, 1881-01-02

President and the wife Of the President. Tht
guards, who are generally District police
assistto keep the crowds In line, and oc
casionalty pass the word to please move
on.'u It is necessary to keep moving, II
order that all may be presented. Once
through the narrow passage~Way leading
from the Blue Room to the East Room, the
crowds remain to: pass each, ,other>ln review
! . :. THE EAST ROoM.9s s.s~s
Is one of the historical plaeesat the Capt. al
| It is 100 feet in length, 80 feet in hight, and
40 feetin width, It was in this rooll1 that the
hideous carpet which was woven In one
piece By order of til6 Sultan oil, Turkey, and
presented ito Gen. Grant, was laid 1t has
long since been: removed on account OF its
extreme ugliness. This is the carpet which
/ is said to have made that jolly tar, Robeson,
| when member Of the Cabinet, ,sea-s!ols to walk
over it, on account of its serpentine stripes.
| There are four elegant lnantcls In this room,
each rich in design and carying;s and eight
mirrors. which reach from the ceiling to The
/ floor. For many years, portraits Of former
Presidents-Washing Pierce. Quincy
Adams, and so on down to Tyler-occupied
placcs on the walls In this room.
The scene in the East Room is more
] brilliant than it is in the room occupied by
tle I[eslueut'S IGn1lly. --@.
! HOW THE PRESIDENT RECEIVES.
The President III receiving stands by the
! side Of his wife, and exchanges the greetings
| Of civi1ity with all who chose to call upon
| him. There are no aristocratlc calls. There
] is no Court enzet to announce the event,
| unless the printing Of the reception program
| be so considered: There are no soldiers In
uniform to show the strength of great ma
| ton. a few policemen In the vestlbule and
corridors are present to."ureserve order,
should there be occasion for it, but
| there are no more of them than
are generally present at the reception
of private citizen in any commercial city.
[ The citizen with his family may pass In, r,rl-
| invited and unannounced, and he will RECEIVE
! a hearty fsllake Of the hand and pleasant
word from the Chief Magistrate. The crowd
| Of citizens who present themselves is, Of
course, medley. The boot-black who
''shined - your boots III. the morning may
precede you,-the man who will take your
hat at dinner may follow you; but the Presl-
dent will shake their hands as cordially as
he will your own.
TIE LESSON FEoMTHE WHITE HOUSE.
The 1eveling influence Of the Republic
has perhaps no better illustration than in tho
Nc" 1 Cnl > EEAttHnulAA a1b kLlG " AAlk|"4Qu3Es
The simplicity of the ceremony does not de-
grade the President to the boot-black; it
helps to elevate the boot-black to the plane Of
citizenship. The Blue Room on New-Iear's
Day is good place from which to witch the
operation and results Of republican institu-
tons. If this social system continue without
friction and without danger, the Republic
ought to endure. '::~s
: The shams, mockeries, and hypocrfsies Of
the Washington New Years Day are not at
the White House. They are in the set of So
called "society" people, who are. gracious
ly pleased'' to so magnify themselves that
they do not include the President of the
United States in their set, and do not consider
him as belonging to "society." They do not
go to the White House. tit is too vulgar,
you know. One meets so many. common
people there, you know, and one distikes to
have ones skirts trodden upon by the gum
shoes of the woman who washed them for
you, you know" Still, il the .Presi-
dents household is not part
of the sham *society" Of the National Cap
ital, and, if he does not belong to "old faml-
lies" it is a. household which no ho llest
American can visit on New-Y ears Day With
out having increased respect for the Presi-
dent and the family OF. the Chief Magistrate,
and wittout a. ighersr regard for american ).
institutions. The Republic may endure in
spite uf the pdrucn1ts the new rich and the
old families who like to be considered :" So
cietyH at the National Capital; but its pfog-
The lesson Of New Years Day at the White
House is one which teaches simple domestic
virtue, common sense: and lofty patriotism,
The lesson. Of the 'NeW-Year's Day at the
houses Of the society snobs is-frst. pity, then
disgust
CABINET RECEPTIONS.
The receptions Of the Cabinet officers are
leading feature Of the Washington New
Years. This year: for many reasons, they |
were scarcely as brilliant as formerly, The !
wife OF the Secretary Of War, who has been
very feeble, was scarcely able to receive; the !
wife and family Of the Secretary of Stats are |
still in mourning: the Attorney General has |
no wife; the Postlnaster-Ge General does not |
Navy: However, the forms were maintained, I
and the day SO dreaded by the ladies Of the !
Cabinet--it is the day Of their greatest social |
tortnre-is over. The Cabinet. ladies have |
family Of the President. The Cabinet ladies
must sometime return the calls that are made |
on New-Year's Bay. The President and fam !
fly are required to return no calls. ~:.
TIE SECRETARY OF STATE. &.
Secretary Evarts occupies al elegant fur
nished house On Z street, two blocks north
amount OF his salary, $780, in rent for it.
The house belongs to Hutchinson, one Of !
the 'proprictors Of the great Alaska Seal
Company, who vscated it to rent to Mr..
Eyarts at the beginning Of the present Adj
and who himself lives at his
large farm near the city. The next Secre-
tary Of State will not occupy the building,
for the coming year it is to give place to 4
large model French apartment block,
the plans for which are now belng
prepared in Paris, where another part
ner in the Alaska Company resides,
Mr. Evarts' house on New Years is largely
freQuented BY the Diplomatic Corps, and the
wicked society fellows say that the Diplo-
matte Corps receive much better entertain
!nent there than "citizens generally Yet
Air. Evarts cannot afford to expend $5o,00O a
year, as Hamilton Fish is reported to have
done during the eight years of his Cabinet
term. Fish had an almost limitess rent !
roll; Eyarts has no capitalized fortune, al
though lie is rich in income. The Misses !
Evarts are ranked among the most brilliant
tionalists in Washington, they. hay-
ing Inherited their fathers wit. The visitor
1T this house probably carried away more
,o31 71aots worth. remembering than he did ! "
from any Other place at which he called.
SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.
Mr: Sherman received in the new house :.
Which has inst hnnn finished m K ctraot | ,