Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1920-07-01
FROM FARM BOY
TO PRESIDENT
G. HARDING WAS A
CIRCULAR" BOY AND ALL .
WANT HIM. TO WIN

"You know you promised to tell
us all about Senator Harding last
week." leased Jack as he tugged at
his uncle's coat.
"That's true, Jack. All right,
II tefl you all can but there are so
many things to tell about Mr.. Hard!
ing that can't possibly tell them all
tonight. Now sit real quiet and
don't ask too many questions.
warren G. Harding was born on
his grandfather's farm, not far from
the little village Of Blooming Grove.
Morrow county, Ohio, on the second
day Of November, 1855. There
were eight children in the family and
Senator Harding was the oldest. His
father, George T. Harding, was the
village doctor in those days and is
still practicing medicine in the city
of Marion, Ohio, 1.-THE present home
of the senator.) The original Hard
| ing family came from Scotland, and
settled first in Connecticut and later
moved to Wyoming Valley, Penn,
where many Of them fought in the
revolutionary war. Warren's moth
er, for he was Warren, Jack, Just as
you are Jack today, was Phoebe
Dickerson, descended from the Van
Kinks, an old Holland Dutch family.
So you see our next president has
the strong blood of the Holland
Dutch on one side and the fearless,
alert and liberty-loving Scotch blood
on the other.
L Gas Warren grew up on his grand
fathers farm he had to learn to cut
a M ~nAd onltk pof10
plant and hoe corn and all those
things that had to be done when to
raise crops meant to raise them be-
tween the roots and stumps of the
trees. Everything was done by
hand for there was no expensive
farm machinery. Your father
knows, Jack, what hard work was in
those days."
"Didn't he ever play!" asked
Ruth.
"You bet he did, Ruth. He was a
healthy, big boy and like all healthy
boys he enjoyed the sports Of the
country and the village. He loved
the old swimming hole and no boy
could dive deeper or swim farther
than Warren. He had a sunny dis
position and was the real leader Of
| the gang of his schoolmates. When
he was Is he looked like man and
had the strength Of man and
there was no older boy who dared to
bully him. And he always protect
ed the younger boys. Up until he was
IA years old he went to the village
school, and then he entered the Ohio
Central College Of iberia. He grad
uated high in scholarship. 1t was
while there that he showed a talent
for newspaper work. for he was
made editor OF the college paper. But
the boys in those dayss couldn't af-
| ford to 60 right through college. He
! had to stop for time now and then
to earn money to go ahead and fin
ish. During these times he worked
at many things. He painted his
team to grade the roadbed of a
railroad. He taught school when
he was II and played a horn in the
village band.
"But after he had a try at many
things he still longed to be news
paper man, and at odd times he
would work in the little printing
office. He learned to- set type by
hand and later run linotype ma
chine, which is used today in setting
one line of newspaper type at once.
In fact he learned from the ground
up everything there was to know
about a newspaper and to this day
he carries a pocket luck piece
which is nothing more or less than
the old printers rule he used years
ago when he was setting type.
Cali of Senator Harding's news
paper ambitions were realized, for he
finally became the owner and pub
Usher of the Marion, Ohio, Star.
The Star Is his pet. When War
rem was 10 his father moved to Ma
rion, where the Star was strug-
Cling daily paper in town of about
1000 people. Warren could think
of nothing else but that he wanted
to own that paper. His father fin
ally helped him take 1t over and
then followed months and months Of
struggle and hard work to keep 1t
going. At times he had to do ev-
erything from setting type to writing
the news and pyinting the paper on
press that had to be turned by
hand. But that story is too long to
tell tonight. The result Of his
hard work has been that the Star
today is a big money-making plant
and could not be bought for any
price. There are more than $4,000
people in Marion today and the Star
has a larger circulation than any
other newspaper in city Of that
size in the middle west.
II will tell you something that
happened in the office Of that paper
one New Years morning that shows
the character of our next president.
A friend entered the Office and
found the senator making up the
form Of the paper. "A great senat-
or. you are said the visitor. I'D
be a great senator IL didn't know
anything else.' he replied. You see.
this Is holiday, and we want to go
to press as early as possible and let
the boys get out and enjoy them
selves: so am Just lending help
| ing hand And when they went up
| stairs to his office the press in the
basement was heard to stop. Jump
ing mp. Senator Harding rushed to
| the basement, found the trouble that
had stopped the press, repaired 1t
and the wheels began to move again.
| That shows how he has mastered
the details of everything he goes in
to. No matter what It Is, he is not
content until he knows all about 1t.
II was the same way with his first
automobile. He would not rest
until he could make all the repairs
needed on the road and drive It as
we'll a. chauffeur.
'Now Riddles, It's getting late
and can't tell you more tonight.
Next week I win start where ! have
left on and tell you more about the
life and work Of our next president,
L uoppou n RopSfu0 -