The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1877-04-05
The New Mistress Of the
White House.

Cincinnati Correspondence Chi
cago Times The new mistress of
the White House is the first Ohio
lady who has filed that responsible
position. She was born IN Chillico-
the, the ancient metropolis, once the
Capital of the Northwestern Terrific
~ and for several years the Capital
Of the State of Ohio. The city was
peopled by the more enterprising of
the Virginia and Kentucky ''frst
families, and has always maintained
a selfsatisfed bearing by reason of
its "blood. Certainly, not much
can be said for it in the way of stir
or life, for it has stood comparative
ly still for the past twenty years,
while other villages in that time
have grown to be prosperous cities.
But Chilicothe, with al It's short
comings is not likely to be abused
for one Of its pFoducts-that is Mrs.
President Hayes. She was Lucy
Webb, daughter of DR.. Webb, and
grand daughter Of DR.. Isaac Cook,
one of the first settlers in Chillico-
the. She obtained an uncommon
education for a young lady of her
time, and it is said that incidentally
to this fact she became Mrs. Ruther-
ford B. Hayes, who became acquaint-
ed with her at college. At any rate
she became the wife Of a lawyer, who
afterWard became a soldier, then
Congressman, then a Governor, and
now a President. Whatever opin-
ions may be held as to her husbands
ability, there is no question of the
superior worth of our new Presi-
dents wife. Mrs. Hayes is a woman
Of strong natural powers of mind, !
and to this she has added the graces /
of culture. She is a woman to whom
is a total stranger. For
years she has been an active worker
in various benevolent and charitable
enterprises, and in this, as in every /
thing else she has done, her course /
has been marked by a wise discre-
ton.
Mrs. Hayes Will bring none of the
vices Of fashion into our republican /
Court. Her influence there will be
decidedly Of a conservative character.
She has thus far schOOled herself to .
believing that there is a higher mis-
sion for woman than a story of the /
Paris fashions. She has been cour-
lgeoUs enough, for instance, during
all these days of frizzes and puffs /
and Observation-Disclosures into which .
bUDdredths of the women I
have run, to maintain the simple /
style which she adopted years ago /
ioT dressing her let black hair. It is
placed smoothly and neatly well down |
Oh the sides of her face, then passed /
over the ears, where a finger puff
is the only effort at ornament This
viii be the style she viii follow at
the White House. But if her hair
is worn plain it does not follow that
she is dull In society. On the con
5rary, her intelligent features are the
home of grace and good sense, and
in conversation she has few supe-
-iors.
Everybody who thought of the
Is, every wOman-must /
have sympathized with Mrs. Hayes
luring the heightened uncertainty
which has Just closed. Every woman
Knows that certain preparations were
for the Inauguration, yet
now awkward was it for Mrs. Hayes
10 set about ordering an inaugural
1utfit for an event which might never
happen. Her husband could easily
ligest a Southern policy and con
3truct a Cabinet, whether either were
TO be called into being or not, but it
was exceedingly disagreeahls to her
10 think Of styles or to order the
dresses for her White House life.
Like a sensible woman she waited
until the last moments, and after
Florida and Louisiana had been
for Hayes, she quietly came
TO Cincinnati and ordered a modest
outfit, just enough to begin house
as it were, and had the
work completed barely in time to get
10 Columbus before she started for
Washington. EXtravagant estimates
nave been placed on the value of
lhese purchases, but it may be truth
-llly said that the entire bill can be
paid by President Hayes out of his
irst weeks salary and still leave
lim enough to live on. The entire
outfit would not cost over 5000.