the same
house with any of his children. He
lived and labored in Cleveland while
his family were yet in Owego. One day,
many years ago, he suddenly made up
his mind that Cleveland was the beat
place for his family. At this time, John
D. and William Rockefeller were at
tending school at the Owego academy.
The neighbors in Owe^'D rejnrettPd the
departure of the Rockefellers for Cleve
land. Mrs. Rockefeller was a strong
character, well liked by all, and a strict
disciplinarian of the old s^hook Phe
brought the two boys up religousliy
and well, and when, after a six years'
residence in Owego, they started for
Cleveland, both John D. and William
were well behaved youngsters of four
teen or fifteen.
Instead of being ruined by the bustle,
turmoil and temptations of a large city,
the young Rockefellers thrived under
the new conditions. As for .."ihn, the
elder, it was the very thinrj for which
his soul had been yearning. It was a
realization of the dream that had
stricken his muscles with lassitude in
the old farming days.
Again the two youngsters were sent
to public school, where for a while thoy
had a rather hard time of it in amal
gamating their country ideas with
those of the city boys. They had quite
as many youthful disagreemnts as are
usual with boys of their ages, and came
out of them quite as well.
Three years later we find Master
John D. Rockefeller grown into a
strapping young man of seventeen. His
ambitions had outgrown the narrow
}trhvu 2 Ifax*fc2!UAs m
limits of a public school, and he made
up his mind to do and dare 'for him
self. He told his mother about it and
then went his way, looking for a job.
It was not an easy thing to find a po
sition that fitted him.
So it v.-as that young Rockefeller
wandered away to St. Louis. Was it
blind chance that led him to accept the
position of bookkeeper for a small
produce commission firm in Water
street? Nothing better could have
been devised for a thorough training
in busines methods. Neither did it
take Rockefeller any length of time to
master everything ther? was to be
known about the commission business.
He worked early and late on his books
and in the study of the methods of
his employers. He saved his money,
too, and herein lies the difference be
tween John D. Rockefeller and many
of his contemporaries who are still
keeping books In Cleveland.
Young Rockefeller worked with the
Water street commission firm until he
had accumulated something like $500.
He was then nineteen years old. Time
was flying, and its flight made him
restless. He asked himself why he
should not go into business for him
self. His only inheritance \n this world
had been brains and a good constitu
tion. With these he had acquired the
small capital with which he proposed
to do wondrous things In the future.
CHAPTER 11.
It was in 1857 when John D. Rockefel
\ ler, then a young man of nineteen,
met M. B. Clark, who is now a member
of the elevator firm of Gardner, Clark
& York.
The two young men rented a store
and went into the commission business
on their own account. They succeeded
in a moderate way. Rockefeller con
tinued to save his share of the prof-
Its as he had saved his salary, and in
the eight years during which the part
nership continued he had put aside
something like $5,000.
Then the young man was again
stricken with a feeling of restlessness.
He was not making money fast
enough. The commission business had
apparently reached Its limit He
looked about him for an investment
in something more profitable. Dis
satisfaction is sometimes mere ambi
tion after all.
Some time before this Rockefeller
had become acquainted with Samuel
THE Sa£&^°?&Ui/ '&LOBE: SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 1890.
Andrews, a porter in a commission
store further down the street. In th«
course of a conversation one evening
Andrews expressed his belief that there
was a great future in the petroleum
business. Rockefeller had always
thought so, but had never before ex
pressed an opinion. The conversation
with Andrews gave the decided touch
to Rockefeller's ideas. He consulted
with Clark, and together with Andrews
they built a little petroleum refinery
up the river a short distance from St.
Louis.
Rockefeller and Clark's investment
in this enterprise was $4,000. The firm
still hold onto their commission busi
ness, however. But the petroleum re
finery gave promise of a big business,
and Rockefeller determined to give his
entire attention to it. He tried to per
suade Clark to his way of thinking,
but the latter did not care to venture
into untrodden fields.
The firm was therefore dissolved,
Clark buying out Rockfeller's inter
est. Andrews, who had been superin
tending the refinery on a salary, had
saved a few hundred dollars, and
Rockefeller, knowing him to be a prac
tical man, took him in as partner.
Thus the Standard Oil company
came into being as a commercial en
terprise, one of its originators a book
keeper hardly more than a boy, the
other a porter in a commission house.
The bookkeeper is now president of
the company, while the porter lives in
a three hundred thousand dollar resi
dence.
At the time Clark withdrew from
the little refinery the entire property
could not have been worth much more
than $5,000. It was not much of a nest
egg, yet from this humble beginning
has grown the great Standard Oil
company, with its hundreds of offshoots
and its $70,000,000 of capital. So the lit
tle refinery kept pegging away, with
an ever increasing business and an
ever ambitious management.
In the meantime young William*,
Rockefeller, who had been working at
a salaried position in Cleveland, cam*'
to St. Louis and took a position in the
little oil refinery of Rockefeller & An-"
drews. The investment continued to,
pay a handsome profit, and a year or
two after beginning business the firm >
had a snug sum in the bank.
A year or two after Rockefeller and
Andrews had joined fortunes they in
conjunction with William Rockefeller,
established a second refinery, and the
money making business was greatly
Increased. The two establishments
were finally consolidated, and the
younger brother, William, was made a,
full fledged member of the firm. A
warehouse for the sale of refined petro
leum was opened in New York, and
William Rockefeller was placed in
charge of it. John D. was the business
head of the consolidated concern, while
Andrews looked after the machinery
and men.
There were no disagreements or
friction. The members of the firm were ,
very little more than boys, but they
were enthusiastic and ambitious to a
degree. In their lexicon, as they then
regarded it, there was no such word as
fail. They were confronted with
failure, however, shortly after the con
solidation. They had built and pur
chased and planned without regard to
their financial abilities, until finally
they found themselves in very deep
water. They had spent a great deal
of their little hoard in extending their
business, and were threatened with
ruin before they could get returns from
their investments.
Creditors harassed them, their funds
were exhausted and their business was
apparently ruined. "It's no use," said
Andrews. "I guess we are in for it. I
i do not see how we can tide the thing
over."
A PERIOD OF DESPONDENCY.
William Rockefeller was gloomily
desponded. One morning John D. ap
peared at the office of the refinery,
carrying a valise. "Where are you go-
Ing?" asked Andrews. "I am going to
get help," was the reply.
Where he could not tell. He had no
definite plan. But help must be had,
and, just as he had long before set out
to win a fortune, young John D. Rocke
feller took his grip and went forth to
obtain assistance in retaining the little
he had already accumulated. By luck,
instinct, good judgment, or what you
will, he met Mr. S. V. Harkness, a rich
whisky distiller, whose son-in-law,
Henry M. Flagler, was then doing bad
ly in the salt and lumber business near
Saginaw. Harkness Investigated Rocke
feller and the refinery business and
made up his mind that he would take
an interest In it for his son-in-law.
About a month after he had started
out on his still hunt for money Rocke
feller returned with Harkness' Michi
gan son-in-law and $60,000 with which
to continue the business. A new firm
was created, under the name of Rocke
feller, Andrews & Flagler.
This was the pivotal point in the for-
Pcs of John D. Rockefeller, as well
of Henry M. Flagler. The money
of-Harkness and the methods of Flak
ier were just what the petroleum re
finery neefled. PrftvhsttfJ to the advent
of. the company had; been con
ducted In a semi-sentimental way."
John D. Ro©kefel|fer's heart had not yet
hardened intojjgranite In l|is business
dealings, although " he was tbe princi
pal schemer lflssh<» Ifirm.
It was diffefernfc/ with Flagler. Al
though he hacr* bean far from auccesßr,
ful as a maker of salt and a sawyer'of
logs, he developed remarkable talents
when it came to petroleum. In deal
with opposing refiners he went as far
as the law wwuld permit. He argued
that there was n<SUher friendship or
feeling in trajfto Consequently when
he got his busUiesa enemy In a hole he
squeezed him
Under these new, tactics the firm of
Rockefeller, Andrews & Flagler throve
apace. Their business was extended
amazingly, an&Mn a sort of geometrical
progression. In 1870 the flrm had be
come so imposing and their business
so immense that it jvas thought best to
incorporate under the style of "The
Standard Oil Company," with a cap
ital of $1,000,000. More consolidations
followed. They resembled the consoli
dation of the bird and the worm, but
they were within the limits of business
ethics.
During the days when he was a com
mission merchant John D. Rockefeller
had married a Cleveland school
teacher, Miss Lucy Spellman. The
union proved a very happy one, and at
the time of the incorporation of the
Standard Oil Company he had two lit
tle daughters, Bessie and Alta, who
have since become lovely young women.
Altogether the Standard Oil magnate
has had four children. The oldest
daughter, Bessie, is- the wife of Profes
sor Gfrarles - Strong- J>wha occupies the
chair of Professor of Psychology in. the
Chicago imlverstty? "The yoirhgest of"
the four is John D., Jr., who is now 24
years of age. A year or two ago
Edith become the wife of one of the
McCormick boys, of Chicago.
Mrs-. Rockefeller is • a slight little
woman, with grayish hair that was
once jet'black. Her life, has been de
voted almost exclusively to her hus
band, her children and her household.
She has never figured in f the society
columns of the newspapers or in great
social events. She tfas'been^ giving
money away in charity continually
since her marriage. The idea of one j
great concern that should control all
the petroleum in this country originate
"ed wTfH^^rilUn-^mg Roc3f£relfifer> Th<#«
Oil G&v&^y was already anj
immensely r ws3 [Bjf.lcorpQration
-ih-ia. -idea- \wisu Shortlj^after^
the company' ha ."bfgfun to 'swallow the
pmaiter -rtmeerri -V&fc 'Andrews*? thf or*§
iginal partner I tra business, became
, ..He. stiy,£gniaj sji'ifr the
the capacity oi sij^frintendent, while
Kcekefelte*VoE > kii isiiind the rest of the
firm liad 'e'volu to speak, into
carpeted 'offices **3gk easy chairs. So
Andrews, aftei tj»king the matter;
over, offeTexr tl his interest. He ;
claimed ..teJ3,ea_ kh§ion. practical man,
while John«p. JpfcaMefeller considered
himself, v-ery-p fc^kfcriy, an uncommon
man. It is prob gfeTthat this was the
beginnrnr*of«wr iMifcle.
r - "A: GOOD B aiK&SS SEAL.
- -AX-Jiny rate,^ 9pS*s was 4-^ complaint
on Andrew's part, sfrkl, quick as a wink,
R«eteefe4l#*-aßke4 WiW how much money
he wanted for his" sliare. Andrews was
already a rich man. He grew somew4;at,
excited t and, grabbing a piece of paper,
wrote upon it, "One ffiflHon dollars,*
and Jaaaded it to Rockefeller. The lat
ter accepted the offer instantly
the transfer was made.
A few days later Rockefeller sold
the Andrews stock to W. H. Vander
bilt. for $1,250,000, thus clearing a mod
erate fortune on the transaction.
After the retirement of Andrews from
the Standard Oil company the "con
solidations" and extensions continued
without cessation, until practically all
the petroleum output, of this country
was under its control. Then it beg-in
to reach abroad for the control of the
Russian output. Although as yet it has j
pot secured lull control, it has sue- j
ceeded in underselling the Russians*
even in their own country. It seems to
be only a qu«stldn of time, however,
before the Standard will have the oil
markets of the entire world in its
hands.
It was when the Standard Oil com
pany began to be a concern of national
magTrttuiie that John D. Rockefeller '
began to give away those magnificent
sums for charity that have made his
name a synonym for benevolence. They
have increased with his growing for
tune until at present his gifts to various
charaties range from $500,000 to $1,000,
--000 annually.
The Standard Oil company in one
sense has been only a bureau for the
distribution of the earnings of the com
panies unc er its control. It has paid, and
continues to pay£*t(et profits to its cer
tificate holders. F6r th»e past eight years
it has paid dividends at the rate of
twelve per qgn£. p^gspar. In, the earlier
years" the profits were not so large, but
they were substantial. IB it any wonder
that under the circumstances John D.
Rockefeller is thA-^i^hest man in the
United States? He once said before a
legislative investigating committee that
he did not knowllhSw rich he was by
several millions. jKp. other man ever
made money so iasff Although fhuch of
his income is derived from the oil busi
ness, his -outside 'tntferests "brrhg him
several millions a' year.
OTHER AMBITIOUS PROJECTS.
In the neighborhood of Puget Sound
there is a. lake 3 but little known to.:
Eastern people. . It is called Lake
Washington. It is spring fed, and is
about twenty-five miles long, from
eight to ten miles wide and has a depth
of water sufficient to float the largest
steamships.
Mr. Rockefeller's scheme was to build
a belt line of railways around the lak?,
making connections with the" great
trunk lines running to the East. Next, I
in ' connection with Gen. Russell A.
Alger, he proposed to build a. canaV
tweive miles long, running from the
lake to the sea. It was to be"a ship
canal, capable of floating steamers en
gaged in the China trade, and was to
become a port of entry which wan to be
come the future metropolis of the coast
north of San Francisco.
Mr. Rockefeller is an iron kinpr as
well as an oil Croesus. He practically
owns all the Lake Superior iron mines,
as well as the principal iron mines of
Cuba. This places him in tho same
position toward the iron producing bus
iness as he has long held in regrird to
oil. To gain control of all these bead
mines has cost him something like
$10,000,000, but the great oil magnate
is a man of gigantic enterprises and
does not balk at a scheme Involving a
mere million or twoT
During the finan/jLil. depression a few j
years ago, when &ifc Jror mine owners
were cramped for money, Mr. Rocke
feller seized the opportunity to buy
everything in sight. He accumulated
all the stocks aridf of Southern
mines that he coirid* get hold of. When
the shares of the Minnesota Iron com
pany were placed on the market he
bought them in. large quantities,
enough in fact to control it. This com
pany owns the great mines at Tower
and Ely, Minn.; the Duluih and Iron
Range railroad, the big docks at Two
Harbors, and large areas of dock and
railroad property >ltf Duluth. It prac
tically held a monopoly of the iron
trade of the North- B
Mr. Rockefeller also has control of the
Mesaba mines in Northern Minnesota,
and Is virtually enabled to dictate the
price of iron. The makers of Bessemer
steel have found that they must have
ore from either Lake Superior or Cuba,
and that they have to pay just what"
price Mr. Rockefeller chooses to place
upon it.
As constituted a few years ago, there
were seven Standard oil companies in
corporated in the great oil trust. They
were in the states of "New York, Perm- I
sylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana,
lowa and Kentucky. The trust certifi
~eates nave never been dealt in on the
New York stock exchange, because ap
plication has never been made to put
them on its list. The only public
-transactions in them have been at the
auction sales of securities on the real
estate exchange. The last known sale
Was at $190 a share.
The certificates have been as high as
$225, which was before an increase in
Uiem was made to take in new proper
ties controlled by the trust.
When everything is taken into con
sideration, and all interests are figured
out and added up, the wealth of John
D. Rockefeller will be found to be about
aa follows:
Standard Oil stock $50 000 000
hi*? *?. 35,000;000
Real estate 15,000,000
Lead trust 3.000,000
Iron mines m 15 000 000
Railroad «tocka and bonds. !!!.."" 26,'<)00'000
n«ll rB -\ ga * Btock 4,000,000
Bank Stock g nnn qqa
q^»m a^ Itur,td1 tur ,t d gas Bt<x * "•'•'•'■>'.'.".'.'. sioooiooo
Steamship lines p nnn nnn
cLT-iTt" 11 state*.. .y:::::: l;Z:Z
00 hand 9 nnn nnn
*"■'"!■■»■ :::::..:::••:::::: iISZ
Tot * 1 $179,000,000
CHAPTER 111.
John D. Rockefeller lives in a com
paratively modest fashion. When in
the city his home Is at No. 4 West
Fifty-fourth street, opposite St. Luke's
hospital. The house is surrounded by
beautiful grounds, and is substantially
furnished, but even the modest crit
ical observer can find nothing ostenta
tious or offensive to good taste through
out the place.
lJS 1 . 6 «£ aylns that Mr - Rockefeller
!™. 4 6 , a preacher is in a measure
S™' it- 8 nOt a large or an impres
sive looking man, but has stooping
shoulders and a rather melanchol?
face. The family has a splendid resi
dence in Cleveland, and another in
Greenwich, Conn., but the favorite re
tiring spot of the magnate is his splen-
Sr CG^ ntry reslde *cc near Tarrytown
Mr. Rockefeller is said to be a fine
performer on the violin, and is always
one of the family musicians when music
is in order. There is also a fine pri
vate skating rink attached to the house
.and on winter evenings it is a favorite
resort for the entire family
Although Mr. Rockefeller gives a
piodigious amount every year to dif-
R-rent charitable objects, he generally
floes so through insitutions and organi
iV^nJ} is sald that ne P^ a sa l a ry
of $10,000 a year to the person who
looks after his charities and makes in
vestigations as to the worthiness of
the concerns he proposes to beneftt
Ncne.of the family is afflicted with ex
travagant habits, and, while they give
freely, it is seldom that their charitable
dellars find their way into the pockets
of unworthy persons. They never at
tend either the theatre or opera but
they have a box at Carnegie Music
hall, where they regularly attend the
l>amrosch concerts or those given by
Seidl or other eminent performers.
He was the principal donor for the
building of the new dormitory at Vas
sar College. It is named Strong Hall
in honor of Mr. Rockefeller's daughter'
Mrs. Strong-. His donations to the
American Baptist Education Society
have proved the salvation of that or
zanization.
In all educational history, however
the donations of Mr. Rockefeller to the
University of Chicago are without a I
parallel. Altogether they amount to the I
■ iiiifaiiiß]iiiißiiiii[g[iiiigin— Mjipiipf^iy 1
" U MRS. WILLIAM llttlPlHifci
IBM JENNINGS BRYAN. I
SALEM, IlL.July 23.— "She is one who
will be the most popular person in the
United States and the next mistress
of the White House." That is how the
chairman of the Salem celebration
ceremonies introduced Mrs. William,
Jennings Bryan to the residents of
Mr. Bryan's birthplace the other even
ing.
Wives of presidential nominees are
not usually presented to audiences
gathered to hear the nominee speak.
But this wasn't a purely political meet
ing. It was a town doing honor to
an ex-townsman whose name will be
on every tongue for four months, per
haps a future president.
Every one wanted to see the woman
whom that man delights to honor. The
situation might have embarrassed any
woman.
Mrs. Bryan rose from the seat be
side her husband and took a step for
ward. Hers is a figure five feet six
inches tall. It looka shorter. She was
clothed in a black China silk frock,
printed in a pattern of tiny flowers.
Three or four ruffles made a cluster
at the skirt hem. The sleeves were of
medium size, with biack lace gathered
on the top seam and falling over the
feleeve. Black point d'esprit over pale
old pink silk made the vest. A pink
enamel anemone fastened the collar
at the throat.
She wore a toque of black, its out
lines softened by white lace and vio
lets. The women noticed all that.
As Mrs. Bryan turned to the right
\ she bowed to the friends grouped be
hind her on the platform. With a
alight motion she faced the big crowd
that covered the green common. As a
cheer travelled over the crowd the
young woman's eyes smiled a bit. Her
face whitened a shade from intensity
of feeling, and with another bow to
the chairman Mrs. Bryan sank into her
' seat again.
MRS. BRYAN IS CLE>VER.
It was not like anything else any
| one present had ever seen, but then
Mrs. Bryan does not resemble other
women who have been wives of pres
idential nominees. A man who had met
women at almost every station and
rank enthusiastically declared that
the wife of the Democratic nominee
would be interesting even if she lost
both eyes and ears, for she has intel
ligence of unusual quality.
Of course Mrs. Bryan is young. They
were engaged when she was nineteen
and he twenty. It was not. however,
until four years later that they were
married. Then there was a little house
ready for them in an Illinois town,
and for this first home of their married
life the Bryans have a great affection.
A deep attachment to whatever spot
sha been called "home" seems to be a
Bryan characteristic.
Their Lincoln (Neb.) household con
sists of Mrs. Bryan's father, who has
suffered a great affliction in the loss of
his sight. The three children, Ruth,
Grace and William J., are all wide
awake school children. Grace attends
a kindergarten. Mrs. Bryan believes
In the system, and, indeed, is an ad
vocate of all practical education. If
she had sufficient time, her inclina
tions are such that practical educa
tional movements would receive her ac
tive support.
Outside of school, the mother keeps
an eye on the children's studies. A
while ago one of the children hadn't
received the desired percentage in one
study, and Mrs. Bryan ruled that until
the necessary rating was reached the
girl should not be allowed out.
Bicyclists will feel friendly towards
{•••••••••••••••••••mwmm
ittfiHKSWflirn vnii nl
A i ;sf??^*flßL _isp the Draperies, or the !
g Carpet that needs to be replaced with a new one. |
2 Don't you want us to send them out on terms so rea-
X sonable that they will be yours without much effort |
q on your part? We are anxious to do so.
§ IF YOU WANT COTS! I
S EITHER TO BUY Off RENT !
We are ready to serve you, but we must have orders in 2
advance. We can supply Cots, Mattresses, Pillows and 2
Comforts.
9 A SPECIAL PRICE ON SEVERAL
| OIL AJVD GASOLIJttE STOVES ! •
g) Only one of a kind— to close them out. See them in the
£ Minnesota Street Window. 9
I SMITH & FfIRWELL GOMFfINY I
J SIXTH AND MINNESOTA. STREETS
I AUCTION SALE I
Of PFISTER'S entire stock of Watches, Jewelry, ?2
Silverware, Clocks, etc., beginning TOMORROW* r2
Monday, Aug. 3. Sales at io a. ra., 3 and 7:30 p. m. ??
£? 54 EAST SEVENTH STREET- ©
gigantic sum of $7,475,000, and it Is
among the probabilities he will give ad
ditional millions before he dies. It is
a Baptist institution, and, as the mil
lionaire is an ardent member of that
denomination, it is his desire to see it
among- the most richly endowed in
stitutions in the world. Already donat
ions received by the trustees have ag
gregated $10,000,000.
Mrs. Bryan. She knows the charm of
the wheel, although she does not ride
very much at present. She believes in
a moderate amount of wheeling. No
bloomers or advanced bicycle suits
have captured Mrs. Bryan. She wears
an ordinary walking dress when she
rides. Next to her husband and fam
ily Mrs. Bryan's pride is the Lincoln
Sorosis. It does not belong- to the fed
eration of clubs, but is In the Nebraska
State federation. The Lincoln Sorosis
has a membership of twenty-five, to
which number it is strictly limited.
Three or four names are always on
the waiting list. No one is admitted who
has not some claim to membership
through interest in current events, or
some special excellence in other direc
tions.
Speaking and debate are encouraged
and given preference over the reading
of papers. The club has now adjourned
for the summer. That is Mrs. Bryan's
only club. In Nebraska many women
college graduates attend State Club
federation meetings, and in these meet
ings Mrs. Bryan finds enjoyment. A
movement that she has especially at
heart is a traveling library, recently
started by the federation.
In time this movement is expected
to furnish many a woman on a lonely
farm with late reading matter. Every
club woman will understand the full
significance of such a library in a state
of such distances as Nebraska.
THE BRYAN'S HOME LIFE.
The home life of the Bryans is not at
all complex. There is always one ser
vant, sometimes two. Mrs. Bryan has
assistance with the family sewing and
the making of the children's dresses.
She is the head of a well-ordered
househould, in which she tak*s pride
and which she intends at all times
shall be the most, attractive spot in the
world to her husband and children.
The Bryans enjoy music. Since her
marriage Mrs. Bryan has not kept up
her music, and now depends on others
to play while she listens, either to the
piano in her own home or to the play
ers that visit Lincoln during the sea
son. Sometimes Mr. and Mrs. Bryan
go to receptions and teas or to some
very good theater.
In addition to political and sociologi
cal matters, Mrs. Bryan is thoroughly
posted on all current eVents. She reads
from preference those magazines han
dling timely topics and events, both
foreign and domestic; things that make
history and would interest Mr. Bryan.
What she reads is thoroughly digested.
Besides this she finds time to read
what critics place as "the" works of
fiction of the year. It is an American,
Nathaniel Hawthorne, whose delicacy,
accuracy of expression and every char
acteristic most appeal to_her.
Mrs. Bryan doesn't care for fads,
such as hypnotism, palm reading and
theosophy. But she does find out what
each means, and has taken an especial
Interst in studying the different re
ligions and creeds of the world.
A GOOD SWIMMER.
It Is not customary to think of salt
water bathing and Nebraska in the
same breath, yet the form of recrea
tion from which Mrs. Bryan gets more
enjoyment than others is swimming —
still-water swimming at that. In Lin
coln there is a natatorium which Is
filled with salt water from artesian
wells. The mornings are reserved for
ladies, and there is a very fine woman
swimming teacher in charge. Mrs.
Bryan learned to swim there, and when
at home is an enthusiastic patron of
the natatorium. She swims and dives,
and as soon as the children are old
enough they will be initiated.
Wednesday mornings Mrs. Bryan
and some of her friends have a drill
In the big pool. Mrs. Bryan enjoys it
all very much, and when the Bryans
ere East she will get her first swim
in the surf. On the way to the Pacific
3oast the Bryans found time to visit
two or three natatoriums. The region
about Lincoln is supposed to be over
an underground salt ocean, which is
tapped by the wells.
LIKES CAMPAIGNING.
Mrs. Bryan is known to Nebraskans
from having occasionally campaigned
with her husband. She enjoys cam
paigning, and Mr. Bryan likes best to
have her with him. So It Is not un
likely that the East will have a chance
to meet her. They will see 5 feet and
six inches of woman with a well
shaped head, on which the brown
hair is brushed smoothly back, except
for loose, fluffy rings on the temples.
The forehead Is high and white, with
little wrinkles, indicative of mental
concentration, that come and go 'over
the nose. The eyes change* their ex
pression from sternness to serious
ness, or suddenly flash with enjoyment
or amusement.
About the firm mouth appears a
network of tense, fine nervous lines.
The complexion Is clear and while
when not tanned by the wind. The
ears indicate a love of harmony in
every form, a sense of proportion and
generosity, and are small and. well
shaped.
If there is one thing absent' from
Mrs. Bryan's composition, it .is egot
ism. It may be hard for Eastern peo
ple to understand Mrs. Bryan's ideas.
It isn't what Is coming to her in the
svent of the success of the'free-silver
ticket, it is what the people, the great
multitude, will gain by it that is in
her mind.
It is impossible to know the Bryans
and not realize this. Even women
who don't agree with the idea 3on
which Mr. Bryan stands admit that '
Mrs. Bryan believes entirely In them
and their justice. That is one thing
that can't be gainsaid. As for all the
erlory turning her head, she is precisely
the same level-headed woman she al
ways has been. Those who would nat
urally criticise her hardest are first to
confess it.
SHE IS A LAWYER.
Mr. Bryan's friends say that she re
gards her admission to the bar as a
lawyer, as a very Important af
fair, and s-he refers to the large num
ber of women who have lately taken
up law as a portion of their regular ed
ucation. There is no dress reform in
her creed, only an idea that sensible
attention to the first laws of health
should be considered; also that dress
3hould be distinctly feminine, not ex
travagant, but as becoming as possible
and suitable to the occasion. She
wears evening dress when the event
requires it, but not decollette gowns.
Evidently superstiton does not count
with her, for on the finger with the
sold wedding band she wears a large
opal.
If the notification committee tells Mr.
Bryan of his nomination in Madison
Square Garden, Mrs. Bryan will be
with him. In any event, it is now ex
pected that the Bryans will visit the
Sewalls in Maine in August. The Sew
alls have already extended the invita
tion, and the wives of the nominees are
anxious to meet.
—Mrs. McGuirk.
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Ever Have Your Back Ache?
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I A Handsome Complexion
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