The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-24
DON'T COUNT on DEFEATING IT.
WHITE HOUSE RELICS.
Almost Million Dollars Gone For
Furniture In Hundred Years.


From the Philadelphia Inquirer.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19.-The friends of
Mrs. Harrison who come into personal con-
verse, derive much surprising intelligence
from the stories sent out from here which
Lead to very different idea of the first
lady of the land from that sustained by her
real strong personality. The public has
| been told of her alleged views on decolette
styles Of dress and various other topics
which never occupy her thoughts her
usual playful manner IN the presence of her
| more hibernate friends she remarked re-
Gently u have beef acting the steward of
the household for the past few weeks. Ever
| since Mr.. HARRISON became the occupa t of
the executive mansion have been trying to
find time to ascertain what is storel away
in the house that would be interesting from
a historic point of view Having among
her first duties thoroughly reJrganized the
domestic Offices of the executive househ Id,
Mrs. Harrison has found time to investigate
thoroughly every portion of the house to
ascertain whether any household articles
of art or of historic interest have escaped
the wanton spoliations of stewards and SER
waits or the auctloneer's hammer.
AT tine request of Mrs. Harrison, the
! President ha ordered that an in ventory be
made Of the entire household belongings of
the mansion, and also a list Of articles
| stored away IN Tue lumDer rooms or the
attic.
In speaking on this subject Mrs. Harrison
said: ut is distressing to 60 through this
mansion of nearly century of ASSOCIATION
with the Official, social, and d )mestlc lives
of the Presidents and not even find thing
| ass ciated with the home economies, bits
or comfort of the domestic circle OF the
early exc utives doubt whether the fact
as ever attracted ate ton, but an official
| SIS at of Iafi
lures from 1870 to 1876, printed by order of
| congress, shows that in that interval of
| only seventy-six years, brief period in t
life Of a powerf ii government, the exorbI-
tant sum of 1929, 600 was appropriated by
congress, and 1924 900 were tue net expendi-
lures for furniture for tie executive man
sion. Ii Is not necessary to sugges. that
furniture is not a perishable article to be
used for a year or two aud then renewed or
at least that the whole furnishings of the
ma sion would bee Jme worn out at tue
same time. Imagine how interesting it
would be to every American citizen who
vi its the executive mansion, and almost
| every one does in tue cOur SO Of their lives
to rest their gaze upon some of the repre-
sentative articles of furniture associated
with the every day home-life of Washing
| ton or Adams, tue first President to occupy
tue White House, to realiZs how interesting
it would be to have a single piece of tie
furniture which stood in the oval room OF
the second story, now the library, when the
President and Mrs. ADAMS held the first
New Years reception i'll the executive
mansion on Jan. !, 1901, less than two
months after the President AID congress
established themselves in the unfinished
public editces of the permanent seat Of gov
ernment. think of something associated
with the life of Jefferson, or any simple
piece of furniture rescued from the burning
s,f Af
of misfortune in August, 1914, and so OH
down through the administrators Of Mon
roe and jackson ard their successors In
fact, these systematic depredati ms upon the
treasures of household association nave de-
spoiled the mansion Of about eve ything
hich would carry 70 occupants Of the
mansion, the guests Of state occasions and
the passing visitors b OK through the long
line of patriotic memories connected with
the Presidents, their families and their pri-
vate livesn
But even aside from patriotic sentiment
how instructive it would be il few repre-
sentative articles were preserved to illus
trate the cha ges in STYLES of the different
| periods III the history of the coun ry
Household furniture, like everything else.
changes with the advancement of the people
in the comforts and conveaiences Of their
| homes and the DEVELOPMENT of taste and
! ski in manufacture | cannot think of n
! single reason why the executive III inslon
should be subject to such ruthless visitation
with the changes of Administrations. l do
not think that such disregard of the
associations Of the place einanates from
those who are most conce ned in the COM
fort Of the mansion, but must be the result
of superservlceable zeal on the part Of other
persons"
There has been expended by congress
S624, 600 besides the money received from
at hos l. 80
is scarcely relic of these humorous pur-
chaseS, even to show the changing
designs Of a century Of executive ad-
mi istration. The belongings of the
mansioI in furniture today did not
cost $4,000. The mystery is. what be-
came of the imperishabe articles which
should represent the accumulation Of the
interes lug epochs Of executive public AID
private lie in the long past!