Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-06-01


The visitor In Engsand. who visits =
! posfoGce TO buy Etzmps. cash q money
order, or send q telegram, is directed 70 q
special department which, TO his sur-
prise, he finds differed by young. and
sometimes very pretty, girls Such a
bureau IL known as the receiving house
1 IT. director receives from the Government
an annual stipend Of thirty pounds, but .
percentage on the proceeds Of all letter and
revenue stamps sold by him constitutes
/ the main source Of compensation He 10
| likewise paid six shillings q week for at
tending 10 the telegraph business con-
nec.e1 with Lis Office, and penny extra
for each dispatch To assist in the per
| fornanee of his complicated duties he is
allowed 10 hire enc or more young women
These female employees must have re-
ceived fair education, must present the
best testimonials In regard 70 their preyi-
GUS character, and undergo course Of
special training which Is completed in an
examination 10 test their fitness for the
| place.
The pay assigned TO these young women,
who often beiong TO the upper middle
class, and sometimes 10 distinguished,
though poor, families, l., relatively 10 the
labor exactec, very small They earn
eight shilIings week besides their board,
and in return for these appointments they
| are expected TO exhibit unrernitting dill
gence, strict conscientiousness and inhexi-
bic probity. Ii 10 right TO add that the ex-
/ pectation il seldom disappointed They
are necessarily employed during working
/ hours, which last from eight O'Clock in
| the morning 10 eight al night. almost
without iniermission. with difficulty sec1r-
| ing time 10 eat their meals. The duties
I imposea on them are manifold. These
/ includes the sale OF stamps, the receipt
and disbursement Of money upon postal
I orders, the reception and assortment NJ
| letters, the working Of the telegraph, and
the keeping Of accounts in the savings
! banks, which have been made . feature
of the English postal system. Every mis-.
/ tage Is vigorously ceasured, esch fault ia
telegraphing 10 punished by the deduction
OF one shilling from the offenders pay,
any deficit Ia The casL-boK must be made
good By the person In charge, and as very
considerable sums pass through their hands
| every day, these female clerks need have
10 DC expert cashiers.
An acquaintance with foreign languages
Ii not obligatory, although il is highly
l priced by the post-ofhce authorities. That
| degree Of culture, however, 10 seldom
found except among the young women
appointed directly by the Government.
| Appointees Of this class receive during
/ the first year the same salary Of eight
shillings week, but this is speedily
raised To twelve, then 10 sixteen shillings,
and finally TO q pound. when they attain
! The post Of superintendent" We may
add that they get extra compensation for
every hour Of work beyond the normal
| term. Naturally those who work by the
week in the receiving bureau, liable as
| they are To be dismissed at any moment,
are eager TO secure permanent place IN
| der Government An appointment Is not
| easily had but once obtained the future
/ Is free from care, since reasonable pen
| sion is assured after twenty or twenty five
years Of service. 1t is worth noting that
the age Of applicants must not fall short
OF twenty nor exceed thirty years; older
persons are summarily rejected.
| No one can refuse respect and sympathy
| 10 these hard working women who OBJ
serves the smoothness, rapidity and fidel-
| ity with which they commonly execute
| their tasks The most interesting time for
visit 10 the receiving.room OF an En-
| glish poetofiice is toward evening, when
the varied dress and demeanor Of the
| tnrOnging customers, drawn from all So
cial grades, present curious, lively pic
| ture, and the patience Of the female clerks
| Is subjected to a severe strain. la the
mids. of packing and counting letters-of-
| fetal documents must be sorted out and
their aggregate inscribed on separate
memorandhm--it Is doubtless annoying
to be teased with idle questions, and it
must be exasperating, when the telegraph
! hammer has begun to click ant you are
engaged Ia reading off a dispatch, To be
bowled at by an angry voice reiterating a
demand for penny post stamp. In gen
eral. however, these young women exhibit
the genuine English GOODNESS, and really
exemplary politeness.
! Ii is certainly a curious phenomenon
that so many English women of education
and good station should be willing to un-
dcrtake such onerous exacting labor for
such meager pay. But we should remem-
Der that their calling is accounted highly
| respectable, and must therefore present
potent attractions compared with voca-
| tons more remunerative, bat savoring OF
| mental relations. After all, however, we
suspect that official dignity proves only
an Indifferent substitute for household
sway and conjusal importance. Foreign
| Letter.