Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-26
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

| turned
The Great Democratic Cheese.
1t is explained in footnote that, When
Jefferson was chosen President. Elder
John Leland, a Massachusetts clergyman
| of strong democratic proclivities, proposed
that his flock celebrate the victory by
making for the new Chief Magistrate the
biggest cheese the world had ever seen.
Every man and woman who owned a
cow was to give for this cheese all the
milk she yielded on a certain day-only
| no federal cow must contribute drop. A
huge cider press was fitted up to make
country turned out with pals and tubs
of curd. the girls and women in their best
gowns and ribbons. and the men in their
Sunday coats and clean shirt collars. The
cheese was put to press with prayer,
hymn singing and great solmnity. When
it was well dried it weighed LOCO pounds
and Rev. John Leland drove with it all
the way to Washington 1t was journey
of three weeks All the country had
heard of the big cheese and came out to
A few days later Mr.. Cutler writes again:
Last Sunday. Leland. the -monger,
a poor. ignorant, illiterate clownish
preacher. who was the conductor Of this
to it's place of destination, was introduced
as preacher to both houses Of Congress
The President. contrary to all former
practice. made one of the audience. and a
great number of ladies and gentlemen
from I know not where. Such a per-
Torrance l never heard before and hope
never shall again. The text was: And
behold. a greater than Solomon is here
The design OF the preacher was principally
| to apply the allusion, not to the person in
| tended in the text but to him (Jefferson),
who was then present. Such a far-ago,
bawled with stunning voice. horrid tone,
frightful grimaces and extravagant ges-
lures l believe was never heard by any
decent auditory before. Shame or laughter
appeared In every countenance. Such an
outrage upon religion. the Sabbath. and
common decency was extremely painful
| to every sober. thinking person present
man, was born at Grafton. Mass. May
IA. 1854. and died at North Adams.
Mass. January IA. 1871. From 1892
until his death. forty-nine years. he
Cheshire, Mass. He is described as a
| man of great eccentricity and shrewd-
ness, but without culture, and a Jealous
democrat.
Pleased With Site Of the City.
Mr.. Cutters description Of the city
of Washington, which had been Sc
lected as the site of the capital a year
or two before, is quite interesting, and
he says that 'in point of situation it
is much more delightful than I ex-
pected to find 1t. The ground. in gen.
eral Is elevated, and mostly cleared
and commands a pleasing prospect of
the Potomac river The buildings are
brick and are erected in what are called
blocks-that IT, from two to five or six
houses joined together-and appear
like one long building The block in
which live contains six houses. four
stories high and very handsomely rdr-
niQhad 10 Cd Of ~ 10
itol on the highest ground in the city.
Mr.. Read and myself have. think, the
pleasantest room in the house or in the
whole city. 1t is in the third story,
the Capitol. Of the Presidents house.
Georgetown. all the houses in the city.
long extent of river and the city of
Alexandr Ia.
itol. 1t is huge pile built, indeed,
with handsome stone, very heavy in it's
appearance without and not very pleas
ant within. The Presidents house is
superb, well proportioned and pleas
"The gentlemen. generally. spend a
part OF two or three evenings in
week in Mr.. Kings room where Miss
Anna entertains us with delightful
music. After we have been fltigued
with the harangues Of the hall in the
day, and conversing on politics, in diff
ferent circles (for we all talk nothing
else). in the evening an hour of this
evenings she constantly plays psalm
tunes. in which her mother, who Is a
woman Of real piety. always joins
Miss Anna plays Denmark remarkably
we'll. and. when Joined with the other
heard before. But the most of the
psalm tunes our gentlemen prefer are
the old ones. such as Old Hundred
Canterbury which you would be de-
1irhfod hear tho
sisted by the organ and accompanied
| with the voice.
We breakfast at o; dine between 3
| and 4. If we happen to be in the par
ior in the first Of the evening. at the
| time Mrs. King makes tea in her own
room, she sends in the servant with a
| salver of tea and coffee and a plate of
toast. but we never eat any supper"
| Dinner With the President.
Saturday, February 8. 1902. Mr.. Cutler
was invited to dine with President JEFF
ferson. in company with six other mem
bers Of the House Of Representatives and
three members Of the Senate, and he con-
flded to his journal that the dinner was
not so elegant as when he was enter
| tanned at the White House a year pre-
vious. But the food appears to have been
abundant-"Rice soup, round of beef
| turkey mutton ham, loin of veal outlets
of mutton or veal fried eggs, fried beef
pie called macaroni, which appears to
be a rich crust filled with the strillions
Of onions or shallots, which 1 took it to
be. tasted very strong and not agreeable.
Mr.. Lewis told me there was none, in It;
1t was an Italian dish, and what appeared
like onions was made Of -four and butter,
with a particularly strong liquor mixed
with them. Ice cream very good, crust
wholly dried, crumbled into thin flakes;
dish somewhat like a pudding-inside
4 white as milk or curd. very porous and
light, covered with cream sauce: very
fine. Many other jimcracks great va
riety of fruit. plenty of wines and good.
President social. We drank tea and
viewed again the great cheese"
Remarkable Effect Of Electricity.
l. In his diary for Saturday, February 20,