The National tribune., 1902-10-09
WHITE HOUSE RELICS.
The National Chtna-Soldered Silver Not UI
common-Mrsss Roosevelt's Choice.

Very misleading stories have gone ou
about the fire in an upholsterer's establish
ment in Washington, in which it wa,
stated that valuable White House relic.
in the shape of old furniture had been de
stroyed. The house burned was a little
shop where few of the common piece:
of furniture Of the White House had beer
taken to be repaired. There was not g
valuable thing, historically speaking, il
the whole lot There is very little left
in the White House that is of historic
value.
During the Cleveland Administration as
much of the old furniture as could be re-
placed was packed off and sold. Some OF
1t was very old, and was of solid ma
| hogany, and because of its Quaintress OF
design and associations with past Admin.
| lstratlons ought to have been preserved
There were some rare old vases in the
| White House, also, and these Mrs. Cleve-
land had packed away in the attic. Then
there was set of silver teaspoons that
beautiful Dolly Madison had used when
she was mistress of the White House.
They were very heavy, and clumsy COM
pared with the delicate spoons in use to-
day, but Mrs. Cleveland did not like them,
and so she sent them to the melting pot,
and there came back to her just three
times as many spoons as she sent to the
jewelers., there being that difference in
the weight Of the spoons.
When Mrs. Mckinley came to the
White House, she had all the relics
brought out and put in their proper places
many of these had got displaced" and
people who want to see them will have to
look about in favored Washington homes
for them.
The breakage in White House china is
something appalling. Each President is
almost obliged to have set of dishes
made for State use if he would not have
the Executives table look as though it
had been set with dishes from bargain
store. The china that was painted for
Mrs. Hayes was a nightmare in vivid
reds and green's, blues and yellows. The
fruit sets were painted in fruit, the fish
sets in finny monsters, and so on through
the list. They cost lot of money, but
gave one indigestion to look at them. One
of the prettiest sets ever in the White
House. and of which very few pieces are
yet in existence, was that ordered by Mrs.
Grant. 1t was finest French china with
yellow band about it am the coat of
arms of the United States in colors. The
Harrison china had deep blue band with
shields in colors
The new china ordered by Mrs Roose-
welt IS PLAIN white with gold bands and
stars with the diverse side of the Great
Seal of the United States done in gold.
1t will be odd, and not particularly pretty.
Very few people who eat from the dishes
will know just what the seal is, as it never
has been cut for use. 1t is very Masonic
in effect. 1t is said that Washington Sc
lected it with an eye to that.
Nearly all occupants of the White
House have had to practice economy to
make "both ends meet" on the appropria-
tions for maintenance of the Executive
Mansion. One of the very old sets of
solid silver is of quaint design and is beau
tifully chased with repousse work repre-
senting grapes in clusters. The cream
pitcher, sugar bowl and one of the tea
pots wore into holes, and has been patched
up with solder several times.