The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-11
THE GIVING OF "rIPs."
What Well-known Traveller Thinks
About Them.

ABOUT
II. HdLstead in the Cincinnati Commercial
Gazette.
An ever-present trouble of the traveller in
Europe-and l an sorry to think the
custom is spreading in Americas tipping
the servants One never knows when he is
done paying for what he gets and for what
is supposed to BE- done for him. No voyage
is made across the sea but it terminates in
sorrowful and anxious inquiries, by those
who have not been long initiated, as to Just
how much must be paid to this person and
that person and the other person, and the
Information is never given twice in pre-
cisely the same terms; and the veteran
travellers are embarrassed by the great
expectations associated with the
service, and never quite satisfied
There are certain anticipations that one
who proposes to have the ordinary COM
forts can not afford to neglect. If YOU are
sending a party not initiated in foreign
delights across the ocean, and are not going
yourself, it is a good plan to see the head
steward and give him So. That will bear
fruit. II there is anything good in the ship
your folks will get,it. This does not dis
charge the obligation to the dining room
steward or TO the berth steward, who must
have 10 shiilings or marks or francs each
before you land, and you might as well not
now that there is a delicate adjustment by
which the two offices are never combined in
the same indiYiduAf.
In the case of lad ss,of course. the steward
ess must have quits as much, audit is safe
to give her more She will not ref use it.
The kindness and tenderness of the steward
ess to the sick lady passenger are encnant-
ing, and you may be sure she will be wrath
full if the tokens of human svmpathies she
gives are not realized in cash. Her devo-
ton may be tender, but it means money.
and when the lady in the case is pretty sick
and needs a good deal of atteltion land
when it is needed it is needed very badly),
1t is just as well to give her some silver or
gold piece before you get far to sea. So
many passengers have deferred action until
the last day Of the voyage with the steward
and StewardeSs and the rest of them and
then manifested q conservative spirit in
pecuniary matters, there is a BACKGROUND
of inquisitive Indifference Amounting to
hostile suspicion; aud if there is any stringy
meat, stale vegetables. bad fish, damp fruit
or hash that has been .hashed too much. or
prunes that have made too many trips, if
you don't show indications of a kindly and
liberal disposition during the first three
days you are apt to find the Objectionable
articles presented to you several times daily,
and a series of impossible barriers i erected
against redress. If you have not tipped
the head steward you need not go to him
with your grief. The tipping trouble pur-
sues you alike ana in every hotel. You are
charged for service, and are expected to
fee the servants. If you do not speak the
language of the country the boy who speaks
your language and the other, too,
has you in his grip. The touch
ing time is when you dare to
20 away. You do not miss anybody then.
They are all there. regarding you with a
sad, expectant gaze, and tue scorn with
which they can regard an unusually small
piece of change is one of the
most humiliating of dramatic
exhibitions. The great majority of per
sons submit humbly and contriteiv to this
dispensation, and make their escape with
empty pockets. Let me urge the use of a
bulky lot of small money 1t is needed in
self-defense. | have never seen a more
grievous expression on the divine face of
man than appears when you are obliged to
announce that you happen to be without
change. A sense of helplessness goes with
such a declaration, and the actual bank
ruptcy of your condition is advertised Toe
tipping causes you bank notes to be CO..
verified into gold, your gold into silver and
the silver to dwindle into copper and the
copper to vanish altogether; and, after all,
you never can be quite certain that YOU
have done the generous and righteous thing.
You must go forever haunted with the
reputation of stinginess. l am proud of
my British ancestors, who in their tourney
ings to fro on the continent queeze their
sixpences and hand out pfennlgs, pennies
or confines, as the case may be, with the
most severe discrimination. do not know
what would become Of us when abroad if
it we're not for the austeri1y of the British
gentleman who goes up and down the con-
tinent more sadly than he takes his pleas
ures at home; and vet, when you visit the
palatial houses Of Engla d, those who show
you their treasures not only do not disdain
the acceptance of shilhngs, but bluntly dun
you for them if you don't shell out prompt
ly. at some OF the grand old castles they
require shilling head. Ths awful accu-
sation is made, backed by the English,
French and Germans, of the class that give
TIPS rather than get them. that the Ameri-
can traveller has ruined Europe in this re-
SDect.