USA > Washington DC > Washington DC > Historic homes in Washington : its noted men and women and a century in the White House > Part 11
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We have not touched upon the domestic life in the White House. It was filled with lights and shadows. The golden maxim of President Lincoln, "With malice toward none, with charity for all," had not grown bright with use by the people, for it if had, the air would not have been filled with criticism of the President and his family. We look back upon the ignorance of a gullible public as be- yond comprehension in the 19th century, so rapidly ac- cepted were the exaggerated stories concerning the ignor- ance and illiteracy of the President and his wife. Had they lived in the Fiji Islands they could not have known less of the truth.
Mrs. Lincoln's education was above the average stand- ard, and she was a well-born, cultured woman. Her levees were brilliant, and the multitudes that assembled there were received in an elegant and dignified manner.
The impression she made upon strangers can be under- stood by an extract from a letter written by a distinguished foreigner:
"She performed her part of the honors in response to the ovation paid her, as well as to her husband, with that propriety which consistently blends all the graces with a reserved dignity, and is much more becoming the wife of a Republican President than any attempt to ape the haughty manner of European courts."
The death of her beautiful boy, Willie, and the crown- ing grief of all, the untimely and horrible taking off of her husband, was the last stroke; the shattered brain thence- forth gave but echoes of lost harmonies.
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ANDREW JOHNSON TAKES OFFICE.
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated April 14, and Andrew Johnson assumed the authority which, by the Constitution, devolved upon him. Had the conspiracy been carried out, which it had taken months to so care- fully plan, there would have been no head of the Govern- ment left, and vet the Republic would have lived. 1 Nation that could so successfully carry on such a war, would have gone peacefully to work to re-establish order 'with the pliant adaptability to circumstances and the respect for law which so eminently characterize the native- born American. The machinery of the state worked as well and as steadily in its accustomed grooves as ever, and the foundations of the Republic were not shaken.
The gloom which overspread Washington after Presi- dent Lincoln's assassination, and the mourning of its people, was followed by a sudden reaction. But few months had passed before gayety resumed its former sway at the National Capital. The Winter of 1866 was never surpassed in brilliant entertainments. The long years of war had hung like a pall over society. When the cloud lifted, and peace again reigned over the land, all hearts were filled with new hopes and aspirations, and joy and merry-making became the order of the day.
Mrs. Johnson was an invalid, and the honors and duties of the White House were performed by her daugh- ters, Mrs. Patterson, wife of Senator Patterson, of Ten- nessee, and Mrs. Stover, a widow.
The White House presented a forlorn appearance when they entered it. The four years of war had left their mark everywhere. Soldiers had had unlimited sway through all the lower rooms; guards had made the rooms into lodging apartments, until carpets and sofas were ruined. Add to this the immense throng of people who continually crowded the President's House, and it is no wonder that the furniture was literally worn out.
The first levee was held Jan. 1, 1866. There had been no appropriation from Congress to put the house in be- coming order; but here and there were touches of improve-
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ment that plainly told of woman's handiwork; order had been brought out of chaos. Clean linen covered the floor of the East Room; flowers were in abundance; children added an additional tint to the kaleidoscope; cleanliness and good cheer made the change as apparent as it was marvellous.
Mrs. Patterson was dressed in a black velvet dress, a shawl of white thread lace falling over her shoulders, and point-lace collar. Her hair was adorned with a single white japonica. She was simple and unaffected in her. manner. The younger sister, Mrs. Stover, who was in mourning for her husband, who had died in the Union army, wore a heavy black silk with no ornaments.
During the Spring an appropriation of $30,000 was made by Congress to refurnish the Executive Mansion. Faithfully and conscientiously did Mrs. Patterson spend the Summer superintending the renovation of the house.
The pure taste of Martha Patterson was fully exempli- fied in the delicate and graceful blending of colors, in all the rooms, of furniture, carpets, hangings and wall decorations.
The old home of the Presidents blossomed again like the rose, and the plain people from Tennessee were its pre- siding geniuses.
, The state dinners given by President Johnson were never surpassed in elegance or style. The honor and dignity due the Nation lost nothing in the hands of these people of Democratic simplicity. They fully understood what was required of the President of the United States, and were equal to any emergency.
SOCIETY VERY GAY.
Society at large was launched into an atmosphere of gayetv. Besides the receptions Wednesdays and Fri- days by the ladies of the White House, exclusive of the President's levees, the members of the Cabinet, and officials generally, held weekly receptions.
Gen. and Mrs. Grant, at their home in Georgetown, gave brilliant receptions. The French Minister, the
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Marquis de Montholon, occupied the house of Mr. Cor- coran, and when the piping times of peace again brought joy into every household, even the foreign Embassador rejoiced as well.
The city was thronged with the most notable people from the West and North, and it was difficult for all to find an evening disengaged. It had been many years since Washington had had a Winter of such gayety. It was in the Winter of 1866 that Madame Le Vert, with her daughters, came to Washington. It was said of her that she often attended a half dozen receptions in the day and three or four parties at night.
Whatever criticism was made upon Andrew Johnson as President, the household, like Cesar's wife, was above suspicion. A purer atmosphere never existed in the White House than during this Administration. The noble women of his family went back to their homes with names untarnished, and in loving benediction the people said:"Ye have served us well."
A SOLDIER IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
March the 3d, 1869, found quite as many people in Washington as conjointly witnessed and participated in the Grand Review of the troops of Grant and Sherman in 1865. Eight years before the people, in almost breathless silence, waited to see what Buchanan would not and what Mr. Lincoln would do. At the Review the people had grown quiet in an enthusiasm which began with the fall of Richmond and ended with the surrender of Johnston. But no breathless silence reigned in Washington, March 3, 1869; neither was there any lack of enthusiasm at the Capital. The streets, the hotels, the halls of Congress, the corridors of the Capitol were alive with humanity.
The ceremonies of the Inauguration of Gen. Grant, in the main, were the same as of all the Presidents that had gone before; but the scene from the Capitol as the brilliant procession wound up the Avenue was one of the most beautiful ever witnessed in this country. Pennsylvania Avenue on either side was literally filled with people,
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moving up and down like a restless sea, throwing up hats and waving handkerchiefs in wildest confusion. The advancing column was in striking contrast with its gay flags, silver trappings and bright uniforms. Every niche, portico and window was filled; and not an archi- tectural projection on the east front of the Capitol but held a larger or smaller specimen of humanity. Even the monuments, trees and fences were black with anxious lookers-on. The soft landscape, the city spread out in the valley below, the winding Potomac beyond, the sea of upturned faces, the glitter of muskets and the red decorations of the artillery, formed a picture beautiful to look upon and one never to be forgotten.
The galleries in the Senate Chamber presented a most brilliant spectacle. Seats had been reserved on the right of the Diplomatic Gallery for the wives of the President- elect and of the Vice-President-elect and their friends.
Mrs. Colfax made her appearance in a toilet of cuir- colored silk, white bonnet and green gloves. Beside her sat Mrs. and Miss Mathews, Mr. Colfax's mother and sister, and Mrs. Wade, who watched the proceedings below. Mrs. Grant, modestly attired in black, entered and took the seat assigned her, accompanied by her son in cadet uniform. With intense interest they witnessed the Vice-President take the oath.
The hours of the 40th Congress drew to a close, and when the hands pointed to 12 the door opened, and the hero of the day, clad in a neatly-fitting black dress suit, entered unceremoniously and took the seat quietly pointed ou: to him, seemingly utterly oblivious of the prying gaze of the thousands around him. He sustained himself with dignity, sinking the individual in the statesman. He knew the requirements of the hour and fulfilled them.
INAUGURAL CEREMONY.
The eastern portico of the Capitol was occupied by the high officials. Gen. Grant read his Inaugural address and took the oath of office making him President of the United States. His Cabinet was as follows: Hamilton Fish, of New York, Secretary of State; George S. Boutwell,
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of Massachusetts, Secretary of the Treasury; John A. Rawlins, of Illinois, Secretary of War; George M. Robe- son, of New Jersey, Secretary of the Navy; Jacob D. Cox, of Ohio, Secretary of the Interior; J. A. J. Creswell, of Maryland, Postmaster-General; Eben R. Hoar, of Massachusetts, Attorney-General; all men of culture, energetic action and extended influence.
The Inauguration of a new President must, to be quite complete, be ushered in with the pomp and parade of a ball. The memory of the oldest inhabitant runneth not back to the day when a new Administration was begun "without this time-hallowed custom, yet they say there is always something the matter with every Inaugural ball.
The newly-completed north wing of the Treasury was procured for this one. Its broad corridors and spacious rooms gave promise of space beyond need. The fluted granite pillars that had lain in their wooden coffins along Pennsylvania Avenue for years were in their places, with their heads pointing toward heaven. On this occasion the Fifteenth street entrance was the one used for the guests. From one of the leading journals of the day we quote this description of the brilliant scene presented within and without the building:
"Radiant with color, glowing with light, brilliant like tropical flowers or the plumage of humming-birds, and ever shifting and varying like a many-hued and con- stantly-changing kaleidoscope. Fair faces, lovely forms, penetrant perfumes, distinguished men, renowned in war, statesmanship, letters, and the other activities of life, some clothed in martial uniforms, others wearing the orders and insignia of the Diplomatic Corps. Great waves of music pulsated along the corridors, and all went merry as a marriage bell."
This is what the ball might have been, but, alas! "The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft a-gley." Had the reporter waited until anticipation had come to full fruition, his story would have been something like this, taken from the pen of an artist on the spot:
"The agonies of that ball can never be written. There are mortals dead in their graves because of it. - There are
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mortals who still curse and swear and sigh at the thought of it. There are diamonds and pearls and precious gar- ments that are lost to their owners because of it. The scenes in those cloak and hat-rooms can never be for- gotten by those who witnessed them. The colored mes- sengers, called from their posts in the Treasury to do duty in these rooms, received hats and wraps with perfect felicity, and tucked them in loop-holes as it happened. But to give them back, each to the owner, was impossible."
UNHAPPY ENDING OF THE BALL.
Picture it! Six or more thousand people clamori g for their clothes. In the end they were all tumbled out "promiscuous" on the floor. T'en came the siege. A few seized their own, but many snatched other people's garments-anything, something to protect them from the pitiless morning wind, which came down with the bite of death. Delicate women, too sensitive to take the property of others, crouched in corners and wept on window-ledges, and there the daylight found them. Carriages also had fled out of the scourging blast, and men and women who emerged from the marble halls with very little to wear found that they must walk to their habitations. One gentleman walked to Capitol Hill, nearly two miles, in dancing pumps and bareheaded; another performed the same exploit wrapped in a lady's sontag.
Poor Horace Grecley, after expending his wrath on the stairs, and cursing Washington anew as a place that should be immediately blotted out of the universe, strode to the hotel hatless.
What was said of the Israelites of old might be said of the unfortunate attendants of this unfortunate ball: "Hungry and weary, their souls fainted within them." And the dancing was on a par with the Barmecide Feast.
The home of 16 Presidents now became the home of Ulysses S. Grant.
Every Administration from that of John Adams down has brought its own individualism under this roof, and when you pass from one historic room to another each one
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is a present reality since the day that Abigail Adams dried her clothes in the East Room, or Dolly Madison packed off the state papers and the portrait of Washington ere the Britsh torch left but blackened walls, or the days when the 'Kitchen Cabinet" made the acquaintance of the Southern Portico Stairway, or Harriet Lane brought again into its drawing-rooms the splendor of courts and entertained the son of a Queen.
And where is the child of America who will forget the lonely man, sorrowful at heart, who bore the Nation's burdens, and in his lonely midnight walks to the War De- partment, with the stars for his guide and the rustling leaves overhead for company, getting the latest news from the front, often returning sadder than when he went; or the Green Room, where he last gazed upon the beautiful form and features of his fair boy, Willie, the pride of his heart-here the body, covered with flowers, rested for burial; and, saddest of all, this grand, noble soul going out of these portals and not returning? All this we re- member.
SOCIAL LIFE A SUCCESS.
President and Mrs. Grant were no exception to the rule. Theirs was an individualism whose atmosphere was purely domestic. In the social life of the White House we find a home.
Mrs. Grant's morning receptions were very popular. Perhaps the pleasantest feature of these receptions was the presence of the President. The informality and entire ease with which they were carried on was their charm.
Gen. Babcock, with that graceful suavity so much his own, gave your name to the President; he, in turn, passed it to Mrs. Grant, and she to the next lady receiving, and so on down the line. There was no awkward suspense in finding out whom you had the honor of addressing. If it were Mrs. Hamilton Fish, or Mrs. Sherman, or Mrs. Belknap, you knew it, and were at once at your ease. But according to the present custom, at times, you pass a line half the length of the room, as if it were a
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line of sentinels passing judgment for a competitive drill. The halcyon days of peace brought into the White House the ineffable charm of genuine sociability. Even the Nation's parlor, the grand old East Room, put on a home look, as much as to say: "The latch-string is out to all my children. The fatted calf has been killed; return, thou prodigal son."
A soft. Turkish carpet, a present from the Sultan of Turkey, covered the floor. Heavy lace curtains draped the windows, over which hung heavy brocatele, sur- mounted by gilt cornices. The walls and ceilings were frescoed; chairs and sofas were cushioned in keeping with the draperies. The three large crystal chandeliers shed the radiance of myriads of miniature suns. Eight large mirrors decorated the room, and the portraits of Wash- ington, Lincoln, John Adams, Martin Van Buren, Polk, and Tyler hung on the walls. Clocks and bronzes made up the ornaments. And into this room Uncle Sam's children were welcomed.
Four years pass by and the second Inaugural of the hero of Appomattox returns. It is a repetition of the first, with some extras thrown in. There is the same moving mass of people, the same glitter of helmets, flash of bayonets, waving plumes, playing of bands, gaudy firemen, burnished engines, soldiers, sailors and every- body else, full of enthusiasm, ready to celebrate the second Inaugural of their great Captain.
Despite the bitter cold that stung and paralyzed the young bloods of West Point, or tingled the veins of the Midshipmen from Annapolis, and the sweep and howl of Old Boreas, dancing with this man's hat, and running off with that woman's vail, rending the gorgeous banners into tatters, filling the air with blinding dust, the In- auguration went on, and Ulysses S. Grant became Presi- dent for another four years.
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NELLIE GRANT WEDDED.
The most notable occasion during the Administration was the wedding of Nellie Grant. Other weddings have been celebrated in the White House-Marie Monroe,
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daughter of President and Mrs. Monroe, and Lizzie, daughter of President Tyler. But Nellie Grant was an only daughter, and nothing was left undone by her parents to make this one of the most brilliant marriage ceremonies ever celebrated in the home of the Presidents. She was married May 21, 1874, to Algernon Sartoris, the son' of Edward Sartoris, of Hampshire, England. His mother was Adelaide Kemble, daughter of Charles Kemble and sister of Fanny Kemble. Mr. Sartoris was 23 years old and Nellie Grant 19.
Two hundred guests were invited to the wedding; officials and their families, the Army and Navy, and Diplomats.
Gen. Grant reluctantly gave consent to his daughter's marriage with a foreigner, and he requested that they would live in this country. The sudden death of Mr. Sartoris's brother changed all these plans. His becom- ing heir apparent to his father's estate made it inevitable that Nellie should live abroad. The General never be- came reconciled to her living out of the country.
In the last years of President Grant's Administration the Executive Mansion never presented a better appear- ance. The East Room had been made more beautiful than ever in all its features. ; The old furniture had been replaced by new. The Blue Room had also been re- touched, both as to its walls and furniture, and was really one of the handsomest drawing-rooms in the country.
Among the memorable days of this Administration was New Year's Day. All New Year's Days in Washington have distinguishing features of their own. They hold the first position, inasmuch as the ladies, for a portion of the day, are out by hundreds, if the skies smile. They call upon the President, the members of the Cabinet and the Diplomatic Corps, who are "At Home," and when the weather is fine the approaches to the White House present a gay appearance.
After 2 o'clock the ladies are "At Home," and the ob- servances of the day are continued, according to the time- honored custom of New Amsterdam.
It is the official "Opening Day"; the day of general
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meeting of men and women, officials and strangers, at the White House; a day which gives exhilaration to the social atmosphere.
After Gen. Grant had successfully conducted and brought to a victorious conclusion the late war between the opposing sections of the country; after he had judici- ously and wisely directed the Executive branches of this Government eight years, and re-established peace with the world, he had a strong hold upon the hearts of this Nation, and they were ready to manifest it upon every
occasion. When he decided to take rest and recreation in visiting the different nations of the globe, his country bade him God-speed. His journey was one continued ovation; but Gen. Grant in no degree accepted any of those demonstrations as personal, but as given to the representative of one of the grandest countries on the face of the earth. Yet it is a well-known fact that he was looked upon as one of the greatest Generals the world has ever known, and to him, as such, due homage was given.
This is a garrulous world, and there are those who say that Gen. Grant lacked this or that qualification; that he was not a General; that he was not a statesman. But deeds ring through the hearts of all mankind, and when the great hero lay dead, a grateful Nation bowed and bared its head in sorrow.
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CHAPTER XIII.
PRESIDENTS HAYES, GARFIELD, AND ARTHUR.
EXCITING POLITICAL CANVASS-MRS. HAYES'S "CROWN OF GLORY."
HEP. BROAD CULTURE-GARFIELD'S INAUGURATION THE ASSASSIN'S HAND-WHITE HOUSE AGAIN THE SOCIAL CENTER. PRESIDENT ARTHUR'S SISTER-CRITICAL POSITION SUSTAINED WITH MANLY COURAGE-GROVER CLEVELAND INAUGURATED. EX-CONFEDERATES IN THE CABINET-HIS PRIVATE SECRETARY. PERSONALITY OF MRS. CLEVELAND.
The exciting political canvass of 1876 is still fresh in the minds of the people. Its disputed results, the final adjustment of the Electoral Commissioners, giving the one majority to Mr. Hayes over Mr. Tilden, are also well- remembered facts.
Mr, Hayes gathered around him men of the highest integrity, and when years have softered the enmities engendered, justice will say: "Never was there a purer Administration than that of .Rutherford B. Hayes."
Of all the ladies of the White House, from the days of Abigail Adams down, none excelled MIrs. Lucy Webb Haves in innate refinement, broad culture, and moral courage. The grandeur of human character had in her a worthy example.
Abigail Adams was a representative woman of the days of the Revolution. She left to her country an un- blemished name. Dolly Madison inaugurated the golden reign of the White House. Mrs. Hayes fell upon times equally distinctive in many ways. She revived the stately graces of other days in the White House. She welcomed all, Americans, foreigners, friends and foes, with an ease and elegance of manner that charmed all who came into her presence.
She was the chosen counsellor of her husband in the affairs of State, a devout Methodist; in a word, a Christian woman. In times when animosities have spurred others to do ungracious things, and to boast of what they had done, her sweet, forgiving spirit made answer but in tears.
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The position she took upon the use of wine in the White House will always be to her a crown of glory. She saw through the forms and shamns of life, and her views differed materially from many others, but her decisions were from convictions wrought of grave and serious thought.
Ungracious as were the comments made upon her course, no American woman has created for herself, under public and trying conditions, so little criticism and so much admiration and respect as Lucy Webb Hayes.
CHARACTER OF MRS. HAYES.
There was in her character a combination of intellectual force, buoyancy of spirit, and deep tenderness of heart. In her portrait, which hangs in the White House, the gift of the Temperance women, she shows a striking, brilliant face, with intellectual, spir tual brow, a soft, tender ex- pression of eyes and mouth; the thick brown hair is brought smoothly down her face, and is simply coiled at the back. We are glad that the White House is so honored, and that there will be handed down to posterity the lineaments of this noble woman who dared to do according to her convictions.
The 4th of March the President and Mrs. Hayes joined the procession of families which the people have chosen to represent them, as the years have waxed and waned in the Nation's homestead, and walked out of it leaving · memories which linger and fill every nook and corner.
Mrs. Haves left an atmosphere emanating from the rare sunshine of her nature, as a sweet benediction for the one " who was to follow in the path she had trod for four years- · a varied path of lights and shades.
James A. Garfield was elected the 20th President of the United States, and Chester A. Arthur Vice-President
The morning of March 4, 1881, was not a propitious one for an Inaugural ceremony, for the day opened dark and gloomy. Amid snow and slush the procession moved, for neither fair nor foul weather can prevent the new Administration from being ushered in.
Pennsylvania Avenue was Nocd with. a multitude of people, disappointed and crestfallen with the provision
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