The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1885-09-05
PREsUDENT,s LIBRARY.
Description of the Room in
which HE Receives Visitors
by Card.

Dy ShE0s
Washington Post.
The library at the White House, tht
room in which the President receives
visitors by card, is similar in size anC
shape to the Blue Parlor on the mair
floor, but differs in color. In the Ii
brary the ceiling and walls are painted
dark brown, and the dark red leather
furniture.harmonizes perfectly. Com.
Portable looking arm-chairs and luxu.
rious sofas abound in this apartment,
which faces south and is lighted by
three large windows, directly over the
porch whichleads out upon the lawn.
Between the windows is placed the
desk at which the President works,
and portraits of ex-Presidents James
Monroe and Thomas Jefferson flank
the heaviIy-incumbered receptacle of
State documents. Under the admin
istration of President Arthur the Ii
brary was made very comfortable
office,room, and the walls erstwhile
painfully bare and glaring were COW
cred with portraits of former occupants
of the White House, while the lower
portion of the walls were concealed
behind Acknowledgement book-cas
containing standard works of litera-
ture. Brougham's 'Political Philos-
ophy," Hughes "History of Eng
land" Motley's "Rise of the Dutch
Republic" "Livee of the Lord Chan
cellors of England" Sheridan's works,
Washington Irving's novels, "The
Democratic Review" Blackwood's
Magazine. Niles Registrar and
Shakespeare were few of the titles
that a Post reporter saw in some of
the bookcases, the bindings of the
volumes being perfect gems of art.
On a small stand at the left of the
Presidents desk there is q reduced
equestrian statue Of Andrew Jackson,
modelled after the one now in Lafa-
yette square, and beside this stands
an easel containing an electrotyped
shield depicting scenes from "Milton's
Paradise Lost" A square waste bas-
ket, made of oak to match the desk,
is placed at the right hand of the
President, and revolving, high cane
back chair completes the outfit. Pa
pers are piled in, seemingly, con
fused mass all over the top of the desk
and hide the leather cover, but they
are kept in place by cunningly wrought
paper weights of every conceivable
shape and pattern. In writing the
President uses steel pen and redwood
penholdeT, and he puts his signature
to document only after mature de-
liberation. Nothing is done hurriedly
in the library, and the calm demeanor
of the occupant of the eaneseat chair
has very reassuring effect upon the
busy, nervous visitor who may be
ushered into the apartment from the
Cabinet room; for it must be borne in
mind that the room in which the
Cabinet meets twice q week only
serves the purpose of an ante-room to
he Office, and as fast as visitors pre-
vent themselves at the door, Charlie
Ioetfier, the janitor, ushers them into
he waiting-room, as it is often termed
Usually when a visitor enters the IL
)rary the President rises and greets
lim, and if the call is merely one of
aspect he does not resume his chair
Until after he has said "good-day." In
rider that his time may not be i'm
'osed upon, the President has large
nantel clock of black marble and
rome Immediately on his right and
he ornaments of the mantel are two
raeeful bronze figures and generally Q
ouple of potted plants from the con |
eryatory. From his windows the 9
resident can, by turning in his chair, 9
ave an unobstructei view of the Vir-
inia and Maryland hills, the Potomac g
liver, Washington Monument, Airing
on, the Government carp ponds and :
he exquisitely laid out grounds at the :
outh of the White House. Conse- I
uently, this is very agreeable resort Y
or the President, and he spends the u
reater portion of his time in this G
oom Some of the ex-Presidents Q
hose pictures adoRn the walls are An "a
rev Johnson, John Adams and Will 81
am Henry Harrison-all in uniform v
zed and designed frames. A white y
arble fireplace further frightened by
70 tall, highly polished brass and y
ons, npon which hickory wood is y
id, in readiness to be ignited at . q
oments notice. u
The desk at which the President =
is was presented TO the United States ~
7 Queen Victoria during the Hayes pl
and WAS formerly a "
Irt of the Arctic relief vessel Reso- ~
te, which went in search of Sir John q
'anklin. After numerous encounters d'
th the ice in the polar regions the e
esolute became disabled, and was ~
und drifting helplessly by United to
ates man-of-war Ii was towed into
harbor, refitted and returned to
lgland by this Government, and
hen finally broken up, some of the sc
oces were utilized for the desk al y
itch the President Of the United 70
ates transaets his business. On a AZ
Iall silver plate imbedded in the So
is an appropriate inscrip- ne
N, which gives the details Of how ~
a when the Resolute was found and he
ally disposed Of, as
Children have funny ways Of ez- sh