The Washington times., 1921-07-15
HARDING WRITES
BOOK ON VITAL
u. S. PROBLEMS
3oo-Pags Volume Of Excerpts
From Speeches Discusses
"our Common Country"

CHICAGO, July Is. = President
Harding, careless Of the Hebrew
prophets warning. has written a
book. The title Is Our Common
Country" The publishers, Bobbs.
Merrill q Co.. have added a subtitle.
Mutual Good VIII in America"
In substance. the volume n col
lection Of extracts from Senator
Harding's speeches. q few before his
election as President, but most be-
tween tho election and his .fnaugura'
ton.
The messages of the book are pri.
mariIy to various groups-busines
men, farmers. laboring men, social
welfare workers. teachers. mothers.
and so on--but the whole volume en-
phasizes the Presidents determination
to regard the American people not as
a collection OF groups, but as whole.
He says:
at wish II distinctly Understood that
I shall say nothing to one group that
I could not as cordially utter to an
and imperil another.
Aims to Aid People.
IT like to think of an America
founded in what can be done for our
people. all the people"
The crying demand of the country
at the present moment. the President
thinks, 10 . Recommendation to God. lie
writes:
II know It will help II We have Q
revival of religious faith"
The book opens on this note; but
often he picks again on the same
string:.
There never was a time when the
world stood In more need than 1t docs
now Of the consultations and "~'tssur.
ances which only firm religious faith
can bring"
Labor nowadays in America, says
the President, In too mechanical:
THE reason men in modern spe-
cialized industry 60 crazy from lack
Of self-expression Is that they are
allowed to DO mere mechanical
motion makers"
He believes in unions and collective
bargaining, but in his one mention Of
the closed shop does not commit him.
self either way. He fayors an eight
hour day for women, and In on the
whole opposed to child labor. though
he remarks that some times their
labors were of such q nature as to
fit them to become better men and
women"
He does not think compulsory arbi-
tration IL feasible. In general. he in
sists that honest work IL the basis OF
life, and contracts the touch Of sat
isfacuon" In saying our output is the
biggest, with the heart aglow" with
which we might proclaim 1t the best.
Tho farmer, he declares, has not
now his share of whatever prosperity
IL left" He opposes political farm
ers' organizations, however. but
thinks cooperative producing and
selling associations are highly de-
sirable.
Now and then the President be-
comes reminiscent. His brief ac-
counts of Ralph and Wheeler and
Frank and Ed and Henry, Of our
village" are not without personality.
The only American citizen mentioned
by name in tho volume Is Babe Ruth
Of whom he asks. why do we ap-
plaud HIM" You know the answer.
President Harding's style Is friend
ly rather than vivid. He says:
1T Is better to be simple than
surfeited.'
Again he refers to IAN idealism
which $ not too proud to work"
The reader of the Presidents 800
pages Ia not likely to find himself
surfeited. and he will discover in the
Presidents idealism an honest Ameri.
can article, which does not glitter, but
which one trusts will not fade.