New-York tribune., 1902-08-01
CEREMONIES AND TIPS.
rSTaBLIsHED CUSTOM AT ALL EU-
poPEAN COURTS-WHAT IT SOME
TIMES COSTS
Pnris. July u.

= mt always consistent with a republican
-roe An incident connected with the in
e.5+,,re Of President Loubet with the Order of
=. -o,den Fleece has ELECTED considerable COM
-..,t from advanced Liberals and Socialists and
-.ou-e that royal ceremonies often involve royal
,s For having sent a state carriage to the
caan;sh Embassy in the Boulevard de Cour-
.aFss TO convey the Spanish Special Ambassador
+o the Elysee Palace and back. distance alto
either of about thousand yards, the clerical
ssnartment of the Elysee Palace. without the
trowiedge Of President Loubet demanded ac-
,orsing 10 established usage, a tip OF S120
srom the Duke of Sesto. the Special Ambassador
cent by the King of Spain to confer the Golden
rrsece upon President Louaet. The Duke Of
s.sto paid the S120. but required a receipt The
matter came 10 the ears of President Loubet.
rho was highly indignant. and was taken up by
me newspapers and thoroughly discussed
sbst tips" in the Presidents household have
been absolutely prohibited. and the 'Rappel,
q iournal founded by Victor Hugo and Auguste
yecorerie recorded the fact with the editorial
reflection that public opinion in France would
he satisfied 10 learn that in the matter OF tips
5he Athenian simplicity of the White House at
washington had been adopted at the residence
Of the Chief Magistrate of the French Republic
rather than the pontifcal customs that prevail
al the Vatican at Rome
The official investigation of the subject Of
state tips" shows that it is i we'll established
custom prevailing at all the European courts
that an ambassador or head of a mission, when
received with fuiIfedged ceremonial and ponlp
bv head OF state should make a present TO
the ooachman and assistants intrusted with the
duty Of going TO fetch him This has hitherto
been considered quite as obligatory as it is for
q guest who mas passed a few days at a country
or town house to give upon his departure sub
stantial tips TO the butler The great tips
which are regarded as Official and which no
diplomatist can avoid. are the 'bonnes mains
20 the coachn1an. footmen. positions and out
riders who conduct the state'carriage which con-
veys the ambassador 20 the palace of the soVer-
eigp OF chief magistrate Of the nation In the
olden dsvs in France it was the sovereign who
assumed this tip" and the amount was charged
IN +he civil list Napoleon III every time that
g state carriage went TO fetch & foreign ambas-
sador and bring him to the Tuileries used to
give tip" TO his piqueur. or stud groom OF
thirty gold 20-franc pieces. or "napoieons.
sc they were then called or louis" they are
now spoken OF in Partisan sporting circles
The custom was continued by Marshal Mac
5lahon, who paid the traditional "bonnes mains
ont of his private funds. and left the Elysees
Palace minus half OF his family fortune, that had
7facNahon was the last French ruler who con-
f,-ro.s IN this custom, much to the disconsola-
inn of the official upper servants, and as the
,,aye had by force Of time become a law or the
-4otocole'' the gilded fiunkies felt justified in
a,plying to the foreign ambassadors for their
Substantial qualification on the ground that
.ss the custom inaugurated by Louis XIV OF
efraving the Tbonnes mains from the royal
runtv had been abrogated by the President OF
ne French Republic, the practice that existed
.revious to the reign Of Louis XIV was ipse facto
evived. and that, consequently, the foreish am,
,assadors should defray the 'bonnes mains.
s was the case at other European capitals
Acting upon this ingeniously contrived man
ss+e the stud srooms Of the Elysees Palace did
,o4 hesitate 20 request the ambassadors con-
carned for their traditional royal tip OF ooo
xrencs or sl20 and this has been invariably
,.i6 without question As the state carriages OF
the Elvsees Palace are required Tor recepuoHS
of ambassadors, ministers plenipotentlary OF
special ENJOYS as often as dozen or twenty
4in,es 2 wear. It viii readily be seen that the
aggregate amount Of these lucrative ups was
cutie a windfaIl for the Presidential stables.
= so bannened that the Spanish special am
b.Sss5or the Duke Of Sesto. who came to Parls
q, behalf of the King Of Spain TO confer the
Golden Fleece upon President Loubet, was the
frst diplonaatist in Paris who ever required
ztsrped receipt for the tradiuonal TIP Inc
T,l,a of sesto's action completely upset the
annie cart Of the Presidential coachmen. TOT 'ne
matter became known to President Louoet, VINO
did not hesitate 20 put an end TO a practice
which he characterized as Incompatible Win
republicanisn
This Is all the more creditable to President
Ioubet because he is a man Of modest private
4ort=,re and his recent visit TO the Emperor OF
-, ,os+ him in s'tips" alone $50, 600 to
$4,000 over and above the sundry expenses
for s,,cb purposes accorded him by the French
Parliament. The French porcelain manufacto-
nv Of sevres furnishes an almost inexhaustible
sunnIv of official presents and the quantity OF
beautiful Sevres vases so utilized is almost in
credible. In Russia. however. President Louoet
showed himself quite as generous as the Gar
.n5 tbe nresents distributed to the army
Of functionaries there were not only products
of the Sevres factory but consisted OF costly
Jewels and there was at least sZo'ooo gwen
away in hard cash IS tips" to the various
cateeortes of Muscovite "Yelowplushes."
Rss Makonnen, the warlike Ahyssinian prince
who was the special coronation envoy of the
King Of Kings. came to Paris on his return from
Landau IN see the review Of the French army
at I,orgchanps on July IA, and brought with
him 2 large assortment Of lion cubs. which ne
gives away as presents. very much as frehch
minister distributes Sevres vases
IN Turkey state tips" are national lhso-
tuition and It is related that NJ Constans' the
French Ambassador at Constantinople, VINO Is
bitter opponent of 'backsheesh" politics, car
ried with him several casks flied with SeVres
porcelain statues Of La Baigneuse some OF
these were with pedestals, and others were WIKI
out pedestals. There is scarcely a turkish MN
lister or functionary in Pera or stamboui who is