The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03
CEREMONIES AND TIPS.
The Established Custom at All European Courts-What 1t
Sometimes Costs.


listed previous to the reign of Louis
XIV was ipse facto revived, and that
consequently, the foreign ambassadors
should defray the BONES mains as
was the case at other European capt.
tails"
Acting upon this ingeniously con-
trlved mandate, the stud grooms of the
Elysees Palace did not hesitate to re-
quest the ambassadors concerned for
their traditional royal Tip" of 600
francs, or $120 and this has been in
variably paid without question. AS
the state carriages of the Elysees
Palace are required for receptions of
ambassadors, minister plenipotentiary
or specia lenvoys as often as a dozen
or twenty times a year, it will read
lily be seen that the aggregate amount
of these lucrative tips was quite a
windfall for the presidential stables.
1t so happened that the Spanish spe-
cial ambassador, the Duke of Sesto,
who came to Paris in behalf of the
King of Spain to confer the Golden
Fleece upon President Loubet, was the
first diplomatist in Paris who ever re-
quired a stamped receipt for the ira
ditional tip" The Duke of Sesto's ac-
ton completely upset the apple cart
of the presidential coachmen, for the
matter became known to President
Loubet, who did not hesitate to put
an end to a practice which he charac-
terized as incompatible with self-re-
specting republicanism.
This is all the more creditable to
President Loubet because he is a man
of modest private fortune, and his re-
cent visit to the Emperor of Russia
cost him in tips" alone $4,000 to $780,
600 over and above the sundry expenses
for such purposes accorded him by the
French Parliament. The French porce-
lain mandatory of Sevres furnishes
an almost inexhaustible supply of Off
cial presents, and the quantity of
beautiful Sevres vases so utilized is
almost incredible In Russia, however,
President Loubet showed himself quite
as generous as the Gar, and the pres
ents distributed to the army of func-
tionaries there were not only products
of the Sevres factory, but consisted of
costly jewels, and there was at least
$4,000 given away in hard cash as
tips" to the various categorieS of
Muscovite ''Yellowplushes."
Ras Makonnen, the warlike Abyssin-
ian prince who was the special coro-
nation envoy of the King of Kings,
came to Paris on his return from Lon
don to see the review of the French
brought with him a large assortment
of lion cubs, which he gives away as
presents, very much as a French min
lister distributes Sevres vases.
In Turkey state tips are a national
institution, and it is related that NJ
Constans, the French ambassador at
Constantinople, who is bitter
opponent of "bachsheesh" poll
tics, carried with him several
casks filled with Sevres porce-
lain statues of La Gaigneuse."
Some of these were with pedestals, and
others We're without pedestals There is
scarcely a Turkish minister or func-
tionary in Pera or STEAMBOAT who is
not the possessor of a replica of the
bathing girl. Those with pedestals were
reserved for important officials at the
Sultan's palace of Yildiz. One of the
masters of ceremony is reported to
have received a present from NJ. Con-
STAINS of baigneuse, and, after exam
lining it, supposed that there must be
handsome present in cash concealed
in the pedestal. The pedestal was
broken open and found to be empty.
The functionary then imagined that
the statue intended for him must have
been exchanged by mistake cad sent
to some other official of lesser magni-
tude. So, in order to ascertain the
truth, the palace official who happen-
ed to meet the French ambassador at
a diplomatic dinner, remarked, Il wish
to thank you for the beautiful present
you sent me-" The ambassador smiled
affably in acknowledgment, and the Of
f11al continued: 1.-THE PEDESTAL was also
beautiful. 1t was hollow. And, what is
quite rare, l also found that ct was
empty!"