Evening star., 1923-08-05
Heard and Seen

The writer wishes to take this op-
portunity to pay tribute, in a humble
way. to great and good man. War
rem G. Harding.
There is scarcely anything that one
can say about the late President of
the United States except what already
has been said.
Yet surely space remains for the
sincere expression of the feelings of
the average man. that great citizen in
the mass, who otherwise remains in
articulate.
To all such President Harding was
a friend. They regarded him as one
of themselves. a true man of the peo-
pie, yet one who. while partaking of
the common nature. raised and ele-
waited all because of his own tran
scendent virtues.
President Harding reminded me of
those so-called composite pictures"
which are made up of features from
many different men. so cleverly COM
bined that the result may be said,
with some justice, to partake of the
characteristics of all.
In him were combined the sterling
virtues of the middle west. that sec
tion of the country which typifies
America, combining. as its citizens do.
the best qualities of the men and
women of all sections of the country.
| 1t was because Warren G. Harding
was this splendid average man, yet
one truly glorified by a strong con-
centration Of ability. virtues and
steadfast purpose. often found lacking
in others, that he appealed so strong
ly to Americans.
! He summed up for many of us the
clean, strong man; the decent man,
vet no milksop; the man who could
do. yet was ready to take advice; the
intellectual man, but not studious
fool.
He was much such a man as George
Washington. His features were cast
in the same large, firm mold, and his
| head was above the average in size.
Undoubtedly his brain weighed a
great deal more than that of the aver
age man.
But. deeper than physical resem-
| blance. he was Of the true Washing
ton type. The Father of His Country
was of his day and age the product.
He was the man for the times His
utterances fitted the occasions.
Similarly. Warren G. Harding was
| a typical man of the modern United
States He was successful. honest.
| clean, representing the best virtues of
hundreds of thousands of his fellow
citizens
Life is somewhat standardized to-
day. Men read so much about their
neighbors that real standard of life
| and living has been created. Sheer :
| ing at this standard of decency takes
! away not one jot of its worth. The
standardized citizen, for all that one
may find fault with him. is the home
| builder the modern maker of the
| United States.
Such a man was President Harding.
, He was a good business man in the
White House. d man of presidential
caliber outside the Executive Man
sion.
But, over and above this, undoubt =
edly he was man of far greater
ability and aspirations than many
gave him credit for. Time will place
him in an increasingly brighter light
| as an avatar of Americanism.
His plans for peace. his thirst for
peace, were tempered with the knowl-
edge of men. He approached states
craft with common sense and inter
| national affairs with an intellectual
| honesty that men of other nations
must gain il universal peace is to
/ come to the world.
| He was the apotheosis OF the aver
! age man. All of us who struggle in
| the battle of life to live honestly and
decently, and to let the other fellow
| do the same. can hold the remem-
| brance Of Warren G. Harding with
| pride akin to personal affection.
CHARLES Z. TRACEwELL