The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-03-24
THE DEPARTMENT OF
PHYSICAL Ct<N"
Now Located In the White House in
What Was the Cabinet Room.
BY R. NJ. Larner.


BY R. NJ. Larner.
Washington. March 22.-President
Roosevelt has delivered another severe
shock to the worshipers at the shrine
of Jeffersonian simplicity at the
White House, by Transforming the for
mer cabinet room into what he play
fully calls The Department of Physi-
cal Culture of the present administra-
ton
few days ago the President enter
tanned a few personal friends at
luncheon. After cigars and coffee, he
escorted his guests through the reno
waited mansion and personally explain
ed the various alterations. which have
occasioned more or less criticism.
In the party were one or two persons
who believe in the preservation of the
old traditions and historic features of
the Presidents house and they could
not be induced to stifie their honest
convictions and enthuse over some of
the changes made on the basement
, and main floors.
The RELOCATION of the portraits of
former mistresses of the White House.
and the removal of the ornamental and
popular conservatory, were viewed
with mild expressions of disapproba-
ton by some of the guests.
The President then invited his WIS.,
ltors TO accompany him up stairs to
see the improvements made on the liv-
ing or bedroom floor. Rooms which
were formerly occupied by the execu-
tive force have been converted into
sleeping apartments to afford ample
accommodations for the Presidents
large family and liberal number of
house guests. The rooms in which the
Prince of Wales slept, when he was a.
guest of President Buchanan, and that
in which Garfield suffered so long be-
fore he was carried to Long Branch to
Ole, nave undergone no material change
except in furnishings and decoration
FINALLY the room, which for more
than two generations has been used
as the sacred council chamber of pres
ldentS and their respective cabinets,
was reached. President Roosevelt
threw open the door and invited his
guests to enter. The visitors stood
agast on the threshold. There were
no indications or reminders of Lin
coin and his political advisors seated
at the cabinet table, approving the
emancipation proclamation, or of
Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleve-
land, Harrison, Mckinley or the long
line of presidents who had preceded
them, observable in the room. No sug-
gestion of the great national problems
that had been fought out by the giant
lntellects in the room in days gone by.
Instead of a cabinet table or any,
thing of historic association on the
walls, the room was comparatively
bars. In place was a varied asserting
or sporting and athletic goods, includ-
ing boxing gloves, sword sticks, fencing
swords and foils, padded vests, and
gloves and other implements used by
the President and his physical train
er, General Wood, in their frequent ex-
ercising bouts. The President enthused
over the room and what occurs there
so frequently, but some of his guests
were almost forced to an impression
that it was closely verging on to sac
rilege or a dissertation of sacred ter
ritory TO thus ruthlessly brush aside
all the cherished recollections of what
mad occurred in the most historic
apartment in the White, House and to
convert 1t into training quarter for
strenuous president. Hereafter it is
to be recalled as the scene where Gen.
Wood thumped the President over the
head with a sword stick, raising a
bumpi larger than a birds egg on the
presidential forehead, of where Gen;
Wood "swiped"' the president on the
wrist and disabled him for several
days. These little items of national
sporting interest, President Roosevelt
delights to mention, ana he prayfulIy
remarks that modesty forbids him from
saying, and the newspap ers have been
eloquently silent in relating, what the
President has done to Gen. Wood in
some of their exercising stunts"
1t was generally supposed that what
the President calls the department Of
physical culture of this administlh-
ton" was located in the basement in
one of the rooms formerly used as a
billiard room or laundry, hence the
shock will be all the greater to those
who are disposed to resent and con-
denim the passing of so many of the
historic features of the White House,
and the introduction of modern inn
provements. without regard to serlti-
ment or expense. 1t will come as a ter
rible blow to those who revere and
cherish all the old. simple and glorious
associations which once clustered so
thickly around the former cabinet
room, to know, for the first time, that
it has been converted into private
gymnasium for the youngest President
in the history of the United States.