share of the ridicule, but Mrs. Madison certainly showed great presence of mind and carried off all the honor there was.

The reconstruction of the White House was finished in 1817, Presidents Madison and Monroe occupying meanwhile a building known as the "Octagon House," still standing at the corner of New York Avenue and Eighteenth Street. It was in this house that President Madison signed the Treaty of Ghent in 1815.

The portico of Ionic columns, on the north of the White House, was added in 1829, and internal improvements have been made at various times since, notably during the administration of President Arthur, when the house was completely refurnished and fitted with all the conveniences of a modern mansion. Under President Harrison great improvements have been made in the decorations, and the interior now presents a very artistic appearance.

The immense increase in the amount of business devolving upon the President, as well as his social duties as the chief of official society at Washington, has rendered the White House far too small for the present needs of the Executive. It is proposed to make large extensions to the present building, and plans designed by Mrs. Harrison have met with great approval. When these additions have been finished, the President will have a building wherein he can live comfortably and at the same time discharge effectively his duties as Chief Executive of the Nation and head of society at the Nation's Capital.

The White House is situated on a Government reservation, known as the President's Grounds, fronting on Pennsylvania Avenue opposite Lafayette Square. A broad semicircular drive-way sweeps from the two gateways on the Avenue past the main entrance. The grounds are very beautiful with their stately trees and well-kept lawns. The reservation extends southward to the river, and with the lands there reclaimed and The Mall will form a beautiful park of several hundred acres. To the south of the White House the ground slopes gently towards the river, and this rear lawn is the scene of the annual "egg-rolling," a pretty custom of unknown origin. On Easter Monday, the whole place is swarming with gaily-dressed children busily engaged in rolling their brilliantlycolored eggs down the grassy slope.

During the pleasant afternoons and evenings in spring and summer

the famous Marine Band gives open-air concerts on the lawn, and the grounds become a favorite resort for all. No restriction is placed on the visitor, but everyone is allowed to wander at will, and freely enjoy the delight and beauty of the scene.

The White House has a frontage towards the north of one hundred and seventy feet and a depth of eighty-six feet. There are two stories and a basement, and the whole is

surmounted by a balustrade. In the centre of the north front is a square portico of lofty Ionic columns. A semicircular colonnade adorns the rear. The building is almost entirely devoid of ornament, but its very simplicity of design gives it a severe yet classic beauty. On the west are extensive conservatories, filled with rare and beautiful plants, the source of the brilliant floral displays at the state dinners and receptions.

CONSERVATORY.

The main entrance opens into a spacious room, forty by fifty feet, termed the "Vestibule." This formerly presented a very shabby appearance, but little attention having been given to its decoration. President Arthur succeeded in having the old wooden partition, separating it from the central corridor, removed, and in its place was put a magnificent screen of jewelled glass, made by Tiffany, of New York. Appropriations made in 1891 made further improvements possible, and now the room is very beautiful.

The ceiling is laid out in an "oval," with a circle inside containing twenty-four small panels, richly decorated with ornaments and blended in colors from a cream to an old red. The oval is ornamented with a medallion and a liberty cap at either end. From the borders of the oval panels extending to the side walls contain small circles decorated with stars. The artistic use of colors and shading produce the effect of high relief. Upon the mantel wall towards the East Room is a panel formed of flags, trophies, and other emblems, containing in the centre a medallion of Washington, encircled

by a wreath of laurel. A similar panel on the west wall contains a medallion of Lincoln. The four doors are crowned with heavy scroll work, and in the centre of each is the "fasces," symbolical of union. The entire coloring is cream and old red, richly illuminated with gold leaf. The columns are a rich blending of old metal effect, and ornamented from the capital downward with shield and battle axe.

A small corridor on the east of the Vestibule gives access to the official stairway and leads to the famous East Room.

This is the largest apartment in the building, and is a magnificent chamber, eighty feet long, forty feet wide, and twenty-two feet high.

It is richly ornamented in the Grecian style, the prevailing colors being white and gold. The lofty walls are adorned with eight large mirrors over carved mantel-pieces. From each of the three panels of the ceiling hangs a magnificent crystal chandelier. A full-length portrait of Washington, by Gilbert Stuart, and one of Martha Washington, by E. F. Andrews, occupy panels in the walls. The portrait of Washington is the one saved by Mrs. Madison. The dress in which the artist has represented Martha Washington was one made in Paris to be worn at the Martha Washington Centennial Tea Party, at Philadelphia, in 1876, and is considered a very fine

reproduction of the style of dress during Revolutionary times. Two other panels are filled by full-length portraits of Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson; the latter, by Gilbert Stuart, being the bestknown portrait of the great statesman.

The East Room was formerly used for state banquets, but is now used only for receptions. On these occasions it presents a very brilliant appearance. The windows are screened by rare tropical plants and the mantels

are heaped with masses of roses and other flowers. All the brightness is not monopolized by the ladies and the flowers, for the gleam of gold and silver lace and the flashing of jewelled orders show the presence of members of foreign legations and officers of the Army and Navy.

Next the East Room on the southern front is the Green Room. As is the case with the other "color" rooms, it takes its name from the prevailing color of the decorations. The ceiling is beautifully ornamented with medallions containing representations of musical instru

THE GREEN ROOM.

ments and cherubs, and garlands of flowers.

The woodwork is in

There is a full

imitation of old ivory, richly adorned with gold. length portrait of Mrs. Hayes, by Huntingdon, presented to the Government by the Women's National Temperance Union. There are also fine portraits of Mrs. Tyler and Mrs. Polk.

The Blue Room is of oval form and occupies the centre of the

southern front of the building. The decorations and furniture are light blue and gold. When holding receptions, the President stands in this room and the guests are introduced to him here before passing to the other parlors. The room is of especial interest, as it was here that President and Mrs. Cleveland were married, standing just north of the centre of the room.

West of the Blue Room is the Red Room, the private or family

THE BLUE ROOM.

parlor, as it is called. The walls and curtains are of Pompeiian red and the furniture is upholstered in red plush. There are pictures of Presidents John Adams, Van Buren, and Taylor. Used, as this room is, by the President and his family, it has a cosy, home-like look, far different from the stately grandeur of the other parlors.

The State Dining Room, in the southwestern corner of the building, is a spacious apartment, thirty by forty feet, and is magnificently ornamented in the Colonial style, the prevailing color being a rich creamy - brown.

The

ceiling is surrounded with a frieze of garlands, about three and onehalf feet wide, with medallions at intervals. From these, wreaths and vines run to the chandeliers. Beneath the cornice is a heavy frieze about four feet in width, which blends into the wall with garlands of native vines, leaves, and fruits. Over the door is a large medallion, in the centre of which is a shield of the United