Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1896-05-12

happ pened 10 pc even took them out OF the
street If they came along and asked for job
Yes, they all get 81 day, laughed young
Mr. Rouss, "but some of them ght $50 q
week.
And I understand you pay of every
nightF',
THAT impression comes from the fact that
every day is Pay-day, because n man Is paid
each week on the day when began work with
us. If he began on Wednesday. be Is paid on
wednesnay- If he began on Saturday, he Is
paid on Saturday"
"Is it true that your father insists that all
men working for him shall drinkf'
The young man laughed again. Hardly.
You have looked us over, haven't you? Wen,
do We look like drinking crowd p
One of the other men spoke up, saying, Il
dont't believe forty per cent, o 1.-THE men here
ever touch liquor. I have dealt with this firm
great many years. We are from Japan
sell them great many goods, and went on to
tell me of the great stability and soundness Of
the firm and its credit, and kept watching
the crowd of people buying goods. having
them wrapped up, giving directions for ship
ment, and moro than all. stepping mp to the
cashiers desk to pay cash before delivery, and
1 notice how everything was running in a
Tree and easy way. Bits of paper and torn
envelopes, string and stuff strewing the floor
around the counter, aud no one seeming to
care. 1 kept looking at two walls covered
with pictures, among which were many fra
med resolut ions, one from the Legislature Of
Virginia; one thanking Mr.. Rouss for giving
Winchester, Va, his native place. s9O, 900 for
its water supply. and another from the Veteran
Confederate Soldiers Association, and divers
others from fremen and all manner of organ
/ izations. Mr.. Rouss used to be Confederate
trooper. He gave his frat fortune to the lost
cause, and recently authorized the Lee Memo
rial Association to draw upon him for $50, 900
to help erect statue to the great Confederate
general.
An interesting thing about his Office is an
enormous file case. covering the wall for fully
co feet, and having indexed reeeptacies for
communications and Information from all the
states in the Union aud from all his customers
1t is said to be the largest file case in the world
and to have cost more money. It is n stand
ing monument 10 Mr.. Rouss's idea of order,
and helps Offset the impression of disorder his
store conveys.
I went through the building. Going up to
the twelfth floor, on q crowded elevator, where
four or five employees were taking customers
with them, and were shouting out at the diff
ferent floors for other employees to loom up
and take charge of patrons who were being
passed from department to department. The
tor floor is devoted to hats for children and
other people, for summer and winter, all
kinds of hats, all prices of hats, in boxes and
cases, heaped up to the ceiling, open to in
spection, free for everybody TO look.
Under the hats, that is the next floor be-
meath, are boots and shoes, umbrellas and
cigars, and on other floors are all sorts of
things from rifles to rugs, from wagons to
wighing machines, from skates to sewing ma
chimes. from books to bicycles, from pencils
to pictures.
stopped at the hardware floor, and saw
skates piled iye feet high on the counter, all
manner of things that hardware stores buy
and sell, to widest and widest profusion.
stopped in front of rack full OF guns, took
down various kinds of rifles, opened the
chambers and snapped the triggers; I saw a
case filed with enough Flobert rifles to arm q
regiment
On my way ont asked man how Mr..
Rouss sold goods to country merchants.
Through catalogues" and he showed me
a corner where three girls were wrapping and
addressing catalogues piled up all around,
each in a two cent wrapper.
The personal traits which endear Mr.. Rouss
to his intimates are his quaint and rugged
humor, his patient tolerance with the faults
of others, his utter absence of egotism and
his marvellous fund of practical common
sease
He never lends; he never borrows; he obsti-
n ately declines TO invest in enterprises outside
Of his own Immediate businass
He does not profess BELIZE in any OF the
ordinary accepted creeds Of any of the
churches.
His mode oflife is simplicity itfeif. BE arises
winter and summer at five o'clock. When
it is light at that hour he drives through the
park aud thence to HIS store, never getting there
later than seven in the morning and frequent
ly earlier 1t Is seldom that any Of hls clerks
are at their desks when he arrives. The FIRST
morning mails which have reached the city
the night previous await him, and. after ex-
amining an average of 500 letters, which is
done by nine o'clock, he takes breakfast-
After breakfast couple of hundred more
letters arc opened. he remains at bis desk
until 2 p. m, when he takes an hour for lunch.
He does not leave the store until the last
report OF the days business has been handed
! in, usaIIy about ZOO p. m. Mr, RouEs audiis
the results OF the days business each night.
The heads of the departments hand him the
results of the days sales and purchases, and
before he goes to his home at night be knows
what the profits were on the dayss transac-
tions. The sales rarely go below =, 900
day. Having finished his days work, Nr
Rouss drives to his home on Fifth Ayenue,
opposite the Cathedral, eats his dinner, and
by nine o'clock is In bed taking a solid rest,
free from business cares, until a. m
His methods have reyo.utionized mercantile
circles in this country and in some sections Of
Europe. stationers viii tell you that for one
man who used to print on his biIIheads '.we
sell for net spot cash. ten years ago, there
are now hundreds Of thousands.
As to the dellsr-a-daY story, It probably
came about in this way When man applies
to Mr.. Rouss for situation he says: .sAre
you willing 10 work for dollar daysr His
contention is that If the man Is really anxious
to make his way in the world and is in need
of work he viii take the first situation that
presents Itself. Very likely, II be went 70
work for that sum he would find when he drew
his pay at the end of the week, II he had done
his work well, twice the amount promised
awaiting him.
Mr.. Rouss feels the deepest interest in every
one Of his employees; he con siders them ali
part Of bis business family. and he cares for
Ifbsm oceordiueIv. II one Is Ill his doctor at