Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1896-01-25

the festal days of Rome and Athens,
which outshines the glories of Sardan-
apalus and the triumphs of Caesar and
Napoleon.
The crowd would seem a motley mass
of humanity to you,unless some one eN-
perienced in Washington affairs could
be with you to explain who the people
are, whence they came, what their OBJ
jects may be, and how the programme is
arranged and carried out to the letter.
They commence to assemble early in
the morning, although the presidents
reception does not begin until noon.
In the growing, packing, pushing
throng of the street there are people of
high degree, low degree, and no degree
at all. There are senator's, represen-
tatives, captains, orderlies and disor-
derlies from every point of the COM
pass. In the dense crowd are the wives
and daughters of men of official prOEi-
nence, as wellas washerwomen, saloon
keepers, laborers and clerks from the
stores and executive departments.
Many a woman enters the crowd and
loses her identity, because she wants to
see what is going on, but has not such
wearing apparel as would warrant her
in appearing as participant in the re-
ception.
Nearly all of these people are lockers
on, and very many of them have no in
tention of entering the executive man.
sion on account of n false pride which
makes them feel that they should not
be seen and recognized without fine
raiment, or because they cannot visit
the mansion with coaches and liveried
attendants. Everywhere else in soci-
ETY. they shine, but feel that they fall
short of financial ability to properly
appear before the president, his wife
and the ladies of the cabinet who assist
in the grand display just beyond the
portals.
These presidents receptions at the
white house were inaugurated by Presi-
dent John Quincy Adams, and have be-
come part of the life of Washington
city. They mark the commencement
of the social season every year, which
is continued without interruption un-
til the Lenten season, when all gayety
ceases-not to be resumed until the
coming of another New Years day,
when the doors of the executive man
sion are thrown open to the general
public and the president announces,
officially, his intention of holding re-
ception. On each occasion there is
published programme, granting
certain number of minutes to the sew
eral classes of public officials, followed
L.. rf ,lF al Of
who desire to see the chief magistrate
and take him by the hand. On such
occasions the corridor of the white
house and the broad avenues leading
up to the big front doors are alive
with detectives, to prevent the entrance
of any evil-disposed persons. First
come the chief justice and associate
justices of the supreme court. Ten
minutes time is allotted to this part
of the reception. The supreme court
is given distinction because it consti-
tutes a coordinate branch of the fed
eral government. The congressional
branch is next admitted.
Thirty minutes are allowed for the
reception of senator's and representa-
tives. Then the officers of the army and
navy, followed by the leading officials
of the executive departments, are re-
ceived during the brief period OF 10
minutes. Then come the members of
the diplomatic corps, comprising the
envoys, ministers and other representa-
tives of foreign nations, all of them
dressed in their uniforms, according to
their rank and title. These gentle
men, with the officers of our army and
navy, give a dazzling display of gold
lace and decorations of honor. Short
! ly after one o'clock, the official recep-
I tion having been concluded, the doors
are opened to the waiting thousands of
plain people who come ostensibly to
''pay their respects" to the president,
but really to be in the swim so that they
may afterwards tell their friends that
they attended the presidents recep-
tion, and give details of what they saw
and heard.
The best place to see the reception in
detail, if you can get inside of the man
sion, is in the main corridor where the
Marine band is playing all the while.
Through the open window ia
n