Milford chronicle., 1920-07-02
FROM FARM BOY no PRESIDENT
Warren 6. Harding was a "Regu-
lar" Boy

lar Boy
You know you promised to tell us
all about Senator Harding last week, ="
teased Jack as he tugged at his Tn
cle's coat.
That's true. Jack. All right, I'll
/ tell YOU all ! can but there are so
many things to tell about Mr.. Hard
ing that l can't possibly tell them
all tonight. Now sit real quiet and
don't ask too many questions.
Warren & Harding was born on
his grandfather's farm, not far frem
the little village Of Blooming Grove,
Morrow County. Ohio. on the second
day of November. 1865. There were
eight children in the family and Sen
atOr Harding was the oldest. His IA
ther, George T. Harding, was the
village doctor in those days and is
still practicing medicine in the city
of Marion, Ohio. the present home of
the Sneator. The original Harding
family came from Scotland. and sett-
led first in Connecticut and later NOV
ed to Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania,
where many of them fought in the
Revolutionary War. Warren's mother,
for he was Warren. Jack. just as you
are Jack today, was Phoebe Dicker-
son. 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 fearleS. alert, and liher-
ty-lOving Scotch blood on the other.
As Warren grew up on his grand
fathers farm he had to learn TO cut
down trees. chop wood, split rails,
plant and hoe corn ana all those
things that had to be done when to
raise crops meant raising them be-
tween the roots and stumps of trees.
Everything was done by hand for
there was no expensive farm machin-
cry Your father knows. Jack. what
hard work it 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 village. He loved the old
swimming hole and no boy could dive
deeper or swim farther than Warren.
He had sunny disposition and was
the real leader of the gang of his
SchOol-mateS When he was sixteen he
looked like a man and had the
strength of a man and there was no
older boy who dared bully him. And
he always protected the younger boys.
Up until he was fourteen years old he
went to the village school. and then
he entered the Ohio Central College
of Iberia He graduated high in
scholarship. II was while there that
AaTa
work. for he was made editor of the
college paper. But the boys in those
days couldn't afford to 90 right thru
college. He had TO stop for time
now and then to earn money to go
ahead and finish. During these times
he worked at many things He painted
his neighbOrs' barns. cut corn. and
drove a team to grade the roadbed of
a railroad He taught school when he
was seventeen and played a horn in
the village brass band.
But after he had a try at many
things he still longed 70 be a news
paper man. and at odd times he work
ed in the little printing Office He
learned 10 set tyne by hand and lat
er run linotype machine. which is
used today in setting one line of news
paper type at once. In fact he learn
ed from the ground up everything
there was to know about a newspaper
and to this day he carries in his pock-
ct a luck piece which is nothing more
or less than the old printers rule he
used years ago when he was setting
type.
IAN of Senator Harding's newspa-
per ambitions were realized, for iie
finally became the owner and publish
pr of the Marion. Ohio star The
Star is his pet. When Warren was
his father moved 80 Marion.
where the Star was struggling
lailv paper in town of about four
thousand people Warren could think
IF nothing else but that he wanted 10