The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-10-05

are now worth over ,scpo. ane pay annual
I dividends OF $50.
After going through the lower floors I was
: taken TO the top and shown the dining
rooms. AL the employees are fed free. They
have 4 breakfast a. noon which Is more like
a dinner than our breakfast. Il consists OF
soup. meat. vegetables and dessert. one
thousand clerks are dined az a time. the
eating beEinnirg at II and continuing until l.
There were LO3o men at the tables to-day
when I entered ,he dininE-rcOm. and sew
eral hundred women In rooTs adjoining.
The big dininF-ro0m must cover at least
half an acre II has eighty windows and is
GO feet long. I noticed that each man had q
quart bottle % wine at his place. and was
told that even the wIue is free, and that
every one has coffee and a glass OF brandy.
rum or other liquor at the close OF the meal
Indeed. l saw the brandy served
COOKING Is DONE
IN LARGE GAS RANGES.
From the dining-rooms I was taken into
the kitchen. where at least a score Of cooks.
sculllons and butchers were at work. Most
OF the cooking l. done In enormous gas
ranges and steam boilers. There are nine
boilers. each as big as a h~OEshead. used to
make the soups and stews- Three OF these
contain NJ quarts and two Others have each
n capacity OF more than 10 gallons. when
the whole store takes mutton chops for
dinner the meat Is cooked IN grills which
Ulhtl anu smut JUST - 4 MAAAAE ALAN- n
you would take two iron-barred garden
gates and hinge them together so that they
could be laid on the Goals you might have
something like one OF these Erilis. Each will
hold a hundrei chops. and the arrangements
are such that GO steaks OF chops can be
brofled IN twenty minutes. Seventeen hun
dred pounds OF potatoes are fried az. the
same time and LOO eggs can be boiled at
once.
Connected with the Bon Marche are iodg-
lighthouses for the women employees. who are
given house. linen. FIRE and food free OF
charge. All employees after i've years sew
ice have an interest in what Is called the
BoucIcault Proyident Firm. consisting OF a
certain amount CT che profits Of the house
proportionate TO the salary received. -Four
per cent Interest Is paid on the accumula-
lions OF this kind. and this IS added TO the
CAPITAL After a woman has been employed
for fifteen years n man Tor twenty. he or
she can withdraw this capital. or the same
right Is given upon reaching 50 years OF
age. II a Girl marries. however. she Is
given the entire amount OF her capital. IL
respective OF the term OF service. Since the
foundation OF the firm. more than $1,000
has been paid out to employees. and the
capItal OF the fund at present Is about
10000
FUND WHICH PROVIDES
PENSIONS FOR OLD CLERKS.
In addition to this there is another fund
which provides pensions Tor such employees
as have worked IN the establishment for
twenty years or have reached the age OF
50. The capital OF this fund Is 100000.
and Il gives life pensions OF from $40 20
800 per year. The wages paid are. I un-
derstand. about the same as those OF other
establishments. but the employees receipts
largely depend on the amount OF their
sales. regular commissions on such sales
being given.
Among the curious American goods for
sale In Bon Marche are ice cream freez-
ers and refrigeFators. a. well IS churns
and washing machines. The English clerk
who acted as my interpreter. told me that
the ice cream ~freezers are very popular.
The French do not know ice cream as we
make Il. Indeed. ! have not had a good
dish OF ice cream since I left the United
States Ices are served at the hotels and
restaurants. but in many cases the amount
given Is not more than a tablespoonful.
and II IL served In a little glass with a
bowl like the hole In the bottom OF a wine
bottle. The amount OF Zee cream given
with the usual glass OF soda water in our
drug stores Is about four times as much
as you receive here In a dish. and the
ususal restaurant portion C. home would
make twenty portions as served In Paris
You can get the chief makes Of Amert-
can hats IN Paris. but they cost fully as
much as hey do in the United States I
was asked = francs or s for a derby to-
day.
This year many Panama hats are being
worn. and I do not see why an importation