New-York tribune., 1921-03-05
Hardins's Love for Mother
Shown i'm Entire Career
Sent Her Flowers Every Sunday for Is Years Be-
fore She Died; Cr.eves Because He Has
No Children of His Own

If that hat was in sight the next day
be cut off in the bud. The next day
young Harding reported for work a
tribe earlier than usua, and he was
wearing the offensive hat. He was
promptly fired.
1t was one of the best things that
ever happened to him, because not
long afterwards, when he and Jack
warwick, now newspaper para
grapher, had their legs entwined in
the ruags of tall stools in Marion's
only lunch counter, while they con-
sumed an oyster stew, an acquaintance
told them Of an opportunity to buy
the wreck of a weekly newspaper. 1t
amounted to little more than three
hundred pounds of type.
Acquire Newspaper Plant
Those two young men did not know
precisely how to pay for the oyster
stew they were eating, but they agreed
to get possession of that newspaper
plant. DR.. Harding aided his son in
lalsing the $500 that was his share OF
The purchase price. Not long after
they got started Warwick decided it
was too hazardous a game and that he
would rather be on the pay roll than be
an employer. SO they arranged tina,
Harding should take control of the
paper and that Warwick would become
city editor at 81 salary
That was the real beginning Of Har-
6ing's career Before long he was
getting q living out of the newspaper
, and when he met Florence King he
/ determined to get married. 0 I'd Amos
ling, banker and merchant, classed
newspaper editors with travelling medi-
cine men and other sharpcrs. He ar
ovA ,c1 \
r" was out of breath the young folks
bought house, were married and
moved in. 1t was from the porch Of
that house that Warren G. Harding
cnunciated the campaign pledges upon
which he was elected President.
The bankers daughter shared none
of her fathers ideas about the news
paper business and took a keen inter
est in the little organization. Then
her husband suffered nervous break
down. 1t IS difficult TO associate the
calm. well-poised individual who
moved into the White House to-day
with nerves, but the fact remains that
The Marion Star was left without a
suiding hand at a most crucial point
IN its history.
Wife Reorganizcs Paper
On top of that, the circulation
manager resigned without warning.
Affairs were really in bad shape. Mrs
Harding went down 10 The Star Office,
intending to help out for few davs
or weeks at the most. 1t had been
the custom to sell all the papers over
the counter Of the business office.
This young woman promptly reorgan-
lied the circulation department and
developed corps of carrier bows.
She continued to take an active. di-
recting part in the management Of the
newspaper for fourteen years. until
her own health made it advisable for
her to give up this work BY that
tine .ir. Harding had long been com
pletely restored to health.
Mrs. Harding once expressed a
thought tAat has ruled in their deal
ings with folks. She said:
you know we've always found that
you could catch more flies with sugar
t an with vinegar"
The President has a long memory,
too. He frequently proves it by telling
or some early recollections
"The first time ever suffered real
anguish" he said one time, was when
my first dog was killed 1t was just an
ordinary farm mongrel, yellow dog
in every sense of the word But that
cog loved me and | loved it, was
about three then.
"ln those days sheep killing dog
was hunted out and k lied az soon as
suspicion lighted on his unhappy frame
One of my fathers uncles came to our
house and denounced my dog as a
sheep killer. Father didn't protest. He
simply said:
of the dog has been killing sheep, you
do what you will with him. My great
uncle was huge, bearded man. stern,
uncompromising. | can see it all now.
He reached down quickly and grasped
my dogs hind legs, one in each hand.
Then he whirled it about his head and
dashed out its brains against the corn
crib. That was my first horror. 1t hor-
rifles me still"