El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-11-15

u
fined to the poor devil of a servi-
tor whom they degrade, the sleek
proprietor whom they enrich and the
hapless wayfarer whom they impover-
ish. In this country (where some Of US
are still glad that there is no recog-
nized privileged class Of persons who
can demand favorable discrimination
as of right, the tipping system has
opened up a way for persons OF small
brains and fat purses to purchase
sort of gilt distinction that sels IheH
apart from their felloW-creatureS.
Tips IN Restaurants.
An ordinary American ESSAYS TO en-
ter a restaurant in the hope OF salts
tying his hunger even at me tota4 So
rifice Of his assets. second waiter
mods to him and places him at taole
in the dark where he can, II ne looks
sharp, keep his elbow out OF the noun
tain Of butter on the SERVING taDle -
his side. The head waiter has not seen
MIN, the captain is Obl1Vlous OF MS
existence. Even the bus, that loWiest
of the lOWly, fails to provide MIN W-th
a glass Of water until ~ mas D 81
thrice demanded. Obviously TINS Or
binary American is an undesirable cru
zen. The reason is that he ate oreak-
fast in the same place and tipped tne
waiter only a meas-y dime aItet hSt IHs
paid a dollar and quarter Tor Ilult'
bacon and eggs and coffee he IS a
marked man.
Comes now the extraordinary Anerl-
can. Two slender Jackals IN DI9e InL-
forms relieve him OF his hat and STICK
The head waiter the captain two sec
onds," and three walters BOW low pc
fore him and escort him in trlumphal
procession to a big round table 1uu
in the light and Tar removed from
serving tables and their CHATTER A
whole battalion Of buses go into ac-
ton and produce one OF them a glass
Of water. another a salver Of bread, an
other a foot stool, while the others
hover around in tense expectation InaI
the great man may require an ash Tray
or a rOc's egg They have no preJu-
dices such as burned in the soul OF the
slave to the lamp of Aladdin. and this
great man has but TO utter WISH 70
The Head Walters TIP.
The head waiter brushes aside
scurrying bus and with his own puls-
SAINT hand moves the glass OF wafer
two inches 10 the right OF Where IL
was before and then condescends 70
select from the menu the things ne
viii permit the great man to eat-e1-
pensive things, you may be sure. He
does permit this extraordinary lhdiFIu-
ual to confirm the selections, but ne
makes them And then, when the food
is served, the head waiter comes him
self TO speak sharply TO the waiter
and, perhaps, to look at some dish IN
disgust and send it back to the kiteh-
that this is for Mr. DOuceur
Mr.. DOuCeur is not duke by virtue
Of any successful rObber high UP IN
his family tree, he IS not mllltary
demf god BY virtue of any modern
Caesars Uniform, he is not decorated
with the two swords Of the Samural,
nor does he wear the peacock feather
OF the Son Of Heaven. His distinction
arises not from love Of the old: as
does that of the English earl TO WhOrn
every cap is lifted, every 1ore-top
pulled; it arises not from fear OF the
strong as does that Of the German
army officer who takes the high seat
in the restaurant as matter OF course
1t arises not from honor OF courage
as does that Of the japanese noble Tor
whom the common people fall aside
1t arises not from respect for great
learning as does that OF the Chinese
mandarin for whose walk the streets
are cleared.
Why He Is Distinguished.
Mr.. Dcuceur's distinction arises from
the fact that he tips, he tips freely, he
tips lavishly, he tips absurdly- his
bill at that hotel will be, say. 81 or
SIS a day and his tips will be SO a
day. He is determined TO be above the
common herd; he courts the cape and
stare of the curious, the smile OF the
Turnkey is grateful to his eyes and his
ears tingle with JOY when the elevator
boy calls him by name. He is an
American "aristOcrat'-the flower OF
the tipping system.
So il is with Mr.. DOuceur in one Of
the great hotels OF New Y ork, but his
tribe and clan is scattered all over the
country from Seattle to Miami, from
Bangor to San DIEGO. He doesn't al
ways give SO day in tips, but he
gives enough to buy that particular dis
tinctiOn which gives him the place that
he desires, and that reacts in discOm-
fort and bad service on his felloW-men.
He is the man that can always get
through the gate at the railroad sta
ton to see his friend off on the train
when the common herd is held back; he
IS the man that gets inside the fire
lines where he has no earthly business;
the man technically known to the fire
man as a buffalo; he is the man who
holds up the line by talking sweet
nothings to the blonde cashier in the
cheap eating house; he is the man who
goes by the gate keepe~ at the ball
park with a Hello Charlie; IN short
he IS the man who cherishes the curl
Gus delusiOn that he IS advancing him
self in the world by spending his
money, much or IL lie, to buy a little
cheap distinction at the expense OF his
own cash and his fellows comfort.
If this mans tipping went no further
than MS own bankruptcy there is rea-
son to believe that It would meet with
very little objection from the public at
large, but IL doesn't stop there. Every
one Of the supplemented creatures OF
the Douceur tribe makes It cost the
ordinary American so much more per
day to travel on the trains, to stop at
the hotels, to eat In the restaurants to
ride in the taxicabs or to be shaved at
the BARRIERS.
Standard Is Raised.
If this man. the snob Of tippery who
has raised the standard Of tipping so
that a breakfast tip at the big hotels
in New York is not a quarter, but 80
to 50 cents. Tt is he who has made II
well-nigh impossible for the travelling
business man to live within an ex-
pense account that viii be o. K. with
the boss. It is he who has introduced
privilege, a meanly bought privilege
paid for with mean money. into the
ordinary everyday affairs Of the Ameri-
can business man.
Over in Europe, where everybody
knows the tip IS a nuisance, there Is a
unanimous opinion that this same
American, bent on buying his way into
distinction, has ruined the joys Of trav-
Ell. In part this European condemna-
ton is unjust. The American snob at
home has so raised the standard OF
tipping that even frugal American in Z
Europe will tip too generously and will !
therefore have the same disastrous ef- I
feet upon the tipping system in general |
as the snob causes In the United States. [
Mr.. Douceur is Of all ages and types
He is not quite so offensive. perhaps.
when he appears in the person Of Z
TsaI1 h@~