The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-17
TIPPING IN GERMANY.
Curious Readiness of a Thrifty Peo-
pie to Give Small Fees.


The question of giving gratuities to
walters and servants is as much a
vexed one in this country as it is on
your side of the channel Even your
man servant or maid expects in Ger
many Tip" from your guests after
they have dined or lunched with you,
and it constantly happens that on en-
gaging a servant you are asked: How
about tips? Can / expect much from
this source, ana may | keep all / get.
or have / TO share the tips with other
servants?" ! have even known mis-
tresses to hold out as an inducement
to servants the fact that they enter
tain a good deal, whereby the wages
are considerably supplemented by
gratuities from guests.
One very curious feature about Ger
man everyday life is the readiness of
people TO give ''trinkgeld, the equiv
alent of the French .'pourboire" hnder
which name the donation is more ia
miliar TO English ears The feature is
curious because the Teuton is by ma
ture thrifty, and many of them are
more close than thrifty. And yet the
same person who will expect a hard
working teacher of languages to give
lessons a. from siXpence To one shilling
an hour Will often be seen TO bessow a
grcschen on the shop servant who has
brought a parcel TO his house or a
half penny on the tramway conductor
for handing him his penny ticket. The
postal officials who pay the money or
ders and bring the money to your
house are entitled to charge a half
penny for doing So but look. very sour
if you dc not add another half penny
of your own accord. Small tips" all
around are de rigeur in German daily
life.
1t is always understood that the por-
ter and the boots at a hotel may ex-
pect sratuity from the guests. Now.
the porter does little more for you than
hand you your key and take off his hat
to you as you enter and leave your
hosiery. and in small towns. he sum
mons the boots at your departure by
vigorously ringing his -bell,-and- for
these amenities he is rewarded in a
sort OF geometrical progression. The
boots really does render service He
blacks ycur boots and brushes your
clothes and is ready to assist you TO
pack, and sits on your portmanteau
for you if need he when you want to
lock it. Notwithstanding this it often
happens that he comes off second or
third best in the way of rewards.
1t has. however. always been sup
posed that the largesse assigned to him
was voluntary one. The idea has
now. according to the decision Of a
court at Chemnitz. in Staxony. been
shown. at the expense of a certain COM
mercial traveller who recently visited
that town, TO have been an Illusion. The
man in question remained al Chemnitz
for four weeks at d local hosiery, per-
forming his mercantile duties, and on
leaving handed to the boots for the
usual services rendered by that func-
tionary the sum of four shillings as a
gratuity. The boots demanded twelve.
shillings> that is to say. at the rate of
three shiilings n week. As the higher
sum was not paid he brought an ac-
ton against the traveller. and the court
declared that the latter was to pay
ten shiliings. The reasons given for
the Judgment were that, although the
boots received board and lodging from
the landlord, he Mas paid nothing in
cash: en- the other hand. he had to give
remuneration in money out of his own,
pocket to two assistants who helped
him to do the work of boot cleaning
and clthes brushing.