The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-21
TIPS IN THE FATHER1AND.
Curious Features Of the Prevailing
Custom In Regard to Gratitude.

Curious Features Of the Prevailing
Custom In Regard to Gratitude.
From a Berlin letter in the London
Post: The question Of giving gratuit-
les to walters and servants is as much
a vexed one in this country as 1t is on
your side Of the Channel. Even your
man servant or maid expects in Ger
many a Tip" from your guests after
they have dined or lunched with you,
and 1t constantly happens that on en-
gaging q servant you are asked, How
about tips? Can / expect much from
this source, and may keep all get,
or have to share the tips with other
servauts?" have even known mis-
tresses to hold out as an induCement to
servants the fact that they entertain a
good deal. whereby the wages are con-
siderably 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," un-
der which name the donation Is more
familiar to English ears. This feature
Is curious. because the TeutOn Is by
nature 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 at from slS-pence to one shill-i
ing an hour will often be seen to be-
stow a groschen on the shop servant
who has brought parcel to his house,
or 4 half penny to the tramway con-
ductor for handing him his penny tick
AZ Tta Va0afu1 0HHHia10 V1ghO nav the
money orders and bring the money to
your house are entitled to charge a
half penny for doing so. but look very
sour II you do not add another half
penny of your own accord. Small tips"
all round are de rigeur In German
daily life.
1t is always understood that the por-
ter and the boots at n hotel may expect
gratuity from the guests. Now. the
porter does little more for you than
hand you your key and take of his hat
to you as you enter and leave your
hosiery, and in small townn he sum
mons the boots at your departure by
vigorously ringing his bell. and for
those amenities he Is rewarded In a
sort Of geometrical progression. The
boots really does render services; he
blacks your boots and brushes your
clothes, and Is ready to assist you to
pack. and sits on your portmanteau
for you II need be when you want to
lock 1t. Notwithstanding this. It often
happens that he comes off second or
third best in the way of rewards
It has, however, always been suppos-
ed that the largesse assigned to him
was voluntary one. This idea, has
now, according tc the decision OF
court ut Chemnitz. in Sa&ony, been
shown, at the expense of n certain
commercial traveller who recently vis
tied that town, TO have been an illus
ion. The man in question remained at
ChemnItZ for four weeks at a local
hosiery, performing his mercantile du-
ties and on leaving handed to the boots
for the usual services rendered by that
functionary the sum Of four shltllngs as
a gratuity. The boots demanded twelve
shIllInRs. that is to say. at the rate OF
three shilllnEs a week. As the higher
sum was not paid he brought an action
against the traveller. and the court de-
clared that the latter was to pay ten
shlllInRs. The reasons given for the
judgment were that, although the boots
received board and lodging from the
landlord, he was paid nothing in cash;
on the other hand, he had to give re-
Enumeration In money out OF his own
pocket to two assistants who helped
him to do the work Of boot-cleaning
and cloth brushing,