The Washington times., 1936-12-18


Hermitage and
Jacksonian Sim SeessssSa
plicity" is to be Norman W. Baxter
the keynote of this inaugural. The
official inaugural stand just op-
posite the White House will be a
replica of The Hermitage. Thus
will the Rooseveltian era be
blended with the JackSonian. And
thus at the same time will dis
tinguished citizens be protected
from pneumonia on a stand with
walls like a house.
At this point I was about to
wander off into few poetic para
graphs about the old Hermitage
in Nashville. About it's big col
umnS that support the piazza
where the Generals daughter-in-
law, Sara Yorke Jackson, used
to play on the guitar and sing
to the General on summer nights.
Then I began to wonder how
even a New Deal inaugural COM
mittee can make reviewing stand
look like a mansion. The only
reviewing stands that know in
timately are composed entirely of
cold, bare boards. If you are a
parsonage and pay your way with
palaver you get a free seat in a
stand decorated with stars and
stripes and laurel leaves. But if
you belong to the masses and
have to pay your way with cash,
you squint and shiver on a stand
as naked as a picked chicken.
Obviously The Hermitage stand
IS to be different from these. But
how?
Mr.. Norman w. Baxter, assist
ant to Admiral Cary T. Grayson,
chairman of the Inaugural Com
mittee, would be the man to an
Swer this question. Mr.. Baxter
is a Tennessean himself. He was
"bawn down in Nashville" and
comes from very grand folks. He,
If anybody, would know how to
make a grandstand look like an
ancestral manor.
found Mr.. Baxter in pleas
ant mood in spite Of the quick
stepping job that is ahead. He
explained with a certain clearneSS
that in the inaugural replica of
The Hermitage the front porch
will provide the space for the
seats. The famous Grecian pedi-
ment will be comfortably high
overhead.
The Corinthian columns will be
arranged so that the Distinguished
Citizens will have a clear view of
the populace. Likewise, the popu-
lace will have a clear view of the
Distinguished Citizens.
What will be done about the side
walls of The Hermitage is uncer,
tain. The committee would like
to use them in the replica. This
is reasonable as far as protection
from the weather is concerned
But it will keep the people on the
stands from craning their necks
with any success. There'll be no
way to know when the Parade is
coming around the bend.
And what's the use of going to a
Parade if you can't stand up at
the thrilling moment and shout:
"There she comeS!"
The original Hermitage in
Nashville is a mighty handsome
house in excellent condition. 1t
is much larger than the White
House and over $50 feet tall. The
height gives space under the ROOT
of the porch of the replica fol
layers and layers of Distinguished
Citizens.
The original Hermitage was
built in 1919 of brick made on
General Jackson's farm. Before
General and Mrs. Jackson moved
in they lived in the huge log
house (not log cabin to which
General jackson returned as "the
hero of the Battle of New
orleans"
The first brick house was
burned IN september, 1884. IL
was Immediately rebuilt upon the
same foundation and with the old
walls.
The Hermitage is now conducted
both elegantly and efficiently as
a show place by the Ladies Her.
mitage Association. Andrew
Jackson's immediate descendants
lived there long time. The asso
citation was able to collect from
them much of the original furnish
ings Of the house. More than
200 900 people visited the place
last year.
And all of them, so am told
by authorities who never, never
err. were enchanted with the truly
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