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Show KVyr. y.-Y v. ' i" i , - -"fll .- !f- ''Tv V 1,1 "KZTfCr TUT" )ulW 1 f ir . - JJ " , l X3mft''rv rT - 0M&M v f Sr."- ; J Kf ' :' "i House the tradition of a nrst dog of the land" Tl 1 5''-fl I v'';-vVyt':-l-'' ' ) became established and sluoe that time dogs have STv53 it,; - " v . . U Xi i 1 il been ,he f"vor" Mve stock gifts. The story of $) '"'i ' ?u.f ' 3 the faithful alredale. "Laddie Boy." which died 1 vSp 4 vV 'i'USw S-N.'VIi of broken heart after the death of Its master T vj 7-''J W '4 -?5S:Vi In 1023, promises to become one of the favorite 7. ' l Ti','i J7 traditions of our Presidents and their pets, even , V. rpV l Jf X?1 i though the Interest in the dogs which the Cool- f ",'3w't Vs '! - -il;-9". il ldges bronglit to the' While House somewhat - - 'JS V 3 -'s2r-' " iMlFl eclipsed his fame. There have been a number of W"'"""'"" ' . j r,vyP t--- F7wJ them but of them all, "Rob Koy," the white col- mwiw B-nnnvH'Fr nnrdnTv V '! ;: ' "''n''- J'lVhfr'r was President Coolldge's special pet, and J'yDDIJBCr . I jfwS Tiny Tim." the red chow. howasenVoften a f v :":$ lsLfm wlth Ml CoolllIBe, were the best known. "Bob By ELMO SCOTT WATSON &r Roy" was Uie successor to "Prudence Prim," who twff - died during the Coolidge administration, and he W JS5"j3Bl UB next time yon see fit to M CQQZWGX AZW t7TTJSXAr1-' also died while holding the position of -first dog House the tradition of a "first dog of the land" became established and since that time dogs have been the favorite live stock gifts. The story of the faithful alredale, "Laddie Boy," which died of a broken heart after the death of lta master In 1023, promises to become one of the fuvorite traditions of our Presidents and their pets, even though the Interest in the dogs which the Cool-ldges Cool-ldges brought to the' White House somewhat eclipsed bis fame. There have been a number of them but of them all, "Rob Roy," the white collie, col-lie, was President Coolldge's special pet, and "Tiny Tim," the red chow, who was seen so often with Mrs. Coolidge, were the best known. "Bob Boy" was the successor to "Prudence Prim," who died during the Coolidge administration, and he also died while holding the position of "first dog of the land." "Paul Pry," an alredale, enjoyed a brief career In the White House but waa much too lively for his station In life and was sent back to the marines, whence he came, as an .efficient .effi-cient mascot for those red-blooded he-men. Another Coolidge dog whose stay was short was the wlre-halr, wlre-halr, "Peter Pan," who "Just wouldn't get on with the other dogs." Then there was "Boston Beans," the bull terrier: "Black Berry," the furry, black chow; ."Kuby Bough," a collie; "King Kole," a Belgian Gruenendael, and "Calamity Jane," another an-other collie. Aside from the dogs, the Coolidges had one of the most extensive "zoos" of any of tlie occupants of the White House. Most famous of the others, of course, Is "Rebecca" the racoon, but included In It are the following: two lions, two bears, three wildcats, one hippopotamus and six birds. Four of them are rare canaries. President Coolidge could have added to that collection considerably during bis summer vacation In the Black Hills if he had chosen to. He was offered a baby coyote, two baby burros, mountain goats, Iambs, deer, red squirrels and chickens, not to mention "Kit," the beautiful bay mure, presented to him by the Boy Scouts. But the animals In the Coolidge zoo, most of them. Incidentally, were presented to the National Zoological park In Washington, were only minor Items In the flood of gifts which poured in upon this popular President The extent of this flood Is indicated by the following news dispatch which appeared a short time before be left office : A list of lh g.ttt received In one week bv President Pres-ident Coolidge give a g-llmpse of the difficulties that will confront him when he leaves the White House. Among- them were knitted nag-, In which there were 115,000 atitchea; a twist of Tenneasee tobacco, an enormous cake of Vermont maple u gar, an ounce of vanilla extract, a baseball bat. a ukelele, three boxes of fish bait, a squash with hte name on It, a bundle of sheet music, a bound collection of Swedish stamps, a pair of knitted woolen sleeping; socks, a patchwork bedqullt, a elided bust of the prince of Wales, a bottle containing- a wood carving: also his own picture on I By ELMO SCOTT WATSON Jy JBETjSJ HE next time yon sea fit to 7f&J t! urge upon your small son that fOTKi:Q v be make the most of his op-O&KvfcS op-O&KvfcS Prtunltles because he "may irMyW1 res,(lent one day," you gf-iLvaS"fi ni,K,lt ,,lclu(le among the In-WmMf In-WmMf "t'vea for that ambition the rnf ' " M fact that the White House Is, among other things, a place "where It la Christmas every day in the year." For . that statement Is almost literally true and few are the days, indeed, on which there does not arrive In Washington some new gift for the Chief Executive. These gifts are of every conceivable kind and gome of them would seem absurd If It were not for the kindly thought back of the giving. Most Interesting of all, perhaps, are the live gifts which come to the White House. It began as far back aa Washington's administration when the king of Spain sent our first President a Jack- -ass I Since then the custom of sending, unsolicited, all aorta of presents has grown enormously. In 1802 Thomas Jefferson received from the people of little town in western Massachusetts one of the most remarkable of all gifts a cheese weighing weigh-ing 1,032 pounds. The story back of that gift la thla: In 1801 the town of Cheshire was noted for three things its dairying Interests, Its loyalty to the Democratic party, In a section of the country coun-try that waa maliily Federalists, and an able, eccentric and witty Baptist divine named Elder John Leland. one Sunday morning In 1S01 Elder Leland announced from his pulpit the plan of presenting to the President, whom tbey all admired ad-mired so madt, the greatest gift that was In their power to bestow a mammoth product of their community. July 20, 1801, was the date set for making the cheese and the plan was to have all the owners of cows In the town, with the exception excep-tion of a few Federalists, make the curd. There waa no cheese press large enough for the purpose pur-pose so Ellsha Brown's cider press was called into service. The hoop in which the cheese was pressed waa four feet In diameter and eighteen Inches deep and waa secured with strong bands of Iron. Into this the curd was placed and the ponderous wooden screws of the old cider mill were turned down. At the conclusion of the ceremony, a hymn, lined oft by Elder Leland, was sung by the assembled multitude and the cheese was put away to cure. In December Elder Leland and Darius Brown loaded It on a sled on which it was taken to Hudson, New York, and then shipped by water to Washington. The presentation ceremony took place In the White House In the presence of the cabinet, foreign for-eign diplomats and other notables and when the formalities were over, the steward of the White House cut the cheese, bread was brought In and all present enjoyed the historic Cheshire cheese. There Is a tradition that Andrew Jackson once turned down a very valuable gift because It did not conform to bis democratic Ideals. An American naval officer, cruising in foreign waters, came Into possession of a sarcophagus of a Roman emperor and wrote to Jackson asking permission to send It to him with the suggestion that he be burled In It when his time came to die. Jackson declined the gift, not because of the gloomy Insinuation that his end waa near but because he did not thin': It fitting for a man of the common people, even though he had been elevated to leadership of those people, to be burled In such monarchist splendor. Another gift, however, which did meet with his approval was a narrow-brimmed beaver bat, sent to him in 1837 by W. H. Peck, a New York hatter. This gift, taken to Jackson by a friend, brought from him the following letter of acknowledgement acknowledge-ment : Washington, March 4, 18J7. Dear Sir: Your letter, and the present which you have so kindly offered me through Mr. Butter, But-ter, are received with the pleasure which such tribute Is ao well calculated to Inspire. Let me assure you, that I feel more pride In the gift which you consider an humble one than 1 should In the costliest present from the hand of ostentation. The hat you have so carefully and skillfully wrought with your own hands I shall wear with prouder feelings than I would a crown. The power of exalted station Is nothing In comparison com-parison with the pleasure conveyed In the acknowledgment acknowl-edgment that I have Inveated my faculties to sustain sus-tain the rights of the Industrious and producing classes to opref(ss) and degrade which la, for the most part the businef(as) of rulers. Wishing you great prosperity a long and useful use-ful life a happy Immortality, Is the wish of your fellow-cltisen, (Signed) ANDREW JACKSON. Mr. W. H. Peck. In some cases gifts to the Presidents have caused them some embarrassment The imam of Muscat once sent an almost priceless string of pearls to Martin Van Buren. Under the circumstances of their sending to have refused them would have been highly insulting to the foreign monarch. Van Buren overcame the difficulty, however, by accepting accept-ing them and Immediately presenting them to the National museum where they are still preserved. During the administration of President Franklin Pierce, Massachusetts again came Into the limelight lime-light by presenting to the President a splendid carriage made at Pittsfield and given to him by Boston admirers. Incidentally, Andrew Jackson once received a similar gift, a phaeton, made from the timbers of the frigate Constitution, the famous "Old Ironsides." .Although Abraham Lincoln, the man who said that "the Lord must have loved the common people peo-ple because He made so many of them," received many gifts from that class of society, the best known of them, perhnps, was a giant white ox and It was named "President Grant" and exhibited on Pennsylvania avenue when Grant was lnau gurated President In the Washington too still lives a faded old Somallland ostrich, presented to President Roosevelt by King Menellk of Abyssinia. Abys-sinia. A world traveler gave President Benjamin Harrison a parrot which was the favorite pet of the Chief Executive during his administration. It Is Interesting to note that "Polly," now seventy years old. Is stilt living in Omaha, Neb., the property of a family to whom slie was given when the Harrisons left the White House, The custom of sending a turkey to the White House for Thanksgiving goes back, nobody knows how far, but this annuul gift of the national bird Is only one of the many samples of frequent additions addi-tions to the "White House menagerie." During the administration of President Roosevelt be unwittingly un-wittingly started the "Teddy Bear" craze and bears of all descriptions, some of them alive, arrived frequently at the White House. The fact that Roosevelt was a "Bough Blder" and that be had some lively sons whose tastes were similar simi-lar to those of their futher resulted in any number num-ber of gifts of ponies. A western politician once presented to President Taft a live goose which was much photographed and got more newspaper notice than perhaps any goose in history, and still another admirer sent him a cow. During President Presi-dent Wilson's administration, a flock of sheep, sent to the war President, was a familiar algbt on the White House lawn. When President Harding occupied the White a pleoe of tin, a barrel of apples, a bushel of popcorn, pop-corn, a box of honey, aix Jars of home-made preserves, pre-serves, a roast of venison, a bushel of cranberries, a kit of mackerel, a layer cake, a ham, a crate of oranges, a brace of wild ducks, a basket of peaches, a crate of cantaloupes, a Jar of peach pickle, sixteen walking sticks, twelve knives, for post-Presidential whittling; three carved pipes, a knitted pair of house slippers, a pumpkin, an ear of corn and a atring of red pepper. Canes are frequent gifts: there are Ave or six hundred of them stored away, a few handsomely carved and some gold mounted. The favorite gifts of elderly women to the President are knitted woolen socks and knitted house slippers. Men glv him canes and pipes. His living gifts would almost al-most stock a museum, the most common being eagles, dogs and cats. At the beginning of each administration there Is keen competition among breeders to supply a dog. When Herbert Hoover came Into Hie White House dogs continued to be the favorite White House pet, for the Hoovers brought with them three "Cragwood Padriac," the Irish wolfhound; "Bellhaven Behoover," a collie, and "King Tut," a police dog. Later additions were "Englehurst Gillette," Gil-lette," a Gordon setter; "Whoopee," a Schnauzer; "High Boy," another dog of Irish extraction, and "Buckeye," another police dog. Within recent weeks three more dogs have Joined the Hoover kennels "Southboro Markham" and "Southboro Sunny," English setters, and a little Eskimo puppy, as yet unnamed. And the successor to "Rebecca," the Coolidge racoon, is "Billy Possum,"' an oppos-sura oppos-sura which strayed upon the White House grounds and, being captured by a guard, was immediately adopted Into the exclusive society of "Presidential Pets." |