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

air compartment for drying clothes. There
are no suitable servants quarters. Those
provided are in the basement, and only
those opening to the south are habitable.
The north rooms open on damp brick
area and are unhealthy
L have quoted member of President NC
Ktnley's official household concerning the
character of service resulting from the do
nestle system at present prevailing In the
White House. There are these idiosyncra-
sizes still to be mentioned-the employment
o. men to do homework commonly done
by women, which ought too, 1t seems to
me, be womens right to do, and the mat
ter of wages paid. Under the provisions
of the government appropriation for labor
the four men doing homework in the Exec
ut1ve Mansion receive each 81 day-s6o a
month that is, as compared with $1S or
$40. the normal wage of thoroughly we'll
trained chambermaids and parlormaids.
The women employed receive 81 per day
$50 per month. This is paid to the laundry
women who commonly are well paid at so
a month, and to the scullion or kitchen
maid. who would elsewhere receive from
s. to $40. These are mere trifling details
OF generally absurd system for the reform
OF which, the member of President Nc
Kinley's household 1 have quoted, has this
to suggest:
Needed improvements.
There ought to be permanent domestic
institution in the White House, established
under civil service rule. This should COM
prise competent, properly trained servants.
organized with intelligent regard for the
service they have to perform-that is, min
lster1ng to the personal and social require
ments of the ruler of a great nation.
don of course, advocate f1unkeyiSm, or
anything of that sort, but merely for the
sake of orderly appearance, l think White
House domestics should wear a proper uni
form; they should be selected for their
special fitness for the place, not for polit-
icai reasons, and the whole manner Of do
mestfc life at the White House should be
determined by rules and regulations insur-
ing a household for the President compati-
Die with the dignity and distinction of his
OFFICE, and every way expressive of the in
telligence and refinement of the American
people, rather than characteristic of their
voting strength. This would greatly re-
iieve the wife of every President to come
who would assume the social duties of
mistress of the White House unembar-
raised by the ridiculous task, under the
present order always recurring, of having
to break in or be herself broken in by the
new servants who follow inevitably on
change of administration. These servants
too, are CLEANED from a class hopeless
from the beginning. They cannot be taught
anything, 1 have found because they are
not yet enlightened to the initial degree of
knowing there is anything beyond them to
be learned. l think that thus to elevate
the domestic service of the White House
would do something more even than i'm
prove the character of the Presidents
household For the government SO to de-
fine standard of domestic labor and es-
tablish 1t under civil service rule in the
Executive Mansion would have an edu-
cational influence upon domestic service
generally and accomplish something for
the solution of the servant question in this
country. If the women of the United
States want to work a little reform of in
terest to themselves and credit to their ma
ticn, let them take up this reform of the
domestic economy of the White House"
Now, who will be the woman to begin it
Her name will be very welcome to her
friend and ardent sympathiZer
PAULINE PRY