The Washington critic., 1890-02-09
THE WHYTE HOUSE.

lent nurse in capacity In which she has
been called upon to act many times since
she came TO live in the White House; for
scarcely week has passed since Inaugural
ton day that there has not been sickness |
under that roof Mr.. and Mrs. Russell |
Harrison, Mrs. Mckee, Private Secretary |
Halford, all the children OF the household,
several visitors and the President himself |
have been seriously indisposed at various |
times since the advent of the present Adj
ministration and all of them have found in
the hospitable mistress of the White House
kind and sympathetic nurse. Mrs. Har-
rison has been unremitting In the care and
attention she has bestowed on the invalids
who are now under her roof, owing to
Mondays awful disaster at the Tracy man
sion, and by many like kindly aud sympa-
thetic acts has done much to temper the
grief Of the bereaved father and daughter.
oRANpED WHITE HOUSE.
II happened very fortunately that the
McKees were out of town or the Presiden-
tial household would have been greatly
cramped for room, owing to the arrival Of
the invalids as the house provided by the
people of this country for It's Chief Magis-
trate contains only six bedrooms all told.
The question of enlareing the White House
ting ever since she discovered how made
quate its present dimensions are for an Off
cial residence. Mrs. Cleveland and other
former mistresses Of the White House
moved in the same direction, but they
lacked the insistence of Mrs. Harrison,
who is leaving no stone unturIed TO obtain
what she desires. Her idea is to have
wing added to each side of the present
structure, the one on the east to contain
the private apartments of the President.
She would also like an arcaded way eX-
tending on either side of the main entrance
in semi-circular form in order to afford
better facilities for persons leaving or en-
tering carriages
SENATOR MORRILL, INTERESTED.
Among those who take great interest
in. the enlargement of the White House is
Senator Morrill,, VIII o, IN 1882, secured the
passage of bill in the Senate appropri-
ating 100000 for that purpose. This
measure, however, went no further His
idea is to erect duplicate of the present
structure to the south of it and communi-
eating with It by means of broad corridor.
. This would leave the old White House in
tact, with all its associations and memories,
and give the President spacious private
dwelling which would be closed against
callers on official business. The old house
could then be used entirely for offices and
official hospitalities.
BUSY LADY.
Modern social life calls for the writing of
more and more notes, and the Presidents
wife, OF course, bears large share of 1t.
All the appointments to pay respects are
made by note, innumerable notes must be
answered, invitations sent out and declined
and the burden of the daily mail lifted.
"Life in the White House would be tolera-
BILE were 1t not for my mail, said one mis-
tress of the White House, and the mail had
not nearly reached its present proportions
then. The Presidents wife has no secre-
| tary or clerk furnished her by the Govern
ment to attend to the mass of correspond
| ence which is Incident to the position and
| in no sense personal. All sorts of people
write to the Presidents wife to praise, flat
ter and approve, to beg, borrow and hint,
! TO threaten, to hound, to alarm and to say
| impertinent things.
| The female crank always, and the male
crank often, addresses her. They want all
sorts of possible and impossible things.
| One-third of the letter-writers ask for
money outright. Others ask for photo
graphs, autographs, pieces of the Presi
| dents neckties and his nightgowns, as the
| crazy-quilt women are as numerous and as
|
ment of women continually want to be
| housekeepers at the White House. Cast
| off gowns, mantels and bonnets are be-
| sought by those who lack the means to
maintain there self-styled social position
Those who dream of the Presidents wife
sending them piano, sewing machine, a
| typewriter or banjo write to her the
dream and in their postscripts give minute
directions for sending these packages by
express. Others send presents of fancy
work, homemade cake and candy, and
| photographs of themselves to emphasize
these requests. Even the most guarded
Acknowledgements of these gifts brings a
second letter.
1t is the poor, the uneducated and the
unsophisticated who do the most of this
letter writing and some unique specimens
of phraseology and spelling appear Many
of the poor people tell of having prayed
for the things they so earnestly want, and
as last resource they write to the "head
lady," who represents the highest earthly
power to them. Little children write let
ters to the President as they would to
Santa Claus, and there is much that is pa
thetic and affecting in such correspond
ence; but even pathos loses by hundreds
Of repetitions each week. All the letters
are read and answered when it is necessary
or possible to do so. After short expe-
rience the recipient Of such letters learns
to read character by the handwriting, not
to gauge circumstances and positions by
other signs, and to detect the motives in
the first lines. In this way the malicious
and fmpertinent letters of the cranks find
their way into the waste basket before
they are read.
WHITE HOUSE DINNERS.
The Harrison family dine at 630 p. III.
and its members are all prompt in their at
tendance at the meal. The usual famil,
dinner is simple, but substantial one. TIL,
President likes plain fare, well-cooked ant
properly served. Mrs. Harrison know
how to have all these things done, for sh,
has always been practical housekeeper
Under her oversight ''life below stars'' Il
said to be not much different in the Whit
House from what it is in any prosperou
household. There is often an iniorma
guest at dinner, which is served in the prl
yate dining-room. That grand apartment
the state dining-room, is not likely TO b
brought into service for some time, owiny
to the recent bereavement in the Cabine
circle. 1t may shock some people to know
that the President does not wear claw
hammer coat when he sits down TO famil
dinner.
LOVES GOOD CIGAR.
, President Harrison likes good cigar
and he smokes one after luncheon ant
another after dinner. The ladies of tn
family do not have to withdraw when
enjoys his treat. Mrs. Harrison does no
dislike the aroma of good cigar; althoug
she is like Mrs. Cleveland in detesting tn
odor of cigarette. The Presidential clga
is not Of peculiarly fine or expensive qua
ity. His favorate brand can be bought q
about the rate of three for a quarter.
SOHWATKAS s ADVENTURES: