The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1871-11-30
IDAHO WORLD.
THE PRESIDENTS PALACE.
/ TOUR THROUGH THE WHITE HOUSE BY A
.A8f 81. CRITICAL OBSERVER.

Having rainy day in Washington
during the recent absence of General
Grant, we took advantage of it to re-
new our acquaintance with Gen. Dent
at the White House. We went first to
the East Room, which is one hundred
and twenty feet in length, eighty in
height, and forty in width; the carpet
was woven in one piece, by order Of
the Sultan of Turkey, and is as hideous
specimen of an ugly carpet as one
would wish to see, and is woven with
such irregularity that in walking over
its .ostripes you feel dizzy and almost
sea-sick; its colors are dingy and not
in harmony, We felt truly thankful
that no foreign potentate had ever felt
obliged to make us such an elephantine
present. When it was taken from the
loom and carried to the ship it was
found too bulky for transportation, and
there not being time to build a ship for
the carpet, the carpet had to be divided
in three parts, and SO foated over to
this country. Even one of our three
phys" would be far preferable in point
of design and richness of coloring to
this foreign stranger. The furniture is
covered with the old curtains This
fact quite took us from our lofty heights
regarding regal splendor,' and our
nose, already retrousse, became more
elevated at such plebeian economy.
There are four elegant mantles in the
room, each rich in design and carving,
and eight mirrors reaching from ceiling
to floor. On the mantles Mrs. Grant
has had some pretty though expensive
bronzes placed, which relieve the utter
poverty of the room, and on the walls
are portraits of Washington, Pierce,
Quincy Adams, Fillmore, Lincoln, the
younger Adams, Van Buren,, Polk and
John Tyler-each picture said to be a
perfect likeness, and, as such, very
homely, excepting the one of Fillmore
and of Pierce, who were both to us, in
our young days, the embodiment of
manlygrace and beauty. Leaving this,
we went to the Green Room, which has
old, recovered furniture in green silk
damask, mirror ON the wall-a medal
lion bronze of Washington, Lincoln and
Grant; SCOTS portrait, painted just
before his death, and presented by him
to General Grant, portrait Of Sheri-
dan, and one or two ornaments, among
which is a pheasant in silver bronze,
and several vases from the Temple in
Japan, The Red Room is very plain.
The furniture, though arranged to the
best advantage, looked poor and shabi-
ly genteel. The principal objects of in
terest in this room are the clock and
vases presented by the Empress jose
phene to Benjamin Franklin The clock
is superb in its gliding and carving on
the vases which are of Sevres China
are two views-one of Passy and the
other of Franklin's house at Passy.
There is grand piano, and many pref
ty nick-knacks, while on the wall is the
family group. The Blue Room, in which
Mrs. Grant receives her evening callers,
is very pretty On the floor is a Will
ton carpet, around the room several el-
egant mirrors, japanese tables, superb
bronzes, white and gold French furni-
ture, exquisite ornaments of silver
holding vases of blue glass, in which
are cut, in pure white, graceful figures;
the chandelier is of glass and blue en-
amel, and is exceedingly elegant From
this we passed into the State Dining
Room, which is dingy and wretched.
On the floor is an immense table, and
ranged around the room are the old
side-boards and tables used by the first
Presidents. State dinners are formida-
BILE in themselves, but swallowed in
such doleful room what wonder if the
entire number of state diners have the
horrors-horrors brought on by the
gloomy room, which even Mrs. Grants
suayity of manner and hospitable re-
ception cannot make her guests forget.
She has flowers and lights, fine glass
and silver, brilliant, witty men, and ac-
complished, beautiful women, at these
dinners But then they all grow drea-
ry in this barn of a place. If my in
dignation was great on seeing the state
room, imagine to what a point it attain
ed when we were taken into the family
dining-room, which is miserable beyond
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