Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-14
THE NEW WHITE HOUSE
A VISITOR TO THEMANsIoN Elk
PRESSES HIMsEnR FREELY.
Criticises the Inaccusaey Of Several
Published Statements In Regard
to Home Of thesHesident.

Il beg leave to disagree On several salient
points with the writer IN The Star of Sat-
urday last in bestowIns almost unlimited
praise upon the 'rejuvenated mansion as
he terms the new White House." said a
recent visitor to the abode of the President
and his family to Star reporter today.
ITO be explicit" continued the visitor, 1.-The
writer speaks of the White House as the
ancient but rejuvenated mansion of today
Yes. 1t is indeed rejuvenated-more's the
pity. But it is the inaccuracy Of the arti-
Gle in many respects that attracts the at
tention of those who have known the old
White House as one knows an old friend
always the same, its history. traditions, as
sociations, everything that made 1t beloved
and revered by the American people.
1t Is fair to the writer to say that he IS
correct on two points. The White House Is
'rejuvenated,' there can be no possible doubt
of that The REGENERATION cost more than
half a million dollars there can be no
doubt of that. either. In the next para
solved to reserve the entire building as a
residence for executive families, but in
spite of Congress he adds: The public will
hereafter be admitted to parts of the man
siOn.' Congress has never adopted reso-
luton nor intimated an intention to make
the White House private residence for
Presidents and their families Formerly the
executive offices occupied quite One-half the
second floor Of the White House. Their re-
moval to the new executive building gives
much-needed accommodations, in the entire
second floor Of the White House, to the
President and family. The second floor is
practically the President 8 private residence.
This is just what Congress intended-no
more, no less, as a residence for 'execu-
tive families
The State Apartments.
1.-THE first floor, in all its purposes, re-
mains the same. The state apartments,
which include the east room. red, blue and
green parlors, state dining room and corr1-
DOR are no more a part of the Presidents
residence than before the White House was
'rejuvenated.' They are open at entertain
ments, receptions, official and public and
every day visitors see them under the same
limitations that prevailed In former admin
istrations. The east room, now as before Is
open to the public every week day from ~
clock until 2 O'Clock. Visitors In small
parties are taken through the other rooms,
thus having the privilege and pleasure OF
seeing the entire first floor OF the Whlte
House, with the exception Of the private or
family. dining room.
II will not quarrel with the writer for
naming the east subway the new basement
picture gallery After all, what Is IN a
name. But it is the writer's discovery In
the new basement picture gallery tiistl
will be delightful surprise to people all
over the country. 1t is a complete coliec-
ton of official portraits OF the mlstresses Oh
the White House. According to the writer
this collection includes the portrait or the
present mistress of the White House, and
they are all in the new basement picture
gallery except Martha Washington, VINO
has place of honor among the Presidents
themselves upstairs.
well, 1t Is nice to know that the portrait
of ho Vas ptO first
President, but never mistress OF the w mite
House, has it's proper places The cold fact
is, that while there is q complete collection
Of portraits Of Presidents there has never
been anything like a complete collection Of
portraits of mistresses of the White House.
There are portraits of six women who have
presided over the White House-Mrs. Van
Buren,, the daughter-fn-law of President
Van Buren,; Mrs Tyler, the second wife Of
President Tyler; Mrs.siP Polk, Mrs. Hayes,
Mrs Harrison and Mrs. Roosevelt. In the
old White House the first five hung In the
state parlors. In the rejuyenated mansion
all hang in the east subway The mistresses
Of the White House whose portraits are not
included in the complete collection are:
Mrs. John Adams, the first mistress Of the
White House; Mrs. Madison, Mrs. Monroe,
Mrs. John Quincy Adams, Mrs. Taylor, Mrs.
Fillmore, Mrs. Pierce, Miss Harriet Lane,
niece Of President Buchanan: Mrs. Lincoln.
Mrs. Johnson, Mrs Grant, Mrs. Garfield,
Mrs. Cleveland and Mrs. Mckinley.
''The writer in The Star refers to the
famous Stuart portrait of George Washing
which Dolly Madison cut from it's frame
with her hairpin, presumably to save 1t
from the British in the war Of 1872. The
little romance of the hairpin is all very
we'll, but 1t Is a surprise to Mr.. Andrews
friends to learn that he painted the portrait
of President Washington a hundred years
ago.
The Famous East Room.
I'm the writer's description of the east
room he makes 1t the scene of several
funerals and one marriage-the marriage Of
President Cleveland. 1t is not SO long ago
that one should forget President Cleveland
was married in the blue room. The people
would be glad to believe that the three
great crystal chandeliers still hang from
the ceiling as stated, though everything
else had been 'rejuvenated' to the auction
room or junk shop. Now, II the writer had
looked up to the east room ceiling he would
have seen, not the beautiful crystal chan
delier of the old White House, but the new
bronze bands and glass bulbs of the 'reju-
venated mansion
in his romanticisms, though his optimistic
assurance Of sunlight in the White House
Is most important in this germ cha sing
notwithstanding age. For the first time in
twenty years the southern sunlight shines
through the entire lower floor says Mr.,
Watkins. Why has the southern sunlight
been twenty years struggling to get in to
the lower floor of the White House? Oh,
it is very simple-the getting in finally
The central corridor. into which all rooms
of the first floor open, has been restored to
its original majest.-.' Then we learn that
the screen glass partition placed during
President Arthur's administration dividing
the corridor from the large vestibule has
been removed throwing the two into one
great hail. 1t has been many more than
twenty years that the southern sunlight
has been trying to get in to the first floor
of the White House The Tiffany glass
partition in President Arthurs day repiaced
the unsightly wood partition that had been
there as many years before. But now,
even with the corridor restored to It's origi-
nal majesty the ordinary mind fails to
comprehend how the southern sunlight
shines beyond it's old boundaries of windows
and doors, which remain unchanged Has
the southern sunlight been 'rejuyenated,
too?'
For Home Needs sold Braddock"