The National tribune., 1909-04-22

Everybody who had a chance to see
II will remember the blue satin da1nask
silk gown which Mrs. Roosevelt wore
at the Inauguration of her husband as
President of the United States 1t was
a pale shade of exquisite blue satin.
with damasl1 roses scattered around
over 1t. 1t was an American product.
Mrs Roosevelt never wore anything I'M
ported if she could avoid it. T2c gown
was the talk of the country for weeks
previous to inauguration. II was sup
posed that il would be of lustrous white
satin, but Mrs. Roosevelt kept her couEl-
sci, and even the scciesS Jenkinses did
not find out what ii waS to be, all guess
ing wildly up to the very last day il
the afternoon. The gown was designed
at the Paterson IN. j. SILK Works by
Frank Charcot ST., who has just died
at his home in Paterson. He was found
dead with the gas turned on in his
room. Mr.. Charcot also designed Alice
Roosevelt's, satin dress. 1t, also. was of
blue, which gave the name to the pc
culiar shade of blue that has been fash
ionable ever since.
Earl Sterling, one of the actors in
the Laura keene Company at Forfs
Theater the night that President Lin
coin was assassinated, has just died in
Chicago. He has been upon the stage
ever since.
The new Senate Office buildings are
SO overrHn with tremendous great rats
that they occasion much uneasiness for
various reasons. An army of cats was
put in the big white marble building.
but to no avail. The cats were afraid
of the rats. Now arrangements have
been made to go after the rats with
ferrets Nobody can understand what
has occasioned the plague Of rats, for
f..f- x-nf
and there seems to be nothing to call
them there. Anyhow, the building is
supposed to be Tat-proof. and the epi-
demic of rodents is all the more anaz-
ing for that reason.
President Taft pushed the electric
button which opened the Electric Ex-
position in Louisville. KY, last week.
Egg Rolling.
Egg rolling at the White House on
Easter Monday is one of the institu-
tions of Washington. 1t is a custom
not generally known outside OF the Ma
tional Capital. and ii is not known just
when it began here. The back yard
of the White House is one of the most
beautiful spots in the whole city 1t is
beautifully rolling ground, covered with
wonderful old trees and green sward.
The children of the city, regardless of
race, condition or color. are admitted
to the grounds for a few hours each
Easter Monday. They carry with them
baskets of colored eggs. dozens of them,
and the basekts are done up in bright
tissue-paper decorations or ribbons, and
often the children carry little white
cotton rabbits in their baskets. The
kfdlets gather in punches on the little
hiiioeks,, and roll eggs down the grassy
knobs, sending them with some force.
III fhaGe nfhR- tho
roll and smash them, then the one
whose eggs are smashed has to pay
toll to the one whose egg did the smash
ing. Some Of the boys have learned
the game and go away with rich toll
of eggs, while some of the youngsters
get theirs smashed early and are out
of the game. There is no thought of
eating the eggs. The mess on the White
House lawn is something awful to con-
template. 1t takes hundreds of dollars
to put the grounds back in condition,
for the children tear up the sod, scatter
kinds Of debris over the whole place.
But they do have magnificent time,
and the Marine Band always plays for
them. Grown people are not permitted
In the grounds except in care of little
children, and there are families of half
q dozen children who always adopt a
lot of grown-up relations for the day,
erone. There are lot of little street
arabs who make money hand over fist
by hiring" themselves out to strang.
ers. They ask quarter for letting
on" that they belong TO certain people,
and get into the grounds; then out they
skid ana hunt up another party with a
desire to go inside and a quarter to pay
Tor IT.
Something over 5000 children are
said to have been in the White House
grounds on Easter Monday. The day
was pleasant and sunshiny for the first
time in half dozen casters.
Former Representative Joseph w
Babcock, of Wisconsin, who has beer
seriously i'll at his home here in Wash
fngton, is now declared to be in a fan
way TO recover his health. He wa.
suffering from complication of liver
and kidney trouble. Mrs. Babcock was
also very i'll. but is better.
When you go into the rooms of Unit.
ed States Senators in the new Office
building .fou see some things that make
you wonder. For instance, there are
two outc: doors to each room. Tha
seems odd, for IL does not look as tht
q Senator needs bur one door TO get into
the corridor; he certainly can't use bu
one at a time, anyhow. But IT is thi!
way Sometimes people come to call
and IL Senator can get out of one dool
while the caller is entering the othe
he is safe from intrusion, and his clerl
ran say, 'The Senator is out of his room
Just now" Then when the caller back,
out, the Senator backs in. and ther'
SOU are. Maybe there is a reason foi
Hose two doors after all
Senator Cummins, of Iowa. said in
speech the other day to the Mems CIul
of the Congregational Church: "Theo
dore Roosevelt / consider a stroHge
pnan than George Washington. tn,
Father of His Country. Perhaps thi
bounds like treason. out it is not mean
FOR that
A funny episode occurred in tn,
United States Senate the other da
when Senator Root asked the Secretar,
of the Senate to change his address
He recently moved from 1900 Rhod
Island avenue TO 1sth street, and he i
in the Congressional Directory as sti
at the old address where he lived a
Secretary of State. Senator Root de
ciared to the Secretary of the Senat
that unless the address was change
he might get lost some dark night o
his way home from a late session.
The business men of Washington wi
give President Taft dinner on tn
night of May s. Such a dinner wi
stand unique in the annals of this cit,
for il Is mighty little that Washingto
proper ever does for the President.