The herald., 1897-02-17

l WOTh III dll llHcS WHERE woman WoLA
is good as mems, has been frequently
shown. The last Photographic group
OF the cabinet ladies. made the other
| day, pour prendre congo, which will pass
into history as the circle which existed
at the close of the Cleveland adminis-
tration, was executed by young lady
Miss Franklin Benjamin Johnstone,
| The picture is q beautiful one. The la
dies, with Mrs. Cleveland in the center,
are grouped in one corner of Miss john
! stones attractive studio, in front of q
large open fireplace, surrounded by
bric-a-brac and art treasures. After
wards Mrs. Cleveland posed alone, for
| the first photographs Of herself made
| since 1894. She wore the beautiful gown
and jewels of the New Years reception,
| and 1t is safe to say that the picture will
| be found in many households long after
Mrs. Cleveland has retired to private
life.
THE PRINCETON HOME
| Again in the decorations fthe house
! at Princeton Mrs. Cleveland has shown
| her generous interest in self-support-
| ing women. Miss Grace Lincoln Tenn
pie of Washington--who is perhaps best
| known as the decorator of the woman's
| building at the Atlanta exposition,
' though many handsome houses, here and
I elsewhere, owe their artistic interior to
| her-was employed by the presidents
1 Wlt 10 Superlntenu tHe DECORATIONS ana
\ furnishings of the future home. AS be-
| fits the old colonial mansion house, its
| interior has been treated in the fashion
\ of that period, and all its adornments
are characterized by exceeding simplic-
! ity. The residence, set well back from
the street, half hid in deep shade and
, strawberries. with pillared portico in
front and conservatories on either side,
| is stately and home-like. The wood
work throughout is paintedSwhite, and
| besides the recent addition of steam
| heating arrangements there are several
| deep, wide hearths with brass andirons
| for glorious wood fires. The Woodley
| furniture, much of which is of the old
| colonial date, has already been sent to
| Princeton.
A CABINET HOBBY
| Mrs. Cleveland has a passion for COL
| lecting antique furniture and possesses
many rare articles In the New York
! home where Ruth was born, she had a
| "grandmother's bed room" fitted up
with hand-woven rag carpet twisted
white and yellow, hit-and-miss stripes
and all, high-posted bedstead, upon
which her own Dutch ancestors may have
slept, and other similar relics. In her
parlor was an antique spinet, like that
| at Mount Vernon, upon which Nelly
| Custis used to "perform'-for the old
fashioned ladies never played the pi-
ano," you know. 1t is beautifully carv-
ed and inlaid, and although as a mu-
| sical instrument it has ceased to be
more than sounding base brass, 1t will
harmonize we'll with the general tone
OF the colonial mansion at Princeton,
Another valuable bit of antiquity at
present in the White House, is a queer
little writing desk set up on slender legs,
beside which Mrs. Cleveland spends an
hour or two every day.
She has no private secretary, as she
| ought to have, and her correspondence
all of which she undertakes to reply
to herself-is something astonishing.
She is the first presidents wife, at least
for many years, who has done this un-
aided. Mrs. Harrison had the efficient
assistance of her daughter and her
daughter-in-law, and Mrs. Dimmick:
and Mrs. Morton employed Mrs. Hunt.
the daughter of Garfield's secretary Of
the navy.
A CONTRETEMPS
Perhaps it was on this account that
the last card reception given at the
White House suffered-or rather a num-
Der of people suffered-severe heart
burnings from fancied slight. Some-
how a large number of invitations which
were on Mrs. Cleveland's list never
reached the people to whom they should
have gone-whether because the clerks
who addressed the envelopes lost a
sheet or skipped a page, will never be
known. Among the omitted ones were
several ladies of the diplomatic CORPS
wives of senators and r. Apresentatiyes
ana others prominent in society. OF
course they said nothing until their alb
sence was commented on of their surprise
and attempts at explanation. However
the absentees' places were rather more
tnan filled by the impertinent, non-in-
vited guests, who managed somehow to
evade the ushers and crowd in without
cards and made themselves quite at
home in the White House.
FOUR YEARS ACCOMMODATIONS
Just now the presidential family are
engaged in the unique task Of looking
over and disposing of four years accu-
mutation of gifts. 1t is labor which all
presidents, from Washington down.
have had to perform before leaving the
executive mansion in order to make
room for similar testimonials which
their successors are bound to receive;
but none OF them ever had quite so STU
pendous job on hand as Mr.. and Mrs.
Cleveland-partly owing to the unex-
ampled popularity of the latter. and
also, no doubt, because the population Of
the United States grow larger wear bv
year. Since the 4th of March, 1893. sell
dom day has passed without bring
ing several packages to the White
House-gifts of every imaginable sort
from all parts of the country and the
great, roomy garret Of the mansion con-
tains thousands upon thousands Of,
them. Nine-tenths of them have never
been opened, and now Mrs. Clevelanf
insists that they shall all be looked ovar
and some wise disposition made of every
one But what in the world to do with
them is a puzzle
A SPORTING EMPORIUM.
Perhaps the most numerous articles in
the inventory are sporting outfits-guns,
ame-baskets. cartridge belts, fishing
rods, reels, lines-what not, for Mr..
Clevelands fame as a. mighty hunter
and an angler has overtopped all his
ouher laurels in the public mind.
PHOTOS AND PATENT MEDICINES
Next in number come the photo
graphs, many thousands of them.
nearly all accompanied by letters, ludi-
crous or pathetic. Mothers send pic
lures of their dead children, sure that
Mrs. Cleveland's mother heart will SYM
pathize and cherish them. Portraits Of
urchins named Grover" and Frances"
there are galore-most OF them crayons
and in wide gilt frames, which are AL
ways acknowledged by kindly letter
with the presto Cent's signature at the
bottom, doubtless to be cherished as an
heirloom forever after, but If he were
to hang them all in their clumsy frames
he would have to hire hall bigger than
Il,n Dtttx mat <.s- Ftyv--