European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 08, 1948, Darmstadt, Hesse                                5crossing the Palms by Richard Cohen illustrations by Bill tinker Handy hints Olip pinging the practice involves a number of dictate moral i Paris to 4he tip Monsieur the Little Man in the Turtle neck sweater said confidently it is possible to get anything in  allowances for the inherent american feeling that All foreigners spend most of their waking hours working up schemes for Gipping him and with a Bow toward the probity of. Frenchmen there is More than a suspicion of truth in the Little Man s claim. Beyond the usual tips in restaurants and taxis one s Way is smoother Paris by slipping a note into the hand of a Cinema Sherette by offering Little  the concierge when in search of a Friend s room m , by tipping the already tipped waiter in gathering material for a piece on tipping. There Are even those who tip the Man that comes around to read the Gas meter although the benefits reaped from this far fetched generosity Are questionable. " in All fairness however the Art of collecting the tip is not the sole prop erty of frenchmen. In the states is. Specially new York City it has assume the proportions of Racket and often it. Is difficult to determine where the stipends and the Black Market begins. Goth mites have Long since accustomed themselves to tipping at soda fountains but there Are those visiting new eng Landers who pass up a Quick cup of Coffee because the Prospect of tipping at a counter goes against the Grain of sheir regional  boys who operate the Gray Market in steel from shabby Back offices olten refer to their Takeoff As a tip new yorkers receive tips wit marked indifference and a half Dollar slipped into the hand of the hotel door Man for opening a cab door usually draws Only an inaudible muttering. With that kind of take the Guy prob ably owns the hotel and what he Mut lured was a reminder to have his broker order him another 500 shares of consolidated Spiegeleire. As kind of a reaction to the tipping Racket and apparently recognizing that it is a Racket some businesses have tried to eliminate it As a bait to custom ers. One Railroad advertises that tipping i strictly forbidden in its dining  is a no tip restaurant near times Square where investigation shows it i really impossible to tip. But these and the few oilers like them Are Only thin voices crying out against the storm. In Paris where tipping is a Way of life there is no such movement toward its elimination. Too Many people depend on tips for their living too Many for better than a living. The fact of the matter is that the Cost of tipping in. Some places has gone up. It has risen i restaurants from 10 to 12 per cent and 15 per cent is visible in the not too great  is the charge for 4 service that appears on the Check. Most americans running up against the refinements of Continental civilization for the first time find themselves at a loss to Cope with the delicate moral issues involved in Paris tipping. Therein an expatriate school of thought which insists that tip and service Are entirely distinct and that the usual 10 to 20 per cent should be left whether or not serv ice has been included in the Tab. Waiters of course do nothing to Dis courage this Liberal Point of View even though it is patently false. There i some reason to suspect that this theory was established by an undergrounds agent of the waiters Union masquerading As an american millionaire. The 10 Syndicate Desh the liars of which All Paris eating places Are members suggests a modest variable sum in addition to the service under certain conditions. A that depends says  of the Syndicate. It depends on whether Monsieur has been served Well a enjoyed a Well prepared meal an the like. There is no set Rule As fat As we Are concerned. Naturally Woof the Syndicate prefer it when our waiters Are tipped Well for the they Are Happy and have a better spirit for their work this benefits both restaurant and waiter he added quite logically. Sometimes when a gentle Man is with a lady whom he wishes to impress Little extra for the waiter will impress her. But of course if she is of the frugal Type then she will not be favourably impressed.". In most restaurants especially those that have Large staffs All tips Are deposited in a Central fund and rare divided at the end of the Day among All the Hel with a certain percentage going to the waiters the busboys and the Kitchen help at some of the restaurants the service is not included in the Check the proprietors preferring not to Call their clients attention to it so abruptly. Also employees feel that thus of their own volition clients will leave a bigger tip. Generous tips May be Only ruses for impressing the lady Friend at Maxim s fashionable place George a waiter with thirty years experience in his profession says forthrightly Why not tip the waiter Little extra Here in this place the tips Are not so wonder Ful. The Rich do not tip Well not As Well As they should he added to clarify his Point. The americans that come Here Are the Best tippers. They Are mostly tourists and i Snail never forget the one who gave me five thousand francs be cause i got him  of ice water. I cannot understand Why you american do not like wine with your meals. The Swiss Are pretty Good tippers the English Are the worst i suppose that is because England is poor these ?-ah, this place is too expensive for  Maxim s there is. A rigid cast system among the waiters the captains the busboys and the maitre d Hote. The Busboy Are the lowest and Only a select few Rise to the Pinnacle of Headwater ship at a restaurant like Maxim s. The Headwater Here Monsieur whispered one of the busboys makes More Moneyhan Jthn president of  " the three monkeys is a Small work Ingma Wafe off the place de la re pub True and no one Ever remembers seeing an american there. Few americans having ventured into the re pub ique in the first place. The waiters a Burly moustached fellow who also owns the the three monkeys. Extra tip he grunted i have enough trouble getting these types to give up the usual12 per cent but you will excuse As i am a Busy Man and unless i beat that Lazy one i have for a Cook he will do n0tsnette, a i waitress of Uncertain years who handles herself so deftly around a table at the very Chic Rumpel. Mover s that one of her colleagues sigh admiringly like a Ballerina that one has no love lost for women As  of thew she asserts leave Only what is required for decency toward the waitress. No More no less. Some times less. American ladies Are no better than the rest there was one last fall who drove up every Day in a Roll Royce about five for Tea English i be Lieve whose dog was terribly ill behaved and a great nuisance. She would count her change very carefully and calculate the tip to the exact franc she with her furs and dresses by Diora Helhe Way she would said Back an eclair because it was imperfectly made. I Tell you this is a thankless Job. The say that if the communists take Jower then such places As Rumpe Meyers will the Cigar a not Lumen unaccompanied by Fra a parisian cabbies be closed. Then what will i do?."on the left Bank at the cafe de la Flore where Jean Paul Sartre and his cronies formulated existentialism a hts Lippe a tired and Bent old waiter handsome things to say. . Communism inti time boar dime they Are All the same to me. They did trip Well. They drank very Little. They smoked a great Deal and argued in Lou voices. They would stay late until All hours of the morning and we Wouldhave to ask them to leave. No one Here knew what they were talking about but i suppose one should not complain about them. They gave the caf6 a great reputation and now it is filled every evening with americans who Are looking for such atmosphere. The tip Snow Are very Good but there Are no More existentialists Here Only sight seers who sit around and look at each other wondering who is an existentialist and who in t Here the service. Is not included with the Bill and Monsieur May leave whatever he thinks proper. I do not know where you might find an existentialist they say they -. Have become Rich and moved to Passy. R Aris cabbies Are As eloquently Uny communicative As Manhattan cab Drivers Are supposed to be. One old fellow with a heavy White moustache and watery Blue eyes the prototype fall Paris taxi Drivers wheezed one never tips less than Twenty francs or less than 20 per cent. Americans seem to be the most generous although i do not like she ones who try to give Amer ican Cigar ets. One says that in Germany a Cigar ref is a Fine tip. Well Here it is. Not we much prefer the francs Ai though an american cig Aret in addition would not be unwelcome  is an Sherette in the Cinema be Paris on the champs Elysee anther Blond hair is a spectacular tribute to the Triumph of science Over  knows Many americans. Allol them seem to be named Joe or Al and. Unhappily have gone Home to Little Rock Shoshone Lynn and Santa Ana. She misses them All. But they never left a tip when i showed them to their seats ? she pouted. Apparently they did not know that in France Ivis custom Ary to Kive a Small something to the Sherette. Well it is you know. Gener ally one leaves five francs if one is alone or ten if there Are two. If i receive More i make sure that an error has not been made and if i receive nothing i know that it Irist be a for Eigner and. I say  would Embarrass me to ask for a tip. T. A synthesis of professional opinion on the delicate subject of tipping in " Paris boils Down to one rather simple1 fact there Are no rules for tipping. Over tipping is vulgar and  tipping cheap. A Good conscience is Asgood a guide As any. However a Good pocketbook has always helped a Good conscience be better. Weekend. Mat t. 1� �