The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-11-08
The Home Our Country Of
fers It's President is
Unhealthy and In
convenient.
VULGAR FURNITURE AND ORNAMENTS.
Mrs. Harrison's Death Attributed TO
Her Unhealthy Surround
iDgs-A Too Economic
cal Government.

G. Wilfred Pearce, Secretary of the
Third section of Artists League. writes
TO the NeW BrlnstUick Times about the
condition of the White House as fol-
lows:-It is a fact well known by intimate
friends OF the late Mrs. Benjamin Harrl-
son that she had a vivid premonition that
she would contract a disease in the While
House which would carry her off. She
detested the miserable. shabby rattle-trap
which this nation considers good enough
for the residence of its Chief Executive
and his family, aud she spared no effort
to induce the Government to build a new
mansion. or else put the old house in
habitable condition, and add an L con-
tainIng a few livfrg rooms for the family.
Congress heard the appeal and voted a
lew miserable hundreds OF dollars to keep
the ceilings from falling down and stop
up the rat holes, but turned a deaf ear to
the project of building a new house or
adding additions to the old one. The
writer has cen Mrs. Harrison writing on
cold days without a fire in the draughty
broad hall on the second floor of the
White House, which was the only room"
except bedrooms on the floor used by the
family. She has no other place to go for
the purpose of sewing or writing except
that wretched hall in which The draught
circulated as in a barn.
The downstairs rooms are thronged
every day with crowds of sigbtseers, Wno
go every where cutting pieces from hang
lngs, or furniture, scratching names on
the windows or piano., eating luncheons
on stairs or IN the parlors, and il it be a
busy day, aud the guards are not watch
ing. the curiosity seekers 60 upstairs
and invade the private rooms of the
family.
The President, so long ago as when he
was inaugurated, endeavored to m Ike
arrangements to reside in the Shoreham
Hotel, but the laws of our country COM
PEELED him to reside in a house which
would be condemned as q nuisance, dan-
gerous TO life and health III New York or
in this city.
The writer when engaged in introduce
ing the electric fixtures in the White
House some Two years ago told Mrs. Har-
rison that he had seen aimheuses in the
city of Charleston, S. c., which were bet
ter built and con tanned more modern
sanitary and artistic domestic appliances
than the White House. She shortly at-
terward learned that / possessed photo
graphs of these almShouses, and by her
request l obtained copies thereof, which
she took pleasure in showing to intimate
friends, who were aiding her efforts TO
induce this niggardly Government TO
build a comfortable home for the Presi-
dent.
Another bad feature of the house is its
close proximity to the malarial amp
of the Potomac, which are now being
filed in
Not only is the house poorly furnished
with cheap and tawdry furniture, but it
lacks the conveniences which are found1n
Lac tenement-houses ef modern cities. In
the time of General Grant and President
fairfield, their families used to battle al
ne homes of friends and eat at reStaur-
hts. There was little improvement IN
the ous until Mrs. Harrison worked to
have new bath tubs, etc., put in, and
these toilet aud bathrooms were put in
with utter disregard of sanitary ideas, SO
that their presence was a standing invita-
ton to typhoid fever. Even the State
apartments are so vuigar that architects
and others have time and again offered to
make plans without cost. III order to pre-
vent the JlbeS and Jeers which visiting
foreigners level at a GUS which is as
vulgar in its furniture and ornaments as
a concert saloon in Montana.
One of the horrors which the unfortu-
nate diplomats of Washington are COM
PEELED 10 undergo is the so-caIled State
dinners in the State dining room, which
looks like a five cent barber shop in the
Bowery. Owing to the niggardly sums
doled out by the Government a good din
ner cannot be served, and it is doubtful
whether the wretched kitchen could be
uSGu DY GuH CuSI DIT Oe1LlOulCOS W 2ED up
a proper dinner. so the President and the
guests take care to eat before the State
dinner comes off, and then go to the func-
Lion, where hey drink one or Two glasses
OF wine, make a pretence of eating some
of the sodden and cod food, some one
proposes a health, and Then the dinner is
over in time TO permit the Diplomats TO
say unculnplimentary things of our Gov
eminent, which wastes millions in dredg-
lug rivers where ships Will never sail Tor
business, and begrudges a few thousands
to make Its President comfortable.
speak from an experience of fourteen
years personal acquaintance with the
ablest architects in Washington. when [
Say that the death of Mrs. Harrison may
be wholly attributed to the red tapeism
aud false notions of economy which pre-
vail in that white structure which We
call the National residence.
Tin and time again q bill has been
prepared by patriotic citizsns who were
willing 20 20 dow in their pockets and
pay for a cIeditable Executive Mansion.
The matter has been repeatedly before
Congress, which has referred it to pigeon
holes, never to come forth again. Demo-
crats and Republicans divide tie honoYs
OF staying the path of progress toward q
new residence, and meantime the old
house is tunbling to decay.
If Mrs. Harrison had lived during her
4 residence in Washington in a modern
b, house the cHdEces are tnaG sne WouiQ De
wing today. but IN order hat this Gov
/ erulnen may point with pride to the fact
that it keels its President at a cheaper
rate than it keeps Government Criminals,
and permits loafers from all over the
country to invade the Executive Mansion
aud drive the family ofthe Chief Magis-
trate to seek the seclusion OF bedrooms
and halls to escape the stare of the mob;
because of these things a noble Chris
tian woman is dead. ard onr Presi-