Show IN THE WHITE HOUSE Santa Claus at Homo in the East Room of the Mansion Intciestinp Holiday Reminiscence Running Run-ning the Twentythree Administrations Copyright WASHINGTON Dec 20Santa Claus is much older than our great United States we all know and that Kriss Krmgles traditional glory came from over the seas but just when how or where good Mary Washington hung up the stocking of The Father of Our Country newspapers have failed to tell us I We have no files of stately court journals I jour-nals and from the first to the fourteenth president we read or hear very little of Christmas President and Mrs Adams in 1801 held their first New Years reception and about Christmas time Mrs Adams ras struggling to keep twelve fires burning burn-ing in the White House a great empty castle with only one cord and a half of wood on hand No bells No looking glasses And half the china broken in moving The Jeffersons Monroes Adamses Jacksons Van Burens Harrisons Ty lers Polks Taylors and Fillmoes each brought to the presidents home the ele gances and refinements of their day and the customs of their time One secretary writes to London in December Never has the holiday season been more handsomely hand-somely observed than by Mrs Polk the dignified and graceful wife of Presdent Polk The Jeffersons entertained friends atdinner during the holidays and the Jacksons gave to the beloved little Each leIs and Andrews delightful winter sports and merrymakings People now live at the capital who remember the beautiful home life of these families at tho White House Before railways coaches changed horses at Alexandria and at the capital and loads of young belles and beaux came uo t the Christmas and New Years parties bringing to the president and his family beautiful holly and trailing pine from their southern homes Charming stories are jet told of Dolly Madison in her generous social reign cighi years as the wife of the secretary of state and afterward I after-ward the sunshiny mistress of the White house In December 1809 her old family fam-ily servants journeyed loaded with Christmas comforts for Mistress Dolly from the old home says a quaint record Mrs Madison brought to the presidents home the pride of Virginia and the Caro flnas and often boasted being the daughter of the old commonwealth and I sho entertained with a wide hospitality and gave sumptuous feasts when occasion demanded The Carrolls Maryland tell of the sweet music on the piano and harp by Mrs Abigail Fillmore and her daughter daugh-ter at a dinner in December 1850 Daniel Webster wrote to a friend of the old yule log transplanted to the American White House and of a holiday feast given by the president Mr Buchanan with Miss Lane I the golden beauty of the White House gave grand fetes to the young people ot the capital in 1S5S5D on Christmas eve The pretty maidens wore Empire gowns and Eretty comb To each guest Miss Lane gave a sprig of holly berries a souvenir brought from the beloved Wheatiand home The Lanes were an aristocratic family inI England Tha yule log burned brightly on their Virginia hearth and the boars head with an apple in its mouth Get off with rosemary and plum pudding graced the Virginia dinner table These customs added to the southern festivities when all the servants in the country round held high carnival found their way to the White House and to the homes of the cabinet In those days Christmas morning was stri ctly a festival of devotion I devo-tion I Churches in Washington were I am well filled by the official families at 10 i 1 The Christmases of President Abraham Lincoln were not fetes not dinners but days of anxiety and sober work Soldier boys in blue officers messengers mothers moth-ers and wives pleading for their own in battle or hospital passed through the I White House early and late The death I of Willie Lincoln before the second Christmas Christ-mas in Washington was abitter sorrow I In 1S63 Mr Colfax said to the president Mr Lincoln you are worn out Im going to my old home for Christmas Go with me Bring Tad and rest a day or so i soMr Lincoln shook his head Nor i No-r Colfax I cant take holidays Ive said before to you that I would gladly change places with the soldiers who sleep Ion i I-on the ground today 1 The next year Chalstmas was bitterly I cold Mr Lincoln noticed that Tad was out doors without his cap quite early in I the morning and he sad My son what are you doing out in the coid I Just helping Uncle Daniel load upLoading I up-Loading up what Tad dragged his lather along to the area door There sat Daniel wrapped in Tads best muffler with baskets and bundles beside him Where is he going asked the president 1 Oh we are both going to the hospital where Jimmy is you know I told him wed make him laugh Christmas day 1 Jimmy was one of the guard Mother was awful good with some clothes Cook likes Jimmy so does Daniel Dan-iel one of the waiters and weve got a splendid load Thats good Tad but do put on your warm coat and cap That Christmas Secretary Stanton sent Tad a bolt scarlet blanket with his name on it in big letters Some general gave I ol him top boots and a gun The cook made i him a huge plum cake that was assed around before it was cold to iasher first then to the rest of the family then to the guards and servants Secretary Chase and General Fremont i called to see Mr Lincoln at dark and almost tumbled over a string of rag muffins at the front door fpllbwing Master Mas-ter Tad through the public balls to the kitchen Im ietchin em in to dinner and t get some presents said Tad and the president and his cabinet had at least one merry half hour on that Christmas day Perhaps the most attractive event of President Johnsons administration was the Christmas party for children given to please his nephews and nieces and their friends Andrew lailio and Sailie Stover and Miss Belle and Master Andrew An-drew Patterson received the little guests Everything in the house was exquisite ex-quisite in tint and newness A platform plat-form stood in the centre of the East Room on which sat the Marine band Over them was festooned silken flags Flowers bloomed everywhere Two or three hundred guests arrived hv 7 oclock I was a fairy land of butterfly coloring Gold and scarlet sashes stockings and pretty slippers I The little dancers flitted in and out overtime over-time softly carpeted rooms like birds of every brilliant hue Christmas logs burned on the hearths and grave statesmen states-men stood about gazinir at the beautiful scene Professor Marini guided the little feet through LAriel and the Highland High-land Fling and amazing quadrilles The Russian minister the Swiss consul Secretary Seward and many officers declared de-clared they never saw so beautiful a picture The plain family from Tennessee a Mrs Patterson called themselves gave constantly some new pleasure to the children or the poor or the employees of the house The Christmas of 69 found the happy wideawake family of General Grant settled set-tled in the White House It was just fourscore four-score years on March 4th since Mrs Washington was Executive Mistress n During their eight years in the White House the Grants were counted an unusually unus-ually happy home circle All their holidays days were marked with simplest pleasures and unselfish charities Mrs Grant was very systematic in charities She made lists and distributed Christmas gifts with wisdom and good sense There was no end of calls upon them s soon after the war and none went away empty In 70 President Grants father spent Christmas at the White House The sons came home from college and Nellie and her friends made the aid house ring with good times Mrs Fremont gave them a dancing reception re-ception and the sewing club of which Nellie was the president had a wonderful Christmas entertainment furnished mostly from the White House General Grant like General Sherman had a great love for children and their I pleasures One Christmas the matins matn was The adventures and misadventures of Clown and Pantaloon in the wonderful pantomiue of Jack and the Beanstalk and the White House children were determined de-termined to go Now father please urged Nellie Grant and Yes father you promised us said Jesse and General Sherman said Well gol of us and take the whole tribe And they did Uncles and cousins several distinguished generals gen-erals and the president Officers of church and state were forgotten in the ridiculous pranks of Jack and the Beanstalk Bean-stalk A great banquet was afterward served in the state dining room by the new steward Melah Ail the distinguished distin-guished guests joined with the children I in games and fun There were music and promenades through the east room Christmas at the White House with I Mrs Hayes as its mistress was a beautiful ful successio i of Christmas charities and joyful gatherings So mnch Las been I said of The Madonna of the White House that I hesitate to repeat even a I few simple facts William I want you to buy forty turkeys besides our own vegetables I pickles and fruit to go with them We will need them Christmas eve I can trust I wi you William to provide generously she I said to the steward one Christmastide The steward himself tells me with pride and affection how for four years he got J 1 the forty turkeys not one less than i twentytwo pounds and how the madam 1 i came to the storeroom rolled up her sleeves and with her own hands filled I bags with cranberries lemons crackers and small delicacies for the sick Oh I I liked to buy for her and see her give it out he added In 1877 Rutherford jr I came home from Cornell Scott and Fanny from school Young friends went with them to 1 Vernon the day before I I Christmas and a large merry party celebrated I cele-brated Christmas evewith tableauxgames I and music Mr and Mrs Hayes joining i in them I They gave the home Christmas presents in an original way All the gifts were taken to the family room assorted for I each person and laid on tables Mr and Mrs Hayes distributed them Atthe tap I of a bell someone was called and walking walk-ing in he received all his gifts Each in turn came the same way After the family fam-ily the employees and servants and at last the children tapped the bell and the I President and Mrs Hayes walked in demurely I de-murely Great shouts and much laughter follow these two cal and one of the secretaries I sec-retaries remarked It was mare to seethe i see-the handsome mother hugged and kissed i and whirled about by her big boys and the president marched around by his I children as i they were all oi an age than to receive any number of gifts I Mrs Hayes opened the main conservatory conserva-tory to the public one Christmas for the first time and I wish I had space to tell all the women of the land how in flowers fruits and tender beautiful womanly ways this mistress of the White House made sunshine in dark places President Garfield was succeeded by Mr Arthur in 1892 His little daughter Nellie was made president oC the Childrens Christmas club of Washington Washing-ton which proved a wonder of success and blessing Miss Waite Miss West and the leading young ladies of society lenta land In 1881 the badges were marked C C C with tiny sleigh bell attached and they rung like a hundred Christmas bells as they were I worn by all the club and the guests The gests I president and the cabinetalways attended the C C C The old soldiers at the home were never forgotten on Christmas by tho Arthurs of whom they were very fond j President and Mrs Cleveland usually passed the holidays in quiet home enjoy 1 ment sometimes spending Christmas day at Red Top taking long drives visiting the Childrens Country home with books j games a nice dinner flowers and fruits pames little ones there watched for I the beautiful lady Albert Haw kins the old coachman took great pride in his pretty mistress geat j I her Christmas shopping and boasted oi I the generouaJbundles piled high in the carriage My lady gives us a big Christmas time I tell you he used to I say Theie is no space to tell of the j to beautiful the official gifts and household delicate remebrncs nor many kindnesses shown to the sorrowful by this young happy new wife and mistress of the White House j Iouse And now it is Christmas in the 90s in the White House Hampe the German 1 nurse teaches Benjamin and Mary the genuine Christchild songs the native 1 Kriss Kringle rhymes The Christmas tree is big and shining with stars and gifts The father mother children and grandchildren of the Harrison family have made their White House homo one to be remembered during the I last three years by its courtesy kindliness and charity its domestic purity and happiness Its Christmas days have been filled with good to ali about i them Peals of laughter the noise of lit tie feet grandfatherpresident on his knees playing horse engines carts and drums have generally united to make the big house alive with Christmas cheer On this Christmas of S2 the wide sympathy sym-pathy of the whole country goes out tote to-te president of the United States MARGARET SPENCER |