The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-01-07

The gossipy correspondent Of the Boston
Journal -Perley sends that paper the fol
lowing readable account of daily life in
the White House !: q a"h
As We were on our way to pay our re-
spects to President Lihc,ln and his wife, by
way ofopening our campaign, Mrs. Journal
Reader took me to task for not following the
example Of the roYalty-apers hereabouts,
who speak Of the official residence Of our
Chief Magistrate as the Executive Mansion
prefer the more homely and better known
appellation. 1t is not a palace like the
Tuilleries, st. James the Escurial or the
Vatican, but large size house, (moddeled
after the residence of the Duke of Lienstsr
in Ireland, j built Of such trashy freestone
that it is only preserved from disintegra-
ton BY being painted white. Yet three
and sixty years ago it was regarded as .
grand affair, Oliver Wolcott saying of il in a
letter, "was built to be looked at by visi-
tors and strangers. and will render its occu-
pant an object Of ridicule with some, and Of
pity with others" Since then our ideas
have somewhat expanded, and there are
few sensible people who will not admit that
the White House is not what the official res.
idenee of the President should be. Per-
hapse when the war is over, and the nation
al debt has been pald. building will be
erected worthy Of the name Of Executive
Mansion. 'a E 2
We hear much about s!rotation in office" !"
here at Washington, but Edward, the yiSi-
liant custodian of the portals of the While
House, has held his position through a, Sc
ries of administrations, and has been ..euIo-
gized by at least score Of writer's foreign
and domestic. His "reminiscences gould
be readable volume, but Eiwards reti-
cence is only equalled by his discretion in
admitting visitors, or rather in sending
away those Who have really no business to
weary the President with old grlevian-
cies. Fl.
The entrance hall leads to spacious
cross passage in the centre of the building.
At the left hand extremity of this passage is
the East Room, eighty feet in length. and
forty f>et in width and TWEEN y-e,ght feet in
height. Along the rorth side of the pas
sage and of the house are four drawing
rooms, en- suite, and on the western side
is the hanqueting room. with the smaller
family dining room. In the basement sto-
ry are the buffers and the culinary depart
ments, and in the second story are the
family rooms, at the western end, and the
offices, at the eastern end. As we walked
through the house, though that the furniture
was not exactly what it should be. yet it is
perhaps good enough for the building.
President Monroe was ferociously denoun
ced in Congress for the purchases he made
in France, to replace the furniture burned
by the oonquering legion Of John Bull. Mr..
Benton's att ack on the furniture purchased
by John Quincy Adams, Including . billiard
table, did much to prevent his reelection |;
and President Van Rqrsn was actually de-
feated when he was candidate a Sec
ond time, by Mr. Ogle's wonderful accounts
of gold spoons and other extravagant arti-
cles. No one can bring any such charges
against Lincoln, for the White House pres
ents no signs of gaudy exrravagance. Eve
ry thing is appropriate, in good taste, and
alike creditable to Mrs. Lincoln's discretion
in making the selections, as we'll as Congress
which has voted the money for the payment
of the bills.
But we did not visit the White House to
examine the furniture, or even to lineer
long in its charming conservatory.
whi b has been renovated during the past
summer, and is now filled with rare exotics
to contribute their floral charms during the
coming season. President Lincoln is natu-
rally an object Of interest, not only to tsose
who visit him, but to the people who elected