, 1863-12-05
TuaE PRESIDENT AT HOME.
The EThtto House und Mr. Lineola's
Daily Lie.

The EThtto House und Mr. Lineoln's
Daily Lille.
The goEsipy correspondent OF the Boston
acknowledgement TINT paper the follow
ing readable account Of daly life in the White
House:
As we Wcrc On our way to pay our respects
to President Lincoln and his wife, by way Of
opening our campaign, Mrs. Journal Reader
took me to task for not following tie OK
ample Of the royalty-apcrs hereabouts, who
speak Of the official residence Of our Chief
Magistrate Us the Executive Mansion. pre-
fer the more home1y ant1 better known appel
latiou. It Is not palace, like the Tul1eries,
st. James, the Eseurin1 or tho Vatican, but j
large sized house, {modelod after the resi-
denca Of the Duke Of Leinster IN Ireland, J
built Of snch trashy ffoestone TINT It Is only
ed white. Yet thrce~and-si yesrs ago it
Was regarded as grand afInir, Oliver Wolcott
saying of it in letter, ;" It WAS built to ba
looked ut by visitors and Strangers, and will
Teniier its occupant an object Of ridicule with
some and Of pity with Others" Since then
ato few sensible people who will not admit
that the White House is not what the official
residence Of tho President, should be. Per-
haps when the war IL over, and tho national
debt has been paid, q building viii be erected
worthy the name Of Executive Mansion>
: We hear much about rotation in Office"
hero at Washington. but Edward, tho yiSi-
liant custodian Of the portals Of The White
House has held his position through series
Of administrations, and has been eu1ogizod by
at least score Of writer's, foreign and domes-
tic. His rc1uIniBcences Woulo be q readable
volume, but Edwards reticence is only
equalled BY Lis discretion in admitting yisf-
frF $rSr 1S,nr 1vr7,z.
have really no business to weary the Presi-
dent With old grievances.
The entrance hall leads into % spacious
cross passago in the centre of the building.
at the left hand extremity Of this passage is
the East Room, eighty feet In length, forty
feet in width and twenty eight feet In height.
Along thc north side oftho passagc aud Of
ond ION the western side Is the !banqucting
room, with the smaller family dining room.
In the basement story arc the bntler's md
the culinary departments, and In the second
sfo ars II TIE sa dsmily FoSms; at the western
Mrs. Journal Reader. as we walked. through
the house; thought TINT the furniture was not
exactly what It should be, yet it Is perhaps
good enough for the- building. President
Monroe WIS tcroclonsly denounced In Con
France, to replace tho furniture burned by
Bcnton's attack on The furniture purchased by
John Quincy Adams, including.a q billiard
table, ibid much TO prevent his reelection;
and President Van Buren WAS actually de-
teatca when he was nlso d candidate second
TING, by Mr. 0gle's wonderful accounts Of
gold spoons and other extrayagant articles.
No one can bring any such charges against
Lincoln, for the White House presents no
eigns Of gaudy extEaEagunce. Everything is
appropriate, in good taste, and nike credit
able to AIRS, Isncoln's discretion In making
The selections as vel as Congress, Tlieh lsas
But we did not visit the White Houso to
examinc its furniture, or eyen to 1ugcr long
in Its charming conservatory, Which has been
renovated during tho past summer, and is
now filled with rare cxoties ready to contrib
ute their floral charms during the coming
season. President Lincoln is naturally IN
object Of interest, not only to those who visit
him, but to lie people Who elected him their
Chief Magfstrate, and Mra. Journal Reader
advises nc to give sketch Of his usual daily
life.
Iii. Lincoln is an early riser, aud lc thus Is
ing to Ills voluminou6 private correspond
ence, besides glaucing at city paper. At
nine he breakfasts-then walks over to the
War Office, to read such war telcgrams as
they give him, Occasionally some arc with
held, and to hare chat with General bal
takcs great interest Returning to the White
house, lie goes through with bis mornings
mail, in company with private secretary.
Some letters arc endorsed and sent to tie
Observation-Disclosures are entrusted to the
secretary, who ynSkcs minute Of the reply
which lie is to make-and others the President
retains, TINT he may answer them himself
Every letter receives attention, and a1l which
are entitled to reply receive one, no matter
how they arc worded, or how inelegaut the
cAirography may be.
Tuesdays and Fridays are Cabinet days, but
on other dnys visitors at the White House are
requested to wait In the ante-chamber, and
send in their carda. Sometimes, before the
President has finished reading his mail, Louis
will hare handful Of pasteboard, and from
the cards laid before film Mr.. Lincoln has
visitors ushercd in, giving precedence to ac-
pour In, IN rapid succession, nine ont Of ten
asking offices, and patiently does the Presl-
dent listen to their applications. Care and
anxiety hare furrowcd his rather homely fea-
lures, yet occasionally he is :rcmiudcd Of an
anecdote,' - and good-hnnored glances beam
laugh shows that lie is not 'sused up"
yet. The simple and natural manner IN which
he delivers his thoughts makes him appear to
those visiting him Ike an earnest, affection
ate friend He makes little parade OF his ic-
gal science, and rarely indulges in s.pecnla-
tive propoaitions, butstates Ills Ideas ii plain
Anglo Saxon, Illuminated by many lively
images md pleasing allusiona, which seem 10
flow as If In obedience to resistlcss impulse
OF his rature. Some newspaper admirer at
tempts to deny that the President tells sto-
rics. Why It is rarely that sny one Is In Ills
compcnr for fifteen minutes without hearing
good tale, appropriate to the subject talked
about. Many y metaphysical Argument does
be dcnlolish by simply telling an anectlotc,
which exactly ovcrturns the verbal structure.
About I o'clock The President declines see-
Ing any more company. and oftea accompa~
He is fond Of horseback exercise, and when
passing the summer at The Soldiers Home,
used generally to 80 to and fro in the saddle
The President dimes at 6, and 1t Is rare that
some personal friends do not grace the round
dining table, where he throws oil the cares Of
oficef and reminds those who hnye been in
Kentucky of tho oll-schoo1 gentleman who
used to dispense generous hospitality there.
From the dinner liable the paTty retire to the
crimson drawing. room, wherc coffee Is seFv-
Ing, unless some dignitary has . special inter
view Such, am informed, Is the almost
unrarying daily life Of Abraham Lincoln,
whose administration will rank next in i'm
portancc to that Of Washington in our M
tional annals.
Journal Rcader) ought not to be left uumcn-
TONED. although there Is little Of interest to
chronicle in the daily round of serving, read
ing and visiting hospitals, which occupies the
time of Mrs. Lincoln. She may have made
mistakcE-who does not? in hcr Invitations,
md thereby baye provoked euyious criti-
cisms. Neither do those Of the Democratic
cru admit that there can be any courtesy dis
played here nowadays. But am sure that
since the time that Mrs. Madison presided ut
the White House, it has not been gracel by
Indy so we'll fitted By nature and by cdnca-
tfon to dispense it's hospitalities as is Mrs.
Lincoln. Her hospitality is only cqua1lcl BY
her charity, and her graceful department by
her goodness Of heart.
U<fnthpt: N1ar;,1nprE