The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-04-02
Athecllng Arglster.
Our civil Service Reform.

In Sir Arthur Helps very interesting
volume entitled Thoughts Upon Gov
erument," we fad the following upon
competitive examinations, which, We
believe, has not attracted the attention
OF r.viewers, and which may be read
With great profit by the advocates Of the
s,srem in our own country:
"In Great Britain we have, OF late,
adopted the system OF competitive exc
animation "a q means OF discovering
mems qualifications Tor office. 10 my
Judgment, although the system has
long been adopted in China. it is a most
inadequate one for it's purpose. 1t de-
tec,s qualifications which are little
needed, while it fails, inevitably, to dis
cover those which are most needed. II
rsa bringing back OF the world to the
schools The main reasons given Tor its
adoption are, that it prevents jobbery,
relieves men in power from importuni-
~, ali encourages education.
These are very good objects; but,
unfortunately, they are foreign to the
main object, which is to choose fit,
god men, and, il possible, the Fl test
men, tor certain employments. Com
petltive examination is mainly a mode
Ol relieving those persons who ought
to have the burden OF making choice
from the responsibility Of so doing.
"How ineffective this mode OF pro-
ceiure is likely to be, NAV be inferred
from the following statement You
wish to ascertain that man will be
z.alous, faithful, true, reticent, cautious,
and capable OF dealing rapidly with
c1rren, business and, also, as he ad-
vsnces 10 office, OF taking certain
amount OF responsibility upon himself.
You think you have accomplished this
end by ascertsining that he can con-
strue Latin, and has been cramned
with certain knowledge a. the facts OF
history. which facts, having been de-
voured rather than digested, stand very
little chance Of being we'll used by him
for the future, aud will probably be en-
tirely forgotten.
AS a humorous person | know 1t
is wont to say, If you were TO try the
candidates in whist there might be a
cnsnce OF Discerning whether they
would be capable OF dealing with the
real business of the world.
al teel it but ri.ht to say here some
thing respecting the m olives OF the emi'
nent men VINO nave introduced the sys.
TEN o. competitive examination. They
say be ore them great evll-not ex
actly the evils of what is called jobbery
but they found that parliamentary
influence was used 10 an excessive ex-
tent, and that appointments were given.
not according to merit, but according to
pure Iavor, and It seems to them that
ANYTHING would be tar better than that.
$50, as oten happens. the peodlsum
went from one extreme to another.
All contend for is, that 1t
will be found to fail quite as much as, II
not more thsu, the previous system
d'd, Notwithstanding all the sinister In
fl fences which were brolght TO bear
upon that The endeavor TO get rid OF
tnese influences was worthy one. But
il WAS not desirable that the old system
should be made to give way to one OF
such q mechanical character as that
which is at present in force. Alter all,
il you wish men in power TO be able to
choose their agents aud subordinates
wisely, you must free them from the
Necessity Of yielding to claims based
,lely upon education and requirements,
As well as from the imperious demands
OF political expediency."