South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-02-22
HARDING'S SCHOOL
TEACHER Is PROUD
BoyhoOd Picture of President,
Nicknamed 'Granddaddy,'
Is Revealed.
BY WILLIAM 4 wEYGANDT,

BY WILLIAM \. WEYGANDT,
~. - stan Correspo ndeut.
CLEVELAND. Feb. 60 There
was nothing unusually bright about
Warren Harding but ne was a good
whoIe-souIed. soIid-principled boy
when he went 90 school % me in
the Little town % Caledonia"
And Warren Harding when a
boy was intensely human. too, be-
cause he loved fresh baked apple
WAu of this. and much more. a
representative of the international
News Service learned today from
Louis Cope Rhodes. OF No. 2174
stearns Road Cleveland. who was
Warren Harding's teacher iu the
Caledonia public schools for two
winters nearly a half century ago.
when the present president was IS
and Il years OF age.
a boy doesn't have 90 be a
prodigy nor extraordinary in any
sense 20 become president. Mrs
Rhodes observed. when she told.
with wonderful clearness Of mind
and vivacity Of manner despite her
90 years. the story Of Warren Hard
.ngs bOyhood days in her school in
she country village whore she
taught
Warren Stood Wei iu Studies"
Warren stood well fra his studies;
he was bright In all Of them, but not
remarkably so iu any branch He
was studi0us. but not extremely 80;
he was a little bit mischievous, yes.
ne was pretty full of mischief. but
there was nothing mean about him"
Mrs. Rhodes remarked reminiscent
IS. as she recalled the characteris-
tics Of the boy whose progress as
captain OF the ship of state she
watches with almost motherly an
xiety.
- believe Warren's nickname
'Granddaddy' when ne went TO
ne 90 school" Mrs Rhodes contin-
ued That was because he was Of
slow IN his deliberations and was
kind OF fatherly. too. Tie seemed
20 be a little above and over the
others just naturally; he wasn't
'hOssy' or cranky IL was a strange
nickname the other scholars gave
him. but I can see now better than
I could then how he got it.. Indeed.
/ now see the same characteristics
in Warren as president and as a
man that I saw in him as a boy.
only they stand out more now"
Mrs. Rhodes doesn't know where
Warren GamalieI Harding got his
middle name. She never speaks it.
and In an OF her mention Of the
president calls him plain Warren"
And 60 was Warren" that her pu-
Pill who rose 20 fame always desired
to be addressed. Mrs Rhodes re-
called.
The President Gives Gentle Re
jOinder
After Warren was lieutenant
governor Of Ohio saw him in Mar
ion. and when I greeted him I said:
How do YOU do. governor re-
marked Mrs. Rhodes Without any
affectation he shook my hand and re-
piled. Since when did I get 10 be
anybody but Warren o.
II think that has been one Sc
Cret of Warren's success. He never
. med affected; he mixes with the
ople. is always sociabIe and
friendly. and seems 10 know them
10 is this. and his understanding
ways. and his ability 20 entertain.
coupled with the same kind Of abil-
ity ON the part Of his wife, added
90 his sympathetic nature that
serves as background for his COM
panionable qualities that has made
Warren the great success In politics
and statesmanship that he is" was
the way Mrs. Rhodes energetically
analysed the presidents character.
But Mrs Rhodes is not woman