Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1900-04-13
TIPPING.
It Seems to Be Legal as Well as Gen.
eral In Germany.

eral In Germany.
The question of giving gratulties to
walters and servants Is as much u
veXed one In this country as 1t Is on
your side of the Channel. Even your
man servant or maid expects In Ger
many tip" from your guests after
.hey have dlned or lunched with you.
and II constantly happens that on en-
Caging 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 servants?" | have even known
mistresses to hold out as an induce
ment to servants the fact that they
entertain u good deal, whereby the
wages are considerably supplemented
by gratuities from guests.
one very curious feature about
German everyday life Is the readiness
Of people to give n "trinkgeld" the
equivalent of the French 'pourboire, h"
under which name the donation IL
more familiar to English ears. The
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 q
hard working teacher OF languages to
give lessons at from sixpence to one
shilling an hour will often be seen to
bestow a groschen on the shop serv-
ant who has brought a parcel to his
house or halfpenny on the tramway
conductor for handing him his penny
ticket. The postal officials who pay
the money orders and bring the
money to your house are entitled to
charge halfpenny for doing 80 but
look very sour II you do not add an.
other halfpenny Of your accord. small
tips" all around are de rigueur In
German daily life.
Ii Is always understood that the
porter and the boots at u hotel may
expect gratuity from the guests.
Now. the porter does little more for
you than hand you your key and take
on his hat to you as you enter and
leave your hostelry. and In small
towns he summons the boots at your
departure by vigorously ringing his
bell, and for these amenities he IL re-
warded In sort of geometrlcal pro.
gresston. The boots really doels rem.
der services. He blacks your boots
and brushes your clothes and IL ready
to assist you to pack. and sits on your
portmanteau for you II need be when
you want to look It, Notwithstanding
this 1t often happens that he comes off
second or third best In the way OF re-
wards
II has. however, always been sup
posed that the largesse assigned to
him was u voluntary one. This idea
has now. according to the decision of
n court at Chemnltz, In Saxony. been
shown, at the expense of certain
commercial traveller who recently
visited that town, to have been an
illusion. The man In question re-
malned at Cremnitz for four weeks at
a local hostelry. performing his meT-
camille duties, and on leaving hand
ed to the boots for tho usual service
rendered by that functionary tho sum
OF four shilllngs aa n gratuity. The
boots demanded twelve shlllings. that
IL to say. ut the rate of three shilllngs
week. AS the higher sum was not
paid he brought an action against the
traveller. and the court declared that
the latter was to pay ten shillings.
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 remune
ration In money out Of his own pocket
to two assistants who helped him to
do the work.-London Post.