The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1871-07-07
AyIsTT no PRESIDENT GRANT.

doing America, gives the following |
pleasant account of his visit to Presi- |
dent Grant:
did not intend to seek admission in
to the White House, for the President
was at home, and l thought it might
be closed. However, walked up to
look at the outside. 1t deserves the
name of the White House, even in a
city of white edifices, for every thing
about it, the glazing road, the blinds,
the door itself, helped to claim the til
tie. / saw no one about, no sentries,
no servants of any kind. A soldiers
horse was tied up at the entrance, but
everything stood quiet and still in the
bright sunshine. Presently four per-
| sons, Americans, whom had seen dur
ing the SIGHTS of Washington, and
whom, indeed, I had not long before di-
rected to the spiral staircase which
leads up the dome of the capitol, came
sauntering out. They walked away,
and the door was shut behind them.
Another orderly rode up, tied his horse
to ring in the portico, and walked in.
/ turned aside, and was strolling of,
supposing the White House was closed
to visitors for the day, when an old me-
gress came smiling out by some side
door.
"Mornin', Sar," said she.
"Mornin', marm," said !. supposed
her to be sort of Aunt Sally among
the servants, and asked her if the house
was still open.
''Bless you, Sar," she replied, ''Pve
been there three hours but didn't see
the President after all"
/ did you want to see him
eyes, Sar; wages very low, work
scarce"
'Did you expect him to find you
any?"
but he is busy"
Then she volunteered her opinion on
his fitness for his post, and praised
Lincoln. "Ah! do believe he was a
Christian"
Negroes are monstrously eommuni-
cative. Unlike Americans, they fire.
quently begin the conversation, and are
generally very ambitious in their choice
of subjects. The Negroes talk is as
large as his lips. He is always contem-
plating a long journey, or delivering
himself about the greatest matters and
the biggest people. The black barber
talks of setting up in business in Lon
don. The boots at the hotel discusses
the relation between Canada and the
United States. A man who sold pears
ON the train to Richmond mixed up his
opinion of Henry Clay apropos to
nothing, with his offers of 1ruit. This
negress laid down the law about the
qualification of the chief magistrate
with most entertaining decision, and
was quite sincere in intending to place
her special necessities before none less
than the President himself. There was
grotesque pathos in the faith she felt
in her appeal to the head of the govern
ment.
But he was busy. Busy! / think
so, if he has to listen to every personal
tale. However aunt Sally provoked
me at least to look into the house, so
. retraced my steps and rang the front
bell. a servant out of livery opened
the door at once, and began showing
me over the place. 1 said l was an
Englishman passing through Washing
ton, and hoped l was not too late to
see the White House.
''Oh, no, sir" he replied, "but you
must not expect to see such a palace as
you have in England"
While we were looking about said {:
81 suppose the President is much press
ed upon by visitors"
"Well," he rejoined, "there are pretty
many, but am sure he would see you
if you walked up stairs"
II wont trouble him." said I, ''besides
L have not come prepared to seek a
presentation"
and over coat, which i wore because
the wind was keen, though the sun
was bright. He saw what L meant, and
laughed, adding.
eve don't think about that here, SIR"
So l strOlled up the stairs, which were
public, and found myself, without in
PRODUCTION, in a large room, where
General--was hearing an applica-
cation from some contractor at table,
a secretary sitting at another, an old
gentleman standing before the fire with
an unlit cigar in his mouth. A negro
porter sat by door on the other side of
the room.
The general, too, asked me most
courteousIy if wanted to see the Pres
ident. l replied that had known that
he received that day 1 would have
sought, with others, the honor of ma
king my bow to him, but that i did not
like to go in as l was. He smiled, and
said that made no difference and add
| ed,
"Send in your card. Sit down."
So gave him my card and sat down,
| while he went on with his business. In
Il minute or two l was called into an
| inner room. and found the President
standing before the fire smoking a ci-
gar. He was exceedingly courteous,
| and honored me with some conVersa-
ton about Utah and the great line, the
former of which he knew much about
personally, having been there. Then
made my bow, he shook hands, and L
went out, certainly much impressed
with the extreme facility of access
granted by the head of the government
to visitors. The whole thing was so
unexpectedly informal that l felt it
difficult to realize that l had an inter-
view with so great a parsonage as the
| President of the United States. He is
| a very gentlemanly man, with q quiet,
deliberate voice, and all eye that looks
straight at you when he speaks. He
wore an ordinary morning dress, al
| most scrupulOusly well-fitting; and
noticed that, like the majority of Amer
leans, he had a small, white hand and
very neat boots.
There can be no greater mistake than
to represent the conventional American
in tall coat and bulgy boots. / did
not notice tail coat worn in the morn
ing while in America, nor did l ever
see more clean-heeled race IN my life. |
Even in the rough West, where troWs- |
ers are worn stuffed into "WeIlingtons" |
though they are not known by that
name there-the boots were invariably |
neatly built. Our guide in the Sierra |
wore high-heeled pair, which might |
have come out of the most fashionable |
shop in Regent street.
The President is exposed To much de-
tail of work, which must be very wear |
isome. He receives, forget whether it |
is twice or three times a week, and is, |
of course, constantly pestered with per-
sonal applications for Office. 1t was ext
ceedingly good natured in him to see /
me, wandering Englishman. as he did
after the reception hours had passed
No one, moreover, could be more court
cons than General, with whom, be-
f5reI left, had some agreeable con-
vcEsation. And this courtesy descends
follower officials. Again and again /
ventnred to introduce myself 10 such
as the officers of Public Charities and
Corrections, and Emigration, in New
York, and nowhere did / find slack
in Office" All everywhere offered me
all the facilities in their power, often
putting themselves to trouble in show
ing me what wanted tS zee. The or
binary attendants, moreover, meyer
seemed TO expect a fee. Only once did
have a hint of the kind, and that was
from a convict boat-crew, in parti-col-
oreG dresses, when their officer offered
to row me across the East river from
the penitentiary. They suggested that
fhaxy had M CCbaccv p,