and winding down their slopes, the name and
the memory of Washington on that gracious night will travel with
the silver queen of heaven through sixty degrees of longitude, nor
part company with her till she walks in her brightness through the
Golden Gate of California, and passes serenely to hold midnight
court with her Australian stars. There and there only in barbarous
archipelagos, as yet untrodden by civilized man, the name of
Washington is unknown; and there, too, when they swarm with
enlightened millions, new honors shall be paid with ours to his
memory."

In my judgment the greatest living orator is William J. Bryan.
I have never known a more gifted man. A thorough scholar--having like
Lord Bacon taken all knowledge for his province--a fearless champion
of what he deems the right, he is in the loftiest sense "without
fear and without reproach."

In introducing him to an immense audience in Bloomington when he
was first a candidate for the Presidency, I said:

"The National Democracy in the Chicago convention selected for the
Presidency a distinguished statesman of the great Northwest.
For the first time in more than one hundred years of our history, a
candidate for the great office has been taken from a State lying
west of the Mississippi.

"In the nomination of our standard-bearer, the convention builded better
than it knew. Each passing hour has but emphasized the wisdom
of its choice. Truly it has been said: 'When the times demand
the man, the man appears.' The times demanded a great leader--the
great leader has appeared! His campaign is the marvel of the age.
From the Atlantic seaboard, two thousand miles to the westward,
his eloquent words have cheered the despondent, given new hopes and
aspirations to the people, touched the hearts of millions of his
countrymen. In advocating his election we have kept the faith.
We have not departed from the teachings of our fathers. We sacredly
preserve the ancient landmarks--the landmarks of all previous
Democratic conventions."

Rarely has a speech been uttered so effective in its immediate
results as that of Mr. Bryan in the Democratic National Convention
of 1896. The occasion was one never to be forgotten. When Mr.
Bryan began his speech he had not been mentioned as a candidate
for the Presidency; at its close there was no other candidate.
The closing sentences of the memorable speech were:

"Our ancestors, when but three millions in number, had th