The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-01
The Tip" AS IT'S TAKEN.
Edete Europe and It's Outstretched
Palm.


tended palm is what most interests and
amazss an American abroad. To the tip.
as it is taken here, he can find no parallel at
home. It's an institution which compels
study; and tuition rates are high.
America would have to change a good
deal to conform to European customs in
this particular.
Imagine Denver banker pooketing fee
for waiting upon a customer,
Imagine the sexton in John Halls church
smuggling a stranger into choice pew for
8 pencel
Imagine the stationmaster in big Amer
lean town gratefully accepting cents for
showing a traveller the shortest way into
town!
Imagine New Hampshire farmer allow
ing his children to sing songs Tor pennies to
the passing tourists; imagine his wife join
ing in the discord and hurting shrin curses
after the traveller who remains unmoved by
it., after the Swiss custom!
Imagine an apple seller in Central park
turning beggar when her stock is sold out
Imagine an Adams Express agent keeping
back cents in making change and grum-
bling at being compelled to disgorge!
Imagine an usher III the Chicago audi
forum hanging round" for pennies after
buDhiuk u party W kubAE bedLo.
Imagine a Washington "help" paying 80
cents to the private soldier who strolls out
with her Sunday afternoon, or 81 TO cor
poral, or 81 % to a sergeant, as the London
housemaids are said to do
Imagine the baggage smasher Of a back
country railroad in Indiana emitting to
smash the trunk of the traveller who has
crossed his Dalml
Imagine Vanderbilt-who is the closest
American parallel TO a duke in England
admitting the public to his picture gallery
at a quarter a head and pocketing the
quarters.
Imaging a Pennsylvania railroad conduc-
tor bowling humbly. hat in hand, to the
dude who has given him a dime and rudely
bundllng into her car the poor woman who
has no dime to givel Imagine him reserv~
Ing two unpaid sections in a sleeping car
from Philadelphia to Chicago for bride Of
% cents, as a German conductor did for an
economical friend Of mine!
Imagine the attendants in the Metropoli-
tan museum chasing visitors around with
unasked suggestions in the hope OF feet
Imagine an American omnibus or coach
driver waylaying every passenger for
drink money" at the end of drive?
Imagine the clerk in a left luggage
office asking whatever you please, sir, for
taking care of parcel when the regular
charge Is posted outsidel
Imagine Mr. Wanamaker's postoffice
clerks trying TO cheat the public, or the
ticket sellers in the Grand Central depot
making mistakes in the change to their
own advantage!
Imagine a Kansas City carpenter taking
a present Of the magnificent sum of 215 cents
for giving a better dressed man "ligntm
Imagine bartender in st. Louis saloon
expecting or ? cents for himself every
time he pours out drink for a customer
Imagine Philadelphia city clerk accept
ing Scent fee for giving a stranger per
NIT to view the public buildingsl
Imagine the man at the window" in an
American newspaper Office adding few
cents daily to his income by taking coppers
from people who have questions to ask
Imagine policeman who would take a
cent for directing traveller to the nearest
letter box
If a person is gifted with sufficiently
lively intellect TO imagine all these things
comIu2 TO pass III America, as exceptional
instances but as 1mmon. everyday occur
rences, he can the form some faint concep-
ton of what a Europeanized American
would DE like. And 1t wouldn't suit him SO
well as the pr ant variety. The Ameri-
can sovereign, as Prof. Sumner says, can-
not take tips II he takes them be ceases
to be sovereign and becomes turnkey
Giving tips in Europe is an exact science
eler ought to acquire. Long experience has
made the natives adept. 1t is only the
Americans who go about recklessly flinging
away shilings, francs and marks where only
copper is required. In Queenstown and
Liverpool, where most Of the summer tour
lists l0nd all the hotel walters and porters
are millionaireS. They retire early to their
country e3tates and enjoy their fortunes
before they have time to grow gray-headed
Nothing goes but shillings with the lately
landed. By the time he has reached Swift
erand or Italy. which is as far as he usually
gets, his rapidly shrinking purse teaches him
TO be little more circumspect. In Italy
and Switzerland and on the Rhine the swal-
low-tail-coated jugglers Of soup plates get
wealthy less rapidly.
Every one over here understands this pro-
pensity Of American travellers TO give big
fees upon first landing. Chester is the first
city in England usually visited by the tour
iSt, and the fees for seeing the rather sec
ond~rate cathedral there amount to some
thing like 3 shilllngs. No other English
cathedral costs anything like so much. The
astical doctrine of charging what the traffic
will bear, and get a big diocesan revenue
from the swarins Of visitors.
II don't believe there's a soul in England
who won't take a shilling. from the queen
down" said casual acquaintance t. me in
Liverpool once. II wish | knew how much
| ought TO give these leeches. II have to
fork over shilling every time one of them
does anything for me I'll go home dead
broke i'll week. I've tried giving 'em
nothing, and that don't work either: If
they don't see what they want they ask
for it."
Try pennies" said an experienced tray
eler laconically.
pennies"
Yes, pennies, single or in combination:
one for the chambermaid, two for the
boots, three for the waiter and so on
That's English style"
The perplexed one looked relieved. $50
theses no one in E1gland who will re-
fuse pence If he can't get a shillngl" he
asked.
Precisely" was the answer. "On the
continent, If you go there, even smaller fees
will answer. A Frenchman will give his
waiter 10 centimes-that 2 cents-for serv-
ing dinner in Second-class resta urant, or
or cents in tirst-class enc. Five per
cent. of the total amount Of the bill is a
good rule to remember unless the bill is
under francs, which it won't be. And
give the boots half what you would in
America. 1t will be more than he usually
gets from the natives"
As the French do nearly everything they
undertake little better than any one else,
one would naturally expect that the art of
extracting fees would be a fine art here in
Paris. 1t is. Perhaps a French waiter is
the only person living who can say Thank
you" at four prices. This is the way he
dOae