The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-01-11

tops. One of the most curious pieces of the
White House silver service is the silver Hia-
watha boat, which was bought at the Centen-
NAL Exposition of 1876. This is used at most
OF the state dinners, and is always filled with
flowers. Here are also the gold spoons and
forks which were bought by President Van
Buren, and which formed a campaign issue
when President Harrisons grandfather ran
against him and beat him. The glass of the
White House is also very fine, and it takes
great deal of it for the wines which are used at
the state dinners. great deal of the glass
was manufactured in this country, and a New
York firm made fifty dozen pieces at one time
few years ago. These were ordered early dur
ing Cleveland's term, and some of the articles
have an American eagle cut upon them. The
American eagle perched above the words s'E
Pluribus Unum" is the coat-of-arms of the
White House, and you find it upon most of the
decorated ware. Many of the light glasses are
OF gold, ruby, or amber ware, and there are
dozens of punch glasses, goblets, tumblers,
champagne glasses, and all of the other articles
which make up the complete table service.
This glassware is the finest that can be made in
this country, and the same firm which turned
out this order was the one which supplied
President Grant with some of the glassware
which he used in the White House. The table
furniture, by the way, was very meager during
GRANTS first term, and when Mrs. Grant asked
her cook to make arrangements for the first
state dinner he found the supply of plate very
scanty, and said:
"Why, madame, there is not enough silver in
this White House to fit out free-lunch table.n
THE PRESIDENTS AS HOSTS.
Gen. Grant spent great deal on entertaining
when he was in the White House. He saved no
money whatever while he was in office, and he
had SO many friends that he gave five times as
many big private dinners as he did state dinners.
Arthur's dinners, it s said, cost him ten dollars
plate, and in addition to the regular dinners
he dined the whole of Congress. He was very
particular as to his dinners, and they were among
the finest ever given in the White House. His
wines were especially ine and he usually had half
a dozen different kinds at a dinner. President
Cleveland gave number of big dinners, and he
always served wine at them. Miss Cleveland
during the early part of his administration gave
luncheons to the wives of the members of Con-
gress and other leading ladies of Washington,
and Mrs. Cleveland was an elegant hostess at a
state dinner. Andrew Jackson had a French
cook, and he entertained profusely. The night
OF his first Inauguration he gave luncheon to
all who called at the White House, and barrels
of orange punch and lemonade were made to
supply the crowd, which came by hundreds.
Barrels of this punch were made and it was car
riei into the East Room in buckets. Half of
the people present were roughs, and thev began
to rush for the walters as soon as they entered
the room. The result was that the carpets were
ruined by the punch which was spilled upon
them, and many lady's dress was spotted
The punch was finally served in the garden, and
in this way the crowd was drawn off from the
White House. The White House furniture was
again spoiled during his administration at the
time that the big cheese was brought here. This
cheese was as big around as hogshead Itwas
about yard thick, and it was taken with great
ceremony from the North to Washington. 1t
was cut with saw blades made into knives and
was served out to the guests. The cutting was
done in the East Room, and the greasy crumbs
fell on the carpet and were trampled in. 1t
ruined the furniture to such an extent that after
concluded on the Eleventh Page.l