The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-10-25
THE TIP NUISANCE.
An Imported Evil which Is Spreading In
New York
rFrom the New York World

New York
from the New York World.l
The tip tax il formidable figure in
daily expenses and annoyances in this
city. That must be paid, though rent
and doctors bills languish. If it isn't
paid promptly, and with an appearance
of cheerful acquiescence, you can't move
on. 1t is an English importation which
has grown to overpowering proper
tons.
When you tip waiter you don't pay
him for what he has done for you. The
man who employs him does that. You
give him a coin as the tribute exacted
by inferiority of its betters. 1t is the
tariff levied upon superior position.
IN some ill-defined way it is supposed
to confer honor on the giyer, and in
an unmistakable way it degrades the
receiver. That feature of tho transac-
ton, however, distur6s not the waiter.
He wants his tip and will have it, re-
gardless of ultimate results. And he
knows exactly how to get it, too. He
contrives to make the guest understand
that he expects it; that it Is n part of
the programme, which, if omitted,
would leave him, the guest, no self
respect at all.
Mr.. Yellowplush does all this with
out swerving hairs breadth from the
strictest outward decorum. He says
nothing on the subject, of course. He
simply makes his face, his manner, his
attitudes and his voice convey his
wishes. There is no installing the sig
nificance of the language he employs.
The strongest man becomes helpless
under this treatment, and yields III
spite of thousand resolutions to dis
courage this whole exasperating bust
ness.
The circle addicted to levying tips is
constantly increasing. Porters, table
walters, messengers, baggage-wheelers,
janitors and all orders of servitors who
are without pride belong to the tip-re-
ceiying fraternity; but the table-waiter
leads off. He is the most skilled tip
getter He can reduce the most obdu-
rate to subsection. Only those who
never expect to return to the dining
room over which he presides escape
him.
Even the female has picked up little
of the art of tip-compellirg. She serves
in bakeries, diaries and less pretentious
places than does the grandiose creature
who poses in swell dining-rooms and is
more reasonable in her demands, but
she is not to be put off. If the nimble
quarter is not forthcoming with reason
able prompitude she grows cold as to
expression and insutferable as to man
ner. You feel as uncomfortable as q
Russian monarch expecting a Nihilist's
dagger. After the placatory coin reaches
her she smiles and grows as genial as q
Florida garden.
If it was only when we eat that this
tax is levied one might refrain from
growing however inconvenient the GUS
tom; but the open palm of the tip
receiver is stretched toward you on all
occasions. You go TO the depot to get
some baggage checked. The strong
armed man in blue blouse, whose duty
it is to hunt it up for you, departs with
such alacrity and returns with such
cheerfulness, bringing the baggage,
that you are lost In admiration of the
beauty of large and well-systematized
force of officials. Here, YOU think, are
employees who actually serve the public
as though it were pleasure. Suddenly
you glance at the accommodating bag
gageman's face, and, although it is COM
posed and polite, you understand the
unspoken mandate. If it takes your
last piece of silver, the tip must be paid.
You feel that, in spite of all law, if you
don't WELD the man will then and there
take a hammer and beat your trunk and
its contents all to pieces
You are overawed in the same way by
the porter who carries your thrce-pound
sachel upstairs. He may set it down
with all Difference to your wishes and
comfort, and appear not to be hurrying
you up about the change, but if you let
the door close upon him without having
crossed his palm with silver you are
lost, as far as comfort is concerned.
The parting glance of his eye tells you
that.
Everywhere in the metropolis the tip
must be paid. 1t is even more obliga-
tory than the grocer's bill. Many con-
scienceless people do succeed in evad-
ing the grocer and outgenerating the
butcher, but no one escapes the tip
LEVERS of New York
One Of the waiter's ways of making it
impossible to avoid paying him his ex-
pected tribute money is to contrive 10
have few small silver pieces under
the bills on the platform which he
carries back to change. The cashier
lends hand in this arrangement. The
silver pieces are placed in n row ont
walters side, inclining toward him like
Il leaning tower The man doesn't live
who dares to pick these poor little
fractions up piece by piece and pocket
them in the presence of the expectant
waiter That functionary bows serv-
lie acknowledgment as he gathers
them to himself, which. literally trans
lated, means, Its we'll you took the
hint, otherwise you would have regret
ted it,"