Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-11-09
WHITE HOUSE
CHINA
Mrs. Roosevelt Is Industrious
ly Engaged In Picking Up
Various Pieces Used In 9th
er Presidential Regimes.

china in the form of three piece from
the Jefferson dinner set. These
have been loaned by the present
owner, In Massachusetts, who came
into possession a number of years
ago OF almost the entire set. The
dishes have been properly tagged,
and now are to be seen daily by all
White House visitors, In cabinet In
the basement corridor.
The idea of collecting pieces of
china representative of each admin
lstratlon from the beginning of the
government was evolved number
of years ago, but Mrs. Roosevelt has
done more to develop It than any
other Presidents wife, and under her
fostering care the collection, which
was rather scant when she began
her labors. is/now assuming quite
respectable portions. In the base
ment corridors there are now some
four or fve cabinets holding the coll
lection. and there is now something
to be seen in them that is represent
alive. of almost half of the presl-
dents.
Each president, II is to be UNDER
stood. selects design for china as
soon as practicable after taking his
oath OF office. The china is then
made according to design, the gov
ernment footing the bill, and is used
until another president comes along.
For a number of years there had
been a search over the country for
even a small piece of the Jefferson
china. but until now this search was
fruitless. The loan. as is the case
with various others of similar
character. Is permanent.
Colonel William II. Cook, for 40
years executive clerk at the White
House. is a standard authority on
the subject OF White House china,
and II has been through him that
the work OF making n wide search
for II has been made at various times
by wives of presidents. Colonel
Cook likes to tell how 1t was that
he discovered, quite accidentally,
one OF the Madison plates in sec
ond hand store in this city away
back In the seventies. and how he
snapped II up at a low price. the
dealer not realizing that II had any
sentimental or historic value. IL Is
n small tea plate, with a narrow gold
rim edglng a wider pale blue enclr-
cled by golden stars. A broad blue
band comes next, edged with another
band of gold. In the center OF the
plate Is medallion, outlined In
gold and filled with tiny. badly blur
red gold stars. This find was almost
the beginning of the hunt which by
this time has brought together such
an unique collection as that which
may be seen at the White House
daily.
Unfortunately the White House has
never had curator whose duty II
was to care for It's furnishings, and
at this late day II would be impos-
sible TO make anything like a COM
plete collection. Tho existing speol-
mems, however. are 10 be carefully
preserved, whethered loaned. as In
the case OF the Jefferson dishes and
some others. or owned by the gov
ernment.
Twenty to thirty years ago."
said the Colonel. "there were few
who valued this Presidential china.
Even so recently as Cleveland's ad-
II was In no great de-
mand. A quantity Of ware that was
more or less damaged. but which was
Invaluable in that II could not be
replaced, was gathered up In 1893
and sold to the second hand man.
| bought a cracked Lincoln pitcher
In this way. paying ss.50 for Il. and
plates bearing the historic seal se-
cured at one dollar each. These
pieces are now almost without value.
should Mrs, Roosevelt ever permit
a sale OF this sort the pieces would
fabulous prices.
"a rigid rule Is now In force that
every piece OF broken. nieked or
otherwise iaJured china must be
turned over 10 the steward. who in /
turn places II In the custody OF the
superintendent Of buildings aud |
grounds. Heretofore discarded china
was passed upon by committee
OF members OF the white-
House force, appointed for that pur-
pose. and then sold at auction.
Much that was worth preservlnw II