The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1893-04-29

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more omfortab bic than the log-cabi
in which Lincoln and Garteld--two OF
its most eminent occupants-firsts saw
the light of day. HUT doubtless. also,
ut the period when they crossed its
threshold. each had the means to pro-
vide for himself a home that would
have been far more in accordance with
his tastes.
IL must be acknowledged, however,
that the White House of to-day is a
palace compared with the White House
of the past. Yet it was of the White
! House of the past that Mrs. John
Adams, it's first occupant, spoke in
glowing terms, writing to her daugh-
ter that 1.-THE house is upon "a grand
! and superb scale, requiring about
| thirty servants to attend and keep the
departments in proper order; an estab-
lishment very well proportioned to the
Presidents salary SO naive and so
supplemented were the great danes
of our early history!
And how came it that Mrs. Adams
was the first occupant of the White
House? Simply because the seat of
government was not transferred to
Washington until towards the close of
her husbands term, November 1850.
The change had indeed been decided
upon ten years before, and so early rs
1909 prize of $500 had been offered
for the best plan for Presidential
mansion. Among the competitors
was James Iioban, a young Irish
architect. who had established himself
in Charleston and was building the
large, substantial and picturesque I'M
couth houses which still remain the
characteristic features of that town.
lie had not seen much of the world,
nor had he much originality or YER
satility of intellect. So in preparing
for his master work he took for his
model one of the finest houses that had
come within his field of vision, the
palace of the Duke of Lcinster in Dub
lin. This in its turn was an imitation
of the comparatively light and airy
structures whicht he Italians learned to
build when the rest of Europe was liv-
ing in massive piles of brick or gloomy
fortified castles. An American-Irish
imitation of an Irish imitation of IA
medieval Italian villa-such is the in
tellectual genesis of our Presidential
won the prize. This was attested by
lilC lolIoNllB l'uplIShNb III
the city OF Washington on July is,
1852:
James Hoban's plan of the palace
icing approved by the President, he is
entitled to the reward promised and
chooses gold medal of eight or ten
guineas value and the balance in |
james lloban is hereby re-
tanned in the public service. He is to !
make the drawings and superintend |
The execution of his plan of the palace, !
for which he will receive 800 guincas II |
year"
Notice two things about this certifi-
,ate. First, that the compensation for
the architect is fixed ut about 81 800 n |
year. Imagine modern architect un-
IL great public work for such !
a sum as that! Then, second, let your |
mind rest for second on the word /
palace" Does it not call up all sorts
IF associated ideas of royalty and arts |
ocracy and courtly ways? So at least |
thought the young Republic. And |
a great protest went up
rom all over the land at this aping OF |
'oreign fashions. Congress bent be- |
ore the storm. 1t was decided that |
he new building should be known as |
he Executive Mansion"-mansion ,
,eing then term of common use for
he better class dwelling of the South
I'm gentry. Exactly when this more
stately name was superseded by the
popular nickname of the White House
S not known with certainty. !
On Oct. /, 1892, the cornerstone of |
he mansion was laid in bare field,
doping to the Potomac. Washington !
,imself was present. 1t is a pity that