The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-12-14
BY SAMUEL

their SerVan tS-Dut the tipping loI-
ever goes on. Why is it? Who is to
blane2
These questions I asked representa-
tives of the walters, for these have
their representatives, many of them
being organized in benefit societies
and Il small portion in a sort or trade
union. But one nSWer was given.
The system is detestable to every hon
est man or woman OF the serving
class possessing proper degree Of SELF
respect. 1t is d~emoraliZing to all who
either receive or give tips. h real
beneficiaries Of the system are the
employers. An end to it, with a fair
standard Of a g would be a boon
Of the first order to the employees, q
means Of compelling hotel proprietors
to put their business on q basis OF
! fair dealing, and an incalculable aid
to the tranquility and pleasure of the
general public.
Il have often talked over the SyS-
tenn of tipping with my fellow-wait-
ers, AID an educated man of the
calling when I brought up the sub
ject to him. Parenthetically, perhaps,
l should here say that since this man
speaks fluently and writes correctly
fou languages, has travelled much
and observed well on the great routes
OF the world, has studied some of the
serious works of writer's on sociology,
and his Withal acquired most agree
able he may be called edu-
Gated; without doubt, had he a few
thousands of vulgar dollars he might
buy himself a title as Baron and
marry in our best society; but he is
above that; he has a moral craving
for walking in the light of truth. "All
of uS would like to see the system
abolished he answered me, except
a small minority who in their moral
makeup resemble pirates and who
cruise in places where riches abound.
But the whole situation is one in
which reform is most difficult.
Among those of the public who pat
ronize hotels and restaurants there is
a considerable element that, either
for their day of frolic or their life
long holiday are, regardless Of the
value of their tips and through their
vanity enjoy throwing a percentage
Of their ready money away. Then,
also, there are those people who are
grateful for the little kindly atten-
tons which a good waiter or porter
knows how TO bestow. AS for the
proprietors and managers, their busi-
ness is based on etipS as one Of the
considerable forms Of For
instance: in many German hotels the
walters are obliged to give the cashier
five to ten marks additional ON every
hundred marks Of checks. Tn Austria,
where at the larger restaurants the
customer tips three persons after a
meal, the head-waiter who collects
the payment, the waiter who serves,
and the 'piccolo' or beer boy. The
hotel management sells to the head
waiter the privileges Of the latter's
position. In this case the head-Waiter
provides the newspapers and maya
zines on file, the city directories and
time tables and other books Of refer
ence called for by patrons. and a
part of the outfit of the walters. OF
course, it is an old, and true, story
Of the big restaurants Of Paris, and
today of other cities and the watering
places, that the walters pay SO much
cash a day for their jobs. The poster
Ing OF guests to buy drinks comes, not
so much from commissions, as from
orders of the management that the
custom OF drinking at meal Is must be
encouraged. In Germany it is usual
at the larger restaurants to add half
a mark to the cost of q meal il the
guests drink water only. European
hotels generally take on more SER
wants than are necessary. It makes
a showing Of being prepared fr a big
blSiness. Then the servants must re-
double their artful moves to extort
tips. Porters not infrequently work
without any salary at all. Chamber
maids, who are paid by the month, re-
ceive absurdly low pay. Financing q
hotel or restaurant is based on the
tips as a margin yielding on the aver
age a fixed amount To make them
reach the required sum, all the en-
ployes are obliged to maneuver so as
to put up a showing of earning the
travellers extra silver pieces. Coppers
rarely are expected as tips now. It
has become very common for railway
station porters to demand half a franc
for what nee brought them a few
sous or pfennings.
One outcome Of running a hotel on
the tipping system developed to the
point Of b~am-boozlins or worrying
the guests out Of petty extras at every
turn is that every year there is an
emigration Of European walters to
America to get places in hotels taken
hold of by European who,
depending upon their to