Daily News from New York, New York • 63

The ochre ogre of Gracie Mansion UE mayor's house, Gracie Mansion, is going to be re paired and restored under the direction of a non-profit "conservancy" established by Mayor Koch. This is a good thing. Except for about the house. "The pictures of what they plan are marvelous," said Mary Lindsay, "but they'll never be able to have a family living here again. Our youngest was five.

We raised four children here for eight years. I was noted for going around with a can of spray wax in my hand," she said laughing, "trying to keep white rings off the tables. And the children were not the worst It was the grownups who were more careless." The present mayor is not married, and knows little of the pressures of Little Leagues, prom dresses, pa jama parties and general sprawl and mess. This 1 1 A a Beth Fallon uuuse uas iiu private ijumicis iu wuuuraw iu, uic the White House. It is too small, unless you hide the family in their bedrooms all the time.

Hardly fair. OCH HAS most graciously opened his house to conference unveiling the plans last week. Former Mayor Robert Wagner made a face, and an admission. "I'm color blind," he said ruefully. "But I always liked the white." The two former occupants of the house supported the efforts of the conservancy by their presence.

But they highlighted a real problem with the group's stated purpose to make the house "a showcase for the best examples of New York City's fine art, furniture and decorative arts, from early days to the present" What Gracie Mansion has right now are rooms real rooms that real people can live in. Some of the furniture is on loan and of museum quality. The house was built in 1799 and the graceful and comfortable furnishings of the 18th and early 19th centuries, mixed with some modern things, suit it fine. But if decorators want a showcase for New York design, let them go to the building in midtown, the decorative arts business beehive where the well-to-do shop for comfort and status. Also, the "mansion" is quite a small house, certainly by public standards.

It has a large entrance hall, a good-sized living room, a cozy library, a gracious but far from huge dining room and a bunch of bedrooms upstairs. Half the house which you see from the outside is the Susan B. Wagner Wing, built in 1966 at the request of, and in memory of, Wagner's lovely first wife. She had raised two young boys in smallish quarters persistently invaded by labor lead-, ers, presidential candidates and other friendly sances. There, 150 guests can be accommodated for official dinners, receptions and meetings, but because the mansion is small, business spills all over public tours on Wednesdays (groups only; write Gracie Mansion Tours, Gracie Mansion, $900,000 in structure and i'riTniii i ii i i wiring work from regular city maintenance, the $5 million tab will be paid by donations, and a lovely and historic bouse will be preserved.

I love Gracie Mansion its 18th Century farmhouse look, its human scale, its graceful rooms, its embracing porch and unbelievable (for Manhattan) setting real sloping lawns, real trees and flowers, the spectacular view of the East River and its traffic It is a New York treasure. But watch out. Along with their many noble plans, chairwoman Joan K. Davidson and her distinguished working group have a couple of notions that bear watching, both by the public and by sensible public officials who may some day actually hope to live there. One is the idea of repainting the Federal frame house, now a pristine white with traditional black shutters, its "original" shade of ochre.

Over my dead body. Ochre is a sort of subdued yellow. Do you want to look up from the Circle Line tour and see "They keep saying it's very pale, almost an ivory," said Mary Lindsay somewhat skeptically at the press New York. 10028). The mother of small children might find that more difficult (And why shouldn't the mother of small children be mayor? You never know.) But most precious of all to anyone who has seen the house is its character as a living place, in all -senses of that word.

Volunteer guide Claire Saslow tells of six people who toured in April, undeterred by a raging ice storm. "The mayor's table was set for the Passover moved. 'It really is a they say all the time. That's what people like the human element-1 certainly hope the conservancy doesn't iose that" The de-decibelization of Al Haig than to say I have no comment" The other was his proposal for dealing with terrorism through THE RESIGNATION of Secretary of State Alexander Haig is a terrible blow. Haig had a strange and "a concerted, collective, in- a i i Bjr EDWIN NEWMAN evidently came to undertand this and to guide himself accordingly.

Still, to my great relief, he occasionally slipped back. At an international confer-' ence, he saw President Reagan's contribution as that of "personal catalyza- managed to hear "a strong decibel of sympathy" for his position. Students of Haig's pronouncements will know that it was at -about the same time he described intermediate nuclear range -missiles as being "at the vortex of cruciality." It's curious. Haig, self-styled vicar in foreign policy, didn't always speak lernauonai enun wun meanmgiui sanctionary teeth." I dont know what meaningful teeth do maybe make biting comments but whatever they do, they will be missed. Haig will be missed.

Perhaps all is not lost William Clark, the President's national security adviser, when asked at his confirma- tion hearings whether he could explain the split in the British Labor Party, replied, "Not with any specificity, senator." George Shultz, on being appointed to succeed Haig, said that he could work "simDatico" with the Presi- wondrous way with the language. We shall not see his like, or more to the point hear his like again. A strange silence has fallen on Washington, almost as though Haig and President Reagan were acting but the lines of Byron, written 174 years ago: When we two parted In silence and tears. Half brokenhearted, to sever for years. I know, of course, that silence is golden, but it isn't golden to those who have listened to Haig with delight and in my own case, for bread and butter over the years.

Haig, after alL is the man who, rather than say, "We dont have much to learn about this," said, "I dont think there's much of a learning curve to be achieved in this area of content" He did not say, "There ought to be less talk about this in public." He said instead, "We must push this to a lower decibel of public fixation." Haig loves decibels and, I have no doubt, they love him. On some foreign policy question or other, he dent Clark and Shultz raise some hope. tion." He himself, Haig thought, had to "def initize how the procedural aspects of the American assumptions can be met" He wanted the British foreign secretary. Lord Carrington, to be "more circumspect with, his adjectival he saw "improved pluralization" coming about in El Salvador; and he promised that on the subject of nuclear weapons. President Reagan would speak "with clarity and definity," which made it sound as though the President were consulting a law firm before making his speech.

Out of the last 17 glorious months, I have two favorite Haigisms. One was this response to reporters: "I dont want to give a value judgment other that way. When President Reagan was shot. Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger objected when Haig, before the television cameras, declared himself "in control here" at the White House. Haig's reply, so we were told, was, "Go home, buddy, and read your But that was a Haig rarely heard.

Indeed, after he had been in office for a while, Haig's English began to give rise to hilarity. Parodies of it appeared as far afield as Britain. It does not help a secretary of state when he is ridiculed in print and on the air, and Haig would ever give us Haig's "at this juncture of maturization" for "now." Haig should speak again, for the good of the nation. Break your silence, Al. It is time for some unplain speaking.

(Edwin Newman, the TV journalist -and author, is also a linguistic activist of note.) The Inquiring Photographer Do you tend to drive more cautiously on a holiday weekend? Jennifer Edwards College student "I try to. There are more, cars on the road on holiday weekends, so I'm particularly careful. I pay more attention to the road with members of my family, in the car." Rose marie Tafaro Home "Yes, I not only watch out for but for the other guy as well; I anticipate any situation that might involve me in becoming a holiday weekend driving statistic." James Rekhers Insurance brokerage president "I tend to be more aware of other drivers, looking for those who weave or tailgate. 1 drive to Pennsylvania on summer weekends, so I'm well prepared for holiday driving." Charles Zapata Operations clerk "I do. Driving on holiday weekends is more dangerous, especially in good weather.

Too many drivers are having a good time and they aren't as careful as they should be." John LaForte Banker "I dont usually go out on the Fourth of July weekend unless I have to. If I do, I drive carefully because my family is with me. 1 want to make sure we arrive in one piece." Angelo Cucchiara Investigator "I'm not more cautious, but I try to drive on the Tight I'm afraid of being caught in the fast lane when I want to turn off. A lot of holiday drivers won't let you move over." John Stapleton The Newt will pay $10 for each question accepted for this column. Today' award goes to H.

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