The broad ax., 1908-09-19

- -. 'AAS 40 Jet rather nebulo,-
idea held by many minds that
years pass a new residence Is eas
president OF the United States nm M ne
come a necessity. So MANI - Oe
rooms OF the White Horsa ~, NE
have always been devoted 70 .-S and
and Official business that the nras taOue
and their families. the tenants ~ I,s
OF the people, have always baor WI, WI
tied as to sleeping rooms l'n-
A Future Possibility
The cloudy idea which IN the +,.
may be embodied In another st-,,a. .ule
Is that the nation should sunni, , .H
residences for the chief executlvo '"O
official and a personal one.
The White House, rich as f. IA I'M IL
toric associations, could be usod -. :.
the public Office building Of the n,.aI
dent, be more accessible to the yono.n,
public than 1t now is and De the :.
fetal theater Of state functions -
addition, and separate from this ~
executive and his family should ~
given a private residence In soma A.
strable section Of the city.
The item in the appropriations I'm
which some interpret as LOOKING -
ward to this provides for the purrbaS,
OF a tract Of land for park purnoso.
This tract IS about two miles no-.I
or the White House and easily accoSSJ
BILE by the Sixteenth street boulavsr5
Over Century Old.
It Is almost log years since Caoro.
Washington presided at the LAYING .,
the cornerstone OF the executive man.
sion in the federal CITY," as be called
the city which was afterward 70 boa
his name. This ceremony took nIacs
on Oct. Is, 1892, the three hundradth
anniversary Of the landing OF Cbristo-
pher Columbus. Eight years we're con-
sumed In building the presidents nal
ace" and Washington had been dead
almost a year when the second prest.
dent, John Adams, and his wife Ali.
gall, took possession Of the mansion.
Despite the cries Of extravagancs
100000 had been granted by congress
for the building and furnishing OF the
house, in those days no small sum.
Architect of the White House.
The plans OF the building, submitted
In a competition for a pfize of $500
were drawn by a young Irish architect
Of Charleston, S. C., named James Ho-
BAN Since it gained its name, tho
White House, from a coat Of white
paint bestowed after its sacking and
burning by the British in the war Of
1872, some inlanders Of reverentiaI
mind cherish the fond idea that the
IS OF marble. It may lose in
artistic and poetic value when they
earn that It is built Of sandstone from
Maryland and Virginia quarries.
It was not Hoban's fault that the oc-
:upants Of the nations house had space
limitations placed upon their weIcom-
ng and social instincts. His first
'lans called for a three story building.
md in the third story were to be the
leeping apartments. An economical
democracy decided that this was Civ
ng the executive too much; that two
tories and a basement should satisfy
u requirements. That Hoban planned
veil IS shown in the fact that until
902, when the executive offices were
emoved to the annex provided for
hem, the building was unchanged eI-
ept for the addition Of porches and
onservatories and for repairs.
A Historic Herb Patch.
Close to the Dutch garden which
the south side Of the White
louise is a little space where herbs
ave been raised ever since the first
distress Of the executive mansion
larked on a spot for a flower IN
iosure. There grow minis, savory,
IarJOram and other plants, many OF
'hich, tradition says, still come from
le roots originally planted All the
shes for the presidential table are
,asoned with the products Of this lit
e patch. and the present mistress Of
ie White House Is as careful OF this
'ction Of the grounds as Of the hand
NEST flower bed. She has taken
'ots Of spearmint, marjoram, sweet
ISL, tarragon and thyme to Oyster
az, and she now has at the summer
ace one OF the best herb gardens in
ing Island. Parsley, Of course, fig
IS in the collection, including a
'ench variety, unusually pungent.
New Treasury Pillars.
Long delayed work OF tearing out
9 thirty ionic pillars which ornament
e east front OF the treasury building
d replacing them with granite col
ans Is now going on, and soon the
It OF the sandstone work VIII have
appeared, and the entire structure
d be OF granite and marble.
The contract was let for $298, 965 AID
Do FOR the replacing Of the sandstone
lars with monolith granite.
The granite must match that OF
Och the north, south and west wings
, constructed and was quarried at
lford, N. n.
A Costly Building.
he contract calls for the completion
the work by the end Of this year,
In view Of the delay the time VII
oTtandad