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/fow Many &x-Presidenis of the United Jtaies tfave Spent Jheir £ater years ON January 1, 1S62, there were living five ex-Presidents of the United States— Van Buren, Tyler, Fillmore, Pierce and Buchanan. Now the death of Benjamin Harrison leaves only one ex- Preeident— Grover Cleveland. General Harrison spent just eight years as an ex- President. It When Jphn Quincy Adams retired from the Presidency after serving as Senator,- Minister to' England and Secretary of State, it was suggested that he become a member of the House of Representa tives. He, replied that. to be chosen a se lectman by the vote of the' people would be an honor, and for sixteen years, until the time of his death, he represented his district in Congress. He died with the harness on his back, for his fatal illness attacked him as he arose in the House to address the Sneaker. Andrew Johnson was elected a Senator from Tennessee some time after the end of his Presidential term, but he lived to serve only a few days of the special ses sion of the Senate. Most of the . Presidents have retired to lives of comparative idleness. George Washington led the life of a country gen tleman on his estate at Mount Vernon. He gave a certain amount of time to the reorganization of the army when war with France threatened, but he contented himself with the management of his plan-: tation and the- simple amusements of a country life. Martin Van Buren. retired to his country seat involumbia County,. New York; and became almost a hermit. There have been several instances like his. The most re cent was Chester A. Arthur, who,' like Van Buren, was disappointed at his fail ure to achieve a re-election and secluded himself from all but his intimate friends. Buchanan was a recluse for seven years after his return to private life. He had been much abused toward the close of his term, and he sought the quiet of absolute retirement as soon as he returned to his home in Lancaster, Pa. ¦ . - Pierce, lived eighteen years an ex-Presi dent. His home was in New Hampshire, but he was a Southern sympathizer* dur ing the, war and so much out of-sympft thy with his neighbors that he j spent many of his later years in" travel abroad. ¦ John 'Adams was the first, hermit ex- President. He was twenty-five years an ex-President, but he was so disappointed at his defeat for j re-election that , he se cluded himself for. a' quarter of a century, compiling j historic records, and he came out of his hole only once, when In 1820 he acted -as delegate to a State convention. The fact that he retired did riot mean that he did not take an active interest in pub lic affairs. ¦¦ ' ' ¦ ' . V^n Buren yearned for another term, but could not present himself to , the peo ple of his party, because he was opposed to the annexation of Texas. From his se clusion he wrote letters which resulted' in his nomination for President in 1S48 on a Free Soil ticket, but he received no elec toral votes... .-""• - '' '" Rutherford B. : Hayes ; took; no active part in public'affairs after' his retirement, but he had been so severely criticised that it -would have taken more than a lifetime to vindicate his record and make -him again a Presidential possibility. •' John Tyler was one of the . active ' ex- Presidents. Like 1 . Washington, he gpuiy», sued the Iff e of a country gentleman ; but he afterward became very much interest ed in the doctrine of secession," and took an active part in all the events led up to the. Civil War. • • / ' ':¦"¦ Fillmore lived twenty-one '„ years after his retirement. .-, He was. nominated; to succeed himself by the American *; party, but was not elected. He traveled^ great deal , abroad,' and 'took' a • great interest . in public affairs. " . t . -.: ; ";-V. ..' :'" ; '':' ,:-\^ Thomas Jefferson " devoted >: himself •£' to educational Interests, ¦ and'; fouh^d' ' the University ; of >Virginia;af ter.i his >retirer ment from the Presidency.7 He personally superintended the erection of the "univer sity buildings. ;:,7;'I." : VC7 ; ; . Monroe had his own ideas on the subject of ' the occupation of ex-Presidents.* He held that "an ex-President should not be a party leader." He was a local magis trate- for a time, and was a delegate to a convention. He lived only seven years after his term ended. General Grant was the greatest traveler in the list- of /ex-Presidents. His trip around the globe has been described in two large volumes, and it is" a. matter or familiar history. General Grant did not take 'any part in' business or public . af fairs, but he was the silent partner in the Him of__Grant & Ward, and'his later days were embittered by his experiences in Wall, street." Every one knows that his_ . famous book was written while he was on „ his -deathbed; to provide a living for his ;family after his deaths ,,'Grover. Cleveland, since the close of his second, term,' 1 has. delivered some; lectures and furnished some autobiographical con tributions to periodicals, but this has been a' matter of courtesy and not of business. ;• General Harrison was the first ex-Pres . dent .';¦ to die of ? pneumonia, although George 1 Washington was killed by a cold and so was 'Harrison's grandfather, Wil '; liam , : Henry Harrison. Washington's cold developed into; laryngitis and the other into pleurisy. John Adams died of- senile debility. '.,' He expired at Qulncy. Mass. Thomas Jefferson's death occurred a few hours 'before' that of Adams, and, pingularly enough,4>oth died on the -kh of Juiy. ; . \y: ,.-;¦' Jsmes' Madison, at 85, died of old age. Adams had, lived to be 91. Monroe died of general debility, though he was only 73. The second Adams was stricken with paralysis in' the .hall of the House (now Statuary Hall), and died in the rotunda of the " Capitol. His body , was taken to Quincy.' - Andrew Jackson died of consumption and dropsy at the age of 78, and was buried on his es;ii;e, The Hermitage, near Nashville. Van iiuren died of catarrh ot the throat and lungs, and was buried at Kinderhook. He v,us the on.y President who died at his birthplace. ' Tyler died of a bilious attack, and was buried at Klchmond. 1 'layi^r was &tr.Civ».i* with cholera morbus after annking a quantity of iced water anu leeu'm.ik ami eating some cherries. Poik's death was eauseu by cho.era. Polk was uar.ed at Nashville and Taylor at Louiovme. Fillmore died of paralysis. . and was buriedat his home in Buffalo.' Pierce died of inflammation of the siouiach, and was buried at Concord. Buchanan's death waa due to rheumatism and gout. He lived to be 77. and was buried near Lancaster. Andrew Johnson died .of paralysis and was buried at Greenville. Grant died of cancer of the throat at Mount McGregor and his body lies in. the magnificent tomb on Riverside Drive, New York. Hayes died "on his farm in Ohio of paralysis of the heart., and was buried at Fremont. Garfield, assassinated by Gulteau was buried at Cleveland. Arthur died of apo plexy, and was . buried at . Albany.— New York Sun. , ' ~:>i ' - ,'Grover. Cleveland, since the close of his second term, has, delivered some; lectures and furnished some autobiographical con tributions.to periodicals, but this has been a' matter, of courtesy and not of business. The Hillside Club sprang into exist ence October 5, 1898. No, let me qualify that: it did not "spring"— it was the result of earnest thought on the part of .loiny ladies,- who recognized the -beauty of our hills, and the awfulness of many of the houses. J Its object was primarily to pro tect the hils , of Berkeley 'from un3iijhtly grading, and *the ; building of unsuitable and disfiguring \ houses, to do ¦ all in our power :to beautify these hills -and, above "On a side hill, where the hill sweeps upward and beyond, trust Nature's broad background and allow the house to rest closely and expansively against it At the base of a hill let the troad, pleasant i.-ice of the home be one's first welcome up the garden path. On a canyon or ra vine side the problem waxes deeply in teresting, for only a base spirit of van aalism would resort to a leveling pro cess and the Swiss chalet motif is often our most picturesque resource, allowing of course for marked variation- as to depth of basement." . - At the meeting of November IS Mrs. Preble emphasized the necessity of stone, brick or cement foundations, advising concrete for clay soils, •which swell when wet and shrink when dry; also that if all, to create and encourage a decided public opinion on these subjects. We de cided to meet fortnightly to listen to a paper upon some related subject and the discussion of the same. We also began the collection of sketches and photo graphs of hillside houses, which were kept mounted and in a portfolio open to all prospective builders. TJlie list of members includes: Mabel W. Sears, Madge F. Robinson, Mrs. E. S. Gray, Mrs. V. 1). Moody, Mrs. P W. Searby, Mrs. C. R. Breck, Mrs. John Finn, Mrs. E. S. Preble, Mrs. J. W. Pack, Olivia Galbraith Wright, Elizabeth J. Pldrmer, : Minerva V. Skinner, Victorine Hartley, C. , Germain Potwin, Florence Hyde Chick, Mrs. H. Middlehoff, Mrs. William Rieger, J. A. Grinnell, Leslie Grinnell, Mrs. .Perry T. Tompkins, Mrs. .V. B. Dresslar, Mrs. J. M. Pierce, Mrs. L. Hansen and Mrs. Lydia ; Atterbury. "Should the knoll be the first site chesen for consideration, it will' be seen that as the hill spreads' and broadens' at its base, so the ground construction of the house should be distributed' squarely and well over the surface of the .level, allowing a more* generous breadth at the base than at the upper portion,' and while avoiding pronounced height, so composing the roof as to continue the contour of the hill. part of the contour of the hilly landscape. We must follow the principle to be read In the harmony and symmetry of nature, and if we but come in touch with the spirit she suggests the harmony of out line, the soft tints and shades, we can not go far astray. We will find that she suggests . distinctive laws for home-con struction on the knoll, 'the side hill, the foothill, the canyon, the ravine incline and the sites favored with natural trees or a water course. "The suburban hillside home," went on Mrs. Robinson, with an enthusiasm that proved catching, "is a problem; and one that we must set ourselves bravely and heartily to solve. However pretty a town house may-be, it becomes an enorm ity when transplanted and placed as a stained and unpalnted wood bears weath ering indefinitely and grows more beau tiful each season. Therefore, for reasons of economy as well as honesty and beau ty, all paint or stain should be discarded. The club holds that no colors are so soft, varied and harmonious as those of wood colored by weather. To prevent check ing -or shrinking, sills and casings may be treated with several coats of dull brown paint; but trimmings have no place or reason in good house building. They also hold that houses built of wood should follow the natural treatment, which is straight lines, since towers, arches or round windows are essentially indicative of stone or brick masonry, and, therefore, illogical and ugly in wood, and that over hanging eaves add to the beauty of a house with their long shadows, and help to protect it. On November *16 Mrs. Searby led the talk on "Building Material." She said that the stone found on these hillsides was suitable for building purposes, but much too expensive for the persons of or dinary means, putting down its cost at' a rough estimate as six times that. of, wood. She pointed 'out the'fact that the fault of frame houses lay generally in that wood was made in ' Imitation of stone arch' • tecture, to which towers, colonnades, et.\. Mrs. Robertson spoke on the subject "Shall We Fill. In?" urging as little of this as might be consistent with good drainage, although a certain amount was cf course necessary when the lot lay be low the street . level, suggesting that stone gutters running around the lot and connecting with the street sewer would obviate the necessity of any large amount of tilling in, An Important point made by this speak er.-was that the raising of the ground high around the sills under the house would secure a dry basement without au expen sive drainage system. -' - the soil Is of chalk, weak gravel, sand or clay the footing of the wall of the foundation should be expanded beyond the needed width of the wall. On a side hill, where expense must be considered, the foundation can be made of brick pil lars in steps. . ' v v ~ •' The house of Professor Charles Keeler. corner of Ridge road and Highland place, is the Dioneer specimen of the architecture advocated by the Hlll3lde Club— a charm- Ing, rambling, manv-gabled structur-s. seeming to breathe both as to its exterior and artistic Interiors Ire very atmos phere of the Berkeley hiljs. ALICE CHITTENI>EN. — T^TIMTMIHniiMMfl TlMftwr r» » ¦ i m 1 1 in m . iifT Some Berkeley houses that embody the tenets of the Hillside Club are: Mrs. At tcrbury's, Mrs. Dresuler's, Miss Brid^ man's, Mrs. Walker's and Mrs. Rlckoff s. The prettv Unitarian Chu.-ch of Berkeley and the Hillside School' will also be noted as successful "specimens. The meetings of the Hillside Club have given place to more practical action, of which they were the underlying theory, and an advisory beard has been formed for consultation with all wLa need help or suggestions. T^te board consists of Mrs. Margaret Robinson, chairman; Mrs. Frederick Searby, Mrs. John Finn, Misa Atterbury. Miss L. B. Bridgman. Miss El sie Grinr.ell and Mrs. L Bricker. "They are- better than hard finished white 'walls, but wood Is better than either," she repiled. and I am forced therewith to be content. "Among other things that must go with paints and stains," said Mrs. Robinson. "Is plaster walls. "When you put a non shrinking material, the plaster, on a shrinking one, the laths, the construction is illogical and the result is bound to show In unsightly cracks." .* "what do you think cf rough-finished gray walls?" I asked, trying to find one littre grain oft comfort. At another meetJtg the subject of "Porches" was treated of by Mrs. Breck. who believes we would be a healthier and happier people if every builder would feel convinced that a large roomy, well pro tected perch was as necessary a part of the construction as a roof or wall, and a hundred times more necessary than a. parlor. There are few days in our Berke ley climate, the reader contended, when such a porch could not be utilized by tha older members, and still fewer when it would not be a source of health and de light to the children. The chief point la that it should be large enough to. be a real living room, with rugs, easy chairs, hammocks, a table fon magazines, a few plants for decoration and a corner for the children's toys. She believed if we nervous energetic Californians would build such porches the temptation to utilize them would be so great that .we would give over some of the useless and meaningless fret and worry of our too often dull and prosaic HVtes. The portfolio of the Hillside Club befor* alluded to is a collection of sketches that must give inspiration to any prospectlv* builder, and one builder who has just -.n ished what 'she until then believed to b« just the "dearest little house In Berke ley" began to lose faith In hitherto exist ing institutions and tz quote to herself a certain old adage about fools buil'dlnj houses and wise men living In them and to wish that she might start over again under the auspices of the Hillside Club. Owing to its universal adulteration pa'nt is no longer a preservative, but If It mui-t be used, dark brown or red Is the be«t with' trimmings of cream white. Creosote stains are highly Inflammable. On November 30 Mrs. Dressier read a carefully prepared and instructive paper en "Shingles and Stains versus Boards and Faints." She said that the use of shingle* for covering the sides of house.i was first developed" in England In what 13 knewn as the half-timbered or Tudor style. From this it was transferred to the' so-called "Colonial." Shingles, how ever, do not blend with the classic purity of the true Colonial and can only be used to advantage in the modified Colonial, when pillars give place to arches and wh>n the roof talies on more the char acter of the chalet. All attempts at fancy shapes or different coloring mar the artis tic value of shingles. Mrs. Dressier, rec ommended weather tinting only for shingles, since ,they are relatively free from decay, easily replaced and actually last longer than when painted. oelong. Another mistake Is In concealing the color and jrraln of wood with paint. Her conclusion was that the Swiss chalet suggested the best ideas for scenic park architecture. The principles of "The Hillside Club" Mrs. Robinson succinctly stated to be as follows: That hillside streets be made convenient and beautiful by winding at an easy grade and as narrow as country roads or lanes, except in case of import ant thoroughfares. That trees be planted the length of the streets, suitable to the locality and el uniform variety. That as hillside lots bounded by curved roads are necessar/y irregular, houses should be placed upon them" In studied groups, to avoid obstruction of a nei^bor's view, a most altruistic principle that every pros pective builder In Berkeley must needs approve of. That in house-building only natural materials be used, such as shin gles. Bhakes, rjrtigh stone or clinker brick. That no cil paint be used inside or out. it having been proven that un- rchoolhoure will have no cross lights, the seats being so arranged that the light comes only from orfe direction, east or west, never from north or south, and never from two directions. But besides this advantage, which Is purely a physi cal one, the house will mean much to them as an exponent of beauty of form, color, light and shade! They will learn the beauties of shadows cast by wide, overhanging eaves, honesty and substan tiality, in the pointed and heavily-beamed roof. In the rustic supports with the bark Intact; and harmony of color, from the brown canvas hangings combined with the brown, unstained and unpolished red wood. I feel that it is safe to say that evpt— child who goes to this school win, when he comes to build, design an ori ginal house." « It Is to prevent vandalism cf this sort among other things, to point a better way, that the "Hillside Club" has entered on Its mission. "When we have a good thing •we want to share it with those around us," said Mrs. Margaret Robinson, chair man of its advisory board and artist and architect, nascitur non fit, to the tips of her slender fingers. In regard to the prim ary school to be built under the auspices of the club, she said: "The effort was to put before children something that would be especially a product of their own State— a thing to which they could point with pride as to its materials and architecture, as distinctly Califor- Eian. And California has a color of its own, too— the color that dominates In na ture. To quote Bruce Price, 'The Califor nia hills are brown, therefore the houses should be brown.' Redwood is the natural •wood of the country, therefore It is natur al to use it Thanks to the responsiveness of Mr. Stone, the architect) the new Here and there, unfortunately, can be seen the depressing spectacle of some lovely hlllslope that is being desecrated and degraded into a commonplace level by plowing and grading before its owner shall begin to erect his house. • If the trail cf the cheap contractor can be kept from the land, the Berkeley of the future, beautiful for rituation on its many times seven hills, will rightfully be called -Berkeley the Beautiful." Nowhere else on the Pacific Coast can be found more charming ar.d ideal horns sijes than the almost sensuous beauty of these rolling foothills with their bewildering curves and hollows and canyons afford. /"CALIFORNIA vas born a beauty. I / She might be a professional beauty. I /«* even. if she would learn to pay more attention to her adornment. Her architects must remember that they are her modistes, and upon their shoulders rests a heavy responsibil ity. Heavier than they seem to realize. It's a pity to see the browns and greens of our hills scarred by houses that are mistakes: It's a pity to see knolls sliced off and hol lows filled by order of a brutal builder.- Take Berkeley, fcr instance. 8 THE SUNDAY CALL. ARTISTIC HOMES IN BERKELEY