e addresses the multitude as he would speak to a group of
friends. Soon you are listening as though he were speaking only to
you. With no tendency to bicker he discusses the problems of
government in a manner that reveals his clearness of vision and
pureness of soul. All too soon the address is ended and the crowd
begins to scatter. As each wends his way, the remark that is most
frequently heard is this: "I like him and I'm sure we can trust him."

Now that you have met him and heard him speak I am sure you will want
to learn more about his life.

On November second, in the year the great Civil War closed, Mr.
Harding was born in Corsica, Ohio. How old, then, is he? Most of his
boyhood days, however, were spent in Caledonia, Ohio, where his father
was the village Doctor. In addition to practicing medicine he owned
the Caledonian Argus, a typical village newspaper.

Since all boys of eleven must have at least a little spending money,
Warren, as Mr. Harding was then called, found that setting type was
his easiest way to earn pin money.

The first year Warren worked on the Argus, the circus came to town and
brought Hi Henry's Band. Warren and another boy helped with unusual
faithfulness and speed that day. They knew the paper had free tickets
for the circus. Of course they would be given tickets. They planned
what a glorious time they would have and, as long as the tickets did
not cost anything, they could spend some of their hard earned money on
side shows and ice cream. Noon came and no one had mentioned the
circus tickets. The afternoon passed slowly; two o'clock, no tickets;
three o'clock, no tickets; four, five, six o'clock, and no mention of
the circus. Two indignant boys held counsel. Then as night fell, they
went to the editor and demanded two tickets as their right. The
tickets were forthcoming and two pleased boys went to the circus.

Perhaps the glories of Hi Henry's Band aroused the citizens of
Caledonia. At any rate a band of fifteen pieces was afterwards
organized there. An old harness maker, who liked to have the boys play
about his shop, was an expert on the valve trombone. He showed his
frequent visitor, Warren Harding, how to play the instrument; then
Warren learned the tenor horn and became a full-fledged member of the
Caledonia Band. Only those of you who have lived in a small town can
know how important the band is. It gives concerts in front of the
court house or on the square. It plays at rallie