St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-13

had previously ssdO sly met thd her RIM in
dents wife ever .injuring
his political prospects by injudicious re-
marks. She seems on the spur of the mo-
ment to say lust the right thing iii lapiy 10
remarks that she could not possibly have
anticipated | begin to think from the
opportunities l have had of OBJ
serving ladies in public positions during
over twenty years residence in Washington
that, like the poets. presidents wives are
born. not made. and Mrs Cleveland GER
tainly was endowed by nature with the
qualities OF mind and heart which would
best fit her for the place she now fills so
gracefully. When one is with her one
thinks more of her charming, unaffected
manners than of what she wears or whether
she is beautiful woman or not"
| ~
Mrs. Cleveland receives with frank. I'M
affected cordiality that puts her visitors at
ease at once. She both talks well and listens
well, and manifests interest in all that is
said to her. as we'll as readiness in beginning
a conversation. She seems absolutely I'M
conscious of the fact that she is ''the first
! lady of the land" doing the hOnOrs of the
residence Of its chief magistrate. When
some one said to her that she need not be
afraid of ''people whom she would not care
to meet" intruding when she was receiving
| informally in the evenings, because those
who would be embarrassed by sitting down
for tete-a-tete with the mistress OF the
White house would rather come on some
more public occasion. when they would be
lost in the crowd and any Deficiencies in
their dress or conversation would escape
notice, Mrs. Cleveland said promptly and
with evident sincerity: 81 do not know who
the people are that [ would not care to
meet. l don't object to meeting any one,
but only to having a crowd come when l
am receiving in the evenings. as might be
the case if they thought l was having
formal evening reception for the public"
A congressman said, on hearing this: Mrs.
Logan herself could not improve on that
speech for its ready tact"
~
Mrs. Cleveland sees her visitors in the
Rod parlOr. While waiting for her they
are shown into the Blue room, and in very
few minutes she comes to them. walking
with the buoyancy natural to her youth,
and invites them to go into the Red room.
as that is less a chamber for occasions of
state than the other. When passing through
the doorway Mrs. Cleveland always steps
back for her visitors to precede her, and
when one of them recently. lady much
Older than herself but unmarried. said to
her at the door. ''Oh, Mrs. Cleveland, you
must go first; the married ladies always
take precedence of unmarried ones" she
said, in a merry tone, rs that so? Then
we will 90 together" and so walked by the
other lady's side. AS soon as she enters
the Red parlor she asks her visitors to be
| seated, and, when they are. herself draws
chair near to them and takes her seat
~
The plan adopted by Mrs. Cleveland of
thus seeing visitors socially after o'clock
in the evening is the same which President
Johnson's family, Mrs. Grant and Mrs.
Hayes followed while living in the execu-
tive mansion, and found it a most salts
factory one. both to themselves and their
friends. Mrs. Garfield. for the few weeks
between the Inauguration and the Begin
ing of her illness, early in May, 1881, re-
ceived a limited number on Tuesday and
Friday evenings, but, although she did not
allow any one to be admitted with whom
she was not we'll acquainted previously and
refused to see many who sent in cards to
her while seeing others, she would have the
whole first floor OF the White house brightly
lighted, even to the Conservatives, as if
for some gala occasion, and would wear an
evening toilet suitable for grand enter
tanment and long white kid gloves. Mrs.
Blaine and Miss Dodge (Gail Hamilton,
who were always present to assist her,
would also be in evening dress, not
withstanding the fact that it was published,
by authority of Mrs. Garfield and Mrs.
Blaine. that these receptions were to be
perfectly informal and were only for Mrs.
GarheldS friends.
~
At one of her really informal evening
receptions, few days ago. Mrs. Cleveland
wore over black silk black Brussels net, the
front breadth of which was dotted with
silver and had small silver pendants. The
waist had the black silk lining cut square
in front. so as to show the white neck
through the black net. 1t was fastered at
the throat with diamond crescent and she
wore bouquet de cOrsage of natural roses.
She had on no gloves and her hands were
bare and arms exposed nearly to the elbow
Her skin is very fair and her arms and
hands are very white. but. while round
her arms give proof by their shape and size
OF more muscular strength in them than
one would expect from lady whose duties
had never required her to use them much in
a way to develop the muscles. She seems
to avoid wearing ear rings whenever posi-
bic, but had on several handsome finger
rings on the occasion noted, one gold
bangle on her arm and 10 other jewelry
except the diamond crescent at her thrOgt.