Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1913-08-28
TIPPING IN GERMANY
Secret Marks Put on Baggage Of
Tourists. 4
Americans Too Lavish With Gratul-
ties Until They Find They Are
Made RldicuIous-convletlon
of Two Hotel Employees.

Made RldicuIous-Convlctlon
Of Two Hotel Employees.
The conviction of two hotel en-
ployes in Berlin, charged with dam
aging trunks, llls led to the revela-
tion Of an international secret signal
system between hotel employees on
the subject of the generosity OF guests
The system is similar to the old sign
language of the American hobo" who
left on the fence of the solicited farm
house hieroglyph concerning his re-
ception.
Half a circle with a line drawn
through it, marked with chalk or lead
pencil on the travellers trunk indi.
Gates in the light of secret intelligence
that the guest has plenty of money
and pays no tips. If in the corner
Of the trunk Is marked a triangle with
a small cross, the hotel employe trans.
lates: The man has money, expects
every sort of service and remunerates
not at all or only with cigars" A
wavy line signifying the snakiness OF
the guests character means He ex'
poets the best of service, promises
large tips, pays his bill at the last
minute and then sends a porter from
the station for his baggage"
The real disgrace is to have the
initials 81. b." on the trunk, for that
Is translated "Im bruch,' meaning, in
good United States, busted! Such
one is visited by the servants as
soon as he Is in his room and he
must pay in advance.
If the guest is gambler a playing
card is sketched on his luggage. II he
wins he pays good tips; If he loses
there is nothing.
Then there is still another form OF
signal, the much coveted hotel label
II 1t Is stuck on with great deal OF
glue 1t means "he doesn't pay tips. y
Such a practice is sometimes supple
mented by using acid in the glue
which eats the leather AS a rule the
more hotel labels there are-if they
are neatly afiixed-the more generous
the guest.
The luggage is not alone marked
There is an inner circle of conspira
tors, the shoe sinners. The watchfu
boots" can read from a mans shoe
the history of his generosity. Ant
II the guest does not watch out the
servant may mix vitriol in the polish
One form of revenge, fortunately
not often practiced, is to smear 8
trunk with one little dab OF Chinese
essense used in the filling OF "stinl
bombs" The trunk is then marked
for long season, and from station
to station, from hotel to hotel, 1t pro
claims the stinginess Of the traveller
These forms Of secret signaling may
have had their origin in the practice
of the police of one country In passing
on suspicious traveller Of marking
q little secret sign on his passport
which was interpreted to say: "W'
have nothing on this man, but we sus
pect him. Keep your eyes open" Tht
hotel mark is an evil that is hard L
combat. The anti-tipster, who exam
ines his baggage carefully and re
moves all chalk and pencil marks ant
who forblds the affixing Of labels, will
soon be suspected for the very fac
that he evidently knows the code an,
becomes thereby a thrice dangerou
man.
European tipping, on the whole, 4
not such an expensive necessity as 4
America In Germany smaller tip
are accepted with thanks almost eN
erywhere The 10 per cent rule is az
cepted by every one and few and ia
between are the walters who woul
refuse IA pfennig 6 9-4 cents, for
80 cent meal. The cabby never e.
poets more than 10 ptonnlg e l.
cents) for a 25 cent fare, with hi
tip increasing proportlonately wit
the amount of the fare. The tal
driver is equally modest. Tipping o
the street car is common, though b
no means universal.
The American in Germany, unaccu
toned to German methods, has wo
a reputation for braggadocio tippinl
which makes 1t expensive to be know
as an American. Thinking in tn
coin of his own realm, he hesitates
leave so insignificant remuneratio
for the waiter as 10 pfennig after
cup of coffee or a glass of beer Blu
instead of winning respect from III
waiter, the larger tip impresses tn
waiter with the fact that the customC
is "greenhorn" and doesn't know an
better. In time, the American become
conscious of this, and, beginning wit
n minimum tip Of 10 pfennig in a re
taurant he sticks to the 10 per ceI
rule and is spared the miserles {
wondering whether the waiter think
him stingy. In the hotel he will pa
from 10 TO Is per cent of his bill
dividing 1t carefully, so as not to 70
get the unseen hands which black h
shoes and carry his luggage.
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