The Washington critic., 1888-04-21
Three Hundred Partners and Over
Three Thousand Employees
THE MARVEL OF PARIS.
A System Of Business NIanagcment
That Approximates Perfection,
TTNlIE woRLD.REN6wNED Bon
Pans. Aprilo, 1888.

the decorations and beautiful coloring
around you. The store is built with
immense well rooms, with three gal
leries extending around them, covl
cred with glass roof. The many
winding stairways, with handsome
railings, are decorated with fancy
lamps, Japanese umbrellas and novel;
ties of all descriptions. Suspended
from the galleries TO the central
chandeliers are gay ribbons in all
shades, and rows of parasols in red,
white and blue, bordered with lace,
hang from side to side. The artificial
howers cannot be equaled. They are
arranged in the most natural man
ncr.
WHOLE FLOWER BEDS
are represented growing in moss, and
some of the limitations are so perfect
that one is temped to stop and inhale
their frag rance. There is section of
the store reserved for these beauti-
ful flowers, and as many artificial
plants are used as decorations in Paris,
there is fine display of begonia and
all the spring blossoms in plant form.
Next to these are ostrich feathers
in richest shades and in such quanti-
ties that the eye is dazzled, while
above are fans, fine in texture and
exquisite in shade. The spring bon
nets attract much notice and well
they should, for they are little mar
vels in their way. Every afternoon
at 3 strangers are taken through the
entire establishment, so we made our
way to the reading-room to join the
party gathered for that purpose.
THE READINe-RooM
is large, with ceiling decorated with
statuary and paintings, with masses
of gilt, much resembling the magnifi-
cent rooms seen at the. Louvre. Gal.
lery. AT the side are paintings, to
suit all tastes, no rich frames, while
elegant ornaments adorn the mantel-
pieces. The doors, resembling arches,
lead to balconies, from which fine
view of the wonderful store is OBJ
tanned. The table, extending the
length of the room, was crowded with
| persons busily reading papers, pub
| lished in all languages, while some
were writing on pads, with a case be-
| fore them of paper and envelopes,
stamped "Bon Marche." At one end
of the room we noticed a memorial to
Madame Boucicaut in ivory, within q
harp and resting upon purple satin.
! At last the time arrived for the.
company to start ON their tour of in
| spection and a man passed middle
| age announced that he was ready to
escortu He was model French.
man,with justfthe airs and graces and
| the facility to strike imposing atti-
| tudes, which marks the nation as q
class. He called our attention to q
large banner of velvet, with rows of
medals in silver and gold, explaining
that there was course in
| MUSIC AND ENGLISH
free to employees, and that these re-
wards were given to the deserving at
at the end of the year. The professor
in English names the best scholars,
and they are sent to England to re-
main six months, in ordert to perfect
themselves in the language, their ex-
penses being paid by the establish
ment. This may account for the num-
ber of clerks who speak English.
The Frenchman told us that Maillard, ),
| the American confectioner, first gave
him the idea of showing the public
| the entire store, by sending card,
asking him to escort some American
ladies through the establishment.
The company we joined numbered
thirty-siX, but were unnoticed passing
through the long galleries, already so
crowded.
We came TO room entirely lined
with mirrors, and small tables, COW
cred with green cloth, were all that
could be seen. In q moment the
| heavy curtains were drawn and dark.
ness prevailed, when much to- our
surprise, the leader pulled cord, and
| numerous gas jets threw brilliant
light from refiectors placed behind
| them., We soon found that here
EVENING sIBKswERE SHOWN,
and the mirrored wallsgave anoppor-
tunity to- the fair sex TO. select the
most becoming tints. We assembled
the steps leading the highest, gall
leries' Here an unsurpassed view of
| the store was obtained, and the
| gorgeous decorations shown forth as
| far as the eye could reach. The one
court below us was as spacious as
many large store. 1t is often used
as a concert hall, and when thus re-
quired three hundred, clerks clear it
Of its furnishings in two hours. At
| the last concert noted singers from
! the Grand Opera offered their services,
| but usually the performers are re-
stricted to employees, and the cards of
| admission are given to their friends.
4 There are 8, 3,300'employes at present
4 s,,N N1<s -. lfalt. H.
fast and dine on the upper floor
| THE KITCHEN AND DINING-RooMs
are most interesting to visit. The
cooks, twelve in number, wore long,
white aprons and caps. The stove
was fully eight yards in length and
proportionately wide, and was covered
| with immense soup and vegetable
cauldrons, for the dinner was we'll
under way, The bill of fare consisted
of soup, meat, one vegetable, salad
and wine. There were four immense
machines, one to cut carrots, another
to prepare potatoes, and third to
mash onions, while the fourth was
used to slice bread for soup. There
our escort stopped, and taking hand
full of the thin slices, dropped them
one by one, saying they much re-
sembled torchon lace. At the sides
the cooks were busy cutting the meat
ready for the grille, which holds 300
chops at a time, and beside it was an
ingenious invention for frying pota-
toes. A sack of them were thrown in
at one end, and by revolving cylin-
; der they are fried and pass out ready
for use, Above our heads was an
" elevated road to transport the enor
4 nous cauldrons from one part of the
kitchen TO another, many of then
weighing 400 pounds, The pantry
WAS large: Won can Judge Of its six