The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-02-26
WASHINGTON LETTER.
King Edwards Mistake - He Was
Once Riley's Partner-Exhibi-
tion of Washington Artists.
Especial Correspondence

p was expressed In diplomatic
circles over the dispatch from King Ed
ward VII to the president in answer tc
the latter's personal cable of condo.
lence by the address on the kings tele.
gram. His cable was addressed pres.
ident of United States, White House,
Washington" For one who is SO pune.
tilious in matters Of ceremony. Ell.
quette and dress as King Edward ii
seems strange thai he should not know
the official title of the presidents resi-
dence is the executive mansion and not
the White House. All formal commu-
nicatiOns of the president are dated the
executive mansion. The White House
has no formal standing. 1t is only a
term Of endearment bestowed upon it
by the American people.
After the executive mansion was de.
stroyed by the British in 1914 and re-
stored the blackened walls were paint.
ed white, and the name white House,
was adopted in remembrance Of the
home of President Washington's moth
er, her house being known by that
title. When the cable from King Ed
ward vas received, there was some
discussion in official circles as to the
propriety of editing it before it was
made public. 1t was decided, however,
to give it out just as it came from Os-
borne House, and so the address
white House" stood.
Was Once Riley's Partner.
Out in the town of Peru, Ind, the
other day there was discovered an in
teresting relic Of James Whitcomb Ri
ley's former vocation. On the third
floor of a building once used as a hall
for the meeting of the Red Men some
decorations were found half hidden by
plaster and dust, and in one corner
were the words, "Riley and Ethel"
The discovery has it's interest in
Washington because Ethel is w. ].
Ethel; who is now an employee Of the
senate. Years ago he used to travel
all over Indiana painting signs, his
partner being James Whitcomb Riley.
Many were the experiences which they
had together. Now Riley is writing
poetry and Ethel is working for the
government, but still making pictures.
Every day the weather card which is
posted in the elevator of the west wing
of the capitol is decorated with a
clever sketch, not unmixed with hui
NOR. For on the days when colder
weather is predicted the little card
blossoms out with a seductive picture
of tropical plants growing luxuriantly.
In midsummer. when everybody is
burning up with the heat and when a
breath from the arctic zone would be
worth 81 Il minute, Ethel covers the
weather card with huge icebergs,
which seem cool, even though they be
merely fictions of the brain.
The Art Exhibition.
The capital is becoming ambitious
in an artistic way, as is evidenced by
the circular sent out by the committee
having in charge the eleventh annual
Of Washington artists. The
is addressed to artists through
out the country, who are invited to
exhibit their works. The exhibits
eligible. it states, are original works
by living artists in oil. pastel, burnt
wood. miniature and sculpture not
exhibited in Washington.
This year. through the cooperation
and generosity of the trustees Of the
Corcoran gallery and the associated
members. the society offers prizes of
800 and $50. respectively. to be
awarded for the three best paintings.
The transportation OF works OF fne
art from artists invited to exhibit will
be paid out of the society's funds. The
local artists are working as one man
For the success of the exhibition, which
promises to excel any Of this charac-
ter so far given.
Ice Cream For the Pages. ll"
Every day a biz freezer of ice cream
Is made in the senate restaurant. No
ever eats ice cream in the day.
time. and the few ladies who take
lunch in the restaurant rarely call for
It. The chief patrons of the frozen
food are the page boys.
The love of these youngsters for ice
cream surpasses all understanding. 1t
a purely juvenile taste, and they in
1ulge in 1t to their hearts content. The
sandwich. the %succulent pie,
the ninety and nine other things that a
sensible man would select for his lunch
have no attractions for the bright little
fellows. They want ice cream and
Of it. At lunchtime half a doz-
en- pages can be see burying their
noses into heaped up plates Of ice
while their faces are the very
mirrors of contentment.
Excursion Trolley Car.
Visitors at Washington will find a
new facility for seeing the sights. A
company has been formed to run spe-
cial excursion cars over the tracks of
the electric lines at the special rate Of
so cents a head. The cars are of a spe-
cial build and deliberately finished and
fitted. and they do not take the general
traffic. They run from n end of the
city to the other and out on the branch