The sun., 1897-11-07

TIE liOusEKEEPEI. THE CHAMBERMAlD.
employees Of such hotel number sev.
eral hundred and that the administra-
tive machinery of the house is as elab-
crate as the most extensive mercantile
establishment.
The housekeeper Of one of the largest
and best known hotels in America has
direct charge over Ler chambermaids,
the hall girls, the scrub women and the
laundresscs, several score in number all
told. Besides the women good sized
group of men are directly responsible
to her They are employed to clean Win
dows take up and beat carpets, take
down beds and move furniture and do
the heavy wCrk around the bedrooms.
They are known as the house men. They
are selected by the manager and then
handed over to the housckceper for her
approval. If Sc likes them, they are
engaged Int net otherwise and if they
fail to do their work properly a word
from her will insure thoir dismissal.
The housrEccpcr Las 10 jurisdiction
over the girls employed in the kitchen
and dining rooms They are hired and
discharged Ly the manager and are un-
der tie supervision of the proper depart.
mcnt heads.
All the women in her Department are
hired and schargCd by the housekecp-
er. No CHe else has any control over
the III whatever. She looks into the ref
erenccs Of every ono before taking her
on. When sho discharges a girl, she
simply makes formal report to the
manager SO that the pay roll can be
changed when the new girl comes in.
A certain number of girls is allowed for
each lire of duty, and when one is dis
charged another is taken on. The cause
Of the discharge is never known by any
one but the housCkccplr aud there is no
appeal from her decision. LII fact, she
is absolute in her dominion.
Nominally the hous,kccper is on duty
from in the morning until 4 in the
afternoon, but she is likely to be called
upon at any and all hours of the day or
night i'll case Of emergency. Her first
duty every morning is to make tour of
inspection. She must have personal
knowledge Of the condition of every
guests room in the house, since, al.
though the Chambermaids are response
BILE to her, she is responsible to the man.
agement. OF course it is not possible in
one CT the greater hotels for single
person to inspect everything individual
ly every day, and the housekecper of
such a caravansary must rely upon the
report of the girls to some extent but
their reliance can only be partial at the
best.
The details Of this inspection duty are
almost infinite. Every room must be
kept supplied with every requisite. The
led linen, the towels, the carpets and
the crockery must always be in apple
pie order. The newly arrived guest
must not find cracked water pitcher.
n nicked glass, torn curtain, a dam
aged carpet or broken furniture in
his room. Not day passes in any
ct the greater new hostclries that
some articles rendered useless ly the
carclcssnes.i OF guest CT servant does
not have to be replaced, and even If il
be impossible for the housckeepcr to Wis
1t every part Of her realm each day no
day must pass that She does not ,crson
ally 20 over some part Of it. The slrcwd
h"us"fr"pcr will Of course keep her
sEbordlnat's III constant expectation cf
her inspection. aS this helps in disci
plillo and makes for thorough work on
their part.
Through tie constantly recurring ne.
c'"Ity Il rreWi!s and rrIairs the
hcrH' keeper is daily brought into pcr.
fornl contact with number f men
about the 'Iotel who are not lirnctly
undrr h"r control. yet who must ohcy
her orders under given circumstance.
lhe"e are the ulholstcrcr, Tic carpcatcr
We d" all kinds Of ir-l c!a-- printing.
Civ, lls Il trial.