After the presidential party had greeted the assemblage as they passed through the ballroom, supper was served in the room splendidly decorated for them, and they returned to the White House early, as Mrs. McKinley’s fragile strength had been put to a severe test through the long, exciting day. The President’s mother, whose joy in her distinguished son and his honours was a rejuvenating tonic, was also fatigued.
A detail of the inauguration of particular interest to many visitors was the unusual car which had been provided for Mr. McKinley’s trip from Canton to Washington. It was a private car without name, known simply as “No. 38.” The walls were of white oak, solid, instead of the ordinary studding. The top was a double framework of steel with a cushioned ceiling. The floors were of four thicknesses of white oak. Such unusual construction made the car proof against smashing in collision or breaking should it roll down an embankment. Every home comfort was provided: an old-fashioned log fireplace, two elegant bedroom apartments with bath to each, dainty china, rich silver, and every conceivable luxury to make travelling a delight.
Mrs. McKinley brought with her a young German maid, devoted to her and convinced that no former mistress of the mansion could approach her beloved mistress in elegance. During the week following inauguration, “Lena” took especial pride and delight in personally conducting Mrs. McKinley’s relatives and intimate friends on an inspection tour of her dressing room to display to them the White House outfits of the First Lady and her niece Miss Mary Barber, who spent much time with her.
It is doubtful if any White House mistress brought a more complete or elegant wardrobe with her than the one upon which Mrs. McKinley had expended ten thousand dollars and much thought and in the selection of which “the Major” had been drawn into consultation. For the early formal functions she had provided eight unusually beautiful gowns that brought enthusiastic praise for her good taste.
When McKinley, the twenty-fifth President of the United States, took the oath of office on the 4th of March, 1897, he was admirably equipped for the duties of his new position. He had been for years prominent in public life; his personal character and private life had endeared him to the hearts of the people; he was in the prime of manhood; he was a student of affairs. He was more of a politician than of a statesman, but the development of events proved that he could be either or both. His regard for the popular will and his long training in accurately judging its expression served as a restraining influence in his policies and prevented dangerous and possibly fatal rashness. When his plans had been fully matured, they were executed with skill. Each succeeding year, with its additional burden of important questions, saw the President broaden and develop in the art of government.
His early background had much to do with his success. He was born in Niles, Trumbull County, Ohio, January 29, 1843. His father, William McKinley, Sr., moved to Ohio from Pennsylvania. The family was Scotch-Irish, whose forefathers had come to America 150 years before. He was the seventh child in the family of nine. As a boy, he had regular schooling and was especially noted for his brilliancy in debate. Later, he taught in the public schools of the Kerr district, near Poland. About this time, he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church and became a diligent student of the Bible.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, he was a clerk in the Poland post office. When the call was made for volunteers, young McKinley was among those who stepped forward. He went with the recruits to Columbus and was enlisted as a private in Company E, Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry. This regiment numbered among its officers William S. Rosecrans, afterward major general, and Rutherford B. Hayes, later nineteenth President of the United States.
MRS. IDA SAXTON McKINLEY
