The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-13
A WHITE HOUSE DINNER.
THE PRESIDENT NOT THE AUTO
GRAFT or THE OCCASION.


Master of the Feast-Domestic Ser
vice at the White House--An Invi-
tatiOn to the Executive Mansion
Equivalent to "a Command and
Takes Precedence of All Previous
EnEa gements.
Washington May 12.-When you or I
give dinner, we manage the affair to
suit ourselves, but the poor President of
the United States has no such privilege
at least, not while he remains the SER
want of the people. The real autocrat OF
all festivities in the White House which
involve anything to eat, is the steward
anC The President may not even select
him. The master of the executive cuisine
IS a heavily bonded officer generally a
cOlored NAM, whose appointment Is pure
~ party affair, and whose salary, PAID
by the government, is $500 a year. He
is the head OF the household, the Presi-
dent and his wife being little more than
distinguished figureheads. The whole do
mestic equipment and distribution of the
executive mansion devolves upon him.
Except the chef, coachman and footman,
who are hired and paid by the President,
the steward engages all the White House
servants, whose salaries are paid by the
government, under the appropriation for
labor, made for the support of public
buildings and grounds" The force in
cludes q nominal housekeeper, who is
virtually a sort of upper chambermaid,
but the steward Is che acting housekeep
err; four Inen to do the work usually done
by chambermaids and parlormaids; and
cook, assistant cook and scullion. The
men also serve in the dining room, as
special occasions demand, under the di-
recdon of the steward, who always acts
as head butler. chef is employed only
during the social season-and II is a re-
proach 10 American cookery THAI he Ia
always a foreigner. Two or three women
are constantly employed In the laundry,
although 1t Is to be presumed that the
Presidents linen is done out" and when
there are visitors in the White House,
additional help is engaged as the steward
may decide. 1t will thus be seen that
the fortunate colored man who Is at tho
head Of the White House menage entovs
a patronage somewhat less than mem
Ter of Congress. but being the purchasing
agent fer the Presidents household and
# the White House domestic equipment,
he enjoys a commercial patronage which
makes nin more sought after and toadied
tc in some quarters than any couS: ess-
man. The steward goes 10 market every
day, driven in a covered vehicle, and not
only purchases all White House food sup
plies bus all the wines liquors and Gig
ars used in the mansion; he replenishes
the household stores, such as table and
bed linen, dishes, cooking utensils, etc.
He must render an annual accounting of
all this turning in the bits of everything
broken and remnants of everything worn
out, as vouchers. The President pays for
the subsistence of his family and the do
nestle employees, nothing of this being
furnished by the government except ice.
An appropriation of 5000 a year is made
by Congress for the housekeeping equip
ment; the surplus which results from this
appropriation being applied to permanent
improvements on the place, such as new
plumbing and the new driveway for de-
livery wagons which was built out of
last years fund.
The cost of a single state dinner is rs
much as an average American family
spends for a years living. The adags,
L'homme propose, 1e Dieu dispose. APP
plies we'll to such affairs 'rhomne" be-
ing represented by the President, lie D1eu''
by the autocraHc master of the cuisine.
The former suggests the affair and names
the number of guests he desires 20 invite;
but the latter cuts down the list as he
chooses and disposes of every detail ac-
cording to his own sweet will, neither the
President and his wife having any more
idea of what they are going 20 set down
to. in the way of a menu, than any out
slider For example, when Dewey return
ed from Manila, the President desired to
give him a rousing welcome, in a dinner
which should eclipse all Others and in
clude the shining lights of the Capital,
who wished to fbreak bread" with the
hero. Hence the list was much too large
for the autocrat Of the kitchen to manage,
and days were spent pruning 1t down to
the limit prescribed. Many man of
rank, who naturally looked for an invita-
tion, owes his rejection on that memora-
BILE occasio to the veto of the White
House head-butler. who declared that no
juggler on earth could make space for
more than seventy-four guests at once,
and that number crowded things far be-
yond comfort
The White House now has two ldtch-
ems, private dining room, a state dining
room, and the great inner corridor 10 fall
back upon in emergencies. When the
number of guests exceeds Atty the table
Is always spread in this corridor; if hess,
the state dining room Is used. The origi-
nal table was a rectangular affair, seat
ing only thirty-stx. When this became
inadequate. shell was constructed, SIM
liar In outline to a figure 8, which placed
at top of the table, increased the seating
capacity to fifty. When a big dinner is
on the taps, the steward informs his
tradesmen beforehand of the coming
date, and the probable menu; thus giving
those interprlsing individuals time to col
lect the choicest articles for his inspec-
ton. In former days all the fowls, FISH,
meats, butter eggs, vegetables, etc, came
direct from farm and shore to the execu-
tive kitchen; but that is no longer neces-
sary, since the Washington markets have
become among the best in the world. The
steward visits them very early In the
morning, 20 avoid the rush, as we'll as to
secure the choice of everything; and by
8 O'Clock a. m, preparations for the
nights dinner are begun. There are
meats to be boiled and baked and roasted;
vegetables to be cooked. soups to be
brewed fancy entrees arranged and dainty
desserts concocted; and It all takes time.
The bread used is also baked in the White
House ovens. Although the steward
superintends all this. he takes no part
In the actual preparation Of food his task
is accomplished with providing the ma
terials, compiling the menu, choosing the
china and the setting and decoration of
the table; but as he Is responsible for
everything, the smallest detail is under
.atf q V-H-