The herald., 1895-05-05

other in mahogany. These are the dress
ing rooms, boudoirs and working rooms
all combined. Miss Alta uses the mahog-
any room aud Miss Edith the oaken
apartment. Each room has large sub
stantial busness-like desk, fitted with
rack of pigeon holes, the latter filled with
neatly folded letters and bills
Both girls are thorough business
women. They are alowe large sums
yearly and they control the expenditure
absolutely. Almost from infancy they have
been taught the necessity OF system and
method in all their doings. They each
keep miniature set of books, have indi-
vidual bank accounts and can tell to
cent just what their money has gone for
the past several years. 1t is almost need
less to say that very little of their money
has gone into the Golfers OF the Fifth ave-
nue. modiste or millner. The breakfast
in the Rockefeller house is plain meal.
The family assemble in the dining room
at &c o'clock, and Mr.. Rockefeller asks
blessing upon the meal and then reads
chapter of the Bible. Breakfast is over
at few minutes after o'clock. The
father and son go down town to manage
the millions, and the mother and her Sis
ter. Miss Spellman, who is a member of
the household. attend to the affairs of the
bouse.
The hour Immediately after breakfast the
girls devote to music. Miss Alta is a fin
ished pianist while Miss Edith is quite
expert with the violin and cello. They
practice regularly every week day. Their
taste for music is an inherited one. Their
father is one of the finest amateur per-
formers on the violin in the country, and
has been so pronounced by famous musi-
clans who have been entertained in the
Rockefeller house. The father and daugh-
ters often play together in the evening to
the great pleasure of the chosen few of
the friends who are permitted to hear
shem. The fact that there are four pianos.
magnificent pipe organ and innumera-
BILE other instruments in the house attests
the musical character of the inmates.
After the music of the morning has
been disposed of the girls take up their
! favorite studies. Prior to her marriage
Mrs. Rockefeller was a school teacher in
Cleveland, Ohio; or, more properly
speaking, a professor of botany. The
/ studious habits contracted then still
cling to her and have been transmitted to
the daughters. Both are clever linguists
and deep readers. Miss Alta favors French
! and Miss Edith prefers German, although
she has gained knowledge of Japanese.
and at one time seriously thought of jour
neying to that country as missionary.
The spectacle of a fifty million-dollar
| heiress going as missionary would, in
deed have been an odd one
| After the reading is over the girls go for
a ride in the park. The whole family is
passionately fond of the equine world, the
father and son owning fast trotters and
the girls favoring the saddle horse. They
are usually attended by groom and are
both swift riders. frequently covering tif-
teen miles in an hour and half. They
are usually back before twelve, and spend
the remaining hour until lunch time in
going over their mail. Both of them have
Sunday school classes in DR.. Armitage's
Baptist church, and are members of many
church societies.
Their wide charities have made them
known to toilers in the field Of philan-
thropy all over town. and whenever
really deserving case is encountered the
Rockefeller girls are usually communicate
ed with to supply the needed aid
Luncheon is served at one o clock, and
the afternoon passes away quickly. At
this season of the year much OF the time
is spent in the garden surrounding the
house. In it is an artificial lake about
four inches deep. 1t freezes readily and
affords fine skating ground, which is
used daily whenever there is any ice.
! Their friends also use it, and there a.e
often merry skating parties hidden be-
hind the high green fence running along
the Fifty-fourth street front.
Six O'Clock is the dinner hour. and the
meal is plain, substantial one. with no
wines or liquors. Prohibition scarcely
describes the Rockefeller attitude on the
liquor question. They spend many for
tunes annually in fighting the liquor
evil.
If the weather is favorable there is Oft
entimes a skating party by electric light
IN the evening. If not, there is music or
entertaining few friends. By eleven
o'clock the whole family is asleep.
1t is healthful, wise. simple and sat-
isfatory day that these extraordinary rich
young women live. Fortune hunters
never approach them. If they did, the
memory of their reception would make
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