Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-25

TRENCH CUsTOMS-PERsONAL FREEDOM.
The lodging Of servants appears to be part of
the great domestic problem. On this subject
among mistresses there is vast discrepancy of
opinion. / know of an amiable and opuIent
couple who always choose their town house
with reference to the servants rooms. They
argue that i'll every house they and their guests
can be made comfortable. but not in every
house can each of the five servants have a room
alone. So far the servants should be treated
as members of the family. This is necessity
for their self-respect, and self-respeet is an
element IN faithful service When il is impos-
slble to give to each servant ROOM said the
ady talking on the subject not long ago. there
should be large screens provided separating
the rooms for II Is every human beings right
10 nave one spot secured from all intrusion.
On the other hand. cook "a rampage will
notDe deferred for moment by the fact that she
mas an AIRY. sunny room. and at her ne xt place
she may have to sleep in a dark hole off the
Kitchen with the other servants. At this mo-
ment house IN which the servants are srI-
perbly lodged is in the thrOes of a domestic
cataclysm, because the cook insists on baking
the fish without the head and tail. and the mis-
tress declares that the servants are simply
spoiled by good treatment.
IN BOARDING. HOUSES.
In servantdom the conditions of living are as
widely diverse as between 18th avenue and 5th
avenue. only in this the conditions of 18th
avenue are found as likely as not in the 5th
The housing of servants in some OF the crowded
fashionable boarding houses. and especially in
English basement houses is uauseating. The
top floor is too valuable as rented space for
servants. so they are packed away in the base
ment. The basement of an English basement
house is below the level of the street and mid
way between the small 'front.' room and the
Kitchen the servants sleep in windOwless rooms.
and not lnfrequentlv have folding beds in the
Kitchen. a fact which is discreetly kept from
the boardeTs at breakfast
LUXURIOUS QUARTERS
In the new hou Us, those which represent the
latest and best things in architecture and
domestic luxury, the provision for servants is
in keeping with everything else The staff of
servants is necessarily large. and of that class
prepared to make demands. In the Willard
house these rooms were in the top of the house,
formidable and unbroken partition separat-
ing the men and maids. The rooms were fitted
in hard woods and tastefully furnished with
furniture of light wood. Two bath rooms.
quite As o comfortably 1 apgnted as those Of the
In Mr. W. X. Nanderbilts house the social
life Of the servants has been considered even
luxuriously. Their entrance is by special
door In front Is a billiard room for the men
and parlOr and sitting-rOom for the maids
Their sleeping rooms in the mansdrd.
These are finished in hard wood and attrac lively
furnished. In the mansard also is a large room
given over for their entertainment, where at
times they may hold servants ball.
IN Mr.. MARQUASDs HOUSE
the humanities are still further regarded A
servants elevator extends from the basement
to the living rooms on the top floor Here they
have prettly-appointed bedrooms and bath
rooms lined with enamel tiles and answering to
the most scrupulOus demands of cleanliness
The housekeeper has here her suite of rooms
including parlor. The square hall in the
Marquands house Is carried to the roof, and
gives place on each floor to a balcony and COR
rldor. This is not omitted on the servants
floor, where through perforated carvings they
can look down on any gala scene below. An
other instance of Mr.. Marquands thoughtful
ness Is IN a stairway leading 10 the roof which
has been terraced. Here, instead of, in the
cool nights, hanging over the area to catch
breath of air, the servants can sit and enjoy
the famous southwest wind that so seldom fails
and look down on the myriad-lighted town. a
view In every season full of beauty.
GENEROUS HoUsEKEEPERs
These, il must be confessed, are exceptional
provisions, and only possible in an unusually
large and specially constructed house. The
general standard of servants comfort however.
Is higher. Many mistresses take pride in their
servants rooms and make show places of them.
In this case the servants are obliged to keep
them tidy. / was in a servants room the other
day IN one of the magnificent apartments on
the Central park velvet carpet covered the
floor. and the furniture was in keeping This
degree of Injury was merely incidental. The
tasteful but cheap ash bedroom sets are
chosen for servants rooms. and the clean and
eomely bedSteads OF black enameled iron
Some mistresses go further and add book
shelves and possibly a few books, according to
their zeal. The prints from the illustrated
papers and attractive supplements are saved
for their adOrnment. Young housekeepers par
tlcularly take delight in giving their personal
attention to establishing their servants. In
TINS case their shock at the ingratitude of a
servant who walks off in the midst of the IRON
ing oS dinner Is proportionateiy great.
IN APARTMENT HOUSES.
The problem of servants is increased in
apartment houses. In those houses in which
rents are over $1,000 year, the servants quar-
tiers are on the top floor. The rooms are not
large, but are well supplied with light and air
not TO speak of the more aesthetic aspect in
Guided IN views and sunsets. In the smaller
apartment houses the servants rooms are
dlmlnutlye holes or wells No raw of sun dis
covers them and the air is received from the
Easements. with such additions as il collects
from the inhabited rooms on the way up to the
roof. Often the effect on the health is percep-
uble. In some houses II Is worse than others
A doctor from Roosevelt hospital not long ago
SAID of a certain apartment house that il al
WAYS furnished at least one hospital patient
There Is no use of my doing anything for Won
II you are going back there" he said to a ser
want whom he had just repaired.
RESTRICTED QUARTERS.
In the smaller apartments it is rarely neces-
sary, and never convenient to keep more than
one servant. The shifts to keep two are some
times ingenious and amusing. The device of
one mistress consisted in placing two iron cot
bedsteads one on top Of the other. like steamer
berths. One servant crept IN and the other
mounted. They had wire bottoms and nice
clean mattresses. and were in every way COM
Portable. A servant she said at first objected
but finally accepted them. In apartment
houses when the servants rooms are on tbs
same floor with the family, the life of the ser
want Is so inextrlcably tangled up with that of
the family that the chances Of friction are
largely Increased. There is no servants sit
tlng-roOm, and if there were it would not only
be d1sagreeable but unsafe to have fol-
lowers or even visitors who wear bonnets
and shawls so near the family rooms as they
must I've IN an apartment house. Whatever
luterferes with this intercourse disturbs those
amlcable relations which one would wish 10
preserve between mistress and maid Ii is
olihcuit to make mlstresses believe it. but in all
those private and personal questions that affect
domestic service the maids have the right of il
Al least whether they have the right q. Il or
not the serious differences that -,n,;n,o,I,.