Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-05

ture of our commercial greatness-hogs.
So much of the Executive Mansion Is re-
served for public uses, the President s
family are sorely cramped for room. Elk
President Harrison discloses the fact that
when gracious hospitality is exercised at
the White House cots In a screened corner
of the hall or the library are a familiar
expedient, and young men, guests of the
President, have been known to sleep on the
billiard table in the basement Even this
presents not such lively picture of the
offensive sort of democracy the American
people assert In their Presidents domestic
surroundings as their own manner is prone
to exhibit within the White House walls.
1t is the same today as then. Charles Dick
ems saw and described it in 1912:
we entered very large hall, and hav-
ing twice or thrice rung bell which no.
body answered, walked without further
ceremony through the rooms on the ground
floor, as divers other gentlemen mostly
with their hats on and their hands in their
pockets were doing very leisurely. Some
of these had ladies with them to whom
they We're showing the premises; others
were 1ounging on the chairs and sofas;
Others in perfect state of exhaustion and
from hstiessness We're yawning drearily.
The greater portion of this assemblage
were rather asserting their supremacy than
DONG anything else, as they had no particu-
lar business there that any one knew of.
A few We're closely cycling the movables as
Il to make quite sure that the President,
VINO was far from popular, had not made
way with any of the furniture, or sold the
pictures for his private benefit"
The Domestic Service.
But of all the strained effects of demo-
cratic simplicity manifest in the White
House, there is none which reflects with so
little credit upon the American people as
the matter of domestic service. The man
ner of servants no less than of tourists in
the Executive Mansion declares 1.-The Pres
ident of the United States is the servant
OF the people; We are the people,"
l sat in the White House recently and
saw one of the domestics come up from the
lower regions and ascend to the Presidents
once TO render some personal service to the
President within. He wore soiled white
apron and his white jacket was freely spot
ted with grease. He came up the stairs in
rolhcking fashion, and he walked along
the corridor he was waving his hands over
his head, presumably to show just how
much at home he felt and how glad it made
him that he and the President were keeping
house together His appearance was fit
for scrabbing floors in the basement To be
flirting through orderly house in such
sulse and such manner-but then the in
ccngruity Is not so offensive possibly since
the White House is not orderly.
A member of President McKinley's house,
hold has said to me:
When came into authority in the White
House with this administration | was SIM
ply Mortified and disguised at the wav
Things went House servants were about
all day long in dirty collars and blue lean
aprons that had not been washed since
they were first put on. Their manner was
everything offensive that is POSSIBLE to he
distorted from the notion of INDEPENDENCE
They did their work when and how thew
pleased. and altogether the whole situation
was calculated to drive a person of orderly
nabltS mad L endeavOred to reform things
PrlVate Secretary Porter was as active as
was The first thing necessary seemed
10 De 10 put properly trained help in the
place of that employed, but right there we
a rl,a
nave come to regard the domestic field of
the White House as their orchard OF DO
ltlcal plums, and nothing short of an entire
change of the present household system will
serve TO thoroughly improve any detail
rms change can only be brought about by
a spread of Intelligence among the peopIe
concerning what manner of living becomes
the office of President of the ITnited States
ana spread of information concerning
now he Is made to live. For one thing any
housekeeper Will appreciate the impossibili-
" OF economical or orderly domestic sery-
Ice in household that antfciDates a shak
ing up from top to bottom every four wears
as happens in the White House menage
with every shift of administration Add 10
tnls absurdity the greater one of having
your servants installed in office by poIiticaI
lnhueh ce, and you will readily perceive
there results altogether about as impossible
donestlc situation as any sane person
would undertake to manage"
The Steward as Head
The whole domestic distribution of the
White House is under control of the stew
ard. The Presidents wife is little more
than distinguished f1gurehead. The super
intendent of public buildings and grounds
acts as disbursing officer, but it is the stew
ard who is at the head of the Presidents
household. This steward is a heavily bond
ed "fhcer, paid by the government 81 800 a
year. The entire household equipment is in
his charge. He must render an annual ac-
count of all this, turning in the bits of
everything broken. and remnants of every
thing worn out vouchers. EXCEPT the
chef, coachman and footman, who are paid
by the President and hired by him the
steward engages all White House servants
Ihese are paid by the government under
the appropriation for labor made for the
support of public buildings and grounds
The steward purchases all the supplies for
the PRESIDENTS table and replenishes all
household stores, such as table and bed
linen, cooking utensils dishes, etc. The
President pays for the subsistence of his
family and of the domestic employees of the
White House, nothing of this being fur
nished by the government, except ice An
appropriation of 5000 a year is made by
Congress for the housekeeping equipment
The surplus which commonly results from
this appropriation is used at the discre-
ton of the disbursing officer for permanent
improvements of the White House. as re-
Gently new plumbing has been put in the
kitchen, and driveway for delivery wa
CONS is now being built from this fund.
The Force of Dom estes.
The White House force of domestics in
clude a nominal housekeeper, who is vir-
tually a sort of upper chambermaid as the
steward is the acting housekeeper There
are four men employed to do the work
usually done by chambermaids and parlor-
maids. These men also, special occasion
demands, serve in the dining room under
thz steward, who acts always as head but
Ter. In the kitchen ordinarily three women
are employed-a cook, assistant cook and
sculion. During the social season only
chef is employed A reproach to the art
of American cookery, the Presidents chef
is always foreigner. In the laundry there
are two women constantly employed and
when there are visitors at the White House
additional help is engaged, as the steward
may decide. The White House steward it
Will then be seen exercises a patronage
somewhat less than member of Congress-
but still considerable. AS the purchasing
agent for the Presidents household and of
the White House domestic equipment he
further enjoys a commercial patronage by
no means insignificant.
The present incumbent of the office is
William Sinclair, a colored man. well edu-
Gated and possessing unusual force of char
acter- He also exhibits to a marked degree
the one Indispensable virtue of White
House steward-diplomatic reserve. l have
never asked questions of the Sphinx of