The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1884-07-24
Life in the White House,

Tho mansion has beautiful points
outside, and tho tasto OF it's present
occupant has made it very handsome
within. But it is not suitable for u
private residence and q public Office at
tho samo time. 1t would admirably
meet tho purpose of cithor; it can hard
ly servo tho uses of both. Few know
how little available space there Is in it.
The rooms arc largo, somo OF vast size,
but there are not many of them The
halls are wide, the corridors long, tho
vestibulos spacious. -Four largo apart
ments aro allotted to the necessary
secretaries, clerks, administrative
functionaries of the government, tclo-
graph operators and SO forth. Tho
grand reception room occupies tho en-
tire cast wing on the first floor; tho
smaller reception room leads from it,
the state banqueting hall is an enor-
nous apartments. this loaves but lin
ited space below for private needs, din
ing room and parlor. Upstairs, beside
the rooms for government work, al
ready mentioned, there is All apart
mcnt devoted TO tho meetings of tho
cabinet, the library, and state cham
Dor. There remain but five chambers
for tho use of the family, which, if it
happens to bo large, may overflow its
accommodations, and must be very
small to allow q suitable entertain
ment Of guests, who cannot be recoiv-
cd in any number.
But these things, though bad enough,
arc not tho worst, by any means. Tho
victim in the White House has no pri-
vato lifo, to speak of. He belongs to
the Nation; he has boen placed thcro
by the choice of tho people, and they
assume tho right to SEQ him as often as
thoy feol inclined, which may be at any
hour in tho day. Tho demand for his
presence and service is incossant. 1t
is forgotten, apparently, that the man
has n personal as well as an official
side, that he must be gentleman now
| all the time, that ho is not the property
of the community at large, that he
must have his special friends, that he
must enjoy the human privilege of re-
fusing the visits of strangers, that ho
is oxcusablo for guarding against intru-
sion, and has no more responsibility
outside of his official duties than tho
ordinary citizen has, who is lot alono at
his home, and is at liberty to put the
affairs of his shop behind him, when
! business is over. This is no fancicd
| grievance. The president is worry
| busy man, full of cares, and needing
quiet, rcst in the society of family or
friends, moro than most, together with
social amenities of q various kind. Es-
fpecially he needs to be for part of
each day taken out of tho associations
of his office, and placed whore his
mind can be refreshed by other con-
Germs than those of tho public. He
will work better, more heartily, moro
chcerfully, moro eifectu@lly, for such -
respite.
There arc two ways of bringing
about this most desirable change:
cithor tho present cditico might be
given oVor wholly to business, for
which it is admirably adapted, and
oven now Is none too large, in which
case tho presidents house might be
situated wherever convenience prompt
cd, at q distance from the building.
that contained the office, where, by ap-
pontment he would find himself at
certain hours out OF tho twcnty-four;
or the business might be carried to an
other part OF the town, and the White
House be assigned to the president for
his private residence. The former plsu
Is preferable for several reasons. In
tho first place, the mansion is designed
for public purpose. No private
dwelling offers such facilities for rccep-
tions and dinners, which must be givCn
on grand scale. In the next place,
tho increasing business of the country
will bo furthorod by the aid to concen-
tration that so large mansion affords.
Then tho habits of the multitude who
flock to tho house on practical errands
will not be interrupted. Experience
shows the difficulty, not to say tho inn
possibility, of breaking up such habits,
and the removal of tho presidents pri-
vatc house would rcndc. the effort to
break them up unnecessary. Tho
present amph:olous arrangement, be-
sides being Il public disgrace, IS q sim
! gular pieco Of foolishncss in COM
munity that prides itself on its good
sense in getting out of the people it
employs the utmost they are capable of
performing. Tho actual president is
crippled in his working faculty by tho
annoyances to which he is now subjcctI
cd. A thick-skinnod person may not
complain Of this ccasclcSs notoricty,-
nay, may like it; but n sensitive man
must foel 1t keenly Even to q casual
observer tho invasion of individual
privilege is exceedingly unpleasant to
the oyo.-O. b. FrOthingh0nl IN Juno
atlantic.