The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1872-12-26

How many elephants did Hannibal have
IL his last great battle !? -a1e, g4
In what year was America discovered
by the Northmeas nrdTJ
"nat was the condition of the poor
people during the dark agese ETC. d 4
In political sconomy: aas I'D -
Ii gold IS at q premium of 10 1-2. how
long Will 1t taketo pay the rational debt
These are not the real questions asked.
but they range in about the same limo Of
those .prepsunded.a sa
II will be seen that a man or how fr..s
from school might be able to answer cor.
recsly' and yet be wholly Incapable Of
performing any practical business.
There are many instances illustrative Of
ne Efficiency of this tsst.
A professor froa enc Of the Eastsr.
states went to Washington to pursue so me
line Of investigation. wishing TO have .c-
cess to the National Library. He f,nnS
time on his hands. and accordingly ors-
sented himself far sxsnination f,r ! cIsrk.
ship. HIS examin alton was A No.1 r.
answered every question at sight. aad oh
a'neo de>k in.one.o of tue departments.
he proved, however, dead failure H;a
knowledge Of the River Nile was no aid
TO b'rn In making up he facts of !. given
case in his branch of the service. At last
he was given the position Of N .ssanoar
WATCH he 10 now filling while pDr.aiso
his studies. Another example,. A desk
10 tue Port flee Department at Wasbino.
Ton was occupied bya mAn for oh,rtv
years and upwards. Hlving lost most of
his hair in the s.rvice, he concluded ia
take Grteeley''s advice and go West. He
had reared ed, his SOP TO an understanding of
1 hi@ particular 'brauchfof business. and che
I"id gent and son were the oaly oaes post
rd. The business was speciality. The
flther resigned. Applicants were EXAM
,ned by tue baard. The success. nj auoli
cant preseate1 himself t. do the business
hut after a few day - trial found b,msalf
wholly unable To cumprehe ad and par
/ form bisrdu1es. The son wo1ld NOT hr
ex mined He dlsclalms kn0yinv asv-
i tning annut geography, history. etc. vet
ne Knew all about that business. Cir.
Icumstapces forced the authorities to cyivA
the son the sp'aceand the troublsd watara
lnf the post office were once more serera
Examples of this sort are Of dailv n. .cnr.
~ ace. Ii Is now pretty generally admit
ted that the method thus dopted for civ
ll->ervIce reform is failure.
T. We undertake to say that the most cens&
potent cashier la this city canaot answer
4 the questions of the examining board
neltter would he be more comDerent ia
/ u" hls baking business f he could. How
many elephants Ciplo had, or where GER
tain rivers aesnpty, would not aid him in
4 his pro essi~nal duties. -
Now, it seems to us, that the civil Ser.
vice Of the coaatry is not in the handsof
incompetent agents The scholarship test
4 is not tue test +, qdired.
The great point in civil service IN l,s
guarded and establi, he'd is. that Gov
ernment employees should be honest and
capable of perfnrmlng the particular bus~
>'ANANA'N~NA w 1RASlu iI1OHGSLV or dis
honesty cannot be established bv
any such examination; vet a per-
SOP Thoroughly dishonest may answer
! all the. questions without missing. lit il
true that the civil service of this country
involving, as ic does, the control and han
; ding Of millions of money, and the most
varied and impor' ant interests, is the most
honest of any IN the world The losses
from dishonesty are surprisingly small
considering thc opportunities, and it yilY
! be observed that where the Government
has sufferedrlossrit has been from e,1ahon-
esty and not from Incompetence. It NAV
be said, with truth, thai many peosle
have been, through partizan teaching, ed.
ucated to the belief that all public Off
Gals are dishonest, so that in some DECREE
it is considered disreputable to hold a
public office. For this reason nany per-
sons have virtually endorsed aud eaco,,r-
aged the reform as at present attempted.
But the sxamination test has failed ia all
countries. and there is settling in the OK
perience of eur civil service to show
that it would not be failure here.-xSk.
s0dukss Sentinel. '.'ss -2'
i ,bstr----- ----.-a .---------9 g7'yH
j When Chicago Was burned, the Rev.
Dewitt Talmags, Of Brooklyn, proclaimed
| that the fire was n visitation of the Al