The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1924-02-21

CENTRE HERALD
rush hours line is formed at the
door of an establishment. No use to
try to get service otherwise and in
France, no one thinks Of attempting
to steal ahead for a space or two. AS
soon as clerk has finished with one
customer she goes to the first person
in the line and waits on her, etc.
Business is out of the way in remark
ably short order and did not one have
to wait for a checker to count over
each article, be ushered to another
part of the store to pay the cashier
who enters the items in a book as
they are read to her and finally dis
cover that your parcels. are being
wrapped somewhere around the cor
ner, the method would be an example
to the hectic American system. The
system is perfect, however, on the
autobus and the tramway. At every
stopping point there is a post where
sheaves of numbers are fastened.
When one anticipates a crowded bus
one takes the top number. When the
bus comes along, if it is crowded, the
conductor will ask for the lowest
number and the happy bearer is per-
mitted to ride. This goes on until the
bus is full-it is never over-crowded
and neither are the tramways. The
other Innocent and I rather lost out
until we learned to count. Let me tell
you that French numbers sound moth
ing like our own.
~
Speaking of efficiency Paris has
clock on every corner so that persons
never need be late for business.
Every church has its clock and chimes
out the hours day and night. Every
public building sends forth a mellow
signal. Surely Paris should be the
most punctual town on earth. How
ever, 1 have still to find two clocks
telling the same time and I honestly
believe that if one could hear them
all, clocks would be striking and
bells would be Ginning every second
of the day. For that reason Paris is
serene and never in hurry for is
not any time the right time? This
is one place at least where people do
not say, cit is twelve and half minu
ties past two and that's correct-my
watch never varies second" No one
cares what time it is.
d
"Pat! Pat! For the luv NV hiven
wake up! They're moving help is the
story of which l am often reminded
when / see a fire department in ac-
ton in America. Everything gives way
to the fire wagons there, but not so
here! On the contrary, the fire wagon
gives way to everything else, do be-
lieve. On the few occasions that we
have seen the little trucks, almost hid
den by firemen in resplendent uni
forms and helmets, there has been no
special hurry about getting to the
scene of the fire. The department
comes footing down the street but no
takes make as much noise. Everyone
goes about his business, the street
cars take the right-of-way, the taxis
make no effort to- turn into a side
street and if necessary, the wagon
comes to halt and waits until traffic
clears. After awhile is ambles COM
fortably on again and eventually, ]
suppose, arrives. Evidently there are
few fires in Paris and they are easily
extinguished. l doubt if the depart
ment has much effect since a house
could burn to the ground before it
arrived.
This in contrast, to the police sys-
tenn of finding out your dark past.
Every foreigner who remains in
Paris more than sixty days is require
ed to take out card of identity. This
involves sufficient red tape to hang
a person if one is not careful. Your
concierge, the commissioner of police
from your district and finally an
army of officials at the prefecture of
police take you in hand and what
one doesn't find out the other does.
They count your teeth to be sure you
are not inventing your age, they look
behind your ears to see if you have
scrubbed them, they ply you with a
thousand questions: what is your
mothers first name? what is your
business? ("What! That''-and you
see prison bars ahead) what on earth
do you mean by coming to France?
Do you think you are going to be able
to behave yourself, etc, etc? Then
they take five photographs away
from you and thirteen francs, seventy
five centimes(I don't know what the
seventy five is for) get half dozen
specimens of your handwriting, hand
you paper and tell you to come back
on the thirteenth of February, when,
if all is well, you will receive your
card. Believe me, I am not going
back.
Seriously tho, this is sample of
efficiency of which 1 approve. It not
only enables the police to keep an
accurate check on everyone living in
the city but strangers are no longer
strangers but friends protected by
the law.
With Love,
Helen.