Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-14

The complex tip is sum of money
paid the servant Of another because
that other re-
The Complex Tip Is fuses TO pay his
the Worst of All. Service service one me re. re-
Guiries and has already paid for
The fiction that this tip is a voluntary
gift is maintained, but it is hollow
one. The waiter, for instance
knows how to compel the proffer of
tip, knows how to punish too parsi-
monious giver, and there are still
few left who know how 10 reward a lib
eraI Upper. The man who gives the tip
is left his full and free choice as to
whether he will consider the tip re-
ward for excellent service or as
bribe for discriminatory service-just
SO he pays the tip.
Ta.s tip is truly complex. 1t is given
to walter, for instance. He is en-
ployed by the hotel proprietor. but he
gets little or no wages. The tip there
fore relieves the proprietor of paying
his servant. A part Of it goes to the
head waiter. for the head waiter has
the power to hire and fire" and he will
tolerate no waiter who holds out on
the "divvy." Another part of 1t goes
TO the server III the kicHeIl, LOT uH-
less he is seen" he will give the
waiter bad portions of food and the
waiter will get in trouble with his pa
tron. Another part Of 1t goes to the
chef, for the chef will not give the
server well cooked food unless the
server gives the chef a part of the
money the server has got from the
waiter who extorted the tip from the
patron. On account Of which the tip is
complex and the proprietor Is rich.
-t{
found in America In all three Of Its
phases. The simple tip is rare. indeed.
but the tired and worried traveller some
times stumbles upon 1t with Joy and
town, where the tippee is negro with
whi,eneu wool 1t may be observed at
it's best in a small town when an old
fashioned planter gives black boy.
nickel for holding his horse for five min
utes. 1t Is survival of the feudal sys-
TEN. no doubt. and even reflects the in
fiuence of chattel slavery. but neverthe-
less 1t is a grateful thing to see AT
any rate II holds no hint Of the complex
tipping system of industrial slavery.
yelled bribery for discrimination, persists
In hotels
One Variety Known and res
Even in Boarding Houses. Of the
cheaper sort. It has only one redeeming
feature as compared to the tip In It's
highest development. and that Is that the
Upper gets something for his money. 1t
is possible in q place where this system
still obtains to have cream for ones
morning coffee when the less liberal pa
irons have only milk. This variety OF the
tip Is known even in boarding houses.
1t was this kind of tip that the Misses
Pecksniff gladly paid to young Mr. Bailey.
as recorded by Dickens In Martin Chuz-
zlenit' That est,nable youny gentle
man whispered through the keyhole to
the youne .auies: Ism tomorrow. just
come: don't eat none OF him. For this
traitorous warning the young man was
phase had made him false TO ms EN-
ployer that he might be true to his en-
ployer's patrons His honor rooted in
dishonor stood and faith unfaithful kept
him falsely true.
The employer, being human and wise
enough to be an employer, looked on and
saw these things. He observed that kind
ly men tipped the waiter out OF the good
ness Of their hearts and that unkindiy
men tipped the waiter to procure dis
criminatory favors. In either event the
waiter would sacrifice the employer to
gain the tip. Therefore the employer
estimated the amount of the tips and
cut wages by 80 much. This forced the
waiter to get more tips. The other serv-
ants. especially those not coming directly
In contact with the patron, mana ed
schemes to force the waiter to divide.
and To- the complex tip of today
4 traveller. let us say. burdened with
handbag and an overcoat. essays to jour
ney from his hotel in Washington to his
hotel in New York, distance of 225 miles
in length and some five hours in time. We
iniv, hi he nj
hands back a dime to the boy who has
brought his coat and bag from the ele-
vator. He Is whirled away to the Union
station, where he 10 greeted by red-capped
station porters. He adds twenty cents to
the taxicab charge. and hears q muttered