Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1960-01-28, Page 2In France They Love Him — 'And They Also Detest Him! By ,Rosette llargrove NEA Staff correspondent Paris 4- Hdouard Leclerc is at 30 the most beloved and at the same time mosthated grocer in France. Leclerc initiated a minor revo- lution in this family of small shopkeepers eight years age by eliminating the middle - man in the food business. Recently he opened his first store in the Paris region in an old working class suburb. House- , wives fought to get near the counters. The small .grocers are fighting too — but against hum, Born in a bourgeois family (his father is a niajer in the French Army), he was the sev- enth of nine children. The fam- ily tradition was that the boys were either soldiers or priests. He chose the church. But as an 18 -year-old seminary student, Edouard began reading Karl Marx and immersed him- self in the study of sociology. At 22, he left the seminary and was married after doing his miltary service. He worked on the clocks and saved some money. Then he and his wife, Helene, put into action his plan for lowering the cost of living by opening their first store. The shop was in the din- ing room of their three-room apartment in a run-down house near the railway depot: at Lan- derneau. With $10 to his name, he plat: - .ed his first order directly with a manufaoturer for $600 worth of cookies. T h e manufacturer granted him a month's credit when he learned he was the sen of Major Leclerc. He placed a second and much larger order. He also bought candy, oil and dry groceries. 'The town's house- wives flocked to his store. His secret? He was selling his goods 30 per cent aheaper than his competitors. Leclerc's crusade to lower the cost of living got off to a good start and a year later he opened another shop in Grenoble, said to be the "dearest" town in France. The other •shopkeepers ap- pealed to the town authorities,. saying Leclerc w a s an unfair competitor. He also was accused of defrauding the tax collector. Comptrollers went over h i s books but could find no irregu- larities. The fart was that Edouard Le- clerc was guilty of an unheard- of, and inadmissable, concept of business — that of abandoning part of his profits to his custom- ers. Leclerc, as a matter of feat, is a wholesaler who is also a retailer. He has one golden rule — never to take more than nine per cent profit on any one item. "After three years," Leclerc says, "my annual turnover had reached 70 million francs (about $135,000). Today it is over 300 million francs. And wherever I have started a store prices have gone down all around. If this is war, I am on the winning side," There are 800,000 small shop- keepers in France to whom the name of Leclerc is like the red rag to a bull. Yet when he opened his fust Paris branch he said: ' "I do not aim to head a great chain of stores. I am on the small shopkeepers' side. My ori- ginal s t or e in Landerneau is quite enough for me. What I want, as I always have, is to see the cost of living go down." Leclerc thinks that this would be automatic if 40 grocers in Paris and 1,000 in the rest of France would apply his method. "But for this they must have sufficiently large stores," he added, "covering a minimum of 600 square feet, plus a capital of 15 million francs to pay sash for goods and serve as a re- serve." Leclerc, who now has 10 shops scattered throughout the coun- try, recently gave some hints to little shopkeepers over the sta- tional radio. He told them to group their purchases with those of other grocers around them, Every grocer should special- ize in one produot, The reason why so many small .businesses fold up is that they want to stock too many item$. (This does not apply to village stores;). Don't fall for the slick sales- man talk that you will do more business if you have neon ights and plate glass windows. These cost money and eat up profits. Beware of the "help your- self" system, This is the best way to lose money unless you have sufficient staff to super- vise customers. Laughter Is Good For Health Do you laugh much? The an- swer may depend on your age. The older we grow, the lees we Laugh. Children laugh much mare than adults. I8 yours is a sendenbary job, laughter is one of the finest exercises for y o u. It exercises scores of, different muscles in the body which in turn have a massaging effect upon the body's organs. Watch that laugh of yours if you f i nd yourself rocking in your seat at a humorous show sometime. It may betray your character to an acute observer. Who says so? A serious-minded psychologist who boasts that he rarely laughs himself, although he's been studying the laughter of men, women and children for some years. The best kind of laugh is the hearty "Ha -ha-ha!" he asserts. The person who laughs like that has a frank and open disposi- tion and is not likely to de- ceive you. The "He -'he -he!" laugh is riot so good, according to the ex- pert. It's a sure sign of a moody and gloomy man, he says. What about "Ho-ho-ho-ers?" They are usually strong and generous. The worst kin d of laugh is t h e "Hu -hu -hu," .Says the psychologist, It reveals that the person is selfish, mean and may have criminal tendencies. Some people may find any attempt to assess a person's character by his laughter laugh- able, aughable, but whatever you think, it's a fact that there have been men and women who frankly confessed that they were unable to laugh. An Essex man used to say sad- ly that he had gone through his long life trying to cultivate a hearty laugh. He offered $300 to anyone who could make him laugh. Many tried, No one suc- ceeded. "It's no laughing matter try- ing to learn how to laugh," quipped an American university student who took a course aim- ed at developing his sense of humour. He said he was so grimly determined to benefit from it that he did not laugih. on ce throughout the seven weeks' course and even forgot to smile when he failed in his exam, T h e German general,- von Moltke, who died in 1891, hated to hear people laugh. All his life he found it almost impossible to laugh at anything or anybody. He was reputed to have laugh- ed only twice after his twenty- first birthday. In Ceylon a small outcast tribe exists whose members n e v e r laugh. Ask the reason why and they reply: "What is there to laugh at?" A Briton who spent years ana- lyzing laughter carne to the sur- prising conclusion that it is "directly or indirectly related to the behaviour of the instinct of love." He contended that only men and women in love know how to laugh well and get real physical benefit from laughter. GROCER LECLERC (left) explains how his store operates to of customer at the recent opening of his Paris outlet. <tEE; ME MOTHER TAUGHT ME MANNERS — Dointi ly folding one paw across his chest much as human diners keep one hand on their laps while eating, this little bear shoves his snout into his dinner pail. He's sampling a meal of bread at the Chessington, England, zoo. TABLE TALLKS ekutee Aravewa Thank you for the gifts of prized recipes that you sendin during the year. Your motive in sending them is to share the things you like with other read- , ers, and this surely is true giv- ing, writes Eleanor RicheyJohn- !, sten in the Christian Science Monitor. Sometimes a reader's sharing goes further, as in the case of Mrs. Elizabeth Bowden, Cow- bridge, Glamorgan, Wales, who writes, "My hobby is collecting historical kitchen secrets." She sent in one about George III of England, "The third King George's dis- crimination in cookery was nicer than in politics. I give you here- with his favorite sakes," she writes, then quotes, "'Excellent small cakes which are much esteemed at Court, the. King himself having ,eaten of them (1760 A.D.). "'Take three pounds of very fine flour, one pound and a half of butter, and as much currants and as much sugar, seven 'eggs, and four yolks, and knead it well together into a paste, adding one nutmeg grated and a little rose water; so make them up about the bigness of your hand and bake them upon a plate tin. When baked, scrape on some sugar.' I generally use one- quarter of the quantities men- tioned and only half the eggs given, using self -rising flour," said Mrs, Bowden. * *, ro From Bristol, England, comes a possible holiday recipe with a history copied just as handed "down for generations. Mrs. A. R. 'Richardsen writes: "Dear 'Friends: 1 thought you might be interested in the enclosed recipe which has been handed down through the aunts of my hus- band who lived at Kirklands, Scotland. I have copied it with the footnote, This recipe was al- ways used at Kirklands' — Kirk - lands was the home next to Sir Walter Scott, I also make this cake at Christmas." AUNT .TOANNA BAILLIE'S GINGERBREAD December 25, 1843, Kirklands 1 lb. treacle (black) — molasses) n/z lb. butter ?/x lb. soft sugar (brown) Melt all in pan over fire and let it, cook and add 1 ib. flour" 2 oz. ground ginger 1 oz. caraway seeds 4 eggs, well beaten 1 dessertspoon baking soda 1/2 ib, citron To be baked in a moderately hot oven, "I would like to share with readers of the Monitor a recipe I obtained from my grand- mother. It is an easy -to -make and easier -to -eat, simple but vet, satile cake — good when top- ped with powdered sugar and served with ice cream — superb when filled and topped with sweetened whipped cream and fruit, canned or fresh," writes Mrs; Robert Orr, Palisade, N.J. ROT MILIA SPONGE CAKE 4 eggs 2 cups sugar Salt (pinch) 1 cup boiling milk 2 cups flour 11,6 teaspoons double-ru'ting baking powder 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat eggs and sugar together for 20 minutes by hand or about 10 minutes at moderate speed with electric mixer — mixture must be very light and creamy. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together three times. Add flour mixture alternately with hot milk to the egg -sugar mix- ture; mix well after each addi- tion. Add vanilla and mix well. Pour into well -greased 10 -inch pan (it should be 3 inches deep) or2.9-inch pans. Bake single cake 65-74 minutes, and 2 small- er layers for 35-40 minutes at 350° F. To test for doneness, toothpick stuck in cake must come out clean and cake must spring back when touched light- ly. * 5 5 To go from cake to soup, here is soup with marrow balls that will be good on any cold night this winter. Mrs. Elsie Estell Stanley, Seattle, Wash., writes, "I recall that a reader once asked for a recipe for marrow balls. However, marrow balls not ac- companied with a wonderful, delicous soup would be like a pie with no filling, so I am sending recipes for both. MARROW BALLS 1 well-rounded tablespoon creamed marrow 1 beaten egg Salt Dash of nutmeg Dried, rolled and sifted bread crumbs Mix first '4 ingredients, then add enough bread crumbs to form into a soft ball about the size of 'a nutmeg. Drop into boil- ing soup stock, Balls will at first sink to bottom of kettle, but will rise later. Remove and serve with soup. This amount makes 8 balls. Multiply it, if you wish. SOUP STOCK 2.% pounds shank of beef 6 cloves 8 peppercorns 1 piece mace or sprinkling of nutmeg 1 bunch celery cut in small pieces 1 carrot '/a teaspoon celery seed 1 clove 1 sprig thyme Several sprigs parsley. Place shank of beef in large soup kettle; cover with cold water; several -inches higher than meat; let stand 1 hour, Then add all other ingredients except salt. Simmer 3-4 hours. Add salt i/i hour before soup is done. Strain through a colander; set aside to cool. Place in .regrigerat0r until fat forms on top; remove fat. Reheat and strain again through large sieve. ISSUE 4 — 1960 End .Of Historic Mountain Climb So at last to Camp IV again, out of the cruel white desert of • snow. The tension and suppressed emotion that now filled this camp emanated from it like rip- ples, so that, far down the Cwm, when the tents first appeared ats blobs on a distant ridge, a sharp tang of expectancy suddenly struck us,' It was midday, and most of the climbers were gath- ered there... . And there in his shanty tent was Hunt ... a heroic figure, I thought, like some grizzled Han- nibal in climbing -boots, awaiting the arrival of elephants. This was nearly the end of the adven- ture. Soon, within an hour or two, we would know whether all -his careful pians had succeeded, whether his own wonderful climb to 28,000 feet had been justified, whether the loading tables had been correct, the choice of climb- ers wise, whether the weather he had trusted had turned sour on him, whether the equipment he had chosen had proved sound; cr v'1"..;r, tvl':n ll.•,la y !tad Tenzing r.tuine.d dF•faatnd tram the lost ridge of Everest, he would have to l:egin ail over again, . . • "There `they aro" someone shouted.. "'There! Just behind that big sorrel" See them? you know the one; Charles,, that brute of a thing with the big crevasses just behind it. See them? There they go!. just crossing the gap!" I looked again, and high on the face of the 'm o u t a i n, sure enough, there they were, Five little, figures were' moving slow- ly down the snow; Hillary, Ten- zing, Lowe, Noyce,. and the re- markable Sherpa Pasang Phutar. How were they, walking? Jaunt- ily, like men who have reached a summit? or dragging their feet in the depression of failure? No- body could tell, for they were - just speaks on a mountain wall. "There they are!" I rushed to the doorr of the tent, and there emerging from a little gully, not more than five hundred yards away, were four worn figures in windproof cloth- ing. . . . lothing.... - I could not see the returning climbers very clearly, for the ex- ertion of running had steamed up my goggles, so that I looked ahead through a thick mist, But I watched then approaching dimly, with never a sign of suc- cess or failure, . . Down they tramped mechanically, and up we raced, trembling with expec- tation. Soon I could not see a thing for the steam, 80 I pushed the goggles up from my eyes; and just as I recovered from the sud- den dazzle of the snow I caught sight of George Lowe, leading the party down the hill. He was raising his arm and waving it as he walked! It was thumbs upt Everest was climbed! Hillary brandished his ice -axe in weary triumph; Tenzin g slipped suddenly sideways, re- covered and shot us a brilliant white smile; and they were among us, back from the sum- mit, with men pumping their hands and era br ac ing thein, laughing, smiling, crying, taking photographs, laughing again, cry- ing again, till the noise and the delight of it all rang down the Cwm and set the Sherpas, fol- lowing us up the hill, laughing in anticipation. —From "Corona- tion Everest," by James Morris. You k n o w winter is here when the' spring flower cata- logues begin to arrive. Spring, on the other hand, is announced by the early bird anti -freeze mail for next winter. "FIRST" FOR NIKITA — Portrayed as a youthful -looking miner, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev is shown demolishing a cold - war snowman is a Pravda cartoon titled, "Just Like'a Miner:" It's the first time the Red boss has bean pictured in cartoon form in a U.S.S.R. paper, although he was once depicted in, a Hungarian publication in cartoon style during his U.S. visit. CAN YOU STOP?--- Anynno who's over had to bring a cur to a sudden ;top on snow or ice has a goad idea of how it feels on a ski jump, This sketch shows how fur it takes to halt a car going 20 m.p.h. under various conditions. It shows that even chains and snow tires are relatively in- effective on ice. Moral: Whether you use /egula, tires, chainsor snow tires in the win- ter, drive as ifou're going downhill on skis. Can YOU stop? REGULAR TIRES ON ICE SNOW TIRES ON ICE CHAINS 1 oN 1c5 REGULAR TIRES ON DRY PAVEMENT REGULAR TIRES ON SNOW 1! ...�:oi�;•e¢::;i,: i; :'s:r:ii:i1:;,:::;4= S..e.�o-a:h;g•:•}1S :3;;;i' iliiiiiGiS::::::.:.....N.....