Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-03-14
HUMANISMS
BY WILLIAM ATHERTON DU PuY

BY WILLIAM ATHERTON DU PUY
ONE would think that man. even though
~ he be married. would. when he had
attained the dignity Of being President Il
the United States. escape that treatment at
the hands Of wife and friends familiarly
known as panning. Such. however. Is not
the case, when the facts are revealed.
There is the incident between President
Harding and John q. Price, for instance,
the latter being the Attorney General Of
Ohio, and an old friend Of the man from
Marion.
Mr.. Price came to Washington not long
ago., getting in late in the evening, and
decided to 80 to the theatre and hit the hay
assiduously before going over to the White
House the next morning. He went to M
Francis Wilson in "Erminie" and got the
last seat In the house. which was way over
on the end, right under the boxes.
When he went in, not dressed up or any.
thing. he was much embarrassed to find the
PRESIDENT and his party there, occupying the
box right by him. 50 Price hunched down
IN MS seat. seeking oblivion, and keeping
his eyes glued to the stage.
Finally, in the intermlssion, he heard 4
voice repeating insistcntly:
John. John. John Price"
He had to look up and there he was, th,
PRESIDENT OF the United States with hIi
hand to his mouth. calling to him from his
box. He was forced, business. suited ay IN
was, while everybody around looked on eu.
rlously, to get up and bow his acknowledl'
ments.
The next morning over at the Executive
Mansion. Warren Harding, the host, wii
inclined to take Price to task.
"You are responsible" he said. "for
getting N
night. Because I called TO you Ia the
theatre. Mrs. Harding spoke to Inc right
Sharply. She told me that should depcft
myself with more circumspection: that II
wanted to convey messages to my friends IN
the audience, should employ the usheu.
My conduct was altogether too informal
Mrs. Harding was absolutely right"
Price retorted. ''The idea of spolightinl
me as you did, me sitting there In soisd
linen. ! never was SO embarrassed In ny
life. And for the life OF me, cant remen.
Der our ever having been introduced"
! remarked in this column not long als
that Secretary Hughes pronounced "agenda
with soft ''g' and that 1t was won
80 recently inducted into the language tha'
1t did not appear in my desk dictionary.
Now critic comes back and observes that
the Secretary of State. the whole bloomins
Arms Conference and the entire Journalistic
world used this term in such a Main
street way as to be inexcusablc. The vG!
form OF the word is plural. Anybog
ought to know that. The singular Of 1t -
''agendum." Yet this plural form was used
all the time In the singular
Mrs. Harriet Chalmers Adams. who
probably the champion woman traveller y
the world, who journeyed 10000 miles !.
South America. climbed 200 feet up :"
Andes, "a mile higher than Pixies Iessti s,i
and penetrated to twenty frontiers III ln..
continent where the fcet OF white wom.a ,.a
had not before trod. says Sioux ind,i.
chief ought to be the best husband III '''
world, for he is certainly thoughtful
Mrs. Adams got her impression OF sloa.
thonghtfulness In this way. She nag .. kT.'
to Europe during the war, saw the putusl,
fronts. came back to America and sous"
to do her bit by going about making ehco., .,.
aging speeches on how noble the boys WI. ~.
acting over there. 1t was part OF '"'
game of maintaining morale. Il,
After travelling about on boats AZ, y"
coaches and jitneys for few months, M
Adams found herself one day address,ns.
group of Sioux Indians on their rese,h r,s,,h.
tion-full bloods in B. V. DIS and selln'
bells. speaking only the grunt iansuiS.
the half bloods In parlor clothes ana; ;i;c,l
cause Of their Carlisle educatons, cr''''
of ones use of English. ana,
But what won Mrs. Adams was this' ni s.Ts.
she had made her speech, Joan OF arc, and
fayette, we are here" and everything, ~. ~
It had been interpreted, an aborlslne AL |.
and spoke with that inefable Gracas, wnmih m,isht
his by nature and which dcfcs SlO, SlOy'a."h. N.
Chautauqua lecturers. But wners w.
cinched the medal for thoughtfuiness. ..si}
when he proposed that they pay the w.
er's expenses for coming. u was W.
] Mrs. Adams war work journeyinssi