rs in our cities have employed European
waiters upon the theory that the native American has too much
independence and self-respect. The European waiters have multiplied the
tip-giving propensity in America and have established their undemocratic
sovereignty over our public hospitality. Inasmuch as a certain element
of Americans think that the last word in social propriety originates in
Europe, when these European servitors are transplanted, gold lace and
all, to America, they hasten to enlarge their tips to the point which
they assume these servitors consider "proper."

The astonishing feature of the European situation is that the European
patrons of hotels do not themselves tip within a tenth of the largess
bestowed by American tourists. The American tourist is fair game to the
European hotel, which trebles its regular rates the moment he appears. A
native of the country, however, can have identically the same
accommodations for one-third of the American's bill, and his tips are a
bagatelle in comparison.

The situation may be changed by an organization of employees, but reform
will come most speedily whenever the public, which pays the bill,
decides to withhold the tribute.

XVII

THE WAY OUT

Summarizing the case against tipping, the following facts stand out
prominently:

1. Flunkyism is rampant in the American democracy and this
aristocratic influence is undermining republican ideals and
institutions.

2. Flunkyism, in the form of tipping, is kept alive by the
courts on the plea of "personal liberty."

3. Tipping nowadays is of precisely the same morality as paying
tribute to the Barbary Pirates was in Jefferson's day, which the
American conscience finally abolished.

4. On the economic side, tipping is wrong because it is payment
for no service, or double payment for one service; thereby
causing the exchange of wealth without a mutual gain.

5. Tipping is ethically wrong because one person accepts payment
for a service not rendered, or for a service which the employer
already has paid to have performed. And because gratuities
destroy self-respect.

6. The hold which tipping has upon the public is due to
unscrupulous appeals to generosity, pride and fear of violating
conventional social usage.

7. The public is exploited deliberately through books on social
propriety which emphasize the custom, or which advise