The Washington critic., 1890-04-19


an abandoned sinner, and they talk to
her Of Mrs. Hayes, and hold up
Mrs. Hayes as an example, until
she must soon dread to hear the name
Of that good woman, who was in a way
related TO her. IF there were an open
bar in the White House some of the ex-
horters could not be more anxious and
earnest. The President and Mrs. Hsr-
rison, who are temperate In all things,
have only followed established social
usages, and set before their guests what
is usual and proper
Every charity and every begging
scheme appeals to Mrs Harrison, and
three times the Presidents salary would
not meet these requests. From build
ing tombstone for Mary, the mother
OF George Washington, or a Lucy
Hayes Memorial Temple down to
sending photograph and a dollar to
buy the frame for II to some strange
correspondent, every one appeals to
her. Many of the begging letters are
from poor and ignorant people, and
are really prayers addressed to the
highest earthly power they know for
help, when their other prayers have not
been answered. Every fair and chari-
table entertainment within fifty miles
begs her attendance. Actors and artists
call and ask that the Presidents family
will attend their performances; musi-
clans and elocutionists and infant prodi-
gies want to be heard in the White
House parlors, and IL is difficult to de-
cline these kind offers that would re-
suit in so much benefit to these per-
formers. All the cumulative methods
Of raising money for charities have
been tried, by asking Mrs. Harrison to
send ten cents or dollar and mail the
inclosed blanks to ten more people,
who will keep on widening the circle of
contributors by tens.
Mrs. Harrison's mail is daily curios-
ity, as well as an infiction. The cranks
in every part of the country write to
her, and some of the letters pass beyond
crankery. When the papers announced
that the White House was overrun with
ants, scores Of recipes came for Kidding
the place Of the pests, and in postscripts
the writers suggested the rewards they
would like for this voluntary blindness
sum Of. money, silk dress, or a post
Office At the time of the rat invasion
recipes for rat poisoning and packages
Of rat poison came daily The letter
writers are often impertinent. They
advise Mrs. Harrison not to sign her
name as Carrie, not to bang her hair,
and not to become worldly minded.
The petitions for autographs and photo
graphs are equal to the crazy quilt ap-
peals. Anxious mothers ask her to
make out list of books that she would
advise a young girl to read. Another
mother wrote that her promising young
son had dreamed that Mrs. Harrison
had sent him violin. The solution of
the dream was in the postscript, of
course, and provided for the Dreams
coming true by giving full directions
for sending an express package to their
country cross roads. Boxes of home
made candy, and cakes, pickles, aud
preserves are sent, requesting orders for
the White House table and an opinion
of their merits. A prize letter came
from the South at the time of the hoi-
days, and when deciphered read:
"Pres. Mrs. benjamin Harrison:
''I am very desirous to get New Years
present from Washington City and couse-
kuently have located on you for the pres
ent, as / give all the aid could to give Mr.
Harrison the President Office. My son,
-- cast his first and only vote
| for Harrison through my influence and
many, many Others and now a New Years
keepsake from you will be highly appreci-
ated. III you respond to my desire please
do not express it as have vowed never to
| pay express again unless could get to see
what pay for. So pay the express when
| you ship the present so that / will not have
! to brake my VOW a dress pattern, or any,
thing. Yore true friend,
"MRs. G. w. -
The women of some association or
club will write in a testimonial to Mrs.
Harrison, and by the time an acknowl-
edgment goes from the White House,
discord and disunion has risen in the
sisterhood, and each faction writes her
their version Of how things stand, and
berate one another warmly. "She
ought never to have held the office" I"
wrote one club member of another
"She has no social position, as her hus.
band is only letter carrier" There
was fine bit of democracy and fine
thing to send to the mansion of the
chief of the land of the free, of liberty
and equality! OF course four fifths of
| Mrs. Harrison's mail goes straight to the
waste basket, and not all of it even
meets her eye, as those who attend to
her mail know the signs of crank
intuitively. With the flood of such
rubbish coming daily, it has to be an
exceptional bit, gem of crankery, that
is saved for Mrs. Harrison's eccentric
file'' of letters.
Whatever the occupants of the
White House have done in this and in
past administrations, there Is sure to be
adverse criticism. The same people,
too, who had so much fault to find
when President Arthur changed the
coachman's livery to light drab, criti
cised when Mrs. Harrison made it dark
green. President Grant was berated
for driving four horses, and President
Harrison gets it for driving one on his
afternoon excursions to the suburbs
cause President Cleveland hedged him
self in behind sovereign's etiquette
and attended dinners in none but The
houses of his Cabinet officers, are dis
pleased because President Harrison ha:
reverted to the simpler, more common
sense Republicanism of the old line
Dealing with the members of the
press is most difficult and delicate
task, and the mistress of the White
House need not be envied that share ot
her responsibilities. A tactless or un
gracious course there has ruined the
chances and the popularity of too many
people in official life. How to meet al
the requests from that source, to answer
or parry all their questions, sensible ant
nonsensical, proper and improper, civi
and impertinent, requires more discre
ton than is given TO the average
woman. For the first few months afte
the nomination and the inauguration thu
ladies of the family were simply looked
at. The reporters wanted to see Mrs
Harrison and Mrs. Mckee. and no thirI