Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-11-11
THE ART OF seTIPPING.o


A petty but endless trouble of the traveller
in Europe for the first time is the matter of
gratuities. You give a tritle to every one
who does you the least service. Even for an
apparently friendly word of information on
the street you are expected to pay in this way.
In England it is ''tip;'' in France, the pour
Joire; in Italy, buono ,nnna,, the good hand :;
trinkgeI, drink money. 1t is not much money
in any instance, but foots up pretty well after
an active days work. The practical trouble,
however, is to know what to give. The inhab-
itants and the servants themselves know exact
ly what they are entitled to, for it is a matter
Of right, just as any other charge, although
the amount is never fixed or published in any
written form for the information of strangers.
They must learn it by experience.
For the gratuity of cab drivers, walters at
restaurants, etc., the recognized European
usage is, in England, one penny for every shil-
ling spent in fare or at the table, and in France
and Italy two sous for every franc spent.
This rule disposes of a large portion of the
cases.
For porters, two pence in England and two
sous OH the Continent, for every piece of lug
gage handled, if it is only to carry it across
the pavement. An umbrella or shawl is a
piece as well as trunk. The driver Of an
omnibus, cab or facre, as point of etiquette
and out Of professional consideration for the
porters, will refuse to touch piece of lug
gage himself, even to lift it from three feet
away into his vehicle.
Visiting at private house of the upper class
es in England, the servants expect their tips
in gold coin if your stay is over day or two.
The smallest English gold coin is a ten shilling
piece-$250. You see the footman, who at
tends your bedroom the maid, if you have
ladies, who serves your chamber the butler,
who has charge of the dining room and force
of walters; the keeper, if you hunt the
groom, if you ride, or the head of the stables,
if there are several, and generally any servant
that you specially use. You will soon learn
by intuition how to grade these fees according
to the rank of the servants and the length of
your visit. ..
On first-class ocean steamers the gratuities
are much analogous to those in a gentleman's
house. The steward who waits on you at the
table and the one who attends your stateroom
will each expect fee in gold-10 shillings,
$3.50, at least-from a single passenger a
pound, if you have baths brought into your
room every morning. are particular about
having your wines warmed or iced, or, in short,
use the servants up to their full capacity.
When the passage is $50 to $75, or less, these
fees are less-about one-half of the figures
above The ''boots" also looks to be remem-
bered, about one-half the amount given the
steward.
The usage degrades, and demoralizes, and
unmans him who takes the veil, or gift, or
tip, or bounty, or whatever you please to call
it ; yet very great portion of the people of
Great Britain and Europe do receive their
wages in this way, look for it, and feel no
humiliation in the transaction. You can
hardly insult anybody across the water by
offering them anything, no matter what ap-
pears to be his or their official position.
have given shilling in London to uniformed
policemen and franc in Paris to magnificent
looking hotel managers.
A Philadelphia acquaintance in London had
several hundred dollars brought to him from
his banking house, one Of the largest there,
by clerk of the establishment, and the natti-
ly dressed young gentleman asked for shil-
ling for his services. Imagine the consequent
ces of offering 10 cents to conductor of the
Pennsylvania railway who had shown you to
your seat in the car and given you informa-
tion as to when to get out, yet this is done
all over England every day, and the uniform
ed and respectable looking guard hangs around
stickily till he gets his sixpence. Philadelphia
Press.
The NORTH PoLE.-Some people have ask
ed "What good can result from finding the
0,, 1o4o d. 30