The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-12-23
RELICS OF DAYS GONE BY
Where Most of the Old Furniture
Used in the White House has
Gone to-A Careless People.

The disappearance of nearly all the
massive old rosewood and mahogany
furniture from the White House, and
the vanishing Of nearly every piece
with a history dating back more than
thirty years, were a disappointment
to Mrs. Harrison when she came to the
mansion. why, where is all the old
| furniture?n Mrs. Harriet Lane John
ston asked, when shown through the
private ooms q year since. There
has been LOO housekeeping at times,
and a stupid indifference TO the value
and interest attaching to anything
which has held a place in
the home OF the Presidents
since the century began. Sevres
dinner sets have been given by the
French government and bought by
our governmen in administrations
long gone by, but not a piece OF table
porcelain now in the mansion has an
authentic history antedating Presi-
| dent Lincoln's day. When a service
became Incomplete, or the mistress or
steward considered it out of fashion,
it was condemned, sold at auction,
and the proceeds used to buy new
ware. No later than the last admin
istration the solid rosewood chairs of
the state dining-room, with curving
legs and heart-shaped backs that
| dated forty years away, were sold ut
auction, and cheap and commonplace
modern chairs substituted. Mrs.
Harrison found seven of the old rose
wood chairs in the cellar, and, re-
paired and upholstered in rich bro
cade, they o ornament h library.
1t is her wish to establish n gdrde
meubIe after the French order. A list
has been made by her of every piece
of furniture and table ware now in
the mansion, with the name of its
purchaser, its cost, and subsequent
history as far as can be known. When
unfit for further use, or out OF har-
mony with the style of the day. such
articles are to be labelled and put
away in the spacious garnet. In time
they may return to fashion and use.
or in longer time become curios and
interesting relics of by gone times.
| No cheap and trifing things should
be bought for the mansion, and Pres
idents' families should be responsible
for the keeping, and not allowed TO
disperse the relics in their charge.
To illustrate the spirit in which the
contents OF the mansion have been
regarded at times, one mistress OF the
White House had some pieces OF old
mahogany condemned and sent TO
auction. At the sale they were bid In
for her, and are now valued orna-
ments in an ex-President's home.
While not dishonest, since the govern
ment received all that the articles
could bring at public sale, the trans
action affords the moralist a chance to
draw some fine conclusions as to the
commoner official ideas OF honor in
| dealing with the government. Brio
a-brac dealers have had many fine
pieces of furniture and porcelain from
the White House pass through their
hands, and city caterers have even
owned parts of dinner services, and
gradually broken them up in the
course OF many dinner eason
With the present appreciation OF
relics and old wares, any piece from
the White House would be considered
a trophy to be hung on the wall. Mrs.
Harrison said on entering the White
House she should make it her duty
for the four years to leave it a
comfortable place for her successor.
If her successors keep up the garde
| NtCUOtC Aa(hf AltO Obo
and White House plates will not be
procurable at the curio stores of the
city again. Only a few years ago part
of the white and gold Sevres set used
by Washington, brought here when
the capital was moved to Washington,
was sold by a Ninth street dealer i'll
antique furniture. Its only rightful
place is behind glass panels in the
state dining room.-Ha9peT's BGzar.
Japanese Bath Houses.
Next comes the bath house. If you
do not recognize the Jatao-do by the
Chinese, or hird-gonG characters
stamped on the blue curtains fiutter-
ing outside the door, you shall know
it by the boys and men emerging
from the honorable hot water with
hands and feet bright red, by reason
of the parboiling which they have
Just undergone; or, by the women
with wet hair brushed back
from their foreheads, and tied
up at the end in q triangular
piece of paper. When these latter get
home o KGHi San, the c0iGeaSe, will
come and dress their moist, black
tresses for the next two or three days,
in one of the many modes prescribed
by fashion. There is the mage for
married women, where the hair is
drawn over a pad, in a solid shining,
single boss; and there are other elabor-
ate styles for unmarried damsels,
muSumes, girls and getShas, not to be
achieved without much appliance OF
camellia-oil, gold and silver strings
and Kdnzashi-the carved and tin
selled hairpins.
Inside the bath house are to be seen