Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-10-30
MEALS FOR CLERKS.
EMPLOYEES OF LARGE PARIS STORES
DINE IN THE BUILDING.

Lie IeiectotieS OF tOe vast depart
zlent stores or 'bazaars'' of Paris are
among the most curious sights Of the
French capital. As soon as the Bon
Marche and the Louyre-dear to the
hearts Of all American women who
make the ''grand tour and prototypes
Of the colossal establishments in New
York and adjacent cities-began to as
sumo great Importance their projectors
were confronted with the question.
How shall we organize the meal
times Of these thousands of men and
women"
In France "lunch, as understood in
America, is unknown. Every person,
gentle and simple, makes Of the early
morning repast simply ''break-fast"
and no more A bowl of coffee and o
large piece Of crisp bread for the work
ingman and woman; the smoking choc-
olate in Sevres cup and the brooches
which melt in the mouth for the mil
lionaire-those are the only distinctions.
For many generations the French have
recognized that it is unhealthy TO take
a hearty meal at 6, or s i'll the morn
ing. So they wait until ii or ~, and
millions wait until O'Clock before :ast-
Ing the first substantial meal of the day.
Dinner, a second meal of two or three
courses, and i'll no wise resembling the
light repast which Americans know as
supper" comes at z, 8 or even 9, ac-
cOrding to the circumstances of the per-
son. Concierges, or house porters, gen.
orally dine at ,, winter and summer,
and sit over their meal an hour or two,
chatting and laughing At that late
hour the whole family is united, and its
little affairs are discussed and settled.
With the organization of the bazaar"
came the need of keeping constant out
look over the hundreds of young men
and women in each department., and
| economizing each moment of their time
between the opening hours and the let
ting down of the great iron shutters be-
| fore the immense windows at 6 p. m.
precisely. 1t was with a view of this
watch over the employees, rather than
because of any philanthropic tenden-
| cies, that the owners and managers Of
| the largest "bazaars'' decided to make
it obligatory for all employees to take
their meals at noon and night upon the
| premises.
The bazaar proprietor said, "We
| must do this, as we do everything else,
| with an eye to the advertisement. And
| SO they decided to install their refecto-
| ries very handsomely and to feed their
employees we'll The idea has paid from
! the start.
At the Bon Marche spacious and very
| handsome halls on the fourth story of
the enormous edifice are devoted to the
restaurant for the employees. Twelve
thousand meals are served daily be-
tween l 1 and o'clock. Men and wom-
| en- eat in separate halls, and are served
with the same politeness and attention
that they would receive in restaurants
or at "lunck counters''-if lunch coun-
tiers had ever been inflicted ON the
French.
At the Louvre about the same mum
Der of meals are served, and the arrange
ments are wonderfully complete The
kitchens, with their seductive array of
copper saucepans, and the pantries. with
the thousands upon thousands of plates
and cups, all marked with the trade
mark Of the house-a majestic lion
couchant, with his paws hanging over
the letter land the little army of
white capped and aproned cooks, wait
ers, bottle washers and potato peelers,
are we'll worth Il visit. Nor will the
visitor get his back chalked. All is con-
Quoted with dignity and refinement. as
i'll the house of gentleman of fortune.
The caldrons in the kitchens are i'm
mense. The visitor may look into one
kettle which contains mashed potatoes
for 5000 men, and into another in
which soup for 5000 persons is simmer
ing. Then the bottle department. is
something stupendous. Twelve thousand
half bottles of good wine, guaranteed
unadulterated, are served out daily. The
battalion of bottle washers is busy from
dawn to dusk, fetching up the rosy
liquid or the yellowish white wine in
huge pitchers Of wood three feet high,
and then bottling it. Both the Louvre
and the Bon Marche have wine cellars
of vast extent for customers as we'll as
employees.
At the Louvre there are three table
services of 200 each for the men. At the
Dph uuIllUeE Cslu De IoCl
at once. Each category of employees has
Its special room. The heads of depart
ments dine together, and never mix
with the head clerks of each counter.
The under clerks eat their boiled beef
and roast chicken without being trou-
bled by the presence Of their chiefs.
Then the humber ones, the packers, the
stablemen, the elevator men, the run.
ners, the sweepers and lighters, have
their long table, and finally, the garcons,
or the men who wear the uniform OF
the house and accompany the delivery
wagons and receive money for purchases,
have their particular room. and are al.
lowed to come and 60 more irregularly
than the others because Of the peculiar
nature of their service. The Ladies'
observe the same classification in thei,
eating rooms, and are allowed to gossip
as freely as they will There are nc
spies; they say what they please on the
theory that they are not under the con
troll of the establishment during thu