The morning news., 1897-08-29
AGAINST TIPPING IN CLUBS.
The Latest Development of an Insid-
IOus Evil.
From the New York Tribune.


letter, in which he says:
The Board of Governors has requested
me 10 advise you that its attention has
been called to the frequent violations Of
the rule against tipping employees of the
club. 1t is the purpose of the board to
stop the abuse and enforce the rule, and,
with that object, notice is hereby given
that the board will discipline members
found infringing the rule, and will imme-
diately discharge the disobedient employe.
This is the natural outgrowth Of a sys-
tenn that has long been a source of dis
comfort to club members, and 1t may
mark the beginning of a crusade against
an abuse which, although comparatively
new in this country, is widespread, and
Is practiced in all walks of society. The
Zip system was, until a few years ago,
a purely European custom, and when
| Mrs Parvenu or Mrs. Suddenrich return
ed from European tours they felt called
upon to tell about the numerous tips they
had to give TO hotel servants, coachmen,
| conductors and to ali persons who served
| Them in public places while they We're
abroad.
American servants of high and low de-
| gree, in the period known as before the
war, knew nothing about tips, and there
are hundreds of citizens of New York to-
| day on whose heads the snow of time has
| not yet fallen, who can remember when
| 4 self-respecting barber would have re-
| scented as an insult an offer to tip him.
| The spirit of Americanism was abroad in
| the land in those days, and men worked
| for their pay and felt themselves as good
as the men who paid them. Tip-taking
would have destroyed that sense of equal
| ity But travel to and from Europe in
| creased, and men and women brought
| from abroad not only finery made in Pa
ris. London and Vienna and English
! phrases and European manners, but the
customs OF the English chophouse, the
| German berstube and the French cafe,
| where walters have always been under
| paid and had to rely upon their pour boes.
| The American who saw a disadvantage to
| himself and a degradation to the recipient
| OF the tips, was forced to follow the exam
| pie in self-prcserVation
After the first step in this direction had
| been taken the custom spread rapidly.
| Walters, portcrs and other hotel ana res
| taurant employees were the pioneers, but
they were followed closely by club SER
wants, who fell into the habit naturally, be-
| cause a number of these were employed
! during the day in downtown restaurants.
| There they received tips from customers
| who preferred to have their soup Fly
| less and thumbless and their luncheOns
| served quickly The downtown customs
became the uptown club rules ,oand in or
| der to be properly served club members
| had to pay extra fees to the walters.
Then came the BARRIERS. Razors pulled
! and We're dull for all who forgot the
| barber, and they are in that condition
| still. The barber's tip depends on the
| location of the shop la which he works.
! The better the place the higher the tip,
| and while man who expects never TO
| 80 there again may escape without pay
| ing the barber an extra coin and the brush
! boy a smaller amount, he runs the risk
! of being guyed as he leaves the shop, and
! if by chance he should go there again for
the purpose of having a tonsorial opera
| tion performed, he would find use for
| styptic cotton and court-plaster before he
! left the place. The BARRIERS tips became
| so large that the wages were reduced in
many shops, and brushboys in some in
| stances now pay for the privilege and give
the boss 'rake-off" on their receipts.
! Commercial travellers have the most pit
| iful stories to tell about the hardships of
! the tip system. The baggage "smasher'
| at the station. the hotel porter and the
bus driver must each receive the reg
| ulation tip unless the drummer wants to
| run the risk Of having his sample trunks
| forgotten put off at the wrong station
| or smashed. In addition TO these he must
| fee the hotel waiter, the same as other
! guests do and. all in all, the tips make
| up a respectable items in his expense ac-
| count.
In some of the great hotels which are
| popular resorts for commercial travellers
| the tips to the porters amount to so much
| that these men grow rich, hire underlings
TO do their work, and, although they wear
| overalls and jumpers, they are more indie
] pendent and have larger incomes than
many of the guests who give the regua-
/ ton % cents to the porter when baggage
| is taken to the station. This state of al
fairs has caused some hotel corporations
/ to institute a new order Of things, by
which the tips go TO the house, and the
porter who receives them gets only por-
/ ter's pay. The tip is still exacted, and is
| as essential for the protection of the
| guest as Il ever was; but It goes into the
| proprietors pocket, who must depend
upon the honesty Of the porter o a great
extent. The men who make the trips
regularly know this. and many of them
! give the porter an extra tip, which is for
| himself.
The usages in hotels and restaurants all
! tend toward the European arrangement,
/ where only a few Of the employees with
whom the guests come In contact receive
any pay. Many pay to be walters and
/ porters, and the Ober-Kellner in some OF
the German hotels pay from $1,000 to So
| 005 a year for their places They usually
| have the appointment of elevator men.
| hailboys, messengers and porters. all OF
whom get what they can from tie guest
| and pay certain percentage TO the head
porter.
| Ii American restaurants there Is no di-
| recf tan levied on walters by superlors,
! but il Is understood by those who are en-
| poycd IN the large metropolitan establish
| ments that the head waiter, and even the
! chef should receive some recognition, and
as neither OF these persons comes in direct
! contact with the patrons OF the restau-
rants tho waiter is looked upon as the dis
| tributing agent for the ill-gotten funds.
| TIE waiter who favors the head waiter
! the most Is favored In return by being
assigned TO serve such persons as arc
the most liberal with tips but these peo-
pie would find reason to crticise what was
set before them II the walter did not make
his peace with the chef IN the shape OF an
occasional division. Thus walters are
force' TO exact tips In order 20 maintain
| their places.
There are instances where tho liberal tip
| has been negative blessing. A waiter In
an uptown restaurant where beeris a spec
| Ia'tv snid recently: We used TO sell only
imported beer. and had many hrst-class
! customers. They were doctors ana law-
! vera ard literary men VINO came early