Like many another ill under which we suffer, the smoke nuisance, as is shown by this incident, is an unnecessary one. The installation of smoke-consuming machinery and proper stoking will readily abate the smoke nuisance. We have tolerated this nuisance because we have not realized the seriousness of it. Our enlightened manufacturers will henceforth begin to abate the smoke nuisance in their own establishments as a matter of economy. Others should be compelled to abate the nuisance by effective smoke laws properly enforced. In the past we have looked, if not with pride, at least with toleration upon our smoking factory chimneys as the emblem of prosperity. Now that we know that they are the symbol of incredible National waste, let us do away with them. BEHIND THE SCENES IN A DEPARTMENT STORE BY ANNE EMERSON It should be pointed out that this article, which describes what is done for the health, comfort, and pleasure of employees in one New York department store, represents an exceptionally high state of welfare work. Many excellent things have been done in several of the great stores, but much remains to be done before conditions are satisfactory.-THE EDITORS. U P on a sun-bathed roof, eleven stories above the rushing traffic of the New York City streets, a number of young men and girls are gathered in groups; some lolling idly in the big wicker easy chairs, discussing the good times to which they are looking forward, some standing about in one corner of the promenade where the winter sun is warmest, or perhaps two or three of them are dozing on the wicker lounges. In the far corner of the solarium half a dozen small boys are excitedly watching a checker game, their keen young minds watching for the next move of the game. Through the big glass doors at the far end of the cheery sun parior a number of girls are lingering over their luncheons. It might almost seem to a casual observer that these were the guests of some hotel, surrounded as they are by the growing plants, the big inviting chairs, and warm reds and greens used in decorating. Every detail of the promenade and sun parlor has been per fectly planned, and it is only happy faces that look up to greet the stranger. It is not a hotel, but the roof of one of the largest and best department stores of New York City, and the activities that are carried on are part of the welfare work that is being done among the employees. Downstairs the aisles are crowded with holiday shoppers. Men and women hurry about the store eager to make, their purchases. They are shopping early, but it is still a rush time for the people who work in the department store. It is the time of year when tired faces are to be expected, and that is why, even if they are working hard, the employees of this store are able to be cheerful and rested a thing that is generally supposed to be an impossibility in the department stores all during the month of December. And the reason for this is that in this store the welfare work starts as soon as a man or girl puts in an application to work under its management. Each applicant is given a WILDMAN MAGAZINE AND NEWS SERVICE THE ROOF GARDEN-"IT MIGHT ALMOST SEEM THAT THESE WERE THE GUESTS OF SOME HOTEL careful examination by the house physician, and unless the applicant is in a proper condition to work, he or she is not taken on to the staff. There is no engaging a girl who, because she will have to be on her feet for a great many hours a day, will in a few months' time become so ill that she will be an invalid. Such a girl is told kindly that she is not strong enough, and that employment in this type of work would be unsatisfactory both for her and for the store. When an applicant is found to be physically fit, the firm immediately sets to work to see that he or she stays in that condition. The first step towards health and happiness is a short, kindly lesson in hygiene. There is no inclination to pry into the personal affairs of the girls, but they are given a few hints that will help them not only in their business, but in their home life as well. They are told the value of a smile, how it will help to soothe an angry customer; that their hair must be neatly done, and that their hands and nails must be kept immaculate. In summer the girls are allowed to wear white shirt-waists; but the rest of the year black is prescribed, with touches of white at the throat and wrists. It is during the lunch hour that most of the activities of the welfare work are carried on. There are separate lunch-rooms on the roof for the employees, one for the women and girls, another for the men and boys. The boys and girls employed as messengers about the building are furnished with a plate of soup, bread and butter, and a big glass of milk for five cents. At the entrance of the dining-rooms for the older people are boards on which are printed the day's menu. The meal is served on the cafeteria plan, the diners going to the counter and carrying their food to one of the tables after their order has been filled. The food is of the very best, and the quantity given is enough for any normal appetite. The serving is generous, and the large glass of milk, the very best which is obtainable for four cents, is a sample of the effort made to be sure that no employee goes without a sustaining meal. The following is one day's menu, with the prices charged : Boiled mutton and caper sauce with potato 14c. String beans.... Roast beef and potatoes.. Brown Betty.... Ice cream... 5c. 14c. 5c. 5c. After the meal is over the girls have a choice of several different diversions. They can slip on their coats and go for a walk in the crisp air, or, if they prefer indoor exercise, they are at liberty to romp in the big, well-equipped gymnasium. If a girl is par ticularly tired, one part of the solarium is fitted as a silence room and she can lean back in a comfortable chair and take a nap until it is time to go downstairs and commence work. The part of the solarium not taken for a silence room is used much the same as the parlor of any hotel. The girls gather there and chat about their home life, plan parties, or, if they so prefer, read or embroider. Adjoining the solarium is a room for the exclusive use of the men employees, and also a playground for their use. The playground is the delight of the younger men and boys, for here they may give vent to their good spirits to the fullest extent, and no one will stop their fun. The gymnasium, with adjacent showerbaths, is to the employees perhaps the most attractive part of the welfare work. It is a very large room, lighted from the top, and fully equipped. Even the women and girls take delight in working the many health-giving appliances. There are mechanical horse and camel machines, also vibrating, reclining, and rowing machines. There are dumb-bells, . wands, horizontal bars, basket-ball—in fact, almost every appliance that can be found in any modern gymnasium. The gymnasium is under the supervision of experienced instructors, who work to make the employees of the building physically perfect. A girl can go into the gymnasium and after a few minutes' setting up" drill will feel rested and capable of attending to the wants of the most exacting Christmas shopper. The instructors teach the girls how to relieve their tired muscles, and how to walk and stand so that they rest themselves while at their work. Another attractive part of the gymnasium is the music. There are a piano and a phonograph—and both are enjoyed to the fullest extent. It is remarkable what can be accomplished in an hour. Men or girls, thoroughly tired from the morning's work, come up to the |