The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-07
STUDENTS as SERVANTS.
Ono Summer Boardcr. Mt Least, Pre-
fers the ether Kind.

ters the ctuer htnu.
Il spent a part Of the summer at a love-
ly spot in Vermont The hotel faced a lake
bordered by high, heavily wooded hills. The
surrounding country was picturesque in
the extreme. The mercury rarely regis
tered more than 10 degrees. My memories
of the place would be absolutely unmarried
but for one reprehensible blot That was
the inexcusably high scholarship OF the
servants hail." writes a returned resort
err to the New York Commercial Adver-
tiser." II have spent many years of my
life in travelling and have suffered from
the methods of servants of various colors
and nationalities, and l must say l prefer
the attentions Of the ignorant person who
lives and moves in a mechanical manner
The highly intelligent servant is positively
embarrassing. even humiliating sometimes,
without being in the least iuattentiye or
presumptuous. Let me tell you of my re-
markable experiences this summer that
prompted me 10 say what have.
II was pleased upon my arrival to see
that the servants were an unusually good
looking, well-behaved lot of men and boys
and l remarked to my daughter that the
porter looked like man of too much in
ttlli6tHCC 10 OCCupY Il poSitlOu. y
few days later | was going down in the
elevator when the elevator boy, lad of
about seventeen years, said to me: Il beg
pardon, Mrs. b, but see you take the
North American Review" / can only af-
ford to subscribe for the Atlantic Month
~" and l should like to exchange il
agreeable to you l gasped. When re-
covered myself l told him l never read
the Atlantic but il he would let me
know when he was off duty l would be
pleased to arrange my reading hour to
suit his.
81 received another intellectual shock
on the day following. / was sitting on the
golf club piazza. l heard near me a dis
cussion going on betweenstwo young per-
sons concerning the relative merits of
Homer and Cicero. and when / heard a
boyish voice say: regard many OF Cice-
To's so-called orations merely as essays,
l turned and gasped again. saw that two
caddies were carrying on the weighty con-
yersation.
The waiter at my table was peculiar
fellow. He was tall and angular, with a
big bald head and deep-set eyes. He was
taciturn, almost sullen at times. did
not like his appearance. but he was at
tentive and quiet. When would offer him
his weekly tip blush would suffuse his
his bald head. He got so embarrassed ev-
cry time offered him a tip that l took pity
on him and put the money under the edge
of the finger bowl. One day | asked the
head waiter where my man came from. lie
said: oh, he's a Williams man. Got
through this spring. l hear he intends TO
take up the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., old
school, ha hal / gasped third time
when the head waiter added BY the way.
Mrs. B, / see you wear Zeta Psi pin.
That is my fraternity. / will be junior
al Harvard next fall. End he threw back
the lapel Of his coat with proud sweep Of
his hand to expose his pin fastened to his
waistcoat. was almost foored by this
time, but l remembered saying that the pin
had been worn by my son, who was Har-
ward alumnus.
After this last attack went to the
hotel clerk and asked him if had gotten
into some sort of summer college oh.
no. Most of my servants are Undergrad
yates at Williams and other colleges
ne answered. Some of them make
enough in this way to pay a good share
of their winters expenses. Well, 1
said to that clerk: When / leave, no
person less than d Phi. d. can touch my
luggage He was equal to me. My por-
ter plays halfback on a college football
team. That's the best l can do for you,
Mrs. - he said.
What l have said is true, and it has
its ludicrous side. but the truth is. you
can't get the best service with such in
telligence in the servants hall More
over, such servants expect liberal tips.
The system may be more or less philan-
thropic. but it is unjust to the hotel pa
trons.''