Evening star., 1941-01-19

contributions to the mansions fit
tings.
The Rutherford B. Hayeses came
into the White House under tie
shadow of a bitter campaign which
finally ended with Hayes winning
over Samuel J. TllGen by a sirgle
vote Of an electoral commission.
A quiet couple they lived yerr
simply The greatest event was the
reception to Grand Dukes Alexis
and Constantine OF Russia While
living in the mansion President ant
Mrs. Hayes celebrated their silver
wedding anniversary.
The Hayeses added some huge side
boards which were considered no
lasr word in interior decoration. anC.
rather reluctantly, permission v5S
given for the Installation OF ore
telephone line.
President Garfield hardly hi
time TO make an impression on ti3
White House before he vas assaeri-
mated. But We do know that the
Garfield lOungstcr STAGED biCyC ,
races in the huge reception room.
One important improvement in the
house was made with the lnSta.Ia-
ton of an elevator.
Grover Cleveland was a Presider.
who set many preCedents For one,
he was the only President to MARI"
in the White House. His young az
charming bride. Frances Folsom. W.
one of the most popular Of all Whit
House wives, The Clevelands er-
joyed their stay. and Mrs. CleyelarI
promised to come back-Which size
did. four years later.
Mrs. BENJAMIN Harrison had troU-
ple with the mice and rats around
the White House, and wholesala
tearing up was required to rid t.
place Of them. even temporar.l
Electric light buttons were installed
then. too. but the FarriSonS wee
dubious about using them, beir~
fearful Of shock.
The NcKlnleys were a devote
couple Mrs. Mckinley was an ir-
valid. Gnd tho President SDcrt muct
time with her in her fayorIte sittir
roor1
Theodore Roosevelt Imprint.
What a time thera was in T.,
White House when the Theodo
Roosevelts moved in! Boys rompo(
President wrestled. Prince 49,
Alice married Nick Longworth as
the whole world showered gifts
and Roosevelt forced the first CON-
plete OVerhauling of the house.
The imprint on the White House
OF both Theodore and Franklin
Roosevelt is strong; for both, more
office space was needed.
The White House was rather a
somber place when the Tafts oCcu-
pied it. And Mr.. Taft wanted so
much to remain that he embar-
raSSed President Wilson on Inau-
guration Day by accepting an in
vitation to luncheon. Mr.. Taft loved
to eat and they will tell you around
the White House that he often
dropped off to sleep at the luncheon
table.
The years which followed brought
high lights. shadows and the stuff
of life-President Wilson doing his
own tipping, marrying Mrs. Gait
and receiving the then Prince of
Wales, as he lay stricken in the
great Lincoln bed. Warren Harding
brought poker and high jinks.
"Briggy Dear Gen. Sawyer. his
little country doctor. a warm hand
clasp and love OF his felloWman-
and stark tragedy
Calvin Coolidge the White House
remembers for his silence, rarely
exaggerated in press reports, for
his strict New England economy in
everything but his clothes. and for
one of the most beloved of all
White House wives. Grace Goodhue
Coolidge. These are the things the
mansion recalls, and his inevitable
afternoon maps, just as it chiefly
constant application to business and
his complete disinterest in almost
everything else. But the White
House spirit he did strongly feel,
and the Lincoln study became almost
a shrine
With the coming of the Franklin
D. ROOSeVeltS the White House
tempo speeded up and the execu-
tive mansion became a home again.
even If Mrs. Roosevelt has spent
less time there than most other
Presidents wives.
Physically, the White House again
underwent renovation. additional
office space was provided and air
cooling was installed in the offices.
Ancient wiring was ripped out and
equally ancient plumbing fixtures,
once luxury and a novelty, were
replaced. Rooseveltian touches ap-
peared in the form of prints and.
models of early American vessels
Such things as these make the.
White House not simply the execu-
tive mansion, but the first American
home. 1t is warm and human and.
breathes the breath of life as the
American people have lived it since
the days of John Adams. Unlike
the palaces of European monarchs
and leaders, it is not museum but
a place to live-and it preserves
that quality even though 100000
Americans annually visit the rooms
which are open to the public.