The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-08-06
Growing Up With Warren Harding
MRS. HARDING JOINS THE FORCE"
WARWICK.
eoyhood Playmate the
Presidential
" JACK WARWICK.
i. HARDING JOINS THE FORCE"

Mrs. Warren G. Harding must not
be overlooked. She was Star office
worker. There is a cynical old rhyme
that runs something like this:
Needles and pins, needles and pins,
when man marries trouble begins"
| am quoting. that bit of nonsense
mere because 1t is the opposite of
truth in the life of Warren Harding.
The Star office was a democratic in
stitution. W. G. made it that by his
own daily work among the men. After
ms =, marriage Mrs. Harding Joined the
workers and became one of them in
the spirit of splendid good fellowship
that was always prevalent She did
not at any time edit the paper or die
tate, its policy; she did no reporting;
neither did she write, editorials. She
took upon herself a harder task than
any of these when she assumed the
management of the circulation and
the newsboys.. She controlled those
lads, kept their accounts and spanked
them when 1t was necessary
Mrs. Harding saved the pennies. I
want the reader to accept this state
ment literally. No pennies escaped her.
Ihey may have disappeared before her
advent, but none got away and none
was unaccounted for after she took
over the management of the newsboys.
She took them home from day to day
and after the accumulation reached
bankable size it was carried downtown
and banked. have seen w. G.
marching down to the bank with a gal
Ion of pennies in either hand l was
always curious to. know how many pen
MES made a gallon, but never found
out.
Many were hired and few were fired
in the Star office. There were no
jangling notes in the old days. We
work ed in tune and the paper grew
in importance, stamped indelbly with
the individuality of Warren G.. Hard
ing. The boys had ambition, each in
his line of work, always happy to
contribute toward success.
There was a time when the town
looked forward with anxiety to each
days issue. We had Arthur Porter,
cartoonist sketching and caricaturing
the. town and its people; Kelly Mount,
with a line of humor that dubbed up
reporter with a sideline of light and
airy stuff and w. G.'s long and short,
breezy common sense editorials
these when the spirit moved him. At
attention to the business of the office.
with Mrs, Harding ever jealousy
guarding the inflow of pennies.
Merrily we ran along.
When w G. was away the editorial
management Of the paper fell TO my
with instructions. He had confidence
in us. At one time DUNG his absence
street paving controversy developed
which divided the town. ! landed the
paper on the side I thought was the
right side, and was upheld by the
courts later.
Upon his return home W. G. took
our side" Of the controversy. BY our
attitude we made a fighting enemy of
a big fellow who brought his big
brother along to "clean up" the office.
We had been threatened many times
for a number Of years. but nothing
ever happened and now that there was
a chance for action 1 was at home
sick abed.
The cleaning out" process was a
failure, however, for before w g.
could get into action Charley Kramer,
foreman Of the job department had
smothered the irate citizen in show
err of blows that took the fight out Of
him.
Copyright, 1920, by n. Y. Evening
Post, Inc)
Tomorrow Jack Warwick tells OF
Harding's political beginnings.