The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-14

low, hit-and-miss stripes and alb, high
posted bedstead, upon which her own
Dutch ancestors may have slept, and
other similar relics. In her parlor was an
antique spinnet, like that at Mount YER
non, upon which Nelly Gusts used to
"preform''-for the old-fashioned ladies
never played the piano." you know. 1t
Is beautifully carved and inlaid, and al
though as musical instrument il has
ceased to be more than sounding brass, it
will harmonic well with the general tone
of the colonial mansion at Princeton. An
other 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 ev-
cry day, She has no private secretary, as
she ought to have, and her correspon-
dence. all of which she undertakes 10 re-
ply to herself, is something astonishing.
She is the first Presidents wife, at least
for many years, who has done this unatd-
ed. Mrs. Harrison had the efficient assist
ance of her daughter and her daughter-in-
law. and Mrs. Dimmick, and Mrs. Morton
employed Mrs. Hunt, the daughter of Gar
fields Secretary of the Navy. Perhaps it
was on this account that the last card re-
ception given at the white house suffered
or rather a number of people suffered
severe heart-burnings from a fancied
slight. Somehow "a large number of invi-
tations 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 sheet or skipped a page, will never
be known. Among the omitted ones were
several ladies of the diplomatic corps,
wives of senators and representatives, and
others prominent in society. OF course
they said nothing, until their absence was
commented On-then surprise and attempt
at explanation. However, the absentees'
places were rather more than filled by the
lmperuent non-inVited guests, who man
aged somehow to evade the ushers and
crowd in without cards, and made them
selves quite at home in the white house.
Just now the Presidential family are en-
gagged in the unique task of looking over
and disposing of four years accumulation
of gifts. 1t is a labor which all Presidents,
from washington down, have had to per-
form before leaving the white house, in
order to make room for similar testimo-
mails which their successors are bound to
receive; but none of them ever had quite
so stupenduouS a 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 grows larger year by year.
Since the fourth of March, 1898 seldom a
day has passed without bringing several
packages to the white house-gifts of every
imaginable sort from all parts of the coun-
try, and the great, roomy garnet of the
mansion contains thousands upon thous-
ands Of them. Nine-tenths of them have
never been opened, and now Mrs. CleVe-
land insists that they shall all be looked
over and some wise disposition made of
every one. But what in the world to do
with them is puzzle! Perhaps the most
numerous articles in the inventory are
sporting outfits-guns, game-baskets, car
fridge belts, fishing rods, reels, lines
mighty hunter and an angler has over
topped all his other laures in the public
mind. Next in number comes the photo
graphs; many thousands of them, nearly
all accompanied by letters, ludicrous or
pathetic. Mothers send pictures of their
dead children, sure that Mrs. Cleveland's
mother heart will sympathize and cherish
them. Portraits oflurchins named Gro
ver'' and Francis" there are galore
most of them crayons in wide gilt frames,
which are always acknowledged by a
kindly letter with the Presidents sigma
ture at the bottom, doubtless to be cher
ished as an heirloom forever after: but
IL he were to hang them all in their clum-
sy settings he would have to hire a hall
bigger than the Princeton mansion. There
are also many photographs from gentle
men who have detected in their own phys
Economies a startling resemblance to Mr..
Cleveland. AS to patent medicines-that
garnet contains enough to stock a drug
away. The funniest part of the collection
are the mascots. coins, lucky stones left
hind feet Of graveyard rabbits, and all
such truck-enough 20 insure uninterrupt-
ed good luck through fifty generations of
Cleveands, and all vouched for by some
marvellous story. The things that most
by homely country folks-bed-quilts of the
CRAZY and 'log-cabin" patterns which
represent months Of sewing and embroid-
ering, pieces of rag-carpet, one of them
made from bits of clothing worn by seven
generations of the same family; knitted
and crocheted articles, and other handl-
work of industrious women, all OF which
will be treasured. 1t is the duty of Sec
rotary Thurber 20 receive all gifts and to
acknowledge them. when II IS advisable
TO do so. or TO return them with a polite
note explaining why the President cannot
accept them. of course anything in the
purely advertising line must be sent back
Every time a bran new cigar is put upon
the market, the manufacturer sends a box
to the President in the hope of securing
a standardization Il Is well kD-5wa
that Mr. Cleveland never smokes saSazg.
1t would be a fine card for the msaufac-
turers Of many articles IL they could adj
vertise that che PresiG~E4s ~ the United
Stat0c w. esem.