The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-03
THE CLEVELAND SHAKE.
THE GRASPs OF THE PRESIDENT
AND WIFE.
How an Am erican Girl Presses 100000
Hands northumberland in the
White House and at Railroad Sta
tons.

I INV chAA ALI N1lI AOoSCO AOOBSOO
Hands Year endshaking in the
White House and at Railroad Sta
tons.
From the Boston Globe.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25-Three fellows
drifted on the subject Of Presidential hand
shaking and receptions last night. TIL y
had been talking about President and Mrs
Cleveland's trip to Florida. 1t was agreed
among them that there was nothing in the
public life of America so peculiar and so
grotesque as Presidential handshaking.
In every other country of the world the
Chief of State narrowly limits this hearty
and familiar mode of greeting. When
Longfellow, an untitled foreigner, shook
the gloved hand that the Queen of England
held out for his lips her outraged majesty
paid him back by telling him that he was
the favorite poet among her servants.
Washington and his consort used to reward
the privileged few who were admitted to
their levees with the most frigidly cere-
monial salute. jefferson introduced the
Presidential handshake, but lie surely
never foresaw the extent to which it would
grow
A score of strangers do not stand in the
presence Of the Gar of Russia in the course
of year. While Gen. Grant was Presi-
dent he shook hands with men of every
color and condition, but on his trip around
the world he met more than one copper
hued royalty who would not suffer any
physical contact with the illustrious ram.
bier In France the wife of Sadi- Carnot
lends only the tips of two fingers, and that
III most gingerly manner to those who
attend her quite exclusive entertainments
in the Elysee.
The wife of the present Chief Magistrate
of this Republic, however, shakes 100, 900
white and black, clean and dirty, soft and
hard, bony and dimpled-handS a year.
and shakes them all vigorously and impair
italy.
The President shakes even larger num-
Der. There is rarely week day on which
he dees not shake 400.
THE FIRST LESSON
in this duty that new President and his
wife learns is never to give their hands, but
always to grasp the callers hand. This is
the alb olutely essential thing in the entire
business. The President and his wife must
never let their hands pass into the possession
of another. 1t would not do for either of
them to submit to everybodys style of
shaking; they must keep themselves masters
of the exchange, and be free to regulate the
grip and to time it according to their own
wishes. Lincoln, in thoughtless moments,
often punished his visitors severely. His
grasp could be crushing Once it brought
tears to the eyes of George Augustus Sala
But if there is to be any hard squeezing
the caller can stand it once in a lifetime
better than the President, whose hand is in
conjunction with another's two or three or
four hours every day
| A tipsy old citizen captured the practiced
hand of Grant, as the candidate for third
term stood on a steam car platform In 1879,
showing himself to the people of Decatur,
ILL., de got terrific grip on the ex-presi-
dents hand and held it against all the
scowls and exertions of its eminent owner,
who finally lost patience under the pain and
indignity and kicked the drunkard in the
chest. The fellow went around to the day
of his DEATH swelling out ard pointing to
the breast that Grant kicked. Neither Mr..
!, Cleveland nor Mrs. Cleveland has ever been
known to let any one gain the advantage of
them in this matter.
Mrs. Cleveland has shook hardly less
than $4,000 hands at the formal receptions
held at the White House since New Years
day. Taking the year according to the
fiscal calendar, from July /. last, and in
Guiding, with the tremendous receptions in
the South and West and the early recep
tions of informal character, it seems i'm
probable that this fair, young lady grasped
fully 100000 hands in that period. The
} President shook nearly twice as many His
IeCepJlOuS Ill uHe IldSU room nave
an average attendance of 200, and there are
$50 Of these receptions in each year. Doe:
not this make
THE TOTAL OF THE SHAKES
on these occasions 30, 900 and more? Well,
then add to that number II 900 more shakes
given at the four evening receptions of the
season and on New Years day, and the
grand total is AZ 200 shakes. These figures
: do not include the incessant shaking during
two hours Of six mornings in the week
| when he receives in the library There
must be 900 or 10000 of these shakes
= But to find the gigantic aggregate of all the
) shakes that he gives in year we have still
= | to reckon the attendance at his frequent re-
captions away from the capital city.
/, wonder if he has shaken less than POO, O0O
hands since July II Now he is down in
Florida being handled by the dwellers in
the land of perpetual bloom.
! Both the President and Mrs. Cleveland
= display a great deal of skill in disposing of
crowds, and when they are engaged on this
sort of work know of nothing so interest
. ing as to watch them. In the first place
they are both very superior hand-shakers.
The Presidents hand is soft, warm and fat.
1t is big enough TO thoroughly cover the
! average hand upon which it closes with a
satisfying pressure His hand slips over
the visitors in an easy, self-composed way.
and as he shakes it his head falls to one side
and he runs his left eye over his constituent
in shrewd but kindly fashion Mrs.
Cleveland's hand is longer narrower and
thinner than the Presidents. The nerve is
, even better and the grip irmer
When the President receives alone in the
East room every other day he drops each
hand after two on three shakes and the
fellow who fingers over the repettio l'of the
wearisome commonplaces is quickly warned
to move on by seeing
MR.. CLEVELAND'S EYES
wander to the next man in line, and by
: feeling the two graSped hands behind him
beating against the small of his back At
the evening receptions, when the President
and his wife receive together, Mrs. Cleve-
land makes it her business TO keep the pro-
cession moving, aud right gracefully doe,
she dispatch all who come Her plan is to
spring forward the moment a hand is re-
leased by the President and Selling it with
a smile that is almost a laugh, she gently
but swiftly brings the entranced caller to-
ward her, shaking the hand as she does So
When the happy proprietor of the shaken
hand has been cared for, he or she finds
himself or herself swept pace or two be-
yond the gracious hostess ard then he or
She walks Off with a jumping heart and a
quickened step, ofteNtimes forgetting even
TO look at the row of assistant hosteSses, who
manage invariably TO survive the neglect
,afthAut INV LafraVol If lousy Nc