Saint Mary's beacon., 1900-08-16
Saint Harg's Beacon.



Paris has been Justly called ga
Paradise for women and dogs, hell
for horses" One Of the chief at
fractions Of the city TO the feminine
heart consists undoubtedly 10 those
delicate productions Of art and in
dnstry, including dresses, milli-
merry, jswelry, art goods and bric-
a-brac, for which Paris is famous.
There are certainly On enormous
number Of stores and shops in the
city. They line the streets in all
quarters in countless Thousands.
There are many more establish
ments in proportion TO the popula-
tion than in American cities, but
with the exception Of . few notable
ones they are very small affairs.
As o customary thing the room Of Q
shop 10 not larger than en- average
sized room Of en- American house.
The stock Of goods carried 10 very
email. While the men Of the fam
lily are engaged in bureau positions
the women. the wife and daughters,
tend the shop. At the noon hour
or at six o'clock the visitor to the
shop will find the whole family at
meal either in O little room adjoin-
ing the shop or in the salesroom it
self.
The excessively retail character
OF the mercantile system. Of Paris
may be partly accounted for a. fol-
lows: There is in vogue system
OF buying in email quantities which
keeps alive the small dealer. In
the United States q family will
think nothing Of putting into its
cellar. in the fall, q couple of bar
rels Of potatoes, one barrel of ap-
Piles and other vegetables in proper
ton. Sugar and other groceries
are purchased in some quantity.
In Paris q family buys for each
days wants couple Of dozen pota-
toes, q small bag Of sugar not larg-
or than Q salt bag etc. This meth
Cd Of buying is made necessary for
ell perishable articles by the fact
that there 10 no cold storage among
merchants or in private houses.
Scarcely any ice is taken by fami-
lies and refrigerator 10 an article
Of furniture Eve times more rare
than q piano. Again there 10 no
cisy in the world perhaps where the
servant class 10 so numerous and 90
highly organized and where the toll
Of this class 10 taken 80 much as q
matter Of course % in Paris. The
labor which continual buying in
small quantities occasions falls chief.
ly upon the servant class and thence
excites no comments and awakeni
no idea Of change. In addition "a
this, as We have seen, the shops are
chiefly tended BY women who make
this tributary earning for the fam.
lily.
In the ordinary districts Of Paris
tho streets contain at the corners
wine shops and restaurants. In
succession between these there are
always the bakeries, cake shops,
creameries, butcher shops. cleaners
and, more rarely, furniture dealers,
stationers, picture trainers etc, etc.
One misses the banks on the prin.
cipal corners as in America. The
barber shop has not q striped pole
but q bright brass dish swinging in
thu wind. Tobacco 10 manufactur.
ed only By the state aud 10 sold on.
lyunder public control. The street
sign is red lamp. Wherever to.
bacco is sold stamps may be bought.
A French merchant usually does
not deal with his customer on the
basis Of 0 fixed scale Of prices az
does an English or an American
merchant. Il 10 ar exceptional
store that has any prices marked in
plain figures. Selling to Partisan
shop-keeper seems to be regarded
80 an exercise in practical psychol.
ogY. Every customer 10 sssized up''
aud treated accordingly. Conces.
sions in price may be gotten
BY skill in management ard by in.
sistaEce and force in bargaining.
They show traits Of character which
hinder them from becoming grea.
traders in the world's commerce.
Oat of the mass of petty shops
in Paris 9 few establishments rise
into prominence by reason either
OF their size or elegance. The most
elegant stores are to be found on