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

he was not surpassed even
by jefferson AT his IareWel recep-
tion punch was served IN tuos, ana
there was an enormous cheese, as DIG
as a hogehead, which was cut with
knives made from wood saws Inc
CARPET Of the east room was entirely
ruined by spilled punch and crumbs
Of cheese that were IrOddem INTO II
On one occasion Mr.. Buchanan, then
a senator in congress, called al me
white house 10 arrange an audience Tor
q woman from England be found
jackson in his study. in an old suit OF
clothes. with his feet on a desk and a
corncob pipe in his mouth Before tax
ing his departure. he thought II well 10
remind the president that the visitor
was Of high rank. and should be re
ceived with a corresponding formally
There was . CLEAN in Jackson's blue
eyes as he took his pipe out OF MS
once read about a man / was much
Interested in. He was man who
minded his own business, and he made
a large fortune by it"
When the English woman arrived AT
the white house, at the hour appointed,
she found the president 1aultlessiy ar
rayed. and he entertained her for an
hour with such grace and courtesy that
she afterwards declared she. had not
men a man OF greater elegance IN All
her travels.
Mr.. Arthur. the third widower, had
found the vice presidency highly sat
Isfactory job: IL gave him little TO do
The business OF governing the nation.
when he was abruptly thrown into II,
did not seem to him to be ms meter
He tried to make il as light as ne could,
and persuaded his sister, Mrs McElroy,
to attend to the official entertaining
for him. A woman Of a retiring in
clination, she made an inconsplcuous
white house mistress Her brothers
was in effect a bachelor administration,
its striking social feature being the
stag dinners at which the president de
lighted to assemble his personal friends,
bon vivants like himself.
EntertainS Prince Of Wales
The Buchanan administration was
rendered brilliant by the extraordinary
tact and social aptitude Of the presi-
dents niece. Harriet Lane He had
brought her up from childhood. and she
had been with him during his service
as minister to the court Of St James.
IT was while she was mistress Of the
white house that the prince OF Wales
afterwards Edward NID was enter
tanned there. Later on, she married
Henry Johnson, inherited her uncle's
Pennsylvania estate. lost her husband
and both of her sons by death, and be-
came. in her declining years, resi-
dent Of Washington. where she died not
long ago. To the end she was social
leader. a typical grande dame" and
admired by every one who was fortu-
nate enough to know her.
In a rather surprising number OF
instances the mistresses Of the white
house have been invalids-a condition
OF affairs necessarily calculated TO in
terfere with their assumption Of social
leadership. y such, as will be remem-
bered. was the case with Mrs. Mckin-
ley. who was never able to be present
at public receptions or other large en-
tertafnments. and who. when she did
appear. received her guests seated in
a chair.
Mrs Andrew johnson was likewise an
invalid. and, when out Of bed. rarely
left her chair. Her married daughter.
Martha Patterson, attended to her So
cfal duties for her while she was in
the white house.
Prayed for Husbands Defeat.
Mrs TAYLOR was a sufferer from
chronic nervous depression She had
actually prayed that her husband
would be defeated in the election. and
declared his nomination "a plot to de-
prive her of his society and shorten
I his days by care and responsibility"
For many years. as the wife OF a hard
working and hard-fighting army officer
she had lived in a tent in summer and
in a log cabin in winter. During her
hardly seen in the reception rooms. con-
tenting herself with the domestic man
agement of the esta blishment. and re-
ceiving a few intimate friends in the
privacy of her apartments
Mrs. Pierce was shrinking and sen
sitive woman who had suffered wretch
ed health since childhood. Shortly
after her husbands election she was on
I her way back from trip to Boston.
with him and her young son, a lad OF
! g. when an accident happened TO the
train. Their coach was thrown down
an embankments and the boy was