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A Day's Work

1857

An interesting document was brought to light during the celebration of the eighteenth anniversary of the Carson, Pirie, Scott & Company in Chicago. 

The rules for employees of their first store read as follows:

Store must be open from six A.M. to nine P.M., the year round.  store must be swept, counters, base shelves and showcases dusted; lamps trimmed, filled and chimneys cleaned; pens made; doors and windows opened; a pail of water, also a bucket of coal brought in before breakfast (if there is time to do so) and attend to customers who call.  Store must not be opened on the Sabbath unless necessary and then only for a few minutes.

The employees who are in the habit of smoking Spanish cigars, being shaved at the barbers, going to dances and other places of amusement, will surely give their employer reason to be suspicious of their integrity and honesty.

Each employee must pay not less than $5.00 per year to the church and must attend Sunday School regularly.  men employees are given one evening a week for courting and two if they go to prayer meeting.

After fourteen hours of work in the store, the leisure time should be spent mostly in reading.

Notes:
Arthur Lee Ortman, Akron, Ohio, Scrapbook Clippings, from a typographical publication, 1937, transcribed by L. K. Ortman.

If you have any additional information about this article, please send it to ortmank@yahoo.com.


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