The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-12-08

washington, u. '.~~-- Recent tDferSEt
ia the White House, because Of the
visits there If the King Of the ReIg4ane
and the Prince of Wales. was the &C
castor for issuance by the National
Geographic Society Of two bulletins
concerning tho presidents home. Of
which this ia the second;
The open house If jackson and
jefferson needless to say. was in con-
trast to the more stately regime of
John Adams, first occupant of the
white HOUSE, 70 the hrillia Mt but more
discriminating entertainments OF Dol
" Madison's sailor and to the 'ele-
CANT little dnneTs Of the naturally
exclusive Van Buren,
! Mrs. Monroe osta hlished sor,e So
cial presidents which are as binding
taaay IN Sixteenth street drawing
rooms as Ia her husbands fan, GUS
doctrine in the senate chamber The
ubiquitous Dolly Madison set q hard
pace for her. Successors TO travel. Her
personal charm was undeniah)e II
she roured. writes one observing lady,
she did It So dnlicatefy that none could
be sure and she snuffs.' observes an
other hut in her hands the snuff
box seems only o gracious implement
with which to charm Truly tn par
nphrase an artist, she mixed her rough
and her SNUFF with brains and to this
indefnahle charm she added a<"tfvt-
, ties SO strenuous that the White Houso
scarcely saw her equal until Rooee-
yelt entered IT,
First Lady" Returns Ne rhIts
For her self proteetion Mrs. Mon
roe made the rule thai tho first lady
nf the land need return no calls, ror
must he expected to make any. Mrs
Monroe and her das',irr daughter,
Mrs. Hay aiso had part in the de-
cision thar II was not nroper for y
I president to csIl ri foreign embassy.
The Monroes not only laid the
foundations for White House social
customs but the. began its furnishing
an evolutionary process which Is mod.
seed hy every mistress Of the man
sion
After their official home had beer,
burned by the British in 1914. the
Madisens moved for the rest Of lem
my's' term tn the horne Of Col Tay.
loo. better known as the Octa xor
House which eti'I is washington
landmark
! The 1914 Invaders of the rationa,
cap'tal. not being Huns. destroyed
only public buildings. did tina. for rfi
itarv reasons ard had speriffc orders
not to loot They partook OF the din
ner already prepared at the white
House. hnt before they aid SO Adnira'
Cockhurn drank the health Of proes
dert Madison.
TN pre-war days, when tha White
House was accessible 10 saght~-eerS
an object ~ special interest was the
portrait OF George Washington, now
in the Red Room. known as the TAns
downe stuart because il is a COPY 81
an original painting done for fre Mar.
outs rf Tarsdowne Mrs Madison
had this portrait cut from It's frame
and intrusted 1t 10 the care of rriends
for safe keeping, while she went tr
4 Virginia 10 Join her husband IT was
shown 10 The Prince OF Wales wher
ne called nj the White House.
When the white House WIS re.
built the walls ware intact, In part
but they had tn 10 painted to hide tn,
scharred surfaces. So originated frs
as Ne nickname. tho desirnst ton White
HOUSE, .hv which the mansion late,
was officially known
The original structure wac ire fire..
ofhcial building in Washington, Cseorrs
Washington WAS authorized to select a
site, because he had been n surveyor
but sentiment, rather than tcpogra ply
Is thought ia have determined his
choice; for tho south windows ~ the
White House overlooked the potoma,
toward his beloved Mt Vernon
w ash'reton did not live IN shf
White House We tx said 70 havs
talked through the rooms a short time
before his death Tohn Adams ~
nrst oceursn NJ, thnu~ht II ought to have
been nearer the Capitol Mrs. Adams
wrote IN lSoh. that the river. which
runs np N Alexandria Is In full view
Of my window. and see the vessels
pass aud repase'
Cant. lFohan Plans White Housr
,i3ut that Is ahead Of the stor~
When site was selected a prize veas
offered, I'm 1872. Of $500. or a gold
medal, for plan. CAPTAIN Iames
ioban. native Of ireland and q
resident " Charleston, s. G.. won the
contert, with design similar to that
| OF the family scat ~ the Dukes vi
| Ietnster, Dublin. Fortunately Hobar
w5s alive whom the work of rebuild
| ing was uuderta ken after the FIRE
OF 1914. ard whom the structure was
| completed again in 1918 il more
nearly followed the original plans.
| Moreover, when the present wings
ono for executive offices and tho other
| Tor a public entrance corridor, we q
| added inian3, further. features con
I tanned in the Hoban design were in
/ Guided
! Scarcely = Congress came and
went for half q century without an
attack upon the alleged axtravagant
! expenditures for tbs Presidents home.
The cost Of construction came in
| for the Customary criticism. Hoba n
AS architect was paid at the rate of
81 600 year, the clerk Of the work
era received 81 "A day; and the over
seer. SO ner day
'Bv the time Of President Monrce's
! Inauguration the executive mansion
was rebuilt. hut not furnished Mr..
Monroe hal purchased valuable fur
niture for his private home while he
waF in Paris This no sold to the
government. il w5s transferred to The
White House for his use there, and
he vas authorized TO buy other pieces
for the official horne
The idea of n campaign orator
that the Presidents home was a pail
ace as aplendid as that OF the Caesars.
and as richly adorned as the prouaost
Asiatic mn nHton,' hardly found an
echo from its early occupants. espc-.-