Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-04

| ETa@&, and will lead the gave
@SGCNN9 ties from the White
alNNTSNSpE~ House. OF late years
the giving Of ladies'
luncheons has become an important part of en-
tertaining at the Executive Mansion. Mrs
Harrison and Mrs. Cleveland gave many such
spreads" and the latter is likely to continue
the custom. Both women made numerous calls
on friends, though etiquette did not oblige them
to do SO; for the Presidents wife need never
return visit, and she is not even required to
send card instead.
The most trying part of entertaining a. the
White House is the giving of state dinners. To
provide these feasts is duty devolved upon
the President BY memorable custom, and he can
not escape from it. He must invite each winter
all the Senators and Representatives in Con-
gress. the cabinet. the diplomatic corps and the
high officers OF the army aud navy stationed at
Washington. To accomplish this six banquets
are required, costing from 500 TO 81 500 each
! Mr. Harrison has had such official meals served
bya caterer, but Mr.. Cleveland prefers to EMPLOY
his own chef. The butler of the Executive
Mansion. who arranges the dinners, is hired by
! the government. but the chief magistrate of
! the nation must pay for everything else out Of
his own pocket.
! ExACTISG SOCIAL DUTIES.
The social duties of the mistress Of the White
House are exacting and to perform them well
requires the utmost tact. She must please
everybody, for any offense she may give is sure
{ to be magnitied thousand times. Mrs. Cieye-
land, when she assumed the position as a youth
ful bride, was the target of national criticism
and how well she bore the ordeal Is a matter of
history. But she was not the Youngest hostess
the Executive Mansion has ever had Mrs
Bliss. the daughter of President TAYLOR, was
only seventeen when she occupied that place.
Z ynl avNI .goc ~ -
| to the presidency IF the United States He
lost no time in repairing his matrimonial de-
ficency, and meanwhile his sister acted as first
/ lady in the land" The sister Of Mr. Arthur.
I who was the fifth widower to occupy the White
House, likewise served as its mistress His
hospitality was made most famous by the stag
( dinners he gave to friends who could equally
I appreciate bon mot and stew of terrapin.
| DURING THE HAYES REGIME.
! The hospitality and open-heartedness of Mrs.
Hayes made the administration Of her husband
! great social success. She thoroughly eniored
the high position in which she found herself.
and the White House always full of guests
! while She governed it. She kept open house
| and was not too proud to entertain humble
! relatives from Ohio for weeks together. Though
attacked for her prohibition of wine, which i'll
disposed people attributed to stinginess, her
dinners were always superb. Mr.. HAYES was
! the only President who ever provided collations
at receptions, and his bill for the ''swarry'' on
one such occasion was $4,000. His wife made
| calls in very democratic fashion, and her even
lngs at home were most agreeable and informal
During Grants two terms. likewise, everything
about the Executive Mansion was homelike and
cheerful The marriage Of Nellie Grant and
Sartoris interested the public more intensely
than any other event that ever took place there,
| possibly excepting the wedding of Mr.. Cleye-
land and Frances Folsom.
! When Andrew johnson became President
not much was expected OF the administration
in a social way. His wife was an invalid an her
only appearance in public at the White House was
at party given to her grandchildren. Never
theless. the state dinners of that regime we're
! on princely scale and have never been sur
| passed. The duties OF hostess we're performed
by Martha Patterson. wife OF Senator Patterson
OF Tennessee. She was Young woman of
much common sense and she did not hesitate
to snub certain fine ladies Of Washington when
they attempted to patronize her. Every morn
ing she rose early, donned q calico dress and
white apron. and with her own hands skinned
the milk in the dairy. She found the Execu-
tive Mansion a wreck inside, the furniture de-
stroyed by a vandal rabble, curtains and car
pets torn and cut to pieces and the east room
swarming with vermin. Congress approprl-
ated $50, 600 for repairs, which sum she per-
sonallv expended. and the present good con-
dltion Of the establishment is due largely to her
efforts.
THE FIRST BACHELOR PRESIDENT.
Buchanan was the first bachelor President
Nevertheless his was the gayest of administra-
tions thanks to his beautiful niece Harriet Lane.
She was golden blonde, very clever and ac-
compiished-in short, the only great belle who
has ever presided at the White House. Having
been with her uncle while he was minister at
the court IL st. James, she had enjoyed every
possible advantage OF training, and her hand
was sought by many men of rank and intelec-
tual gitts. Such accumulated honors as she re-
ceived were never before heaped upon any
young woman in the United States Societies,
ships of war and neckties were named after
her. Under her reign the social magniicence
of former days in the Executive Mansion was
revived. She entertained the Prince OF Wales
and his suite when they visited this country
She subsequently married Major Johnston Of
Baltimore.
Although President Pierce was an extremely
popular man, his administration was very dull
socially. owing to the fact that his wife was
mourning for the death of her little boy, an
only child, who was killed in an accident on the
railway. Mrs. Fillmore was woman of literary
tastes. She formed the beginning of the White
House library, and it was in the library room
that she used commonly to receive her friends
Mrs. Polk was the only mistress OF the Execu-
tive Mansion who was her husbands private
secretary, having entire charge Of bis papers,
He used to rely upon her entirely for the regu-
lation Of his business affairs She was a cold
and formal Puritan, caring nothing for society.
and the people Of Washington were very glad OF
the relief when the charge Of the White House
was taken from her by the young dauehter-iu-
law of President Tyler, Mrs. Tyler being an in
valid.
PRESIDENT TYLERs DAUaRrER-fS-IAw,
This graceful girl was the daughter OF an
actor named Cooper, and she Was one Of the
cleverest women Of her time Men of dis
tinction like Daniel Webster. Henry CLAW.
John c. Calhoun and Washington Irving were
glad to be considered her friends, and the
letters which she wrote to her family during
her three years at the capital have an historical
value, being filled with illusions to these and
other persons Of mark aud note Mrs. TYLER
having died the President married again shortly
before the end Of his term, choosing as his bride
a Miss Gardiner Of New York. After the we'd
ding they returned to the White House. and
there was much public excitement over the
event, this being the first time that a President
had entered into the state of mstrimony while
an incumbent Of the office. Unfortunately the
union did not meet with the approval Of his
family, and his sons and daughters left the
bride to preside alone as mistress Of the Ex-
ecutive Mansion. She was . rich woman At
that me, but subsequently lost her money, 10
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