Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-01-09
"REMINISCENCES.
First Presidential Christmas DIM
ner Ate by Washington.
THE SCENE OF HIS RESIGNATION
The First Christmas Dinner Ever Given at
the White House was when John
Adams was President.

Whioh btoou ub TtdTl anu ODorry
streets, Franklin Square, In New York
city, and there were present, beside the
President, Mrs. Washington. her grand
children and few invited guests. Six
years before this time he had laid down
his office as Commander-i in Chief of the
Army. How little he expected the
honors that were in store for him is
evidenced by letter which he wrote to
Baron Steuben, ON December 23, 1888.
"This is the last letter l shall write, I"
he says, in the service Of my country.
The hour of my resignation is fixed
at 10 to-day. after which 1 shall be-
come private citizen ON the banks of
the Potomac.
1t is interesting to recall the fact that
he reached Mount Vernon, after hav-
ing resigned, on Christmas Eve and was
there snow and-ice bound by weather
so severe that he was unable to visit
even his aged mother, who lived in
Fredericksburg. The scene of his re-
signation in the Christmas season is
worth recalling; it was SO simple, SO
dignified and yet SO touching that the
chroniolers who recount it agree that
there were tears in the eyes of all who
heard the great man lay down the
great office he had used in great
cause
General Washington appeared in the
hall of Congress clad in dark brown
cloth suit, which is distinctly said to
have been of American manufacture.
His sword was steel hilted. his stock
ings were of white silk, and plain pair
Of silver buckles adorned his shoes.
His hair was. of course, powdered and
in "bag and solitaire. The members
Of Congress sat with their hats on, as
they still do in Parliament. General
Washington, conducted by the Secretary
of Congress, formally made his resigna-
tion to the President, and, concluding,
uttered one Of those sentences which,
in its simplicity and nobility, recalls
the words of Abraham Lincoln.
He said: 81 consider it an indispen-
sable duty to close this last solemn act
of my official life by commanding the
interests Of our dearest country to the
protection of Almighty God; and those
who have superintendence of them to
His holly keeping" Verify a bene-
diction and prayer! Scarcely less
graceful was the reply of the President
whose prophetic words were: "You
return from the theatre of action with
the blessings of your fellow citizens,
but the glory of your virtues will not
terminate With your military COM
mands, but it will continue to animate
remotest ages"
The President celebrated his next
Christmas dinner in the residence to
which he moved on the west side of
Broadway, near Rector street. which
was subsequently known as Bunker s
Mansion House. Both of these build
ings have been destroyed. His subse-
quent Christmas days were spent in
Philadelphia, where he occupied a
rented house on Market street, between
Fifth and Sixth streets.
At the close of his Presidential career
Washington returned to his ever dear
Mount Vernon and busted himself,
among other things, with plans for the
White House, which was named after
the former home of his wife, and there
fore a matter Of deep interest to him.
The Christmastide of 1899 saw the
close of this marvellous mans career.
A cold contracted ON the 14th of the
month terminated fatally.
The first dinner at Christmas time
ever given in the White House was
that which took place in the year 1900,
when John Adams was President and
thrifty Abigail. his wife, sat at the
head Of the table as hostess.
1t was not comfortable meal,
although splendid haunch of venison.
the gift of Mrs. Washington, graced
the board, and tho country people of
what Mrs. Adams called "the City in
the Wilderness" had generously con-
tributed gifts of all sorts to make the
feast as toothsome as might be. The
discomfort lay in the fact that the oc.
cupants of the White House found re-
fleoted in their residence evidences of
the same haste that characterized the
new government.
In delightfully."- feminine letter Mrs.
Adams describes the condition of
affairs. She says: "The house is upon
grand and superb scale, requiring
about thirty servants to attend and
keep apartments in order" Then fol-
lows housewifely complaint about the
difficulty of lighting the establishment
and the utter misery caused by the
lack Of heating facilities; not only is
the house damp with its new plastered
walls. but it is almost impossible to gel
wood; the price has risen since the
city became the capital from 81 to So
a cord, and even at that there is no one
to cut and cart it.
The reception after dinner took place
in the oval room, which IL now thu