The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-07-19
The Tipping Of Walters Nuisance.

ter OF tipping" WAIVERS, ana OF walters
expecting TO be clipped" i . very
marked manifestation of the poison Of
pauperism. A man steps into = restaur.
ant TO purchase and consume meal. He
finds q waiter at his side whose business
It is to wait upon him. It was for this
,ervice that he was hired by the proprie-
tor, and he Is paid for it what his labor Is
worth. At any rate, his service Is rcck-
oi1ed into the BILL Of the Customer, and,
when that bill is paid; the cpst6mefs DID,
ligations are al dieehafged. Neverthe:
less, there stands the expectant waiter;
who hopes to be twice paid for his w6tk,
or, rather, hopes to receive something tor
nothing. The whole army Of walters have
become, in their souls, beggas. Their
little arts of extra aitentivencss are the
arts of beggary and nothing else. Their
practical and 0btrusive pauperism Is .
nuisance to the community, as we'll -
curse to them. Manhood goes out -
fee, unearned, comes in. Manhood stays
nut of one whose expectation is always
hankering for tip We have said that
the waiter is paid for his service by his
employer; but this Is not always 80.
discussed Ii TIE English and Continental
U6UCISs uC 1/OLOOu xtGteV AveW0 AVRNAt 70
that the Swiss innkeepers intend u &Ske
another effort to prevent their sefsa1ts
ftom takiSg grataities (or, rather; black p 81!
mailing the guests.) The innkeepet dis
likes gratuities, because they disorganize
those gifts, which he appreciates more
rying out orders and is testowing on lib
eral guests time which the landlord thi.,ks
should be devoted to the perfection Of the
part of the Swiss movement to abolish
fees Is said to come from the walters them
selves, who resent the unfairness with
which the silver.shower falls-the popular
walters getting the money, and not the
harder.worked ones-and SO they are be-
ginning to resent this paitiality shown to
their more smiling and ObeeQu;ous COM
petitors; and Low they are beginning to
declare that taking "tips'' is contrary to
the digntk de l'homme. Moralizing onthis
"tip'' nuisance, the London Spectator oh.
serves:
1.-THE practice of giving fees cannot be
stopped by innkeepers, who do not see
them given; and it will not be stopped by
the public, who, If Englishmen, anathe.
matise gratuities in books, but give them
none the less, under some irresistible and
meteorological feeling OF compulsion.
Nothing is more curious than the intense
reluctance of English people to do away
with practice which many of them dc.
nouncc and none of theni cordially ap.
prove, which costs them money, involves
inconvenience, and helps to keep up q
difference of classes which one-half at
least of those who give regard with q
strong theoretical dislike. The sensible
man does not deny that an unearned gift
is an aims, that an aims given to one who
can live without it pauperises, and that to
harden all men against the tendency to
pauperism is a moral duty of . definite
kind; but, while asserting fully to the
argument, he puts his hand to his pocket
for the expected shilling. The thrifty
man will acknowledge fully that his waste
on petty gifts makes up large portion of
his silver expenditures, much larger than
the proportion at which we recently 6xed
It, but will give all the same, as readily as
the judicious man who grumbles, some
times audibly-and rather unfairly-that
all gifts are, sooner or later, pour-boirs
gifts of drink. He gives nevertheless.
And even the just man, who knows that
in giving his shillings at railway station
he Is directly deprivihg second and third.
class passengers of their fair proportion
Of attendance, nevertheless, though he
asserts the proposition, gives them jus,
as readily, or at all events just a
freely, IS If he had not asserted it. Here
and there an exceptionally firm man OF
an exceptionally conscientious woman
will hold out, and sacrifice little time
and temper to the welfare of society; but
as rule, everybody who can give, gives
AMI great many who cannot, till w
have seen working women, whose bundle.
had been carried to the edge of the plat
form, apologize for not having the two
pence IL spare which they thought
either right or pOllte-wc never coul(
make out which-to give in return for tn
attention. As to the well-to-do, they Civ
every day, and all day long. If you sta.
at friends house, you give - the ser
wants; if you shoot, you tip the game
keeper; if you are driven you reward tn
coachman; If your horse is baited, yo'
pay the hostler as we'll as the inn: If al
urchin opens cab-d0or, he gets copper
and if q cabman restores the book yo'
have forgotten, you pay him for his hon
esty or his consideration. A properly
disposed English corpse would tip tn
hearse.driver, if it only could. The i'm
pulse is positively irresistible. Over AM
over again the practice of giving fees ii
private houses has been condemned, ant
apparently suppressed, but it has Away
revived; while the railways, which 10
years made the receipts of gratuities q
offense, have at last abandoned the efort
beaten by the lavishness Of customer
who would break into open mutiny If Il,
Usual price of their tickets was increase
by one half as much. ''-Chica0o TTibun'