Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-09-26
AN OLD RESIDENTS RECOLLEC.
TONS
Balls I'm the Oldcn Time-President
5lonrOe's ReceptiOns-faOw New
Years Calls Origimased-The Dinner
Of Long Ago.

| STAR reporter happened to enter one Of our
large business houses on matter of inquiry &.
| when his attention was drawn to a quiet circle
| OF old and well known citizens. drawn together
oy accident. and quietly chatting about men and
matters OF the long ago. A lull in the CONVEX
satiOn was broken by one Of them, who had
been silent and attentive listener by remark
| Ing: 81 have been quite wanderer and have
| seen much of the world and enjoyed its vagaries
| My disposition has been restless. and to find
pleasure and rec reatOn sought other places.
| L have stood on the marble waste of Palmyra
| and strolled by moonlight through the Coliseum
| OF the Eternal city and amid the ruins OF the
| Parthenon sailed the blue Mediterranean, trav-
| ersed through the lands OF BritOn and France,
and here am in my old home. dear old Wash
! ington. and Home, sweet home feels like a
| soothing panacea to my old DAYS"
Have you been long in foreign lands7"
! quizzed the scribe.
| Yes sir"
| Washington must then be as a new city to
you?"
II have not been away 40 long as to forget nv
| native home be negIectful of the many
! changes that have taken place see through
Old spectacles. and much has been done to make
me mindful that the day when our daddy-long-
| legs city was mud and dust has become one of
| true magniticence in distance and beauty. My
| mind recalls the Oden times more particularly
(! than the present. To talk about those days
| would be pleasure to me. and you will feel as
do when years come upon you: that the days
| of your youth recur with more frequency than
| the events Ofthe hour you live in. Washington,
| as you well know. prior to the late war. was
comparatively quiet place. more southern in
| It's temperament. and hence social more than
| business like, as it Is now. As rule family
standing was prominent feature and though
social etiquette was fixed barrier to MANY
| upon the whole, the community at large enter
tanned a degree of friendship such as marks a
thriving village OF to-day. Entertainments were
| IN the Oiden times gotten up with care
| and with sumptuOus repasts and in comparison
| with those that have occurred in recent days,
believe the former has the advantage in this re-
spect. That efforts were made to accomplish
social feelings and to bring together genius
| talent. art, scholarship. and kindred relation
| ship IN culture and refinement. Memory brings
| me back to the many pleasant evenings spent
amid the old families of our town. Among them
may be mentioned the Van Nesses. Burns. Car
rolls. Bealls, TaylOes, JOhnsOns, Stuarts Thorn
tons. Greenleafs. ElliOts Cuts, and hosts of
others. | will take yOn back to the winter OF
| lS25-as brilliant society season as any ever
! spent here There We're many prominent peO-
pie here and plenty of amusements in the family
way to make them feel our hospitality. Presi-
dent MOnrOe's New Years reception was unusu-
ally brilliant. made so by the throngs of people
who could get here to get glimpse of the famous
Marquis de La Fayette and his son. George
| 'o~'uiuStou- was quite young III tuc
time, but remember we'll the circumstance.
and also of seeing amidst the circle
| around the President such men as Mr.. Webster
Mr.. Everett. Mr.. Clay. Mr.. Otis, Mr. Crawford,
Gen Jackson. j. Q. Adams. Gems Dearborn,
| Scott, MacOmb Bernard; COmmodores Balm
! bridge. Tin9ey, Stewart and Morris; all of them
were famous in the annals of our country
There were many ladies present. and their
toilets were very elegant. 1t was the custom
then for the ladies to appear for the first time
4 Eo md
! shawls, and such exhibitions assure you were
| We'll prepared for. regardless of cost and the
| dreSsmakers art was taxed to comply with the
rigid architecture in commanding.
LAUGHABLE INCIDENT
| happened to very worthy and staid old lady
who became marked figure and target for crit
| icism by making a curtesy instead of a bow
doing it in the good old style of 70 and almost
| squatting to the floor. 1 remember Mr. Monroe
| very well. He was rather an uhpretentious per-
son. kind in manner, cOnversed freely with every
one, and invited familiarity by the freedom of
his way. The custom of receiving New Years
calls was then of recent origin. Mr.. Madison,
| believe. first introduced it in 1870 He had in
PRODUCED the ceremony In New York some years
! previous. and was pleased with it. No one
could have fathered such a custom better than
he, or appreciated the cordially Of the occasion
| His entertainments were marked with hospitality
! oiu uOcicitS-d SOOU representative OF the Ol0
school. 1t would be amusing to the present
| generation to have seen him in his dress
| small Of stature. wearing small Clothes knee
buckles and powde wig a thoroughbred vir-
GINA gentleman, and endowed with great
powers of conversation. However, his appear
| ance did not strike the correspondent of the Ed
| fngburgh Review fayOrably. who, when asked
what he thought of the President, said Mr.
Madison looked like schoOlmaster dressed up
for funeral Not 80, however, was Mrs.
4 Ma6iaoO xyhn fhn of -
whom Washington Irving wrote as a fine,
pOrtly, buxom DAME and Mr.. Ogle Tayloe
speaks of her that she never forgot a face or
a name, had been very handsome, was grace
full and gracious, and was loved alike by rich
and poor Mr. Madison was advanced in
years when he married her. She was the
| widow of a wealthy merchant Of Philadelphia
named Todd; her maiden name, think. was
Dolly Payne During her stay in the White House
| she made things lively by the frequent dancing
parties given there. She was a graceful, dancer.
particularly excelling in the cotillion and
minuet Around her was life, and every one
| felt her presence to be need. She was, I can
say, the most popular lady who ever presided
over the affairs OF the Executive Mansion. 1t Is
a sad commentary that her fond hopes should
have been blighted by the misdoings of her son,
Payne Todd, who. In some way, sQuandered her
| estate worth one hundred thousand dollars or
more, and thus left her in an impoverished con-
ditiOn. She was an ornament to our country,
and was the last lady to live in the original man
sion. You know that the British burned the
house In August. 1914.
| WASHINGTON IN 1914.
| Mr. Madison removed to Col John Tayloe's
house. then known as the "OctagOn," located
at the northeast corner of 18th street and New
York avenue-slnce the bureau Of hydrography-
and dwelt there until 1916. when he occupied a
house at the northwest corner of 10Th street and
Pennsylvania avenue. until succeeded by Mr..
Monroe. During the administration of Mr..
Madison. Washington was a struggling village,
without pavements, street lamps or signs OF
| civilization. A common post and rail
fence enclosed his home, and houses
were In number and scarcity like
a church fair oyster stew. must go back and
tell you about the grand dinner given La Fay
cite. 1t was a few days after the Presidents
reception. 1t took place at WilliamsOns hotel,
now known as Wizards. This grand affair was
given by authority of Congress. There were over
three hundred especially invited notables. and
it was scene of indescribable grandeur. The
whole town felt as 1t they were bOunden bv duty
to contribute share to the event, and the ex-
element Of the moment forms q great link in
the lives Of many of the old Inhabitants Mr..
Poinsett, who was then a member Of Congress
from South Carolina, was the manager of the
affair. Mr.. Gailard. President of the Senate.