December 24 , 1890. OMAHA ILIiTJSTHATED BEE , II
White House Mistress
Fifty Years Ago
Living quietly In the big brick building
known as the Louisa Home , In Washington ,
D. C. , Is a whlto-halrcd woman who was the
mistress of the White House more than halt
a century ago. By the world at largo her
very existence has been forgotten nor \\ould
the mention of her name Mrs. Letltla Sem-
plo recall any memory whatever to the or
dinary reader. It was as Letltla Tyler that
the white-haired old lady first became known
to Washington society , In the days when the
capital city was scarcely more than a coun
try village , containing a few fine public
buildings separated by long stretches of
nearly bottomless mud. She was the second
daughter of President John Tyler and she
was a Virginia belle In the days when that
was the clearest title to beauty that could
bo bestowed In this country.
"
Tyler's administration seems a long way
back to most of us. It seems etrango to
think that this sereno-faced woman , who Is
still active and vigorous , know and talked
with Webster and Clay and Calhoun and the
other leaders of that period which was so
prolific of great men. Webster she saw often
and she describes him ns a man of Imposing
presence which made Its power felt In any
assemblage.
"At the time of our coming to Washing
ton , " said Mrs. Semple , In recalling her
White House experiences of fifty years ago ,
"my mother's health was too poor to admit
of her taking active charge of the duties
naturally devolving upon the wife of the
president. My elder sister and myself had
our newly made homes In Virginia to super
vise and my youngest elstereras only a child
Therefore , by common consent , the wife of
our brother Robert became the mistress of
the White House so far as the public eldo of
the life there was concerned. However , my
other sister and myself were there a good
part of the time.
"This arrangement continued until after
my mother's death , which occurred In the
White House. Then my brother established
himself In law practice In Philadelphia and
his wife wished to make her home there.
Meanwhile my husband had been appointed
a paymaster In the navy and as that led
to his being away from homo a great part
of the tlmo I came hero to take charge ol
my father's household and remained until
1841.
"Thero were no great social entertain
ments In the White House during my father'f
term. My mother's Ill-health and later hei
death forbade that. For the most part w <
lived openly , hospitably and unpretentiously ;
In fact , just as wo had been accustomed t (
do at homo In Virginia.
"I remember that It was customary during
the Cessions of congress to entertain guest *
at dinner In the White House twice a week
The former of these was usually altende <
by about twenty prominent public men , thi
personal and political friends of my father '
' ' /ho second was on a somewhat larger scale '
It usually Included members of the dlplo
matlc corps and the number of guests wai
generally about forty. But these dinner
were always very simple affairs and the ;
ended at what would bo considered now !
ridiculously early hour.
"Then on other evenings It was custoinar ;
for the president's family to bo Informal !
at home , that Is , to receive calls from friends
and acquaintances. But even on those occa
slons the visitors always departed before 10
o'clock. At that hour the Whlto House was
closed and the family retired. "
Although Mrs. Semplo Is nearly 80 joars
old she takes an active Interest In all
Current affairs. She receives many Invita
tions from people In public life In Washing
ton , and although she Is of course unable
to accept any of these , she Is much pleased
to have them as a proof that she Is not for
gotten by those who are In and of the world
In which she was once a leader.
Christmas Money
is Not Wasted
The business sldo of the holiday season
Is , perhaps , for the majority In these days
the most Important. Good cheer seems to
bo Inseparable from the spending of mone >
It may bo that many perple do not c nsldei
1 CHILDREN ADMIRING TOYS IN OMAHA 1
Bostwlck.
the enormous transactions of the Christmas
tlmo , both In Its domestic and foreign rclti-
tlon. Three ships left New York last week
3
\\lth money orders representing $758,000.
' Probably all or nearly all of this money
was earned In the United States , and most
of It will bo spent by relatives
' and friends of the earners in Europe.
3 Europe , therefore , owes a special debt of
gratitude to tills country. Most of this
1 money went to Great Britain , Germany and
3 Sweden , but nearly every Important country
over there has received sonic benefit from
the United States. At this season of the
* year many Swedes who live In our north-
8 west , where farming Is not active in the
s winter , go home , spend the winter with
friends and return In the spring In tlmo to
i put in their crops. One ship , a few days
ago , carried from New York COO. These
y people , of course , take back money earned
y here , and Sweden becomes eo much richer
CARTING OHH1STOIAS TlU3is IN OMA1I A'S WHOLESALEDISTRK P Photo by
Louis R IloslVilck.
SHOP WINDOWS. Photo liy Louis II
The international sldo of the holiday season
Is becoming moio Important every year , lmt
It Is also , so far as we arc concerned , be
coming moio and more one-sided.
The domestic sldo Is that which concerns
nearly everybody. It Is a pcor home that
does not In some way feel the Inlluencu of
Christmas. Presents In these days uro in
such great variety and arc so cheap that
gladness by reason of gifts can shed a ray
hi nearly 6very hole and corner of this wide
land. In the cities thciu Is an exchange of
money for nearly every tort of thing. The
country cousins como In and buy to the
limit of their means , and the rural popula
tion pour Into the crowded centers of people
all manner of good things to eat , and so
the bulanco Is kept up. The aggregate of
money thus put Into circulation In a coun
try of nearly 75,000,000 people where Christ
mas Is observed , is beyond computation
Very llttlo of the money spent at thli
GENOA INDIAN FOOT HALL TEAM.
season Is really wasted. A toy used and
broken may bo discarded , bin the use of It
even for a brief season has tultlod something
to the general contrlbutloi of happiness.
Even an elaborate dinner may bo worth
what Is spent upon It If It makes the dlnoia
bettor fi lends than before.nd the beat
feature of the season Is that the poor and
the unfortunate nro never foiK"tlcu. Though
iiniiblo to spend llttlo or nothing at Christ
mas there are these who iih\a > s see to 11
that the poor mo remcnibciel Though the ,
Jojous sldo of Christmas masnmotlmca bo ,
over-emphasized , the most irplng crltlo i
must admit that the grod < lone at this ,
season far outweighs any hum that may
follow In the train of Its ol orvance. And
.
so the dominant thought thi * week will bo
that each giver , bo ho never so humble , will
fcol that ho Is able to contrllnilu something ;
to the happiness of somebody
Will Christian
the Decatur
Mlbs Maria Ten Eyck Deoalur Mayo , a i
fair young daughter of the south , has boon i
invited to christen the torpedo boat du-
stioyer Decatur , now building at the ship .
yards of the William R. Trlgg company of f
Richmond , Va. , and which will bo launched I
early next spring. Miss Ma > o has accepted I
the Invitation.
It Is eminently lilting , enfs the Phlladul-
phla Tlmi'3 , that the beautiful young Vlr
gliilan she IB only 17 yearn of ngo should
nlllclato at the ceremony which will honor
the memory of her Illustrious ancestor , the
gloat Stephen Decatur. She In the great-
Kiandntoco of the famous sou wnrrlor and
his nearest Ihlng descendant ; and a ghuico
at lhn heroic lineage of the > mithful apoiiH r
iif the war ship named lu his honor has a
Hmely Interest.
Stephen Deentur ho of the revolutionary
period , 177G-1S01 , was In the service * of his
country dm Ing the war of Independence" ,
and aftorwaid when the trouble with Kranco
Ihieateued serious consequences. IIo also
ul t no tlmo commanded n miuadron operat
ing lu the \VeMt Indies , his llagshlp being
thi ) _ Philadelphia , destroyed by his son
Stephen In 1S01 This llrst Stephen hud
three sons , Stephen , Jiime.s nnd John Of
these thrco worthy sous of u noble sire
.lames was killed In the war with Tripoli
\ \ hlloery > onng , Stephen married MIHS
Susan Wheeler of Norfolk , Va. , the daugh
ter nnd only child of Luther Whcoler , atone
ono tlmo nuior of Richmond'and president
of ono of IU boards. Thoio weio no chlldiou
Imin of this union , but the third son , John ,
mnrrled Miss Maria Susanna Ten Eyck , the
only child of u Dutch gentleman , and mer
chant of Now Yoik. This John Decatur
was Colonel John Decatur , of the United
Stilton army , and to htm were born several
children , among them Stephen Decatur ,
thlid , also of the navy ; and a daughter , the
present Mrs. Wyndlmiu R. Mayo , who is the
mother of the maiden chosen to clnlsten
( ho war ship named for her distinguished
ancestor.
On the paternal sldo the charming
sponsor of the ship Is Ilkowiso distinguished
Her father , Captain Wyndham R. Mayo , Is
u HOII of Judge Peter Mayo of Norfolk. IIo
is highly connected , his mother having been
MliH Upshur , of the old Vlrglim family of
Hint inline. IIo solved In the confcdoratu
na\y , and after the war commanded ono
of the Hay Line steamers plying between
Baltimore and Norfolk. Ills wlfo , the
mother of the young woman , Is a very benu-
tlful woman. She wns Miss Decatur.
Lost and Won
An Oullander In Johannesburg , .mounted
on a smart-looking horse , was stopped by
n Boor olllclal lu the market square and or-
dered to surrender his steed for the service
of the republic. IIo declined and wus
promptly pulled off. Regaining his fcut the
Oullandor lowered his head nnd charged
straight at the Boer , after the fashion of an
angry goat. The Boer , taken by ourprlso at
this novel mode of resistance , was rolled
In the dust by the force of the Impact and
before ho could recover his footing theOut -
landcr had remounted nnd was galloping
away at racehorse speed.
-"ASr - T ' "
i1'- , - , " ' . ' ' '
"DUNDEE SCHOOL HOUSE. "
residence districthigh -
"dryhealthy. . Good nolghborhood.
Water , GIIH , Kloutrlclty. Uniform Hhiido.
DUNDEE of Hi hoolH. Btrcut car faro Oc , trans-
to nil Omaha llrieH.
l.o\v 1'nxc.s. No Saloons.
LAWHHNCM SHOT & LEAD CO , , ] < " | 3 LAWHI3NCK , 1'HEST , OMAHA , N13U.