Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-05

their heads turned under their wings. They
were laid on their breasts on the counter
and a little printed price mark was placed
in the center of the back Of each Of them.
They looked clean enough to kiss, and l do
not wonder they sell. Each cut of meat
was beautifully wrapped or tied up and
each bore it's price mark.
| find American goods for sale in the de-
partment stores of Paris. There are sew
cral such establishments here and some
quite as large as any in the United States.
Indeed, | doubt whether there is a de-
paTtment store in America larger than
either the Bon Marche or the Louvre. The
Bon Marche has FIVE floors and a basement,
each of which covers an acre, so that 1t
has about six acres Of floor space. 1t en-
ploys 1000 clerks and does a business run
ming high into the tens of millions Of dol
lars per year. 1t was founded by the son
of a halter named Bouclcault about fifty
years ago, who began In a small way, but
who gradually built up the business into
one OF the greatest Of Paris.
A peculiar thing about the Bon Marche
is that It is managed on the cooperative
principle. Boucicault married a common
working girl, and after he died his wife
took the business. When she died she made
a will leaving it to her employees and as
sistants, SO that the establishment now
has about 500 stockholders, and every clerk
gets some percentage over the amount paid
him for wages In 1880 the shares In the
company were worth about $4,000. the
same shares are now worth over $50. 900.
and pay annua. dividends of 50, 800.
After going through the lower floors | was
taken to the top and shown the dining
rooms. All the employees are fed free.
they have a breakfast at noon which is
more like a dinner than our breakfast. 1t
consists OF soup, meat, vegetables and des-
sert. One thousand clerks are dined at a
time, the eating beginning at IL o'clock
and continuing until l. There were 1000
men at the tables today when | entered the
dining room and several hundred women in
rooms adjoining. The big dining room
must cover at least half an acre. 1t has
eighty windows and is 600 feet long. !
noticed that each man had a quart bottle
Of wine at his place, and was told that even
the wine 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.
From the dining rooms | was taken into
the kitchens, where at least a score OF
cooks, solutions and butchers were at work,
Most Of the cooking is done in enormous
gas ranges and steam boilers. There are
nine boilers, each as big as a hogshead,
used to make the soups and stews. Three
Of these contain 500 quarts and two others
have each a capacity of more than 100
gallons. When the whole store takes NUT
ton chops for dinner the meat is cooked In
grills which open and shut just like a
waffle iron. II you would take two iron
haired garden gates and hinge them to-
gether so that they could be laid on the
Goals you might have something like one
OF these grills, Each will hold 100 chops
and the arrangements are such that Coz
steaks OF chops can be broiled in twelve
minutes. Seventeen hundred pounds OF po'
tatoes are fried at the same time and 1,4OI
eggs can be boiled at once.
Connected with the Ben Marche are lodg
ing houses for the women employees, wh'
are given house. linen. FIRE and food free o
charge. All employees after ave years serv