St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-03-02

on as usual, ana many people were Ut
terly forgetful of ''the day we (didn't)
celebrate" Not even a half holiday
for Department Clerks,-yes, l believe
the war Department did close at twelve
o'clock, but that was the only exception.
We have absolutely come to this, that
Washington's birthday is scarcely no.
ticed here in this city which was found
ed by him, except by few of the ''old-
est inhabitants" who are in the habit
of going up to the White House on that
day and shaking hands with President
Grant, and then, after that ceremony
has been performed, cross over the
White Lot, take look at the Washing
ton Monument, and shed some appro-
pirate tears!
The Electoral Commission absorbs all
interest somehow or other, in some IN
accountable way, l always associate it
with ''spinal meningitis )" we hear it
so frequently mentioned and become so
accustomed to the sound. With all due
Difference to it's high-sounding name
and awful responsibility, there is no
denying that it is bore, and that it
will be refreshing when it is over. You
don't want to have electoral Commits
sion" for breakfast, dinner, supper, and
between-meals; to have your barber
lather you with it, the pOstman speak
it through his eyes every time he hands
you letter, and even have your wash
erwoman sling it at you. The news
papers speak of nothing else, and they
say that there is actually ''corner" in
type on account of the great demand
for capital ''Es and Cs," therefore, l
won't speak another word about it
Among our latest arrivals are half a
dozen or SO uphOlsterers and furniture
dealers, who have come here from
Cleveland, Boston, New York and Phil
adelphia, with view to secure the con-
tract for refurnishing the White House.
1t is customary to returnish the Execu-
tive Mansion from garnet to cellar every
time new Executive enters upon his
duties, and the Executives wife (if he
has One) is generally consulted on the
subject. The color and pattern of the
carpets, the style of the sofas, chairs,
pots and rolling pins are selected by
her, and her orders executed according
ly. AS Mrs. Hayes taste runs in light
blue, we shall probably have White
House where the prevailing color is blue.
If Mrs. Tilden-iOh, l forgot y if Mr..
Tilden, should say, had been elected,
then we should have had a snuff colored
White House. Upon the whole, blue is
preferable.
As | have said, the furniture men are
here, but so far, they have received no
contract. If we don't hurry the APP
preparation, the next President will
have no chair to sit on There won't
be any cups and saucers to give him a
cup of coffee in after he comes home
from the Inauguration, and there won't
even be a peg IN the hall on which he
can hang his hat AS there will be no
beds or bedding furniture, he and his
will have to sleep standing!
Our beaux and bellies are in distress
because there will be no Inauguration
ball-at least, it is not likely that there
will be. The last Inauguration ball,
four years ago, was dead failure, fl
nancially as well as socially, and our
business men, who took the lead then,
and were ''stuck" to the amount of sew
eral thousand dollars, have grown wise
10y experience and do not want to burn
their fingers again. Besides, some of
the very men who were in the front
then, such as Alexander Shepard, Ex-
Governor Cooke, Senator Sprague, and
others, are now financially embarrassed
and not in a condition to assist at such
an enterprise. AS an Inauguration ball
costs money land a good deal of it,
and us money is not forthcoming, no
ball will there be, for the first time in
sixty seven years.
l saw Dom Piatt on the Avenue YES
terday, and he looked like a man who
knew he was the subject of everybody's
gaze. Since he wrote that villainous
editorial in the Capital and was arrest
ed for it, he has been spoken about and
written about more than any thing else
in Washington always with the excep-
ton of the E. CO. and it is evident that
he ''feels" it. Look out for blood and
thunder in the Capital next Sunday.
Lent being on us, balls and parties
have subsidized to some extent. Anna
teur theatrical performances are, how
ever, en- regele and Washington can beat
any other city in that line. Professor
Remington Fairbanks amateur COM
pany composed exclusively of amateurs,
mostly pupils of the professor) have
twice performed a no less important
work than Gounod's Faust to crowded
houses, and what is more, performed it
exceedingly aOeU! Think of an anna
teur Faust, an amateur Marguerite,
and an amateur Mephistopheles But
the person who took the last named
part was an editor of a Democratic
newspaper, which accounts for his sue
cess.
The weather tit wouldn't do to finish
the letter without some reference to
that,) has been delightful during the