The age-herald., 1901-04-14
She NDhMe Mouse is Run cheapAg,

tahlishment. Cleveland had chance to
 spend s74,00O of extra cash on the house,
 and Benjamin Harrison put $96,00o of gov
 ernment money into 1t, outside of the reg
 ular annual appropriations
 Over $7oo,ooo for Furniture.
 Altogether over s7OOOOo has been spent for furnishing and repairing tho White House up to date. Some of the extra
 money given to President Hayes was | spent by Mrs. Hayes for much needed. l china. When she became mistress of the l mansion she found 1t woefully deficient | In this respect, the supply on hand being
 mainly a heterogeneous collection of odd l dishes. So she sent to France for set
 of 1000 pieces, for which she paid. 5000. l and this outfit is used at the present time l for state dinners. Later Mrs. Harrison bought 496 pieces of cut glass, twentyfour dozen plates and five dozen coffee cups. the china costing $SS2 and the glass $1973.
 The plates were adorned with designs
 representing the wild flowers of this coun-
 try. and each cup was ornamented in
 blue, with a gilt rim inside and the arms
 of the United States at the bottom.
 When Mrs Mckinley came to the White
 House she brought no tableware or linen
 with her. In fact, no President ever
 brings any property to Washington, be-
 yond clothing and n few personal belong
 ings. The Harrison crockery Is used in
 the privatae dining-room. supplemented
 by the fragmentary remains of the Lin
 coin and Grant sets. The Lincoln plates
 have blue border, In which are gilt stars
 to represent the States. while the Grant
 plates are ornamented with yellow bor-
 der and floral designs in the center.
 Presidents silverware.
 The public seems to take an extraordi- | nary interest in the smallest bit of intelli- | gence relating to the domestic affairs of 1 the White House. Half dozen years
 ago report was telegraphed all over the | country to the effect that a mysterious l order had been given to a certain firm | of silverworkers for an elaborate and 1 costly set of silverware for the Executive | Mansion. It was tremendous secret. but | Investigation disclosed the fact that only l a gravy boat had been purchased to take l the place of one which had been con | demned. The condemnation of the old | gravy boat gave rise to another rumor, widely published, to the effect that Mir. | Cleveland had ordered lot of the his
 toric Dolly Madison spoons to be melted. | It Is worth mentioning as a fact that | most of the silverware now in the White
 House was bought when Monroe was | President. Every piece of 1t is marked
 with the American eagle and the words. | Presidents House." Van Buren's fa-
 nous gold spoons, which raised such
 howl on the score of extravagance when | they were purchased are still in use, but
 alas! they are getting white in spots. be- l ing only silver. gilded. All the rest of
 the metal ware is solid silver except the | knives. most of which are plated, with
 handles of mother-of-pearl.
 | Through the length of the White House l runs a corridor nearly twenty feet wide
 save that on the lower floor it stops short | at the east room. which, S0x40 feet in | dimensions. extends the full width of the 1 building. On the first floor this passage
 way is separated from the great vestibule | by the jewcled screen already mentioned, | and on either side it opens into various | parlors and into the state and private | dining--ooms The private dining-room | Of the President adjoins the vestibule. 1 though not connected with the latter, and | Is the most homelilsc apartment in the | mansion, with a round extension table, | leather-covered mahogany chairs, big l open fireplace, and two huge mahogany 1 sideboards. richly carved and adorned with n magnificent display of cut glass 1 and silver.
 | Furniture of the Parlors. 1 On the other side of the corridor and l next to the east room is the green room, 1 papered with del!catae shade of green | and with window -hangings of pale green satin. The blue pa-lor adjoining Is the | handsorrest room in the house, being oval | in shape, furnished in blue and gold, its | ceiling to match. the windows hung with ! blue sa tin ma the walls covered with blue silk. Along the border os the frieze 1 arc clustcrs of incardescert lights. which ! give . charming illumination. Opening | into the blue room Is the red room, which l affords an sx.t to the balcony. where the 1 occupants ot tho White House sometimes, ! sit on summer evenings Yresident Grant l in his day loved to smoke a cigar there | with his cronie..
 Just cppos;e tho pirate dining-room | Ia an electric elevator (always used by 1 Mrs. Mckinley. which until recently was | an obsolete affair run by hydraulic pow | sr, having been p'i. in for tho benefit of l Grandma Garfield. broad stsirway as- ccnds 70 the secoEd story, where the cor ridor, lighted by a stained glass skvlight is utilized as n sitting room. being 1aads 1 cczy and cenfortabie with porttcres. r.,gi and casy chairs. This part Of the rassatss
 way, into which the bedrooms opsr., si
 cut or by partition from the otlcc qpa.
 fcre which; occupy the cast cEd Of tif