El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-11-13

crushed 10 death before her eyes It Is
not surprising that she should nave
had little heart for social duties while
in the white house
Mrs. William Henry Harrison was
never in the white house At the time
OF her husbands inauguration she was
too i'll 10 make long journey across
the country. Delicate health likewise
afflicted Mrs. John Quincy Adams, who
during her husbands administration
attempted very little in the way OF
entertaining The fatigue OF staholhs
at public receptions she found unen-
durable
Gets White House n Library.
Mrs. Fillmore. on the same account.
made little effort to promote social
festivities. As a young woman she was
remarkably pretty blonde beauty,
with dazzling skin and auburn hair
She was a school teacher, and. having
a literary bent. persuaded her husband
to get from congress an appropriation
Of $50, 900 wherewith 10 purchase libra
~ for the white house, the esta olish-
ment at that time possessing only one
book. the Bible The collection stl4l
exists and was described by Benjamin
Harrison, a few years ago, as OF very
small value from a present-day point
OF view.
Mrs Garneld's life IN the white house
was one of seclusion. her taste for So
ciety being but slightly developed The
same may be said OF the first wife OF
president Tyler. but in her case III
health was accountable She was part
" paralyzed. and died not very long
after her husbands term began Later,
and while still president, he married
quietly, in New York a girl Of 20. Julia
Gardiner. who was the daughter OF an
old friend. He was then SO years old,
and John Quincy Adams Cat that time
a representative in congressl spoke
sarcastfcally Of the match as a mating
Of January and May
First White House Bride.
This was the first Instance in which
a president while in occupancy OF the
white house. took wife Miss Gardi-
ner was one of three women who nave
been chosen as wives by presidents
There has been only one otter case
Chat OF Mr.. Wilson, where a president
widowed during his term. has taken
second wife before the expiration there
of.
The shadow Of the civil war made
the Lincoln administration rather fiat.
from a social point of view. But in
the best of circumstances Mrs Lincoln
could not have been successful as
society leader Brought up IN coun-
try town. she lacked the training
requisite for a capable mistress Of the
Dolly Madison was 81 years old
when she found herself presidents
wife But she had already had train
ing as mistress OF the white house
under jefferson. and she. possessed a
social genius unequaled IN any Other
less Mrs. Cleveland be excepted Her
amiabiIty was proverbial, her tact
marvellous.
The First Mistress
The first mistress Of the white house
was Of course. Abigail Adams. She
was a charming woman. and on one
occasion described herself as mortal
enemy OF anything but a cheerful coun-
tenance and a merry heart The
daughter Of n CONGREGATIONAL minister.
she was thought TO have made a step
down in the social scale when she mar
ried. at 20 years Of age, John Adams, a
farmers son, who had undertaken 70
be q lawyer. but who had as yet no
practice worth mentioning
AbigaiTs first letter. home from
Washington described the capital as
only a city in name; here and there
a small cot without a glass window,
interspersed among the forests She
acknowledged, however. that the prest-
dents house-it was then OF grayish-
brown sandstOne-Was ION a grand and
superb scale. requiring about 80 ser
wants TO keep IL in proper order
Abigail Adams lived there Iour
months The government then was
only in process Of moving to the new
capital and Of social life there must
have been for her scarce anything
worth mentioning How little could
she imagine that within less than
century the village in the forests would
become the political center Of the
Z United States. in the fullest meaning
OF the term. and principal winter re-
sort Of wealth and fashion for the en-
tire country.