The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1906-04-05
Che Custom Of Clipping.

the guests came into the habit of tell
ing the waiter to keep the two or three
kreutzer Till the middle of the seven
ties, these very small tips remained /
the only ones ever paid in Europe. ex-
cept the hotel tips mentioned, and !
few others given at unusual occasions. |
In the course of the years the Aus
trian custom of tipping walters ex-
tended first to France, then to Russia,
Germany and the rest of Europe. In
the eighties tips were given already to
messengers, newspaper and letter car
riers, to streetcar conductors and to
innumerable other persons who did
not have the least claim to this partic-
ular kind of generosity. The worst of
all is that the size of the tips constant
ly increased, and is still increasing.
Strange to say, it was the American
"Europe-doers" who must be blamed
for this. When they, with their we'll
filed pocketbooks, arrived in Europe,
they quickly became adept pupils of
the tipping industry; but where Euro
peans had been used to give only one
or two cents (American value), the
American tourists. accustomed to
treating and similar liberality(?) gave
a franc (2Oc) or mark or a shilling
(25c).
When these people went back to
America, they took the newly acquired
habit along with them, practicing it
already on tile ocean liners; where al
most fabulous tips are now in vogue.
So much so, that experienced travellers
generally club together, each paying
five dollars into common fund, which
at the end of the journey is given to
the head steward for distribution
among his subordinates. The persons
who make the most outrageous de-
mands on board ship, the ladies most
ly, give least of all, or nothing, tho the
electric bells of their staterooms are
almost constantly in motion.
On one of his trips on Bremen
liner, the writer happened to come in
Bremen in a compartment with seven
young ladies, members of comic
opera troupe. They were all pretty
girls with good voices,< and long
lbefore the steamer train reached
Bremerhaven. the writer had become
we'll acquainted with them, and con-
graduated himself while anticipating
the pleasant time he would have on
his voyage. Our steamer lifted anchor
at noon, and we had a jolly dinner
hour. That was the end of the antici-
pated joy, for the writer never saw
one of the ladies again until the
steamer had landed at Hoboken; for
like most other ladies, they were sea.
sick the entire trip. But the fuss they
did make on board! Two stewardesses
all the stewards, the doctor and the
hospital assistants were led merry
dance. What those girls did not cal
for, was certainly not worth anything
What they consumed in light drinks
" such as apolllnaris water, ETC., wal
simply immense, and the doctor con
: fided to me that, besides other medi
cine, they had swallowed his entir'
stock of seidlitz powders. When the.
hurried off the boat at Hoboken, the.
forgot to tip anybody. Man.
ladies make excessive demands, bu
actresses, as rule, are very liberal
So people say; for the writer is mucl
too timid and too bashful to know any
: thing about such matters.
y The tipping business Is thriving
II wonderfully in all our large cities an
Is summer resorts. In New York tn
% average tip for person to give for
u fifty-cent meal is ten cents; in first
., class restaurants twenty-five cents
g and in the best places like st. Regl
g. ETC., fifty cents. Tips, of course, al
u not compulsory, and some people al
ss foolhardy enough not to give tips an
n suffer the consequences. IF 20
or give no tip in fashionable restauran
er very well-only don't 60 there agail
20 for you are a marked man. Be GOO
g. and give q tip. and you will be serve
I'd good and with dispatch, and will n