The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-16
INAPARIs Rank.
W hat the French Have to Do to Get
a Check Cashed.

a Check Cashed.
The American Register (Paris) says:
To one accustomed to our quick business
movements in New York, and the espe-
cial rapidity with which banking ope-
rations are performed, it is quite ludi-
crous to enter Paris bank and watch
the performances there. If you present
check for payment, instead of handing
it directly to the teller and getting your
money instantly, or in two or three min
utes at the latest las in New York
bank), you walk up to an official in uni
form, of whom there are dozen walking
about the counting-room, in large banks
like the Credit Lyonnais, outside the
space reserved for the clerks.
He conducts you to one of the places
constructed like cells, in which the book
keepers are serving out sentence OF soll-
tary confinement. You hand your check
to the prisoners assistant, who hands it
to his "boss" The latter consults big
ledger. If there is sufficient "spondulix"
to the credit of the drawer, and the sig
nature has all its is crossed and its t's
dotted, he returns it to the boy who in
turn hands it to you with the request
that you pay two sous for a revenue
stamp. This being gummed on the back,
the deputy-prisoner asks your address,
then endorses it on the back of the draft,
and you write your name across the rev.
enue stamp with date, ETC., and then a
second time underneath your address.
This done, you are presented with
bronze medal the size of saucer
with a numeral upon it. Yon ac-
cept it modestly, believing it to be sort
of Legion d Honneur arrangement, or
reward of merit. You then are requested
to seat yourself on one of the numerous
long settses ranged around the room,
which you do, and wait prayerfully till
your turn arrives.
After meditating in this position for
half-hour on the transitory nature of life,
the slowness of French bank officials and
kindred topics, after reading all the
morning papers through twice, including
the advertisements you begin counting
the panes of glass in the roof, or study
the countenances of your neighbols, all
patient creatures, like yourself, who have
become quite resigned to this mode of
translcting business, and would be much
alarmed if they should enter an Ameri-
can bank and draw their money in five
minutes instead of half an hour.
They would think there was something
the matter with the coin-bogus perhaps,
or something of that sort. After ex-
hausting all their patience and the win
dow panes and floor tiles likewise, an
official in another little den, dressed in
uniform composed chiefly of brass but
tons, and big "plaque," the size of a
dinner plate, on his left breast, said
official yells out, "quatre cent q uatre-
vingt-treizep Of course you don't know
what he means, and sit stupidity wonder
ing, but on a repetition of the cry you
consult your brass door-plate and find
you hold "No. 493" So up you march to
the crier and present your medal, and in
return he hands you out little bowl
which contains your lucre. / timed the
operation. There were just five persons
ahead of me, and it took twenty-five and
a half minutes by the clock for me to
draw my little check of 100fr.