The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1905-02-23

| Dublin. Washington laid the corner
stone October Is, 1892, and lived to
see the building completed. John
Adams was the first occupant in 1900.
The White House is beautiful in
its stately simplicity. and the day OF
my visit it appeared unusually
beautiful with the tall drifts of snow
at its feet, the sun shining on the
broad, smooth snow-cOvered lawn
that stretches in front of the mansion
to the high iron fence that separates
it from the side walk. The tall, stately
colonnade of trees were heavy with
snow as were the porte-cochere and
silk, and the windows sparkling with
their tracery of ice gave it the APP
pearance of fairy palace Of some
king of the Realm of Snow.
Just as the snow added new beauties
to the old mansion, so it dwarfted the
little house in the west hollow of the
knoll where the President works.
This is built of brick and is painted
|
the outside and little within. 1t is
plain to barrenness approaching
hideousness.
The ante-chamber into which We
were ushered is cherries and un-
attractive, ornamented by mantel
painted to initiate old colonial wood
and furnished with few chairs and
benches along the sides Of the wall,
where unknown visitors wait their
turn for an audience with the Presi-
dent.
The messengers strOlled up and
down, some with their hands stuck
deep in their pockets, others looking
out of the windows or stood on guard
at the main entrance, and still others
were seated before the doors Of the
private offices waiting the sound Of
the bell above their heads to stir them
to action.
Armed with our card of admission
we were allowed to enter the front
door of the White House. One must
admit that removing the Tiffany glass
partition and restoring the reception
hall to its former colonial design is
an improvement.
The Blue Room is still used as the
reception room. 1t is oval in shape
and the walls are covered with rich
blue corded silk and the window
hangings are blue with golden stars
in the upper folds. 1t was formerly
the custom for the receiving party at
receptions to stand at the north end
OF this room, near the west door,
while those invited to assist in receiv-
ing the guests stood behind the
receiving line in the oval in the rear,
but doors have been cut in the walls
few feet from the windows which
overlook the beautiful grounds south
Of the mansion, so that now the
President and those in the "receiving
line" stand in front of the windows
and the two original doors through
which guests used to pass, are closed
during receptions, and the invited
guests occupy the north end of the
room, while visitors pass through the
two new doors as they pay their re.
spects to the President. These new
doors are not easily detected from the
rest OF the wall when closed.
). The Green Room and the Red Room
are not greatly changed except fol-
new furnishings.
The dining room has been enlarged
and the President no longer has tc
seat his dinner guests in the hall
The public entrance is now through
, colonnade on the east of the White
, House. Passing through a long
, passage lined on either side with
, marked booths for depositing wraps
! and coats at receptions, "a most de.
, cided improvement upon the old
method of disposing of outer garments
at the social functions) you enter the
basement corridor,
The floor of this corridor is covered
with made-over red velvet carpet and
is decorated at the base of the arches
spanning its curved roof by pedestals
OF crimson velvet upon which are
placed marble busts of noted men,
while between these arches are hung
the portraits of the wives of President
Harrison, Hayes and others. Most OF
these portraits have been presented
by organizations of women, and were
once deemed worthy of place on the
walls OF the East and other rooms.
By the changes made in the base
ment four rooms have been added to
which visitors have access without
cards of admission, and into these
rooms have been dumped the old
carpets and furniture that escaped
the auction room when the White
House were renovated. These rooms
are useful to accommodate the large
crowds at public receptions, but it is
a pity that if sufficient funds were
not available from the large sums
appropriated for the extensive and
expensive repairs of the White House