The Washington herald., 1909-04-11
MRs. 80 AS TFACHER.

MRS. TAFT AS TEACHER
Felix J Koch IN the Cincinnati Commercial
Tnbunc.
In Cincinnati. the home Of President
and Mrs William H. Taft. they are in
dulging in lots OF interesting gossip about
the earlier years Of the notable pair
the years when Taft was stiH a simple
Judge In the courts az Cincinnati. and
when, II ne had any Presidential aspira
tions. he minded the maxim that no
man can make himself President. and
kept his hopes carefully 10 himself
For example. il is a piece Of news. un-
known 10 many. that the first lady Of
the land was at one time a school teacher.
on Walnut HIS, a suburb OF the Queen
city, just a door or two from PEBBLES
corner. where car lines diverge 70 east.
west. north and south for other outlying
suburbs. a little church stands IN 4 DIT
Of lawn. well back from the street Two
or three old silver poPlars droop ancient
limbs down on the chapel; otherwise II
is left almost 20 care for itself
When the biography Of the Tafts comes
10 be written however. IL VIII give its
chapter 70 the llttle chapel and the young
woman who taught the three RS" there
twenty odd years ego
In one Of the suburban apartment
houses Of the Queen city Prof. White.
once principal % the Franklin Academy.
resides. and he to-day enjoys the distinc-
tion OF having engaged a future fTst lady
Of the land 20 teach.
As he tells the incident, 4 is as follows,
Back in 1SSi-2 we established our school
on Walnut Hills and very soon took the
nnHe
corner for a schooIhoUse- The property
belonged 70 the Longworth estate later
on. so we rented it from them, and after
altering the interior somewhat found II
quite suited 10 the purpose. The nrst
year We were there We engaged Miss
He7ron-as she was then-as an assistant.
She began teaching in 1SS2 and taught
through, that fiscal year
"An I'm all. she was with Us in the ca
pacity Of teacher for three years. We STU
have the little blue catalogues of the
school giving her name.
Miss Heron had charge Of the pri-
mary department
Rules Through Gentleness.
Miss Heron. AT the time, # is said. was
bright. intellectual woman. one who was
not content. after her graduation at Miss
-NoLISc = 10 SAA oAA4A anu Ntd- NAtE eoNANt y
girl. She did not need 10 teach-that is.
from the financial standpoint-since her
father was an attorney in comfortable cir
circumstances. None o. Miss Heron 5
sisters worked. yet all we're fond Of the
intellectual life.
Mr. White does rot now recall how he
happened 20 hear Of Miss Herron's avail
ability for such position. though IL is
probable that Miss Nourse recommended
her He had. however. known her per-
sonaIly. having met her through mutual
friends.
The primary classes which Miss Heron
had were not very large. and she ruled
through her gentleness alone. She taugh;
the usual subjects assigned such Grades
The classes came 10 her IN turn rather
than she having one set room. There
were forty-three boys in the department
al that time. and OF these eight or ten
formed her pupils.
Those were the days OF Miss Herrcn S
debutantehOOd. and she is recalled not
only as a good scholar, but also as g
good musician. In fIct, Miss Heron was
looked on by her set as a very intellec-
tual girl.
She and perhaps half a dozen other