Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-03-22
President. UIevee

oucn OF our readers as may not have had
the experience of a Presidents Levee will
have pretty good idea of what such a
scene is from the following description givep
of the first one held by Pre- .ident Lincoln.
1t is from the. Cleveland Herald:
The President gave his first leyee las,
evening, between the hours of eight and ten
You are aware that upon such occas;on,
admittance " the White House ia Gree
net even card being necessary. The crush
was awful carriages were forced to denos;t
their fair freight hundred rods from the
door, and the files Of pedestrians. with Lock
step, like pen'tentlary convicts, extende,'
along the circular pavement more thai
twenty rods from the mansion. The great
effort was to get into the house, and thu
moment that was accomplished, the wis a
was to get out again. Crinoine suffered.
and from that firm paced and slow" pro.
cession, in which, by the watch, thirty min
utes were consumed in making that twenty
rods, we noticed many break from the ranks
by ladies whose skirts were literally tori.
from their waists, and the owners cad "a
beat retreat out Of the grounds, bv takinr
the back track in the carriage way, dodgin-
hacks, and searching in vain for the carriaa q
from which they had alighted. Ladies VIII,
came IN carriages, with cloaks and nubias.
retired on foot without even getting to til.
steps OF the White House -with cloaks nnS
nubias in one hand, and vainly striving. witt
the aid of male attendants, to gatser abon.
them skirts and dresses fit only thereafter fo-
a rag bag We are showing the naked truth
in this picture.
Those who reached the cloak and h,
room - that for the gentlemen being the
spacious main entrance gave up outaide
garments to the tender mercies of the crow
Some, early there, received checks tor Goa t.
and hats, but soon the immense rack W a
entirely inadequate for the demand, and h g
combined depots of the railroad country
could Lot have furnished "checks" sufficient
for the calls made. Coats, cloaks and has
were thrown into pr0miscuous pile, and Z
least one hundred men who came into the
door with thirty and ffty-dollar OUTSIDE
garments retired to their lode ings wIibcus
them, while the same number OF tbieves
replenished their scanty wardrobe t, the
same extent. We supped, after the levee.
with California gentleman who lest Goa:
and hat, and in the POCKET of the former
were the entire pap rs of an applicant Tor
office whose credentials cannot be supplieo
short Of the Pacific coast. ..-
There were two persons in that crowd who
unders tand the business in hand. One. >
friend under whose wing your correspond
ent took shelter, counselled the Leaving at
our lodgings of overcoats, and being wiliine
1t necessary, to "go hat" on The casion
vs. plunged into the crowd. Reaching the
cloak room, we found three Cleveland gen.
tlemen - Messrs. Tilden, Coon and Bend.
hanging on bravely to their outer garments.
and forming an alliance of defense: one
half the party held the hats and coats OF the
other halt, which, in turn, reciprocated. ano
thus all were enabled to see the East Roolo
without loss or damage.
The other party, whose Familiarity with
Preslden; ial levees had taught wisdom, was
lady. One beau led, another fol owed, and
Is soon as the current Of the crowd wa.
reached she requested "Bob" to take up her
skirts. Bob obeyed; making second rect
n the rigging when she gave the wo7..
Higher still, BobP In the party went and
he lady was safely landed inside the door.
With her skirts higher than her knees.
we made no attempt to pass 10 review
before the President who, stationed ne..
ne door leading from the m ain hall to the
val reception room, greeted the company
Vao then passing through the blne room.
cached the great East Room. We took tho
irect route through the main hall, opening
irectly into the East Room; around this
room stood gentlemen accompanied
y ladies at least twenty deep, and an in.
er circle was occupied ty ladies and gen.
lemen, making desperate attempts at prom
made. Tho ladies' dresses lad evidently
ten been stepped On, for there was great
readth upon the floor and very scant patterns
bout the shoulders. We inferred, at least.
lat by being stepped upon, this result had
cen attained-althu Tough not Ger ain that al n
as the case, AS none seemed to be in the
ast disturbed by lack of neck covering. and
Il appeared delighted to act az Garnet
Eeepers, although it involved the necessitv
mopping up tobacco juice, for-we NUT
'esk the tr"th-the sovereigns did not even
npty thalr months before pacing the car
It, but actually threw their old auids upon
a Brussels and tapestry, and took fresh
les from their tobacco boxes After making
turn through the East room, and dong
~ thereafter as coat ami hat holders for
If friends, we sought egress to open air,
ID found it by way Of window, Jumping
DIN the sill to the ortico.
Such, in BRIT, was our experience at
'esident's levee.