New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-07-16

ALL BUT THE POORER CLASSES HAVE
THEIR SUMMER HOLIDAYS.

Every one knows the old joke about the would
be fashionable family who shut up their home
drew down the blinds and retired TO the warm
uncomfortable darkness Of their basement, only
Icnturng out by the back door after dark-aii
IN give the IMPRESSION that they had gone out
r. town for the summer. 1t IS hard to see how
This venerable conceit can have any humorous
effect nowadays: ii is superannuated. In New
York at least. TO go to the country for part. II
not the whole OF the summer is no fashionable
distinction nor even a sign Of much prosperity
Il is a custom which prevails among all out
the very poorest classes OF workers. NOT 10
have a vacation somewhere out Of town at some
time I'm the summer means. nowadays that the
exceptional person is also an exception 10 the
Ecw-York rule Of hard work
Vacations have always been the rule OF
course Whether in the wholesale houses down
town or in the retail establishments uptown
the clerks statesmen and saeswomen have al
ways been accustomed TO LAY or for one OF
two weeks in the hot weather The exceptions
have been in the small shOps-groceres chiefly.
The sign OF the times the difference between
the older usage and the present. is In the fact
that during this brief holiday time. the thou
sands who used 10 stay in town now go away.
TO the salesman. to whom vacation only
meant 'loafing" with the prospect OF returning
TO work after a definite period, the term now
means much what it means to his wealthy
employer-a stay out of town.
1t is not easy to find anywhere in TINS CITY III
active service a man who has never been out
SIDE the limits of New-York City. One VINO
almost answers this description, veteran por-
ter in an uptown retail fancy goods store, SAID
last week: The only time ever got OUTSIDE OF
New-York was when l went to Jersey
City. OF course l had vacations every year.
How did l spend my vacations? why. just the
same as Everybody else like me- stayed at nome
instead OF coming to business in the morning,
and then went off to some place around, ike
Coney Island. pretty nearly every day. That's
about what we did then and what | do now.
People didn't go out to these summer boarding
houses much as they do now"
This conservative citizen owned to never hav-
ing ridden bicycle admission which In it.
Ccf spoke volumes.
COMPELLED TO TAKE VACATIONS.
A member Of the general management stan
of one Of the most famous department stores
in the world had a very different account TO give
Of his experience. Note. by the way, that this
particular store has big room. like n militia
drill hall. specially set apart for the storage OF
IT'S emt;loves' BICYCLES Said the official just
mentioned. |IncN AL 20 out Ol TOWN. every
year That's what mean by taking vaca-
ton AS for just staying away from business
they have to do that: the house obliges them
to- If they didn't rest some time in the sum-
mer they wouldn't be fit for work in the fall
We don't want dull. tired out people to work for
us; it doesn't pay. OF course. | can't say posi-
lively that every man and woman spends his or
Ner vacation out Of town, but l would almost
make a wager that at least nineteen GU; OF
twenty do Why shouldn't they"
Just SO why shouldn't they" In fact a
large percentage Of the young men in that and
other establishments Of the kind are practically
independent of railroads; they can take their
wheels and ride away into NcwYork State, or
New-Jersey. or even into Pennsylvania. Still
nobody going for a vacation in the country is
independent Of money.
NO" said the official. when asked whether
all the employees in that store have their sal
sries continued during vacation Not all.
chose who have not been In employ for one
gear do not" And he produced an intricate
fabulatcd sheet. OF which no particular descrp-
ton will he attempted here In general this
document showed the datcs-all between June
II and September H. which period is the vaca-
ton scason-when each employe in certain
one OF the sixty or seventy departments was
expected to start on his vacation
Where you see these dates with '9S,'" he
said, the person gets no salary during vaca-
tiOn. Every day in the week is a pay day for
one department or another in this house. II
we tried 10 pay all the departments on one day
should have To close the store while the en-
ploycs were getting their pay In the vacation
season certain number go off from each de-
partment on every pay day. That means that
some 20 away from the store every day in the
week Now. suppose you have been long