The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-07-27

Funeral services will be held at 8
o'clock Thursday morning at Penweu
chapel. Burial at Rochester cemetery.
Mrs. W. A. McCarter and Mrs. w H.
Stanley will have charge of the serv-
ices. The latter arrangement was
made at Doctor Harding's request
No flowers.
Doctor Harding was born at Spring.
field, Ohio, September 13, 1857. She
was educated at Lafayette. Ind. Pur-
due and iowa university. and Hahne-
mann Medical college, Chicago She
went to Lafayette when. she was 10
years old. She was one of the first
students at Purdue university.
To Topeka in 1892.
After graduating from the medical
college she went to Atchison, Kan,
and started as a practicing homeo-
pathic physician. She came to Topeka
in 1892.
Doctor Harding always was intev-
ested in educational movements and
philanthropic work, was head of the
reform movement to eliminate useless
studies from the public schools and
install business-hke courses. She
gave the first playground to the chill
dren of Topeka and also gave the chill
dren's park of five acres to the city.
Doctor Harding volunteered as the
Kansas. Time and again she would
go to the state homes for children
and investigate. aF
Upon her return to Topeka Doctor
Harding would call at the newspaper
offices with statements relative to
abuses existing in the homes and start
a fight which always resulted in the
betterment of the children.
Doctor Harding was noted for her
charity. Her patients included hun
dreds of poor people in Topeka whose
only compensation to Doctor Harding
was thank you" or God bless YOU -
Thruout her life Doctor Harding
pleased nothing excepting her con-
science. She didn't care a rap
whether the whole town and country
was right she started to fight and
fight hard.
Opposed To Draft.
This was especially true when con-
gress passed the draft law. Doctor
Harding was opposed to it and attend
ed several anti-draft meetings which
resulted in her becoming involved
with federal authorities. However.
following a trial in United States court
here Doctor Harding was exonerated
of the charges brought against her at
time when the country was at a
fever heat over the war.
At one time Doctor Harding ran
for congress in the First district on
the Democratic ticket. In recent years
she has been Unidentified with the So
ciaiists.
Champion of Suffrage.
She was the champion of woman
suffrage and fearless in. her fight for
this cause. She was a pioneer in the
fight on the book trust, which she de-
clared was robbing the public. She
was an advocate of the eight-hour day
for women and in former years was a
strong prohibition worker.
Doctor Harding was backward
about allying herself with clubs and
uplift work Instead she pursued her
philanthropic and humanitarian enter
prises in her own way. at her own ex-
pense and with gratifying results.
Doctor Harding is survived by two
sisters, DR.. Agnes Haviland. who was
I with her at the time of her death. and
DR.. Frances Howe of Atchison.
She died at her beautiful garden
home on College and Boswell avenues
where she retired when first taken i'll
The funeral will be held Thursday
morning. Complete arrangements will
be announced later.