The Saint Paul globe., 1903-12-22
LANGUAGES THAT DO
NOT CONSIST OF WORDS
How Hotel Servants and Bookmakers
Speak Without Speaking.

HoW Hotel Servants and BookmakerS
Speak Without Speaking.
The majority of walters, porters and
the other male attendants in hotels In all
countries of the world are of Swiss or
German origin, and a very large proper
tion of them belong to guilds or trades
unions, which are supposed to safeguard
their interests.
Generally speaking, these men receive
but apologies for wages, and depend upon
tips mainly for their livelihood.
AS a result of this system, visitors in
variably receive the amount of attention
the attendants consider is justified by the
value of the tips they bestow, and in
order to prevent hotel servants from be-
ing more than necessarily civil to guests
who are notoriousiy bad "tippers,'' and
to convey numerous little hints about
their characteristics, the hotel servants
guilds have inaugurated an ingenious code
language.
This code language is effected by means
of the labels attached to the visitors s
luggage. If the label is stuck squarely on
the bortmanteau, 1t signifies to the serv=
ants at the next hotel at which its owner
stays that he is a very generous fellow,
and that it is everyone's duty to be as
attentive as possible.
Should the label, however, incline to-
ward the left9 it means that the visitor is
a mean, discontented sort of individual.
and the servants contrive that his sojourn
will be as unpleasant as possible while
If 1t should be pasted with an inclination
10 lll6 tffS servants KNOW EnaI Jn6lf
new guest is fastidious and fussy, but
given to handsomely rewarding those
whose services please him, but adamant
itself to those who incur his displeasure!
BY crossing and recrosSing the labels,
extra information is impaired at every
hotel at which he puts up, and by the
time the average Briton returns to Char
ing Cross after two months tour on the
continent, his luggage, thanks to this code
language, is quite record Of his personal
habits and peculiaritieS.
Spanish young ladies hold animated con-
versations with their lovers by means of
fan, which they always carry. Italians
use a flower for similar purposes and a
young g1rl who may be apparently idly
pulling the petals from a rose, is in reality
making arrangements for, perhaps, a Sc
lover!
In Malta, comparatively few people can
read, yet nearly everyone holds a PRAYER
book when at church. The reason for.
existence, and by carefully watching each
others movements, two persons can read
lly and secretly communicate with each
other through the various positions In
which the books are held being recoanize,1
as code words.
Betting men have a language Of their
own. known as the Tick Tack" Amidst
the roar and excitement. of a race course
Tick Tack" men convey information to
the DooKleS IN marvelousIy rapid man
n'5a., slea: Ihere are numerous dialects, so to
a.
culiar to certain booklnakers =
TOUT may suddenly receive inforrna-
tlon that a certain outsider is sure TO
win. he conveys this information to his
employer by perhaps taking off his hat
nve times in succession, then wiping his
race with his handkerchief twice. and then
waving his arm as If trying to attract the
attention of a friend
To his employer this curious conduct
means that the horse whose number IS
nve IN the second race is likely to win.
and to take no bets on It. Another saTicl,
rack man may signal by holding I'D his
hands, While another uses a stick or UNI
brella code --A'
The Russian secret police. when the
Nlhilist conspiracy was at it's height, were
Tor a long time baffled by the code Ian
guages OF the conspirators.
The women In the movement would
warn the male members of the proximity
OF a spy. or the fact that they were rn-
DER secret observation, by using certain
perfumes in their toilet, the reason for
this extraordinary secrecy being that their