Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-08-31
aTRP1NG."
One OF the Principal Muisanees
10 be Met in England.

D. C. Locke's London Letter to Toledo Blade. ]
1t commences the moment you leave
the dock at New York. You have
paid a large sum for your passage,
enough to entitle you to every comfort
that money can buy. But there sets
upon you Immediately a horde of
blood-suckers, who never let go till,
gorged, they drop off at Liverpool.
There is a sovereign to the man who
makes your bed; there is the chamber
maid, there is the table steward, the
smoking-room steward, the deck
steward; there are collections for
asylums in Liverpool; there are COL
lections for the man who attends to
the %purser's room, where a select few
are treated to a little refreshment at 5
in the afternoon; there are fees for
showing the machinery of the vessel;
there are tips for the Lord knows what.
Then there is the English hotel.
You cantract for your room for so
much a day-and the sum is always q
round one-and it is explained to you
that you may order your meals from a
bill-of-fare, the price of each dish
being set down opposite its name.
Very good, you say to yourself, l know
now what / am to pay; and you fall to
work. When you are through you
rise and prepare to get out. The waiter
stops YOU with an obsequious smile in
which there is much determination,
and remarks, "The waiter!" You are
made to understand that he expects a
shilling. You give it to him. Get
ting to your room you want a pitcher
of water. A servant brings it, and
waits till you give him a sixpence,
You take a drink+if you do
drink, l know this from seeing other
yictims-you pay for the drink, and
the servant who brings it to you ex-
poets and manages to get threepenoe.
The boy who cleans your boots wants
sixpence, the chambermaid, who
sweeps your room wantsa shilling, the
boy who goes down u see if you
have any letters wants six
pence and and after paying for all
this you get your bill. Understand
that you have already paid exorbitant
prices for each and every bit Of service
you have received but, nevertheless,
there in your bill is an item, attend
ance four days, eight shillings." You
pay it without a mumur externally,
and hope you have done with it. Not
so. As you leave the hotel, there
stands the entire retinue of servants
the boots, the chambermaid, the bar
man, the bell boy-all with their
hands extended, and every one ex-
pecting a parting shower of small coin.
You pay it. There is no other way to
do.
You get into your cab aud drive to
the station. The legal fare is one and
sixpence. The cSbby expects sixpenct
in addition for himself; the porter
who shows you what car to get on
with the uniform of the company OF
his back, expects fourpence for that
the other porter who takes your valist
to the car door must be fed; and SC
on and so on, forever and forever.
| tried conclusions with a hote
clerk in a city in England, but | shall
never do it again. [ went to bed al
night with two candles on the mantel
1t was bright moonlight, and as | had
read my regular chapter in the Revised
Testament in the office, | had no occa.
sion for light. | simply wanted to gel
into bed; therefore [ didn't light the
candle at all.
The next morning | found in my
bill a charge for two candles, two
shillings, | protested.
II used no candles" | said.
But they were there" was the
cool reply. perhaps you used
matches-it is all the same"
But | didn't use matches, and if
did, | had my own
1--WE do everything for the comfort
| of the guests Of the house. There
were candles and matches for you"
He never blushed, but took the
| two shillings as coolly as possible, re.
| ceipted the bill and said, Thank
you" and hoped, if l ,yer visited the
place again, | would call upon them.
1t reminded me Of the man who
built a tavern in Indiana. A traveller
stopped with him one night, and the
next morning asked for his bill.
Twelve hundred and fifty dollars
said the landlord promptly.
"Twelve hundred and fifty dollars
for one day. 1t is outrageous
ut is a little high" said the land
lord, "but I'll tell you how it is.
opened this house exactly one year
ago yesterday. l expected to make
$1,000 the first year, and you are the
first customer | had. / ought to
charge you a little more to cover in
surance, but | like you, and dom
want to be hard on you; 1880 viii
do"
l have Grated much against tn,
American hotel keeper aud his dia.
mond pin and cool insolence, but
shall never do it again. He is a bah,
in arms as compared with his Englisl
brother.
In fact, you cannot 60 anywhere il
London without the everlasting aut
eternal tip, except the British
Museum. Even Westminster Abbey
the most sacred spot in England, ha
its regular system Of tips.
In the restaurants there is a charg
an Az L.ll l.. A.-1 IL