Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1880-12-02
SERVANTS, FEES IN EUROPE.
Magnificent Uniform ed Creatures Hang.
ing Round for Sixpence.
philadelphia Press.

lPhiladelphia Press.
A petty but endless trouble of the traveller
in Europe for the first time is the matter OF
gratuities. You give trif1e 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,
in Germany it is trinkgeld," drink money.
1t is not much money in one instance, but
foots up very well after an active davis work.
The practical trouble, however, is to know
what to give The inhabitants and servants
themselves know exactly what they are en-
titled to, for it is matter of right just as
much as any other charge, although the sum
is never fixed OF published in any written
form for the information of strangers. They
must learn it by experience.
We, as a rule, to whom European measures
are strange, give too much. Englishmen OF
rank and wealth complain that Americans
raise the cost of travel wherever they 60.
For the gratuity of cab drivers, walters at
restaurants ETC., the recognized usage in
England is one penny for every shilling
spent in fare or at the table, and in France
and Italy two sous for every franc spent.
This rule disposes of large portion Of the
cases. For porters, two pence in England
and two sous on the Continent for each piece
of luggage handled, if it is only to carry it
across the street. The driver of an omnibus
or cab, as a point of etiquette and out of pro-
fessional consideration for the porters, will
refuse to touch the luggage himself, even to
lift it three feet away from his vehicle.
In visiting at the private houses of the up
per classes 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 fee the
footman, who attends your bedroom; the
maid, if you have ladies, who serves their
chambers; the butler, who has charge of the
dining room and force of walters the keeper,
if you hunt; the groom, if you ride, and gen.
orally any servant that you especially use.
On frst-class ocean steamers the gratuities
are much analogous to those in 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-ten
shillings $3.50 at least from single pas
senger; SIS 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 ca
pacity. When the passage is $50 or $75, or
less, the fees are about half these figures.
The expense of this gratuity business in
ordinary travel is in general exaggerated.
The sums given are very small, and you get
a great deal for them, a willing, perfect and
kindly service, which you do not get in our
own country at all. To the traveller the Gus
tom is an annoyance rather than burden.
The usage degrades and demoralizes those
who take the gift OF tip or bounty, or what
ever you please to call it yet a great portion
of the people of Great Britain and Europe do
receive their wages in this way and feel no
humiliation in the transaction. You can
hardly insult anybody across the water by
offering them money, no matter what appears
to be their official position. A shilling may
be given to uniformed policemen in London,
and a franc to magnificent looking hotel
in Paris. Imagine the consequences
Of offering ten cents to a conductor of the
Pennsylvania railroad who had shown you
to seat in the car and given you informa-
tion as to when to get out; yet this is done
all over England, and the uniformed and re-
spectacle looking guard hangs around to get |
his sixpence