Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-17

N|lytYHGt dialogue artiSt.
S8 'where?" queried his friend.
"In Blanks department store; it was
thrown in with cent package of pins"
was the answer.
First-class vaudeville is only one Of an
almost endless variety of entertaining and
amusing things that the up-to-date retail
store employs to supplement it's display
advertisements in holding old and catching
new trade. So fixed and widespread has
this feature of big store keeping become
within the past few years that hundreds
of men and women earn their living
entirely by travelling about from depart
ment store to department store the length
and breadth of the land, directing and
giving their specialities therein.
The manager who makes contracts with
these people to the amount of $1,000 or
$500 weekly is no longer a rare and dar-
ing spirit; and such announcements as
Beginning today, and lasting through the
entire week, the public is cordially invited
to view our special exhibit of paintings
attend our organ recitals, listen to the band
and ride on the merry-go-round," can be
found many times over in the newspapers.
With an eye single to business, the
amusements are almost solely planned to
catch women. Some of the entertainments
appeal to them directly, as demonstrations
of everything cookable and wearable under
the sun. Others appeal to them through
their children, and these according to the
managers are the best sort Hence, the
ever-present solcitude in many a big store
for the comfort and pleasure of small boys
and little girls.
certain store in one of the over-grown
Atlantic seaboard cities is especially noted
for looking out for the children. 1t has
given over the larger part of one of its
immense floors OF several acres to an
enormous playground. Sand heaps ham
mocks swings, foot and hand balls small
ponds for sailing boats, tents, dolls, doll
houses and doll baby carriages are provided
in profusion for any child who NAV he
left by its mother in care of one of the
nurses in attendance. If the mother wishes
It, the nurse will slip play dress over the
Child in order to keep it's own dress clean
and neat while it is in the playground
The place is overrun with romping chill
dren, and there is hardly a child within
a radius of several miles of the store that
has not played I'm this playground.
The children are compelled to behave
themselves. IL a boy shows a tendency
to be quarrelsOme he is separated from the
rest by a nurse and placed in a portion of
the playground reserved for just such
youngsters. If here he still remains dis
agreeable, nurse takes him to the street
places him on street car, pays his fare
and starts him homeward. This is in the
event that the mother has not left directions
where she can be found I'm the store
1t not infrequently happens that during
the summer the Fairgrounds is used day
after day by the same children To observe
the first rule of the playground, a parent
takes the child there in the morning gives
IL III cents for the dainty lunch that the
store furnishes for that sum. and leaves
1T in the care of the nurse until well along
In the afternoon. In this way the child js
assured of a cool place to play during the
hot days at little or no cost. for electric
tans furnish a resort-lixe breeze for tho
little guests.
Almost as popular with the children as
the playground are the Shetland ponies OF
another store. The small animals number
score or more, and any child who applies
may nave a free ride around the sixth OF
a mile tanbark track in an upper floor.
A capacious merry-gO-round, with the
inevitable organ, Is the chiIdren's chief de-
light In still another store where mamma
puys our dresses" When mamma pur-
chases a certain amount of goods each of
her offspring is entitled to a free ride, and
the larger her purchases the more rides for
them.
This store makes a point of having a
multiplicity of entertainments At present
besides the merry -gO-rOund, a band OF
thirty pieces gives morning and afternoon
concerts; organ recitals hold the attention
while the musicians are resting, and when
the organist is not working coon" singers
and cakewalkers, illusion experts and other
vaudeville artists are holding forth on the
stage in the firms theater. which is capable
of easily seating 600 people.
concert hall is fixture I'm many of the
department stores, especially in the mid
die west and the states to the north of II.
Here the lecturer, the special exhibit man
and the panorama are found in all their
glory.