The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-30
THAT CLEVELAND BABY
GROVER, JR., HAS BLUE EYES AND
WEIGHS ABOUT TWELVE POUNDS.
Mother and Son Reported to BE Doing
Well - Interesting Gossip About
the Former Presidents Family.

A
PRINCETON, N j., Oct 29-Master
Cleveland entered upon the second day Of
his life this morning. never dreaming what
stir he had created in the world. All day
long kilograms of congratulation have been
pouring in from Cabinet officers political
leaders, party men and both per-
sonal and professional friends of
Mr.. Cleveland. Mrs. Cleveland rested
comfortably and her little son is
doing well. The infant heir has blue eyes,
hair that is like mist, and lungs that make
his cries resound till his sister Marion rolls
her eyes in amaZement. He is strong, and
the nurse whispers. although she knows
very we'll that it is not a very dignifed
thing to say--that he weighs twelve pounds.
There is little else to say, since in him the
father and the mother have their fondest
wish realized. Mrs. Cleveland, in preparing
the swaddling Clothes had bought only
pink ribbons, and shaken her head with
charming confidence when her friends had
offered blue ribbons-that are for girl ba-
bies always. Mrs. Cleveland made herself
the prettiest pieces of the child's layette,
work which, to a motherly woman like her,
is much more important than weaving in
tapestry the battle of Hastings, though the
tapestry is an historical monument and the
layette may not be.
Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland were married
June e 1886. Mr.. Cleveland was serving his
first term as President at the time, ana
there was no act of whatever diplomatic
importance in which the whole people took
such an interest as this one. Mrs. Cleveland,
being the first bride of the land, was looked
upon as the handsomest bride of the land,
and all the women over the country Won
dered, as women always do, how sueh
homely man won such a eazzlingly beauti-
full woman. She was taken at once into the
mistress-ship of the White House, and So
ciety at the capital took on life which it had
lacked with plain, matter-o1-lact ola
bachelor in the chair.
Mrs. Cleveland was more an issue in the
next campaign than her husband, and it
was said all over the land that had the
women been doing the voting she would
hays been returned to the presidential man.
sion She had made friends without regard
to politics. and the regret that she was not
reelected was made more intense Dy an
event which happened shortly afterWard-
the birth of the first baby in the CleVe-
land family. This was in October, 1871.
Mrs. Cleveland named the tot Ruth ~ non
or Of her mother, and in three months the
family moved from the Madlson-avenue
house in New York city down 90 Lakewood,
Il
PRESBYTERIAN Church at Buzzard bay, OIL
ciated at the baptism.
Mrs. Cleveland and Baby Ruth We're i'm
nortant factors in the campaign OF 1oJz.
me Democratic women wanted a Demo-
cratic baby in the White House, anu Hldlly
a poor wavering husband was led 70 VpGs
FOR the tot and her mother to please ms
own wife and keep peace In ms own ldlhlly.
The campaign songs bore upon Mrs. CIeNe-
land and the baby MI Gl lie na w w3
the more beautiful in her motnerhoou:
President Cleveland was in the midst OF
problems of state and perplexed with ior-
eien trouble when all questions foreign.
Diplomatic or international were cropped
In the face of the incident domestic-the9
daughter. This arrival was sept. y, 1896
1t was the theme of conversation among
so. 0O0 900 people above all other on earth "a.
President Cleveland went into history as
the only President who had ever done sucn
a thing-weicomed child into MS Iamlly
while living. in the White House Lnep9
in the interim between the terms OF oflclal
life This was christened esther
the first girl and Mr.. Cleveland asserted
his right to name the second, ana ne
thought Esther was pretty name with
pretty history. She was baptlzed III the
White House Feb 49, 1894.
President Cleveland had barely recovered
from the congratulations over Esther tnan
congratulations were resumed for Marion.
This added quite as much to Mr.: CleVe-
lands fame as did Esther, since If he went
into history as the IrSI man TO De ldtueI
during his official life, he demanded double
credit for being the only President who
had been twice a father in his second term.
The family was getting big at this time
and the troubles of the average household
were being heralded from the stately White
House Marion was still sounding the myS-
teries Of her silver-rimmed bottle, while
Ruth was cooped up in the nursery with
the measles Esther had all the symptoms
of thoroughly regular and invariably ex-
pected difficulty with appetite and the bad
effects of wrong food upon the same.
Marion was born July z, 1895, at Gray Ca
bles President Cleveland did not say much;
but any man who has all the girls in the
family he can use knew what he thought
President Cleveland was said to be q
faithful reader of the column which adver
tised for boys. A sign of boy Wanted
used to fill him with anguish and deepest
sympathy for the man who hung it in front
of his store. He knew that boy was neces-
sary to save the name of Cleveland from
being merely a name in history. King Rich
ard never yearned more heartily for horse
nor ever more willingly offered his kingdom
for one than did President Cleveland for no
more girls He is probably the happiest
man in all the world. and he can now see
his heir grown to manhood and proud of his
father who sat two terms in the White
House Mrs. Cleveland shares his Joy, ard
there was never a happier household in all
Princeton or all America than the Cleve-
land ut this moment
A year ago. at the Princeton sesqui-cen-
tennisl celebration, during the torchlight
parade which was reviewed by Mr.. and
Mrs Cleveland, a transparency carried by
the class of IS read:
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