The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-04-21


trician, and at least one assistant to keep
the house properly heated and lighted.
The switchboard at Harbor Hin Is as
big and almost as complicated as the
switchboard of a good sized hotel.
The electric installation there includes
set of storage battery cells 10 serve as a
reserve supply in case OF breakdown, so
that an accident could not plunge the
house into darkness just when it is filed
with life and gayety The Maekay house
is by no means the only country residence
with It's own storage battery, &c. though
naturally the current is taken from COM
pany mains whenever practicable. since
a private plant costs a lot TO install and
privately manufactured current is ezpen-
sive.
Curiously enough, while the influence Of
the English has been very marked upon
the way the houses Of the rich In America.
both in town and country. are run, the
English steward who acts as business
manager of the place has not been intro
dueed here to any extent In this eoun-
try most establishments are conducted on
the plan of three or four practically
independent departments. The butler
has charge OF all the men servants in
the house, often hiring and discharging
them. The kitchen force. both men and
women. are subordinate 10 the chef All
the other women servants are under the
hOusekeeper, if there is one. though many
fine places are run without such an
attache.
The coachman has sole control of the
grooms and stabiemen. including their
engagements and discharge. almost in
variably, while the gardener is responsible
for all the outdoor force except the stable
men and grooms. Owing to the lack of
stewards the master of the house him
self, or his personal secretary from the
office. looks after much of the buying and
the payment Of the bills.
When it comes 10 the pay Of the SER
wants of a modern country house or city
mansion, The chef and the butler rank all
the others. the chef often. but not always,
receiving higher pay than the butler.
Everything considered, the latter is fairly
well paid as i rule. lie must be a good
man, sober, and with plenty of good taste.
since il is the butler who plans and car
ries out the decorations, which include the
flowers, and the success Of a dinner de-
ponds almost as much upon him as upon
the chef
When the family is at ITS country house
the whole afternoon before a big dinner
may be taken up by tie gardener and the
Dutler devising and putting into effect the
scheme Of floral adonment. The butler in
every truly well-regulated country house
has great variety OF tableware AT his
disposal. so that he may choose whatever
color scheme he likes for his table, but,
of course it must harmOnize with the
flowers. The gardener. therefore. is some
times as important a functiOnary as the
butler himself
The butler has entire charge of the ser
vice. ana engages extra men for walters
when the dinner is unusually large. II he
knows his business and is not held down
as 70 expense, he gets private men,
who he knows viii appear In spotiessly
brushed clothes and fresh white linen, az
s. for the evenings work. II he doesn't
know his business, or is hamrered as to
expense he gets restaurant walters, at
s. or s. each. The butler also buys and
serves all the uncooked fruit-Oranges,
grapefruit, grapes and the like, also the
cream for the tea and coffee; sometimes
also the butter and the biscuits" or
crackers, of which he sees that there is
fresh supply in every guests room every
night in case he should be hungry.
The pay OF the butler now runs from
$50 10 S100 a month. the average being SO,
with tips. meals. and sleeping room If he
is single. II he has a family of his own
he has 20 rent his quarters when bis eu}-
ployers family is i'm town; when iu the
country furnished quarters are generally
provided free for himself and his family
81 200 a year and found, with $500 as the
average; his tips foot up quite a sum
every year besides. Ten dollars apiece
s. at least-is the usual fee from the men
guests after a weekend house party. As
the buffers are not the only servants who
expect tips. it viii be seen that weekend
guests do not get of scot-free by any
means. But tips while generally allowed,
are forbidden In some country houses.
Dr. W. Seward Webb is understood to be
the most relentless foe of tips of al the
New Workers who maintain big town and
country houses. He forbids the reception
of gratuities of any kind by any Of his
servants, and, being mindful that the rule
cuts their income, pays them higEer
wages than most others receive. Thus
Dr. Webb's butler gets Sl.600 year in
stead of $500. If you are ever invited to
spend a weekend with the doctor you
may offer the butler a tip with perfect
impunity; that well-trained servant will
decline it in words chosen to show that
ii is impossible for him to receive it, with
out hurting your feelings in the least
1t Is part of the scheme of the well-reg-
ulated country house that no servant
shall ever been seen at work, that there
shall never be any evidence that any work
is being done, and that the servants who
are visible shall always be immaculate
in their dress. This means. of course,
that all Of them must begin work early.
and that some OF them must work late
every day. Their hours are not unduly
long, on the average, however and In the
biggest houses their mornings and out
goings are as carefully recorded. some
times by means of time-clocks, as in big
commercial and manufacturing esta blish-
ments.
English Servants PredOminate.
Naturally most of the upper men ser,
wants in these fine places are English.
aside from the chefs, although the Swiss
and the Germans and the Swedes are
creeping in as footmen and buffers men,
as they are in the big hotels. Occasion
ally there is a Swedish butler, even, and
there are likely TO be more Of them, since
the supply of English buffers is running
short and America doesn't breed men who
make buffers, or even coachmen. unless
their fathers were servants, and not often
then. There are a few simon-pure Amer
lean coachmen.
No English butler in America, no mat
ter how many generations his family has
been of the servant class abroad, wants
his son to follow his calling. even if the
youngster has to live less comfortably and
more strenuousiy and with a smaller in