The record-union., 1897-01-17
Many Beautiful Women Have GraCed Its
Corridors.
Since the Republic Began Eighteen
Ladies' Have Reigned and the Home
Awaits the Nineteenth.


spouse of the nations first chief execu-
tive presided was on Market street.
Philadelphia. Mrs. Adams also held
most of her receptions there. and it was
not until near the end of her husbands
term that the executive mansion was
built.
Mrs. Mckinley is an invalid, and so it
is feared that she will not be able to
endure the strain incident to the recep-
tions usually held at the White House.
During these social functions the first
lady of the land is obliged to stand for
| hours and shake hands with hundreds
OF people, which is extremely fatiguing
even for strong woman 1t is hoped
that Mrs. Mckinley will set the fashion
| for future Presidents wives of sitting
at her receptions and give up the Gus
tom of Misunderstanding. She has a most
lllustrious example to follow if she
chooses to do so. in Martha Washington,
who received all her guests seated.
Mrs. Mckinley is a very sweet-look-
ing woman, with large, handsome eyes,
fringed with dark lashes. She has soft,
gray hair, which she wears in the fash
ION so prevalent just now, parted in
the middle and brought in pretty waves
down the sides of her head. ending in a
simple knot at the back. She has most
gracious manners and great tact and is
destined to be one of the most popular
mistresSes the White House has ever
had. She has a passion for flowers
which she will be able to crafty to her
hearts content. The large conservator-
les belonging to the executive mansion
Will supply her with wagon loads of
roses whenever she chooses to order
them plucked. If these do not satisfy
her, she can have all the blossoms raised
by the propagating gardens. Mrs.
Cleveland has always fourteen big vases
filled with fresh cut flowers every day,
but Mrs. Mckinley can have many
times that number if she desires.
Mrs. Cleveland is probably the most
popular chief executives wife the
country has ever known. The great
secret of her success lies in her charm
ing manners and wonderful memory for
faces. If she cnce sets a person she
never fol gets him or her The next
time the individual appears, she calls
her by name, and seems SO pleased al
renewing the acquaintance that the
ether cannot help being greatly flat
tered. This IS marvellous faculty for
Anybody who sees SO many hundreds of
new faces all the time. Mrs. Cleveland
youth and beauty also have made
many admirers for her
If Mrs. Mckinley, with her good
ness and gentleness, can take the place
in the hearts of the people now oc-
curied by Mrs. Cleveland, she will in
Ceed be fortunate. The merry prattle
Of the three little Cleveland children
will be sadly missed during the next
administration, as the McKinleys are
childless. Mrs. Mckinley is SO extreme
ly delicate that she is net often we'll
enough to drive, and so all the horses
and carriages belonging to the White
House will be of very little use to her
Mrs. Harrison was thoroughly good
end feminine woman. Her great am
bition after becoming mistress of the
White House was to make the execu-
tive mansion more habitable. 1t is at
present a big Office building, with lit
tie space for privacy for the President
and his family. Mrs. Harrison is the
only person who has suggested a prac-
ticable plan for its enlargement with
cut disturbing the house as it now
stands. She had plans all drawn for
wings to be added at both ends, but
before she could carry out her designs
she died, to the great grief of the ma
tion as she was loved by all There is
a. present no place for more pictures in
the White House, and she intended to
have a large art gallery for the por-
traits of all the Presidents and their
wives and also other prominent Ameri-
can citizens.
President Arthur was a widower
when he came to the White House. He
made his administration famous for
dinner parties such as never had been
given in the executive mansion before,
and the like of them will not be eaten
there again in this generation probably
A. these repasts the most costly and
delicious wines were served and the
guests assembled around the board
were people who knew how to appre-
ciate the luxurious living in which the
soul Of the disdinc u shed host delighted
Mrs Garfield was destined to rule the
executive mansion only four months
before her husband was murdered The
price she paid for the honor was indeed
dreadful, and every American woman
should sympathize with her. She was a
slight little lady with piquant manners,
her pretty brown hair showing a few
gray threads. She had beautiful blue
eyes and high forehead, was pale and
delicate looking. She was very clever
and kept up with all her husbands
studies. She was very devoted moth
er and simply idolized President Gar
field
Mrs. Hayes was a woman of medium
hight. She was squarely built, and had
large features, with fine gray eyes and
beautiful glossy black hair She was
the first college-bred lady of the White
House, having graduated from the Wes-
leyan Female University. She always
dressed very simply, wearing a plain
black silk gown at the time of her hus-
bands inauguration. During her resi-
dence there she celebrated her silver
wedding. On that occasion she wore the
same costume and slippers that had
adorned her on her marriage day, and as
far as possible had the same guests
present. While she was mistress of the
executive mansion was the only time in
recent years that refreshments have
been served at the receptions. The
Hayes spent thousands of dollars on
these entertainments, and the only
thanks they ever got was abuse for not
providing wine.
The first reception given by Mrs.
Grant at the White House was just
eighty years after the very first of the
social events ever held by a Presidents
wife, when Mrs. Washington received
her guests as helpmeet of the Father of
His Country. and dispensed hospitality
woman of her age. She is very cour-
a aoeOuS and has a happy faculty of