New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-05-12
White HOUSE Thrift |
Noticeable Chiefly In Reducing
Number of Servants.
CASTE LINES OBLITERATED.

All Help Must Now Eat at One Table
Instead of Three-Roosevel* Lunch
cons observation-disclosures. Taft Large
Iy Responsible For the Change.
President and Mrs Taft are going on
the principle that if the government is
to economize economy ought to begin
at home. Therefore the running ex-
penses Of the White House are being
cut down. Since March savings and
curtailments have been effected in va
rious directions about the executive
mansion.
Mrs. Taft is responsible in large
measure for the savings that have
been brought about, for one thing
when the new administration took
possession Of the laundresses. The
number has been reduced to three.
Formerly there were an engineer, an
assistant engineer and plumber
about the establishment. One man is
now retained to do any engineering
work or plumbing work that is neces-
sary. .ss~. ..e.
Under the Roosevelt regime Pink
ney, the colored stewart, was an i'm
portant functionary about the estab-
lishment. Now steward is no longer
kept. Pinkney has gone on the govern
ment rolls as messenger. Mrs. Taft
has obtained first class housekeeper,
Miss Jefferson. The management Of
the White House in large measure
rests with Miss Jefferson, who attends
to the buying. Mrs. Roosevelt used to
do much of the buying for the estab-
lishment herself.
One Of the important reforms
wrought about the White House con-
sists in reducing the number Of tables
at which the negro servants take their
meals from three to one. 1t used to be
before March that there were three
tables for the colored help. One table
was for the high caste part Of the
force Of servants. Here Charles Read
er, the coachman; Pinkney, the stew
ard, and a few Of the elite Of the serv-
ants assembled and dined on the fat
OF the land, having what the White
House family had. The second table
was reserved for the chef and the mid
die class Of servants. The third table
was for the laundresses and the scrub
women. Now, it appears, these dis
tinctions have been thrust aside, and
Miss Jefferson has caused all the COL
ored help to eat at the same table,
The days Of terrapin for some and no
terrapin for others have gone. All the
servants are treated alike. Doubtless
this has caused some heartburning
and dissatisfaction but if there has
been any murmuring it has been done
under cover. The White House is too
good place to work and the wages
too good to inlperil a, job by complain
ing about distinctions Of caste at the
dinner table.
These and other reforms have been
effected. OF course it will not require
so big bill for supplies for the White
House table in this administration as
1t did IL the former one. One reason is
that luncheon is not made as much of
by President Taft as Mr.. Roosevelt
used to make it. Roosevelt insisted on
having lot Of people at lunch. He
hated to eat alone, and he liked to take
advantage Of lunch to extract an inf
mite amount of information out of a
variegated assortment Of people. And
the amount Of information he got in
this way was astonishing. President
Taft does not eat luncheon himself
save an apple, and so the chief White
House functions now are the dinners,
which are quite up to the best White
House standard.
If the various departments and bu-
reaus go at the economizing business
as thoroughly as the White House has
it will be possible to make some re.
auctions in ppropriations.-Was
ton Cor. New York Globe