Washington sentinel., 1900-12-08

now hold 3s7 at White House receptions
The Cabinet, now containing eight
members, then had but FIVE. The DIP
lomatlc corps was a small handful OF
foreigners. President Adams coup
entertain the Senate and Cabinet to-
gether in the state dining room, built 10
accommodate but 40 guests; President
Mckinley must spread his board In
long, narrow corridor running east anu
west through the center OF the oullolng.
without windows. In Adams's time all
nublic officers in Washington coulo
gather In the White House, each having
an opportunity to chat with the Fissl'
dent. At the Mckinley receptions,
entering guests must proceed by way Oh
his private dining room to avoid contiict
with those departing, who are dismissed
through one of the front windows on
the other side and over bridge span
ming the deep areaway surrounding 'ne
house.
The White House of 1900 is no larger
than that Of 300. although Washington
especially designed 1t to be enlarged
from time to time. When John Adams
moved into it a century ago 1t was not
too large for his needs. Mrs. Adams salu
that it was "very we'll prOportioned TO
the Presidents salary" then $25 600
wear. Nevertheless, the Adamses would
not recognize the White House OF TO-DAY
as that which they occupied in ISco' II
viewing its exterior alone. Then 1t was
isolated, without a sheltered entrance
without fences, and without lawn. lhere
was a plain chimney on each OF the
front corners, and two more nearer the
centre. A straight, narrow path LED
from the mud and slush OF Pennsylvania
Avenue, then running back ofthe man
sion, to the unpretentIous front door,
now at the rear of the building. The
surface drainage water from the east
flowed in a muddy creek almost encir-
cling the house. The surrounding
grounds were an overgrown waste IN
terspersed with truck patches. Along
Pennsylvania Avenue there were Out
two houses between the Executive
Mansion and GEORGETOWN, and but two
more between it and the Capitol
Drinking water for the Presidents
household was piped from spring IN
trsnklin Park, six squares away, Inc
plastering was still wet on the walls
Not room was furnished. THE light
ing Of the apartments from The kitcF en- to
parlors and chambers is a tax, indeed,
but the fires we are obliged to keep to
secure us from daily agueS are cheering
wrote Mrs. Adams to her daughter.
"Bells are wholly wanting; not one
hung through the whole house, ana
promises are all we can obtain" Few
Improvements had been made by Jam
uary, 1901, when she and her husband
gave the first New Years reception held
in the house. The first floor being still
wholly unfinished, the guests had to
mount to the second floor and greet the
President and his receivIrg party in
what IS now the Presidents libray. a
large oval room directly over the blue
parlor The first New Years guests,
unable to obtain carriages enough to
carry them over the knee deep mud OF
the streets, had to order vehicles from
Baltimore
This same White House which has
sheltered the Adamses and the McKin
leys is the oldest public building in.
Washington. There is record Of one
brief occasion when it sheltered also
George and Martha Washington. They
walked through it on tour ofinspectlon
in 1893, but a few weeks before the first
Presidents death. II is all the more
hallowed on this account. Washington
had been present in 1892 when the
corner stone was laid with Masonic
ceremonies. The same year, through
his three commissioners, appointed to
govern the District OF Columbia, he had
advertised for a design for "tne Presi-
dents House" He offered premium
of $500 to the architect submitting the
best plan. This was won by James
Hoban, a young Irish architect OF
Charleston, S. c. Hoban's design
closely copied that OF the Duke Of Lein-
ster's palace in Dublin Work was
begun at once, but difficulty in raising
funds prolonged it for more than eight
years. The walls were OF Virginia sand
stone, quarried near the Capital City.
A S to how the mansion first treceived the
name "White House" is still moOted
question. Some historians state that
this was out of respect for Martha Wash.
ington, whose childhood home in Vir-
ginia was so He'd. Others claim that
the name was suggested by the white
paint always adorning its exterior since
the British disfgured the walls in 1874.
When the Adamses moved into the
mansion i. had cost. all told, quarter
Of million dollars.