Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-30

| end" stay, and especially for a two weeks
| house party. she invariably has her hands
| full. 1t is she who is held responsible for.
| the guests quarters 1t Is she who must
see to IL that they are conveyed from tho
| station to the house in good style at the
| beginning of the visit. and from house to
| station at its close. She has measurably to
| look after their comfort during their stay:
| to see that those who wish to drive have
| their wishes gratified; that there ars boats
| for those who wish to sail or row; that
there are mounts for those who delight In
horseback riding. and SO on
| The master and the mistress OF the house
| assist her as much as they may. OF course
| but more than any else In many houses
| she is responsible for the comfort OF all
| concerned
| Neither pains nor money is spared In the
| arrangements made for the comfort OF the
| guests by the American multi millionaire
| family. Some of the newer houses nave
| special guests wings. In these wings there
| are suites OF three rooms. including bath,
| for visiting couples, and single rooms with
bath for single guests. In some houses the
quarters of each guest are furnished with
Telephone, mounted on pretty stand near
| the bed. by means of which guest at any
| time of day night, may order meal sent
| to his room or converse with friend ID
| New York Chicago.
| In one house each guest chamber is FUR
| nished with silver-framed cards telling
| where the nearest drug store is located
| the name. address and telephone number
| of the hostess family physician; the loca-
| ton of all the churches in the vicinity, with
| the stated services; the time or arrival ana
| departure of all railroad trains, and a va
| riety of such local information as might
be interesting and useful to the guest
| No convenience that has ever peen
| Of
| man has been overlooked in that house,
and. besides, lot of things not dreamed
| Of in the Quitting of any hotel on ear'n
| have been provided
| In almost all the really well-conducted
| country houses each guest mas upon re-
| firing to his quarters for the nigh., a COPY
| of the program for the next days enter
| tafnment From II, II the party is Dig
| enough to warrant variety or amuse-
| ments he is expected to make ms SER SER
| ton and, later, either to communicate ne
| cbojca 10 the mistress of the house or neI
| Sirnd .chatelaine." The program. or
| course has been prepared with special rs ,
! erence to the known preferences or INC
| lists Though indicated in general by the
| master and mistress of the house, II Is tne
| ever useful paid 'chatelaine VINO "oi As ~
| out in detail.
! ,s, nc tho household executive Is kept
| when many guests are being entertained
| ~, 10 rouch buster Just before and during
| tho farily's change of residence from town
| To country and vice versa. 1t is her prov
| ,nce to see that the quarters to winch 'heS
are going are in apple-pie order "hen 'neS
| get there and that there are no hltches III
| the removal. This means that she must
come as near to being in two places al ONE
| as human being possibly can ana luat
| hefore during and after the shifting OF the
| family's base she must be unusually puss'
| unusually tactful unusually alert
| Now where do the multi millionaire lam,
| i1ine find women qualified to perform all
| the duties of the household executive
| have described? Is she social secretary,
! almost always is-or is she general4y til
! ported like the butler? What Is she paiu!
| Is her compensation sufficient to make her
| occupation attractive from the hnahciai
| point of view?
| TO he frank about it, not a very large
| nronortion of the multi-millionaires have
| succeeded, so far, in finding such women
| at all, either of American or foreign olrth.
! In houses not yet supplied with them the
| duties described above are shared by diner
| ent members of the household FORCES. IN
| such cases the mistress OF the house-the
| real neutrality-suspicious. actually as
! sumes her rightful place as director OF the
| household the mistress of an English
| great house" always does.
| In one case the master OF the house re-
| mains at home one day every week. II pos
| sible and straightens up the odds and
| ends of household management. In another
the master of the house. very rich and with
/
! executive. In another the former captain
| of the family steam yacht. now sold, d.
: vides the household executive work with
| the mistress OF the house, the housekeeper
| and the auditor Of the big commercial es-
| Establishment which the master Of the house
| has created and now directs
| But there actually are several Just such
| women "cha telaines" 'stewardesses,'
! what-you- will who act as household execu-
| tives in certain famous multi-miinonaire
homes and the number is increasing, though
not as fast the multt-mliionaire class
could wish. Most of these women are
| American: some widows. OF former
| wealth and social standing OF their own,
| and, in one or two instances, the work mas
! been taken up successfully by unmarried
young American women of good education
| who have deliberately chosen II for a life
| occupation.
! The pay runs from $500 to $1,000 or
| 5000. the smallest figures given being
nearer the average than the largest, but
| the pay is "net''-that is, II carries full
subsistence with it-and often when the
! family goes TO Europe the household execu-
| tive goes, too, without expense to herself.
| Besides. she has many perqusites and these
! grow the length of her service increases,
| providing the master of the house doesn't
| lose his fortune in the modern scramble for
more money and yet more money.
Take it altogether, the job isn't so bad
| for one who is fitted for ii by training and
natural ability. though it would swamp
many woman of very superior mentality
| and attachments