The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-04

Managing the Househ old-Mme. Boil
lets Remarkable Duties-Arranging
the Table.
From the New York Press.
The most carefully ordered household
in New York is that of Mrs. Frederick
Vanderbilt, who lives in one of the Fifth
avenue palaces built by the late Commo-
dore for his sons and daughters. Not
home in the city, not even those presided
over by proverbially home bodies, nor
the best regulated Of all the magnificent
hotels, can approach the household of
Mrs. Frederick Vanderbilt in the abso-
Lutte regularity and neatness Of the en-
tire house from pit to dome.
Mrs. Vanderbilt is herself fine house
keeper, but it is years since she has done
anything in the way of ordering new sup
plies or directing the management. Dur
ing the years since she has given up
the task of regulating her home affairs
all has been in the hands of a French Ia
dy, Nine. Bolliet by name, who is directly
responsible for everything in the house
and is intrusted with the entire manage
ment. Her title is that of directress,
and her salary is placed at the figure Of
So, 900 year But it overlaps that sum
by many hundreds.
One of Nine. Bolliet's duties is the hir-
ing Of the servants In the Vanderbilt
household Mrs. Vanderbilt does not
know them all even by sight. But Nine,
Bolliet knows them, hires them and is re-
sponsible for them, and were anything to
be missing out of the house or any I'M
pleasantness to arise she and she alone
would be held accountable. In paying of
the servants Nine. Bolliet is given power
of attorney, and can make out checks and
sign them, If Mrs. Vanderbilt is too busy
to do so. All wages are paid in actual
money, as most of the servants are for
eigners aud could not handle checks, and
so at times the directress is in possession
of a considerable fortune in ready money.
In household of the size and preten-
sions of the Vanderbilt home there are
countless avenues of work and many diff
ferent departments that must be daily in
spected. For the mistress to do this
would be impossible, and even the direc-
tress can not assume the task personally,
though responsible for all.
Every morning directly after breakfast
Mrs Vanderbilt goes to her library and
is closeted for half an hour with her d.
rectress, and all things are planned for
the day. If any servants are to be hired
the directress mentions it. Then follows
a
| the table at a coming dinner, and the
most Mrs. Vanderbilt does is to suggest
that such and such a caterer, or such and
such florist will be able to find some
| thing beautiful and new. The directress
makes note of the preferences of Mrs.
Vanderbilt and sees that the orders are
sent out for certain number of covers"
on certain night, or a certain set of dec
orations.
When there is ball planned the direct
ress consults the florist personally and, il
necessary, arranges a meeting for him
with Mrs. Vanderbilt: and when there
are new robes needed for the carriages,
the head of the stable reports it to the
directress, who has standing order TO
buy more whenever more is needed. And
thus all is managed. Each department
has its own head, and the head is respon-
sible for all the workings of that depart
ment, and must report to the directress,
who in turn attends to their wants, and
on rare occasions consults Mrs. Wander
bilt.
Sometimes the directress must act at
her own discretion unaided for several
days by Mrs. Vanderbilt's counsels, for it
must be remembered that in the height
of the season a society woman has all she
can do to attend her receptions and balls
and dinners, and to make her calls, with
out listening to word about household
affairs. And at such times as the direct
ress is supreme,
THE LINEN ROOM.
As an example of absolute order which
prevails in the house, and which makes
the salary which the directress receives
no more than ordinary compensation for
lady to pay with an abundance of
money, may be mentioned the planning of
the linen room. This room is q square,
light apartment, fourteen feet by sixteen
bigger than most parlors and lighted by
two large windows. Opening off this
room are several smaller rooms. each one
of them devoted to some special article
One has tablecloths, another has towels
and a third sheets and pillow cases. The
large room is solely for sorting and re-
pairing and marking.
The tablecloth room is very pretty 10
look at and would drive to envy the lovers
of nice napery. 1t is small square room
lined with shelves which reach all the
way from floor to ceiling. The shelves
are broad and have compartments, each
one of which is the width of a tablecloth
folded in about six folds. In these com
partments are dozens and dozens of boxes,
perhaps hundreds of them, and in each
box there is a tablecloth neatly folded
and elegantly laundered. There is fine
French polish upon the surface. as though
Just from the shop, and the folds are put
in with machine like precision. The
tablecloth boxes were all made TO order
by the man who makes the candy boxes
for the household, and are of just the
right size,
The napkins are in boxes in another
room, and each box has number corre-
spending to number on the tablecloth
boxes, so that there may always be cor
responding sets upon the table.
A vague idea of the number Of table
cloths may be had from a computation in
mental arithmetic. There are twenty
eight meals served In the house every
week to the family and no cloth appears
twice until 1t has had a laundering. Often
there is cloth Of state for a swell dinner
which may be in progress in the big din
ing room at the same time that the family
dinner is being served TO the young people
Of the household in another room. Be
sides these, there are many cloths for the
children's table, and many for the table
Of the upper servants, not counting those
for the lower servants
The directress buys all these supplies.
The annual cost of the linen room is many
thousands per year. for the Newport
house is always supplied with linen from
the New York linen room; and so is the
yacht with its 200 crew and its accommo-
dations for 100 guests.
CANDY BOXES, FAvoRs AND FLOWERS.
Twice a month the directress has an