The Washington times., 1922-09-17


So heavy was the flood of let
ters Of sympathy and inquiry
which poured in at the White
House that Mrs. Harding's sec
retary, Miss Laura Harlan, cut
short her holiday in Canada and
posted home to take care of
the mass of correspondence.
All day long for days there was
a constant stream of callers-of
whom. Of course. only a few en-.
tered the house. Inquiries by tele.
phone and telegram, messengers
with offers Of help and assurances
OF sympathy. Flowers. carloads of
them-coals to Newcastle, OF
course. but welcomed for the spirit
which dictated their sending.
Huge clusters of hot house bios.
SONS from the great ones Of the
earth and field flower posies.
faded a bit from the clutch of some
child's warm little paw. Most of
them. Of course. were sent on to the
hospitals where they would be more
needed. But of them all, the
single rose from a crippled negro,
whom Mrs. Harding had befriended
in hospital and to whom she had
sent White House flowers, was
perhaps the most perfect tribute.
KNOWING something OF how
much Of herself, OF her time.
her strength and her spirit, Mrs.
Harding had put into the difficult
task Of being Mistress of the
White House. it was no surprise
that her illness should create a
very personal sympathy and con.
cern. But I think nobody quite
realized how far reaching her in.
fluence had been nor the number
OF people in every walk of life TO
whom she had endeared herself in
one way or an0ther.
The period OF the First Ladys
grarest danger was marked by
many pathetic incidents, none, per.
haps more touching than the clos.
ing OF the White House gates.
which had been thrown open to
the public after a hpse Of years
on the very day that Mrs. Hard
ing moved into the Executive
Mansion and on her express orders.
The visit Of former President
and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson. who
called to inquire for Mrs. Harding
the moment that the seriousness IS
OF her illness became known, was
another incident which set one to
thinking back. 1t was their first
visit to the White House since
they drove away on March 4, 1921;
and one wonders II their memories
were not busted with the dark
months before that when the eyes
OF the world had been focused
upon a sufferer in the White
House. Then, Of course, 1t was
the President who was i'll and his
wife who nursed him devotedly.
but II was a similar shadow which
brooded over the household.
MO one who was here during the
Wilson Administration ~ould
help remarking the difference w
the way such a difficult situation
as serious illness in the official
family was handled by the Two
regimes. Washington scarcely
knew OF the fatal illness Of the
first Mrs. Woodrow Wilson until
she was on the point Of death and
everybody remembers the secrecy
which surrounded President VII.
sons seizure and the long months
OF Illness which followed, as weil
as the cloud Of rumors and specu-
lation to which this policy gave
rise.
During Mrs. Harding's illness.
however. every facility has been
afforded the newspaper men to
learn the exact truth about her
condition. Secretary Christian has
remained almost constantly on
duty as liaison officer between the
sick room and the White House
correspondent and. with the up.
proval Of the President, has help.
ed in every possible way to keep
the public fully informed. More.
over, there has been no desire 10