The Washington times., 1912-05-31
Real Aim of Walk-out Is to
Abolish Tipping Evil,
He Says.
By JULIA MURDOCH.

VIII "dbTlUBtOH WahC UP oo"c "
these fino sunshiny days to fnd itself
sent supperless to bed like the OFFSPRING
of the Old Woman Who Lived In
| Shoe?
Over in New York last night 1000 walt
ers and cooks quit their employers cold,
just like that! The cooks stopped STIR
| ring sauces, the walters took off their |
white aprons and changed their bob |
tailed jackets for street clothes, without
| even finishing the courses they were
| serving, and went home to wife and
children and talked 1t over. after buying
late editions to see what the papers had
to say about 1t.
And tonight New York will go to bed
supperless, at least that section of New
York which depends upon the fashion
able cafes and hotels for its three meals
a day.
Will Washington also go to bed sup
PEERLESS some OF these days?
l went into cafe for my luncheon
this morning. 1t was really my break
fast. You know what Memorial Day
and trips out of town will do In the
matter of disarranging ones method of
daily living. 1t was almost the noon
hour. waiter who combed his hair
like the German Kaiser took my Or
der.
for Skirts especially when they come
into a restaurant alone, or two by two,
or three by three. for they know 1t is
pretty even shot that skirts will
share with the remainder Of the human
race, that beautiful spirit of optimism
that makes them believe. until they
have found out differently. in the tip
ping potentialities OF everybody, skirt
ed or otherwise.
Obsequiously he pulled out my chair,
and pushed II under me as | sank
lanauidly in my seat With kingiy
air he snapped his fingers at the bus
boy, who jumped at his command and
brought me a glass of water and COM
menced to lay the table, as though he
were laying II for the Queen OF Sheba.
Much Attention.
With alacrity the waiter brought an
other chair upon which to deposit my
sunshade and my pocketbook, and with
spectacular flourish he whisked a
grain of imaginary dust from in front
} of me, and turned on the electric light
beneath the beaded fringed pink shade,
meanwhile his all-seeing eye taking in
: the details of my toilette. and from his
actions knew that had been tagged
as possible this meaning that / was
worth at least a quarter-perhaps more.
He was willing to take chance on
the quarter, anyway.
The human race Is divided, in the ewes
OF the waiter, into two great bodies
the ones who tip, and the ones who do
mo-: not; ana a. according to which of these
amount Of attention you receive from
the waiter. II he can scent out a quar-
ter f,ts or s,,sn,dn half dollar there are severa
laVor you. II he can scent out rs cent:
or dollar (and believe me- their scent
Tor Tor money money is as keen as any hounds
Tor blood) there isn't anything a waite,
wouldn't do for you short OF settins
down on the floor and allowing you tc
, walk up and down his PROSTATE form.
G clean plate and spotless tabieciotf
and glass Of water in which little
queer foreign articles do not swim
= say up North and a finger bowl whef
most needed and fresh napkin, Il
e yours happens to fall upon the floor
~ ana dinner within an hour after II
J mas been ordered, depends entirely upor
IS whether you make noise like a tip Of
% not
e You don't like this polite form of rob
berry?
It Well, believe me. neither do the wait
ers, but they have to do 1t, or starve
That Is what this large distinguished
N looking waiter told me while he placed
~ three Jumps of sugar into my mocha
il this noon. and his statement wa
backed up by another waiter wht
IS somehow oozed into the conversation.
"a Perhaps Washington will not have I
e walters strike like the one in New
York. and perhaps it WILL" said m!
communicative waiter friend, but
believe Washington. as well as ever!
benefited by the New York strike |
the proprietors In New York are com
PEELED to come across with more mone
,e land they will have to. he added in par
TO in the restaurant and hotel condition
all over the country. We do not wan
~ the tips the public gives us, and tina
"a may sound very funny to you, but wha
~ can do?
,e IF the eating public only knew tn
=. conditions under which, the waiter
woudn heGE % MSS6 %%cS kesns Where
doesn't do any good. We are not
;; blame, and instead of calling us pirate
81 and blackhanders and robbers and cu
g throats, they might sympathize wit
US.
rs The New York Walters.
a Now you take those New Yor
walters that are on strike today. TT
ones in the big, fine cafes, l meal
Nv. like the Astor and the Plaza and II
ST. Regis, and Rector's, and some I
e the others. Do you know what wag'
they get in actual money!"
,n l confessed l didn't.
hs Twenty dollars a month. If they a.
its lucky" was his rejoinder, "and the
n customers for the rest. And out
their tips, how much do you suppoi
ny gets into their own pockets?
he "Why there are lots of people WI
i'S say that all the walters in New YoI
re pay taxes on property, and own SIX,
scrapers, and send their sons to co
nd leges and own touring cars. N
much! How much do you think thu
keep out of their tips, after they ha'
,;n seen the bus boy, and the htch'
III man, the carver. the head waiter, al
ial the pantryman?
Being no mathematician, cou
lAl him,
"Out of his tips. the waiter mu
ms split with everybody" he continue
n. "and that doesn't leave very mu
hc for any one Individual now does 1t
uSf I couldn't see how 1t did.
Don't imagine for minute" n
ge, Alsatian continued, that we take II
q because we want them. 1t is as h
me initiating for us to take the mon
as ii would be for you, but We a
compelled to do 1t; everybody's d
md ing It," he smiled, "and we must liN
like anybody else.
10 Seeking Way Out.
oSe "This strike in New York is just
attempt to get away from the tyran
of tips, which works both ways wi
a.