Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-26
At the Capital Will be Switter and
Dizzier Than Ever Before.
MONEY IS ALREADY FLOWING.
Preparations at the White House and in
Cabinet Mansions.
BEAUTY ADORNED FOR THE CONQUEST
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DISPATCH.

men, and vast amount of new furniture
and dresses has been brought over from
Europe Mrs. President Harrison is super
intending a number of changes in the in
terror of the White House.
Under her directions the south portico has
been repaved The old tiles have been taken
up and some beautiful patriotic designs in
mosaic have taken their places. Mrs. Har-
rison's fine artistic taste suggested these
! designs, and the whole is very highly COM
| plimented. Leading out from the Blue
Parlor there is huge shield in our national
colors, containing the motto, "E Pluribus
Unum," surrounded by deep blue circle
studded with 13 stars, representing the
original States of the U nion. The ground
work of the portico is of terra Gotta, and the
whole is very beautiful.
REJUvENATING THE WHITE HOUSE.
dropped into the White House yesterday
and found the furniture of the East Blue
and Red rooms wrapped up in their linen
| summer clothes Some changes have been
| made in the Blue Room and Mrs. Harrison is
| giving a general supervision of the re-
| furnishing of the mansion. She is a thorough
| housekeeper and oversees all such matters
morelJhan the average lady of the White
House.
| One of the important changes made at her
! suggestion is the Transforming of the Presi-
/ dents private office adjoining the Cabinet
Chamber on the second floor and facing
| South, into family sitting room. This
room is the library of the White House. 1t
was never intended for an Office and it is
one of the most beautiful rooms in the
| building. President Harrison will take
possession of Private Secretary Halford's
room which is much larger and better fitted
| for his duties and needs. Heretofore the
sitting room of the White House has been
one OF the halls. 1t was by no means
desirable arrangement, and the living room
which should be the best room in the house
was in reality the poorest.
SHE VALUES PRIVACY.
Mrs. Harrison is very fonds of her own
home and of her family, and both she and
the President will greatly relish the change.
AS the Presidents wife she is courteous to
all, and no one is ever refused admission to
her presence when it is possible for her to
see them. She feels, however, that she
should have some place where she can at
times get away from the crowd, and she be-
lieves in making her second floor home as
pleasant as possible.
asked Mrs. Harrison yesterday some
thing about her winter toilets in which she
will appear at the White House receptions
and state dinners. She has a number of
new ones, but she objected to saying very
much about them on account of the recent
sad deaths of Justice Miller and General
Belknap. They are being made in Balti-
more and Mrs. Harrison does much of her
shopping in that city. She is so we'll known
in Washington that she finds it more con-
venent to shop where she is stranger, and
4 Ia
Mrs. Dimmick and Mrs. Mckee usually
accompany her on these trips, and she has
made a number of them since she returned
from Cresson.
MRS. BLAINE's ENTERTAINMENTS.
II is question whether there will be
much entertaining this winter at the home
OF the Secretary OF State. There has been
so much trouble in the family that they do
not feel like entertaining, but 1 am told
that all obligatory, entertainments of an
official nature will be CARRIED out. Mrs.
Blaine will probably give her regular
Wednesday receptions and her house will
be open on New Years. Mrs Blaine said
last winter at one of her informal Saturday
afternoons at home during the trying period
of her early mourning that she felt it her
duty 10 smother all selfish feelings in the
effort to rouse her husband from the dam
gerous apathy and morbid grief which so
completely untitled him for his public
duties. 1t was for this reason that she kept
I'D her social connections when in reality
she would have far preferred to have been
alone.
Mrs. Blaine is a very good woman at
heart. She lacks, however, the personal
magnetism which her husband has in such
a striking degree and she does not know
how to make her callers always feel at
home. Her stiff bearing which she has at
times comes largely from diffidence and from
the unfavorable criticisms which she has
received.
HER OWN DRESsMAKER.
She is a woman of strong domestic tastes
and she has wonderful talent for making
"the home beautiful" She does all kinds
of fancy work. She is fine seamstress and
in times past she has saved her husband
many dollars by her knowledge of dress
making. Up to the period of Miss Hattie
Blaine's assumption of long skirts at Is
years of age every dress she wore was made
by her mothers hands, The lace which
ornamented these dresses and the under
clothing OF the family was knitted by ladiss
Of Augusta who were in reduced circum-
stances and who were much aided by the
needlework from Mrs. Blaine.
Vice President Morton's family will not
leave their home at Rhinecliff on the Hud-
son until early in November. The Morton
mansion, at Washington is in apple pie
order. 1t has its regular corps of servants,
who are here whether the family are away
or not, and it takes but few hours to make
the needed preparations for a number of
guests. The Vice President USUALLY comes
back several days in advance of his family,
however. He has quite a domestic turn
and can give directions as to the household
as well as his accomplished wife.
OTHER CABINET LADIES.
There is no decision as yet as to what en-
tertainments the Windows will give. Tbey
will be guided by the doings of the other
Cabinet families and will undoubtedly give
a number of Entertainments. Miss Window
is the light of the household. She is a gem
tie wandered, unaffected girl, devoted to her
music and universally admired in society.
Secretary Proctor and his family will not
be here before November. I am told that
Mrs Proctor will preside at her own recep-
ton this winter.
Speaking of Mrs. Proctor, Mrs. Attorney
General Miller has been spending a month
at Secretary Proctor's home in the Green
Mountains. She is enthusiastic as TO the
beauties of the place, and says that Secre-
tary Proctor has near him some of the most
valuable marble quarries in the country.
He is still largely interested in these works.
and he was formerly president of them.
One of his sons is now the manager. There
are 15, 900 names on the payroll Of Secretary
Proctor's COMPANY, and the village of Proc
tor is made sup almost entirely OF the eu-
ploves of his works. He owns 800 houses in
this town, and be rents these to his work
men at 81 per month apiece.