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

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THE WHITE HOUSE FROM PENNSYLVANIA
AVENUE.
! Gusts, Washingtons nephew, FASTENED
over from Arlington to rescue the
/ precious portrait, and that servant
! cut the outer frame with an axe so that
! the canvas could be removed stretched
! on the inner frame.
! When the President S family returned
! to Washington they rented a house to
| live in while the White House itself
was being repaired and reconstructed.
lIoban. the original architect, was
called in to do the restoration. When
everything was finished the man
sion was bigger and grandcr than be-
fore. but even yet it was neither big
enough nor grand enough for the
greatest official of the greatest repub-
lie in the world. Gen. jackson, in spite
of-indeed, partly because of-the very
democracy of his tastes was during
both his terms loud murmurer. The
rooms were not large enough for the
motley throngs he gathered at his re-
ceptions The crowds wedged and
pressed him against the walls and al
were even carried fainting out of the
building. At last he gave up the pub
lie feeds which had become n feature
OF his administration, alleging that
they were nuisance to himself and to
his friends all owing to u lack of
proper accommodations.
From that time on to the present the
discomforts and inadcquacies of the
White House have been felt more and
more severely by it's occupants. The
ever-increasing needs of the Presidents
official life have encroached more and
more upon his living apartments, until
now of the thirteen apartments on the
second floor six are used for the cxecu-
tive offices and ante rooms, and two for
dressing rooms, leaving only five bed
chambers.
A memorable and rather notifying
occasion, when the eXigencics of the
Presidents home were exposed to the
gaze of the world at large, was during
the visit of the Prince of Wales to this
country in 1860. He had been invited
to spend five days at the White House.
Buchanan's family was one of the
smallest that ever dwelt in the White
House. 1t consisted only of himself
and his niece, Miss Harriet Lane. Yet
he was chagrined to find that he would
have to divide the Princes suite with
the British Minister. The Prince him
self was slowed away in the little room
occupied by Mrs. Cleveland as a bou-
doir and more recently as a bedroom by
Mrs. Mckee and her children. The
President gave up his own room to the
Duke of Newcastle and found extern
ported quarters in one of the public
lnte-rooms.
Every succeeding President has suf-
fered in something the same way,
though his sufferings have not been so
publicly displayed. 1t WAS only by
crowding several mem bers of the house
hold into one room that families like
the Grants and the Garfields could find
any accommodation whatever }0-
guests. Even President Arthur found
himself uncomfortably crowded when
exercising hospitality. 1t was great
annoyance 70: Mrs Cleveland, a young
bride fond of company, that she could
not entertain more than two guests at
n time. What was an annoyance to
Mrs. Cleveland was positive discom-
fort to -Ars. Harrison, whose family
occupied every available room in the
building.
One OF Mrs. IIarrison's first thoughts
when she came to the White House was
to devise some remedy that might re-
lieve her Successors from the trials
which she had to undergo. She poured
out her mind to Mr.. Blaine, who
agreed that 1t was an outrage and u
disgrace, that while millions OF dollars
had to be spent To keep the National
Capital truly representative of great
people, not dollar had been voted to
make the home of the executive
head of that people even approxi-
mrtely worthy of the dignity
which 1t housed. The proper
way ont of the difficulty he thought
was the enlargement of the present
building made in accordance with its
order of architecture, and the addi-
ton of wings on each side where the
purely Official part of the Presidents
duties might be transferred. Something
of this sort had vaguely Hoated through
Mrs. Harrison's mind. Encouraged
by the Secretary's approval, she be-
gan TO reduce her ideas to order With
the assistance of Col. John NJ Wilson.
Y. ). A., engineer in charge of public
buildings and grounds, and Mr.
Frederick ID. Owens, she made series
OF charcoal drawings, which were sub
mitted 10 ~ Washington architect
With these drawings as basis the
architect made design, which was
enthusiastically Endorsed 10y Mrs
Harrison.