The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-03-06

tho anteroom - tho chbinet.roOm. Do You
want 10 know how these Official rooms are
furniahsd2 Upon my word could not tell
you. for ! waa thinking OF something else
while / sat there. ! saw u telegraph oosr.
ator rush across this corridor to tell Presi-
dent Lincoln that the first gun Ind been
fred at Fort Sumter. saw little Tad
Lincoln playing marbles on tho floor, while
his father and the secretaries sat In o cab
tnst room. with white faces and moist
eyes. reading the dianatrous news from
Bull Run. uncertain whether We were u ma
ton or not. l Jaw Gen. jackson. too,
smoking. his corn-cob pipe. md all the his
tory Of this country laid bare in that corri-
dor. II IL not Il placs where one thinks of
the furniture.
II took Mr.. ---. OF New York. in to SEQ
the president tho Other day" said tho HON
ntor who was with me. 'and no sat doan In
one OF the armehaira. We'll, said hc. tho
last timo l WAS in this room Senator GRAY
brought ma tn. and Andrew jackson was
president. The president arm in with his
Old cob pip in his mouth and his hands
full OF papers. Hello. Grayv' said lie.
The senator introduced me and the presi-
lent said nc WAS GLAD to see me-. Draw
mp to the fire, boys" said hc; Pm busy
ut0s.'"
These few ''ofioial' rooms that VIC have
seen upstairs. and tho vestibule. the east
room and the green. blue and red rooms
uEO LID Only part0 Oh INC NOlto
house that are open to visito 8.
The state dining hall is In the right-hand
corner, IN the rear. and hore all the great
state dinners Aie given. 1t ia n tine
sight to see ono OF these state bnnquets.
with tho Chinese minister in his silk robes
and the Turkish minister in his jewels
and oil tho foreign ambassadors in their
gorgeous uniforms and the president in just
such u black suit az you and I wear (pro-
Vlded You are a boy ut "A progressive euchre
party. The presidents private dining room
is at tho front. between the big pantry.
which is at the corner, and the little waiting
room whore visitors ars taken. 1t is in this
private dining room that Master Benjamin
ia rlson Mckee, nged five and a half, and
Miss Mary Lodge Mckee. aged four. nte
three hearty meals every day. There is an
elevator to take them upstuirs when they
have finished, or they can 20 up the private
stairway between tho state n the private
dining rooms. Upstairs they find the great
library at tho rear. with the cabinet room
on one side and the Presidents bedroom on
the other. The / residents bedroom III ex-
actly the Same aize of his Office and tho
cabinet room, and ia very Handsomely fur
nished. Next to the presidents bedroom
large rooms. whose doors are closed. You
all know why they are closed. They are
the suite Of the lady Of the mansion" A
private corridor between the front and
back rooms upstairs is handsomely fur
nished as . sitting room. In the front of
separated by halls. It is in the middle one
of these that the children OF the white
house sleep. Down in the base
ment are all the working parts Of
tho house. The only basement room
that the Presidents family can use is the
ate only nine rooms in ell that the presi-
dent and his family can really call their
own. This gives them hardly room enough
to invite ono of the %neighbors in to spend n
night With them. The conservatories cover
almost half an acre of ground, and two
a state banquet or reception the whole
house is decorated with flowers. There is
often. on such occasions, a floral piece in
the center of the table that il made of s, 900
or 10000 flowers. Every state dinner re-
quires at least 1000 rosss. and in the course
OF 9 - winter more than G,0OO spfays of lilies
of-the-valley are used.
There are some odd things about the
White house. The attic is stored full of
old furniture, for each new president has
his own ideas about the flu nishing. II the
president does not care his wife ia sure to
give the order. Every presidents wife
buys a new outfit of linen for the White
house. She selects the finest that can be
had and the government pays the bill. The
government also pays for the lighting and
heating, supports the Conservatives and
supplies as many servants as the president
can use. Including the Presidents salary,
the cost Of maintaining tho White house is
about 500, 600 a year. Every month the
president receives a treasury warrant for
his months salary. like any other officer of
the government. He is not at liberty to 80
across the street and help himself out of
the national treasury as we would wish to
be il we lived in the White house.
The great drawback to lifs in the White
house is the publicity of it.. Even the PRES
ldent would like to live in private some
times, but he canno 1T you and l." said
my senator guide. had to livs as much in
public as the president does, we should
consider it n great hardship. His yard is a
public park. His house is a public office,
open to everybody. II he should take the
liberty to lock his doors occasionally he
would be sure to offend some statesman
from Arizona or Alaska, who would heap
columns OF abuse upon him in newspa-
eIs."-Hurper's Young People.