acquaintances, apparently seeking their praise.'" He 

 was willing to go "to the people," regardless of the 

 inconvenience to himself, and he could not stay away 

 from the public platform, whether he appeared in a 

 political, an editorial, or an inspirational role, on the 

 Chautauqua circuit. All these factors suggest that in 

 his relationship to his audiences, Bryan gained certain 

 nonpolitical rewards which were deeply satisfying to 

 him.''* 



The attitudes which Bryan accumulated during the 

 first 15 years of his life — his democratic faith, his 

 religious enthusiasm and moralism, his interest in 

 politics, and his strong desire for personal recogni- 

 tion — all contributed to the development of his 

 campaign style. Yet he did not run for any office 

 until 1890; his background did not come to fruition 

 until he had served a political apprenticeship of 

 almost 15 years, from 1875 until his first congressional 

 campaign in 1890. 



EDUCATION 



Although he did not then realize it, one of young 

 William Bryan's first steps toward a political career 

 came with his departure from home for si.K years of 

 secondary and collegiate education at Jacksonville, 

 Illinois. Bryan's college years included certain col- 

 legiate activities which had a particular bearing upon 

 his campaign techniques.'^ Bryan apparently gained 

 some direct political e.xperience at Illinois College; an 

 anonymous classmate wrote : 



His college life has been one continuous endeavor to 

 secure place and power .... He will talk and gesticu- 

 late concerning character in a forcible manner. His 

 conscientious principles (we suppose) have impelled him 

 to blarney the boys on difTerent occasions in order to 

 secure their votes.-" 



1' Bryan received many letters, now in the Bryan papers, in 

 response to clippings of his speeches or announcements of his 

 achievements which he had sent to old friends in Illinois. 

 They are generally enthusiastic and full of praise. 



" The desire for esteem seems in general to be unusually well 

 developed among politicians, and it is no denigration of 

 Bryan's motives to point this out. Rather, it is oflered as a 

 partial explanation of the Commoner's dedication to personal 

 political campaigning. This very fundamental human force 

 seems to be essential to the success of any democratic political 

 system. 



1" Paolo E. Coletta, "The Youth of William Jennings 

 Bryan," Xebraska History (1950), vol. 31, pp. 1-24; George 

 R. PoAGE, "The College Career of William Jennings Bryan," 

 Mississippi Valley Historical Review (September 1928), vol. 15, 

 pp. 165-182; BRYAN, Memoirs, ch. 2. 



2» HiBBEN, op. cit. (footnote 2), p. 87. 



His principal extracurricular acti\ity, public speaking, 

 was an ideal preparation for a lifetitne of addressing 

 the public. "I felt the lure of prizes from the start," 

 he remembered, "and always took part in every con- 

 test for which I was eligible." -' Young Bryan joined 

 the Sigma Phi Literary Society as soon as he was 

 eligible, and participated in all of the Society's 

 declamations, its essay contests, orations, and debates. 

 He believed debating to be the most useful form of 

 speaking activity because it made the greatest de- 

 mands upon the speaker's talents, his clarity, his 

 quickness of thought, and his analytical capacities. 

 N'ot the least positive quality of debating was its 

 impact on the audience: 



The debate is superior also because it is the form of 

 public speaking that wins the largest victories and gives 

 ilie greatest renown. It gives the most conclusive 

 proof ... of earnestness in its preparation, and there- 

 fore is most effective in its impression upon an audience. ^^ 



Throughout his life he maintained an affection for the 

 debate, using the dialogue technique of argument 

 whenever possible. At college Bryan took the usual 

 elocution courses, with their training in the classic 

 techniques of gesturing and the traditional platform 

 mannerisms. Here, too, he began learning to speak 

 in the great, round, rhythmic periods, whose climaxes 

 thrilled his audiences in later years. His voice, almost 

 unrivaled in its impact upon his listeners, also showed 

 its first signs of power during the college years. In 

 1880, during his junior year, Bryan won the college 

 oratorical contest, entitling him to take part in the 

 intercollegiate oratorical competition. He took second 

 prize in this contest — one of many second prizes for 

 Bryan. His academic record at Illinois College was 

 adequate, but by no means brilliant or impressive. 

 In the field of public speaking, however, he had re- 

 ceived a basic education, upon which he would build 

 for the remainder of his life.-^ 



The next step in the budding politician's life 

 was almost certain; in the fall of 1881 William 

 Jennings Bryan enrolled in the Union College of Law 

 at Chicago. As in college, his academic record was 

 not outstanding, but he continued his public speaking. 

 He benefited substantially from the friendships and 



2' Bryan, Memoirs, p. 85. 



22 Ibid., p. (.0. 



2' Ibid., ch. 4. For a careful critical account of Bryan as a 

 public speaker, see Myron G. Phillips, "William Jennings 

 Bryan" (pp. 891-918 in vol. 2 oi History and Criticism of American 

 Public Address, edit. William N. Brigance; New York, 1943). 



PAPER 46: BRY.A.N THE CAMP.A.IGNER 



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