Evening star., 1935-01-25
BYRNS' SECRETARY
BR|GHTENS OFFICE
Will Seek HomeIike, CHEEKY
Atmosphere for
Callers.
BY GRACE HENDRICK EUSTIS.


If any reader suffers from the de-
fusion that Southern women are not
capable of high-powered efficiency, let
him take q peek at Margaret M.
Robertson, secretary for the last 13
years to Joseph Byrns, Speaker of the
House.
Dark-haired, bright-faced, of me-
dunn height, retaining, in spite of so
many years in Washington, the eX-
preSsionS and graceS of Dixie. Mrs.
Robertson has changed the atmoS-
phere of the Speakers office. The
funeral blue is coming off the myraid
bookcases. Why shouldn't books
stand on their own right? There will
be open fires IN the now dead fire
places There will be new curtains,
possibly red ones, replacing the pres
ent sombre, black draperieS.
IT believe" Mrs. Robertson said,
looking around the reception room
with a critical eye, that when people
from all over the country take the
trouble to come to the Capitol and
look at the Speakers Office that they
should find something worth their
while" Then she told of an old man
who walked in the other day and made
the following comment:
The only thing this room lacks is
q few stuffed birds"
In the Speakers own Office she
wants to change around the position
of the furniture. get some new plants
from the Botanical Gardens and in
troduce notes of bright color.
Interviews Lawmakers.
At the present writing. this is her
daily program: She spends the morn
ings in the reception room of the
Speakers office. Here she interviews
all the Representative who come to
see the Speaker with their troubles.
She knows them all personally and
nine-tenths of the time their prob
lens. At AS, all visitors are shunted
out and the press is admitted. This,
according to Mrs. Robertson, is going
to be an inviolable rule. After lunch
she retires downstairs to the Speakers
private office, where, with the aid OF
four other secretaries, one of them her
sister, they strive to answer all the
letters. Sometimes they get through
at 6, sometimes at 7, sometimes much
later.
Il sometimes wonder what all this
hustle is about" she said. There are
times when wish were a vegetable.
In fact" she added with a grin, "an
afternoon in boilermaker'S factory
would seem calm compared to this!"
There are two principles Mrs.
Robertson insists on. She explains
I14& fTny I1n
Speaker. The first is to take especial
care of all the people from the Speak
er's own district in Tennessee. After
all, she says, they are the pillars on
which he rests. The second is to be as
prompt as possible with mail. Coupled
with these objects she must have a
daily and accurate knowledge of what
is going on in the House and an in
exhaustible fund of diplomacy.
Wife Of Army Man.
This is Mrs. Robertson's professional
life. It goes on all the year around
except for infrequent running trips to
Tennessee to see her family. After
Congress adjourns, she remains, see
ing people, answering letters. picking
up all the threads that have been lost
in the sessions shuttle.
Her home life is equally full. She
and her husband, Lieut.. w. A. r.
Robertson, who is in the Army Air
Corps, have home at Boiling Field
and four children. There are three
girls, Audrey, Betsy and Gladys, all
of whom go to junior high school,
and Robbie, jr., 3. This young blade
distinguished himself the other day
in the Speakers office by an acute
observance of rules. Some one gave
him some chewing gum and he started
to drop the paper on the floor. His
mother demonstrated. After he had
chewed the gum till there was no more
flavor he stuffed it in his pocket.
When Mrs. Robertson suggested that
wasn't the place to put it he replied
that he certainly couldn't put the gum
on the floor of Mr. Byrns' Office.
Living at Boiling Field is a perfect
solution for this busy family. In the
Summer the children ride Army horses
and swim and often, on hot moon
light night, Mr.. and Mrs. Robertson
will 60 to the stables, saddle up two
prancers and ride off.