Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-05-12
RICH WOMEN KEEPING HOUSE
System in Vogue in Homes Where
Many Servants Are Kept.
TRAINED IN HOUSEHOLD AFFAIRS
Inc Butler, the Chef and the Head
Maid Trio of Great Importance
-Giimpses of Great
Linen Room

IN pretty general use in households where
ten or more servants are kept II varies
little except in detail and in multiplication
OF subordinates as it becomes larger or
smaller. z.# p
Some OF the older millionaires' wives
have grown side by side with their hus-
bands from the simplest early homes.
and are not willing to yield their pre-
rogative of ordering their households.
Others. though accustomed from infancy
To every luxury. have had the systematic
training in household economy that is
part of every thorough modern girls
education.
We hear Of Gladys Vanderbilt as an
excellent cook before she made her for
eign marriage Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish is
also noted cook, while Mrs. William X.
Vanderbilt, jr, has the reputation of be-
Ing the best young housekeeper in New
York. Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney COM
bines the qualities OF an excellent house.
keeper, sculptor of marked talent. a
symbolic dancer of ability and a devoted
wife and mother.
But whether she belongs to the older
or the younger group. trained by science
OF experience, conditions have led the
American woman OF wealth to adopt
system Of housekeeping of which organ
ization Is the keynote. In the matter of
organization. there is very little differ
ence between a household of ten servants
and one of thirty or more.
Three servants are very important
the butler, the chef and the head maid.
or housekeeper. We shall find the butler
the most important Of the lot. He Is
responsible for the footmen and some
times for the parlor maids.
He has charge, OF course. Of everything
sees the setting of the table, its decoration
and the final serving Of the meals. In
large houses with many footmen. the but
Ter often does not serve at all, but his
actual work Is as nothing compared to
his responsibility.
He is responsible for the silver and
for the food as It comes into the pantry.
He often engages the footman, and In
many cases arranges their hours of work
and their duties, In addition to this,
all the numerous unclassified things that
come and go through the front door must
be In charge Of the butler
He receives and pays for packages.
orders cabs and eypressmen, attends to
departing and arriving luggage and all
the thousand and one things that cannot
be foreseen. In some homes the butler
occupies almost the position Of factotum.
SO many things come to him for decision.
- Chefs Limited Field.
The chefs field is necessarily more
limited. He has one or two assistant
cooks and any number of scullsry maids.
His responsibility begins and ends with |
the food. He must see that It is right |
when It arrives: that the butchers and
grocer's goods check up; he must make |
the menus. submit them to the mistress |
or the housekeeper and prepare the |
meals.
A chef may live months IN house and |
never see hts master or other members |
OF the. family. The mistress he will see |
because he usually submits the menus
In person. 'r-
Going into the upper world Of the house.
we find q head maid or housekeeper.
She; again. is a servant upon whose
personality the family's comfort viii
depend very much. While her duties
are fairly well defined she will have.
like the butler. many OF the unexpected.
Unforeseen things TO arrange.
She has charge OF the housemaids and
the parlor maids. arranges their work
and their days off and must inspect per-
sonally what they do. to make sure that
Il Is right.
The housekeeper will have charge Of
the linen room. perhaps the most inter
esting part OF the house to many women.
To the housekeeper also pertains the
mending OF the linen, often the buying OF
new linen and other furnishings for the
bedrooms, and sometimes the supervision
Of the family seamstresses., The laun-
dress and her assistants wifi also work
nnder the general direction Of the house.
keeper.
This. then. Is the skeleton OF orgsniza-
bon that we shall find in all large houses
The variations will be those dictated by
personality or circumstance. and are usu-
ally very slight. L
How variously the same system may
be made to apply is shown by visits to
the households Of two equally successful
fourteen servants, a household that Is
essentially q family home; and the other.
with thirty to forty servants. a home
that is center OF wide social life Of
political and official Importance. II
Housekeeping Source of Pleasure.
One Of the most interesting housskesp.
srs in New York is Mrs. William J.
schieffeIin, who keeps house because. to
her, housekeeping Is a source Of real
pleasure Mrs. Schiffelin, with her large
family Of growing children. devotes most
d her time to them and to their home.
But this does not mean that she is
narrowly domestic. On the contrary,
Mrs Scheffelin is a woman actively N
kerested in philsnthropic and religious
work and In the modern thought methods
that are occupying so many women to-
Jay. To her. housekeeping is the back
ground OF family life. and merits It's
Share OF personal attention.
Therefore. she makes every servant
personally responsible to her. ina ono
natter Of organization which Mrs. Schef-
selin considers most responsible for her
yuecess is something that she began and
EorlSed out ct the beginning OF her house
keepsng, and has adhered to ever since.
5 when Mrs seheffelin engages q ser
yant. as she Invariably does personally.
md does not have to do often. zhs makes
eut slip. with the duties Of that ser
Fant typed thereon. Every inch Of her
aouse is covered by the duties on thess
handy little slips
When a new servant comes Mrs. sehef-
i.ltr. r,arzn-,aflr snands hnIrra ahour1nr