0
HCOdCO
4
ft
z-iOME alarmist scribe lately uttered
4 in print the baneful suggestion
that, because she will be the thir
teenth White House bride. Miss Jessie
Woodrow Wilson faces an ill omen.
And, lest some superstitious soul suf.
fer qualms, superinduced by this prog
nosticatlon, De it said that certain un
official nuptials tied within the execu
tive mansion during- the Civil War suf
ficed to remove the jinx from Miss
Wilson's hymeneal prospects, and to
constitute her the fourteenth White
House bride. By no means Bhofeld any
industrious hack, delving- into the his
tory of the President's house, be
blamed for not learning of the un
official marriage in question. George
Bancroft himself would never have
mentioned or have remembered it. Yet
it was a fact over which some of
Miss Wilson's admirers will perhaps
rejoice. We will say more about this
unhistoric union when it is reached in
its proper chronological order.
First White House Bride.
When Mr. Francis B. Sayre Joins the
President's daughter in wedlock at the
White House November 25, more than
102 years will have passed since the
first White House wedding was sol
emnized within the same walls. That
was the marriage of Mrs. "Dolly"
Madison's youngest sister, Mrs. Lucy
Payne Washington (widow of George
Steptoe Washington, a nephew of the
first President) and Judge Todd, of
Kentucky. It occurred In the White
House March 11, 1811, during the ad
ministration of the bride s brother-ln
law, James Madison..
The second White House . bride was
another of Mrs. Madison's relatives,
. Miss Anna Todd, who, also in 1811, mar
ried Representative Edward B. Jack
son, of Virginia, who was a great-uncle
of Stonewall Jackson, and who during
Bis career became famous through
duel which he fought with Kepresenta
tive Eppcs, also of Virginia. Unfor
tunately, the social chroniclers and
diarists of these times do not appear
to have handed down to posterity any
details of the first two White House
weddings.
Fmt "Marriageable Daughter."
The first marriageable daughter Of a
President to be presented to society
during her father's Administration was
Miss Maria Hester Monroe, who had
been born in France during James Mon
roe's mission there. - Although only 14
when she was brought to the White
House, this youthful belle improved her
time to the extent of being wooed, won
and wedded all ere she had passed
sweet 16.
Doubtless It was a coincidence that
she. like the first White House bride.
chose March 11 for the wedding day,
the year being 1820.
The bridegroom was her maternal
first cousin, Samuel Lawrence Gouv-
erneur, of New York, and the clergy
man- officiating was the Rev. William
Hawley, rector of St. John's Church.
Married "Hew York Style."
According to one chronicler, this happy
couple were Tnarrled New York style,'
whatever that method may have been
in those days. The ceremony was wit
nessed by only the bridal party, the rel
atives and a few old friends of the
contracting couple. Not even the Cab
lnet members were invited. General
Thomas S. Jesup, one of the heroes of
v the War of 1812, was best man. After
Mr. Hawley pronounced the pair united
the bridesmaids and groomsmen were
dismissed for exactly one week, when
they returned to assist at a brilliant
,wedding reception at the White House
during which President and Mrs. Mon
roe mingled with their guests and left
the bridal couple to formally act
host and hostess.
A brilliant ball was given to this
third White House bride by Commodore
Decatur Just two days before he fell
dead in the duel with Barron. This
death of the hero of Tripoli put our
republican court in mourning and can
celled another wedding ball for the
same happy couple to which Commo
dore Porter had Issued cards. So Mr.
and Mrs. Gouverneur proceeded to New
York.
Where Wine Flowed.
Mr. Gouverneur had been graduated
three years before from Columbia Col
lege. For a time after his marriage he
served as President Monroe's secretary,
later was in the New York Legislature
and afterward served as postmaster of
New York for eight years. He owned
the famous horse. Post Boy, and was
one of the owners of the Bowery The
ater, New York. For a while he and
his bride occupied the De Manou build
ing, on H street, Washington, where
they gave some briliiarit entertain
ments. There were four spacious drawing-rooms
in his house, and It fre
quently .required IS baskets of cham
pagne to supply all of the guests at a
single function. Their son, Samuel
Laurence Gouverneur, Jr., was a figure
in Washington, became a Lieutenant
In the Regular Army and served with
distinction throughout the Mexican
War. Later, while his mother was suf
fering from a protracted illness, he
resigned his commission because not
allowed to go to her sick bed. After
her death his father took a second
wife. Miss Mary DIgges Lee.
The fourth couple to be married' In
the White House were also cousins j
itCK frSS 1 S ? tW?- X i t fc7w . M Srf llll inm, -Uf III Mil
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young John Adams, son of President
John Quincy Adams, and Miss Mary
Hell en, of Washington, a niece of Mrs.
Adams. The ceremony occurred in the
blue parlor in 182(. It was an evening
wedding attended by a very distin
guished company. Although it is said
that the match was not agreeable to
President John Quincy Adams wtho
omits mention of the wedding In his
diary It is related that he relaxed his
accustomed dignity during that even
ing, danced the Virginia reel and
capered about. Joking and singing
snatches of old love songs, in honor of
this nuptial occasion." He is also re
lated to have been "the best talker at
table at the series of grand dinner
parties which were given at the Execu
tive Mansion during the week follow
ing the nuptials of his son."
This son. Prince John, as he was
popularly known, acted as his father's
private secretary and seems to have
enjoyed an exalted opinion of his own
Importance. A Washington editor,
named Jarvis, who alleged that "Prince
John" had made offensive remarks
about him, slapped .the young dandy's
face and pulled his nose in the rotunda
of th Panitol. of which Indlsrnltv to
his son the President complained in a.
special message to Congress, which
body, although appointing a committee
of investigation never meted out any
punishment to the editor.
The christening of Mary Louisa
Adams, the first child of this marriage
of "Prince John," occurred in the east
room of the White House in February,
1S29, and was attended by American
and foreign dignitaries.
Three While Jackson Ruled.
Three weddings occurred in - the
White House while the widowed Jack'
son was President. In 1S30 Miss Mary
Lewis, daughter of Jackson's Intimate
friend and companion In arms. Major
Lewis, of Nashville, married M.
Alpbonse Joseph Yoer Pageot, a native
of Martinique, who six years later be
came secretary of the French legation
at Washington and who 12 years later
became French minister at our Capital
It was gossiped at the time that his
friend, Louis Philippe, appointed him
to Washington that he might look after
his wife's property In Tennessee.
Miss Lewis is described as having
been a lovely bride. The President
gave her away. She died more than iO
years ago at Montpeliier, in France.
In a romance culminating in a White
House wedding in 1832, a niece of Pres
ident Jackson, Miss Mary Easten, of
Tennessee, played the stellar role. She
had first been wooed and won by
Lieutenant Bolton Finch, of our navy,
an Englishman by birth, and one of the
great beaus of his time. The- day- of
the wedding was fixed and the guests
invited, but upon the eve of the nup
tials there came rumbling up to the
White House door a coach and four
bearing one Mp. Pojk, of Tennesse, a
kinsman of President Polk, and an
ardent suitor of the bride-elect.
A last appeal made by Polk moved
Miss Easten to hesitate to the extent
f asking the advice of her uncle.
"Take care,, my doar," Admonished,
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, . PORTLAND, OCTOBER 19, 1913.
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Freeh Wedding Performed in White House During
Ci&l War Removes Jinx Sixth Child of Presi
dztiZ lo Be Wedded at the Executive Mansion
Splendors of Past White House Weddings,
"S3!- T
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the President. "With love, marriage
is heaven; without It, hell."
And Miss Easten at the last mo
ment chose Mr. Polk instead . of the
fascinating Lieutenant Finch, who a
year later had Congress change his
name to William Compton Bolton, and
who was a commodore when he died
In 1849.
One of the bridesmaids expressed to
Daniel Webster her surprise that "Liz
zie" should have consented to give up
her belleshlp so Boon.
"Ah," said that great man:
"Love rules the court, the camp, the
grave.
And love is heaven, and heaven is
love' "
Among the . guests at this wed
ding were the cabinet, diplomatic corps
and a host of personal friends, in
cluding the brilliant Dolly Madison
herself.
Now we come to the unofficial wed
ding of which mention was made in
our Introduction. This occurred in 1862
during Lincoln's Administration, and
the bridegroom was one James H.
Chandler, a Union soldier, who, near
Mount Sidney, Va., carried off a pretty
country lass and eloped with her in
a stage to Washington. Obtaining his
rdarriage license and the service of a
Baptist preacher, he persuaded the lat
ter to proceed with him and his bride
elect to the White House. Here, by
oiling the palm of a colored attendant.
admission .was gained lo on of .the,
7
w
state parlors, where the minister read
the ceremony which made the two man
and wife. The maiden name of tbis,
the ninth White House bride, has been
lost to history for the time being, but
a lew years ago she was still living at
Anderson, Ind., and drawing the pen.
slon of a soldier's widow.
Of the third White House wedding of
the Jackson Administration, that of
Emily Martin, another fair relative of
the President, and Lewis Randolph, lit
tle seems to be known and I can find
no description of it.
When Tyler took up his abode In
the White House, he called his four
daughters before him and uttered this
solemn admonition:
"Remember, you will be much In the
public eye," he warned. "You are to
know no favorites. Your visitors will
be citizens of the United States and as
such are all to be received with equal
courtesy. You will not receive any
gifts whatever and you will allow no
one to approach you on the subject of
office or favors."
Two of his daughters were already
married, another was a mere child and
only one was of marriageable age. This
was Elizabeth, the beauty of the fam
ily. She had fine eyes, an exquisite
complexion, a wealth . of soft, waving
hair, and all of the superior charm
of a' Virginia belle. But her reign
in Washington was destined to be very
brief. Her father, had become Presi
dent In April, 1811, and on the last day
OUS
of the following January she married,
In the east room. William Waller of
Virginia, a grandnepbew of the Scot
tish" Earl of Traqualre.
"Lizzie has had quite a grand wed
ding, although the intention was that
it Bhould be quiet and private," wrote
her brother's wife, who added that
the bride "looked surpassingly lovely
in her wedding dress and long blond
lace veil; her face literally covered
with blushes and dimples." This rela
tive writes also that the fair Elizabeth
"behaved remarkably well, too.
Two Ocean Romances.
The fourth child of a President to be
married in the White House was Ellen
Wrenshall ("Nellie") Grant
This White House belle of a genera-
tion ago was kept in school the first
three of her father's eight years In the
White House. Then she made her debut
at a reception, which Tier mother,
strict Methodist, deemed a more suit
able entertainment than a ball for tb
young people of their daughter's age.
Like her successor, the "Princess
Alice". Roosevelt, Miss Grant was des-
J fined to lose her heart while crossing
the ocean. While coming over on the
Russia, after a European tour, late in
1872, she met Algernon C. F. Sartorls,
grandson of Charles Kemble, the actor.
and a nephew of Fanny nemDie, tne
celebrated actress. A year and a half
later May 21, 1874 when she was only
19 and he 23, they were, married In the
east room. In the presence of 200 guests.
Including the Cabinet families and tn
high officers of the Army, Navy and
diplomatic corps, all In their brilliant
uniforms.
The ceremony was performed by Dr.
Tiffany, of the Metropolitan Methodist
Church.
The bride and bridegroom knelt upon
a platform covered with a costly rug
presented to the Government by the
Sultan of Turkey, and above their heads
hung a huge bell, made of the rarest of
white flowers. The rooms alt about
them were bowers of costly plants.
"The bridal party," reads an account,
"passing through the blae room, entered
the east room. Their presence imme
diately hushed the company to silence.
The approach was announced by music
from the Maine Band. First came Mr.
Sartorls and Colonel Frederick D.
Grant, the only groomsmen. Next the
birdesraaids, two by two, the President
and Miss Grant, Mrs. Grant and her
two sons, Ulysses and Jesse.".
- The - wedding gown was of white
satin, trimmed with point lace, and the
veil was of tulle. The bridesmaids.
Misses Barnes, Fish, Drexel, Dent, Por
ter, Conkling, Sherman and Frelinghuy-
sen, wore white corded silk, covered
with "white Illusion,", whatever that
may have been.
Four wore pink and the other four
blue flowers.
Menus White Satin.
The menus for the wedding breakfast
ware printed on white satin and each
guest brought home a box of wedding
cake.
The 11th White House bride was
Miss Emily Piatt, President Hayes'
niece, who married General Russell
Hastings in the blue room the. evening
of June 19, 1878. This wedding was
attended by the Cabinet and the many
friends of Misa Piatt, who had assisted
Mra, Hayes In ber social duties. Bishop
9
nam
Jagger, of Ohio, a Methodist devlne,
performed the ceremony beneath a
"marriage bell" composed of 16,000
buds and blossoms. The Maine Band
played the wedding march. President
Hayes gave the bride away and the
supper was served in the private dining-room.
It was eight years later, or June 2,
1886, when Miss Frances Folsom, of
Buffalo, accompanied by her mother
and brother, arrived in Washington at
5:30 in the morning and proceeded to
the White House, where, the same
evening, she was wedded to the only
President ever married in that man
sion. Two Minister Joined Cleveland.
Again the great east room was a
garden of the choicest exotics. After
the Cabinet and a long list of guests
had been seated, the bells of the city
had pealed and a salute of artillery had
been fired without, the Marine Band,
at 7 In the evening, struck up the wed
ding march and the President, with
his bride-elect upon his arm, entered
from the private dining-room. Dr.
Byron Sunderland read the service of
the Presbyterian Church and Rev.
William N. Cleveland pronounced the
benediction.
The wedding gown was of Ivory
white satin and had a 15-foot train.
The wedding supper was held In the
Sleep Is Said to Be the
w
HEN a man is in perfect health he
wakes up naturally when he has
had enough sleep. What is enough
sleep is entirely a matter of habit and
of Individuality. One man may have
had enough when he has slept four
hours. It is not well for a man who
Is In the habit of sleeping eight -or
nine hours to cut down his night's rest
suddenly to four or five.
The healthy man wakes up ready to
get up, ready to leave his bed. This is
because he is too full of vigor to lie
Idle. The man In perfect health -must
be active. But his awakening need not
necessarily be sudden. Many men wake
up gradually. Such an awakening is
pleasant and is often accompanied by
the greatest mental activity of the day.
Poets have found themselves compos
ing their most beautiful of verses, mu
sicians Imagine the loveliest of melo
dies when in that condition of perfect
physical rest, with the mind refreshed
by a night of sleep.
Nor has the healthy man any recol
lections of his night. He may have
dreamed and he may have in his mind
some hazy recollection of his dream.
Some Great Books Have Been Written in Bed
r
T IS more than 50 years since "East
Lynne" has been published, yet both
the novel and the play founded upon It
are as popular as ever. The novel was
written in bed, at a house in Tipper
Norwood. In fact, so 111 was Mrs. Hen
ry Wood, its author, that she did not
expect to complete It-
Sir Walter Scott wrote, or rather dic
tated, his most popular novel, "ivan
hoe," in bed or at least from a sick
couch.
In England and America "Tne noaa
Mender," by Michael Fatness, nas been
and is one of the "best sellers" on the
market. Yet it was written in bed.
'Michael Fairless" is the pen name of a
young girl who died while still In her
"teens," and she wrote "The Road
Mender" on her deathbed, finishing it
but a few hours before actually quit
ting "this mortal vale" forever.
"Weir of Hermiston, KODert Louis
Stevenson's last unfinished book, was
It IfV
It i.tr? !
1 MMHM
-Sis
mm
mm
state dining-room, upon the center ol
whose table appeared the floral ship
"Hymen." decked with numerous flags
bearing the bride's monogram.
A thousand guests were invited to
the Roosevelt-Longworth wedding,
held in the east room at high noon
February 17. 1906. So many people
entered the White House that morning
that they had to be admitted at sep
arate entrances. The floral display
was the greatest ever seen In the man
sion. The bride wore white satin and point
lace with a train of silver brocade 18
feet long, or a yard longer than Mrs.
Cleveland's. Preceded by the ushers
and by 14 military aids in uniform,
she entered upon the President's arm
and as they approached a broad dais
at the end of the room Representative
Longworth stepped forward to lead
her up the low steps, where the pair
were received by Bishop Satterlee, of
the Episcopal Church. The breakfast
was served in both 'the private and
state dlningrooms, the bridal party
eating In the former. Shortly after
ward the bride and groom left the
White House south portico in an auto
mobile and proceeded to Friendship, the
suburban residence of John R. McLean,
where the honeymoon was spent.
Thus it will be seen that although
she Is only the fifth daughter of a
President ever married in that historic
mansion. Miss Wilson will be the 14th
woman to have been married In the
White House. J. E. W.
(Copyright, 1913.)
Same at Any Time
but this passes away like a breath from
a polished steel surface.
Sleep Is to the healthy man merely s
reviving process for brain and body. It
annihilates the poisons of fatigue that
have accumulated during the day, the
poisons that make him feel sleepy at
night. And when he wakes up he
jumps out of bed vibrating with energy
for the work of another day.
'It Is not so much the amount of
sleep as its quality that counts. An
Edison can get as much sleep In four
hours as most of us get in eight, which
means merely that his sleep Is so in
tense, his rest so perfect that in four
hours all the fatigue poisons are driven
from his system, while most men's
sleep is so fitful or so light that it
takes eight or nine hours to do the
same work for them.
It does not matter what time you go
to bed so long as you have a regular
hour and stick to it. The old saying
that an hour of sleep before midnight
Is worth two after it is not true, but
it has this much of truth in it: That
the early hours of sleep are worth
more than the later. The man who re
mains healthy goes to bed about the
same hour every night, and it makes
little difference whether this hour be
9 P. M. or 3 A. M.
written In bed, or rather dictated to the
novelist's devoted wife.
Mark Twain wrote nearly all his later
books In bed. So persistent a "slug
gard" was he that he had a specially
contrived bed-desk fitted up, so that he
could write without trouble or exertion
while propped luxuriously among his
pillows. He used to aver that most of
his best thoughts came to him in bed,
and that the trouble and worry of get
ting up, shaving and dressing dispersed
them all and left him in no mood for
commencing his literary laSors.
Keats wrote one of the finest and
moat pathetic sonnets In literature on
his deathbed; Charles Wesley wrote a
lovely hymn on his, and Mozart, as is
well known, composed the famous Re
quiem, which was first performed at
his own burial, while he lay dying.
The precise difference between the
longitude of Washington, D. C, and
Paris, is to be determined by re pre
sentatlves of both nations.