Smyrna times., 1871-02-01
The Presidents Levee.
WHO GO AND WHAT THEY SEE.

WHO GO AND WHAT THEY SEE.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2l.-0nG is inclined to
think at every Presidents Lcvec that the Gus
tom Of that ndlScrminate & rOng must have
arisen in very rebound from the secluSiOn of
the Grand Llama. However it came about,
though it is one of the few purely democratic
institutions in our Ostensiby democratic coun-
try-not IN It's appearance, which Is magni
cent, but in the fact that all are made equally
welcome there. In lands where royalty still
maintains sway, the massc@,t the people have
no access to majesty under its own root and
1t is only the iewelrd and decorated nobility
who have the privilege Of summing themselves
IN the etulgeDce e power. But in our land
things are reversed Here, then, every one
thrOngs and ENJOYS the scene as much as may
be and, except in the Blue Room, or the In
mediate Presence, there is no distinction of
such ceremony, the White House blazes, the
Government bands begin their sturdy music,
carriages thunder through the gates, policemen
yell, cOachmcn blaSpEeme, ushcrs tear escort
and escorted asunder, wraps are SURRENDERED
| as the Sadducoe burieS his tiicnds, expected
never to be seen again, and suddenly a crowd
has seized you with hundred hands, and frll
and furbelOw, lace and libhon, are crushed in
the gigantic grasp which drags you through
! four dOorwayS,ill you work yourself free in the
| lied Room, where an lmmerSc portrait of the
! Presidents family solaces you till you can
/ look at the real article in the Blue Room.
The Blue Room is one glare of glory, azure
and gold and white multiplied from mirror
to mirror, and wonderful ScoucCS shedding light
over the soft blue carpets the upholstery the
stands OF flowers, and the splendid mass below
Your name is called, your hand is touched,
pair OF vacant eyes look owe: you to the next
behlnd-you have shaken hanls with aud pass
ed the President; an apIartion Of Hamlet
mother in led velvet and Jewels is the PreSi-
dents wife; crcscented array Of fine ladies'
appal you with emerald, satin, and pearls, with
a : W Orth s. dress Of dove colOred silk point
lace aud diamonds, with rainbow of blue and
black and rose and gold aLTics; and Miss
Nellie Grant who last year, with her pretty
hair down her back, capered around the par-
lOrs, now contrOntS you with puffs and rolls
aud pink satin panlers You are borne along
by the crowd through the gloomy Green Room
to the magnifcence of the Fast Room This
Is the only parlOr the mob have. They make
, the most Of 1.-THE gOodly share of an acre
they have the reddcSt of red curtains at the
windows, the broadeSt Of gold cornices above
them they have hung the portraits of all
their chef public servants in the panels be-
tween the square rods of looking glass that re
fleet themselves huge chandeliers shine with
i, thousand pendants and thousand jets above
E them, and because base foreign crowds treaC
on bare marble floors they have on theirs :
tutted velvet woven on a special loom, covered
" with an lnhntude OF all the impossible scrolls
: and leaves with which desi gners know how t
! torment the eye and walk rejoicing on the big
: gest carpet in the world. Thus revolves lik,
i the medley in vast Kaleidoscope, thrOns
" that might puzzle any celestial observer as t.
Its object In clrcIing round and round To tn,
blare OF the bugleS and ophicledes in the hall
u Old people t0tter by with one fOJt in tn
y y grave child in arms follows presently come
u a rural bride in all the fairness of her inap
! proprlate vail and orange blossoms crippics
! dWartS, heroes, beauties, elbow her.
IS Of course, at the Presidents levee the dip
lOmats are out in force--the -whiSkrrcC
e MIR. Edward Thornton, the little astute Barol
= GerOt, with his future son.in-law the Gree
u Rangabe, and Madame Gerot herself; th
= dark Spanish Minister perhaps the brown
= eyed wife OF the la tter We airing the SpaniS
Il colors Of famc-color and black; here is tn
~ Count Turenne, beloved Of the young ladies'
~ here are clu. ter o! youthful German mobiles
le here the BaltazZi Etfendi does duty for hi
II whole legation here is Madame la Marquis
u de Chambrun, a G faced, calm, looking lik
~ prints o 7 great ancestor, Lafayette, enOug
to endear her to all our hearts; here Madam
CytacaZy moves along, a superb piece G
hlgh-colOred, her waXPn shoulders rising frOI
e the SumptuOusness of black velvet and we
Is OF black illusion gathered beneath rose in he
III hair, and falling all round her like shadow
. Here comes the Secretary of the Treasury
'p quite handsome, grave-with him his prett
aS daughter, Miss George Boutwell,, proudly eN
hlblted by her cOuntrymen as a type of til
!, New England girl i; yOnder passes Gail Han
N litOn, rosy and happy, with Sydney Hyde
Us whose great Olive-colOred eyes have danced iu
II as gayy over European crowds. If you wa
el long enough all the the Senators and Member
as will pass in review before you-a host Of whol
'n the sight is so common that strangers arc moi
st distinguished, but all of them provided wit
II, the prettiest partners they could find. lIel
gu come some Cuban ladies', lovely patriots the
IS Jewels flashing less than their eyes, their sill
at pale beside their cheeks, as they work fc
~ their Island in the midst OF pleasure. Other
aS take their place. ruddy-iaced admirals ro
u II along; here trampS the General of our Armie
IN finding something before him of which he r,
y' ally IS afraid-a lady's train; here stands Mo
nc ris who sunk the Cumberland, .her guns Fl
ay ing, her colors flying here is Gen. Gushing
y Keen, dark, alive with nervous energy, talkir
re- with Gushing Of the Atbcmaltc And here
here the baud put up their instruments, Il
crowd suddenly disperses to the four wind
al and is no more, chaos reigns in dressing-roo
Ill and vestibule, aud out of the silence of Il
ny outside night chorus of shouts and outcri
OF resOunds of calls for coaches, of oaths and a
lc- sWtrs-and the Levee is thing OF the past
or: Cor. NJ T. Tribune.
ed
m moe The inhabitants of Rheims, says a FrenC
'o' paper have, it is well known, been compellt
for some time past by the Prussian Govern
to carry lanterns whenever they 60 out at nigh