New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-11-16
GAIL HAMILTON-PRoF. WEIR
FRUITS MEET FOR REPENTANCE.
THE PROFESSORS CHANCE FROM NAIVHE " :
GRACE.


~ doEgbtfpl Tn him who goeth forth weeping
hearing precious seed. than 70 come again WIN IT,
;oie;rg brinoipq his sheaves with him. mus como
with rejoicing into The TRIBUNE ior one mo
mept. bringing with me the largest hlhu
of sbeaf professor IN Yale college, me
sober and moderate tone of Professor "efS
letter IN The tribune Of November furnishes 80
strong contrast 20 the fchty incousiderate Oh
has letter Of August Il. that cannot refrain lon
commentator and cOngrdtulation. 80 mArkeu III
Improvement IN three short months Is " most CIR
couraging symptom. and am very sorry / hA'n'H
him 70 grave-pi and take If all back. lie IS much
more Ike the Iich prairie tract winch the l'rUc'
tickles with a hoe and it laughs with harvest
II is true Professor Weir does not say. III so many
words " have slaned and do not wish hlln 10
say it. Women have no false pride about such
things. and when they are convinced they were ih
the wrong they take positive pleasure III cohIesS'uS
as well as forealing H. But man seems 10 nave
natural inability TO pronounce the thlee siiDPi'
words was wrong = and after any lttie do'res'lo
clash whenever the erTlng husband oeg'hS 10 oil"E
forth fruits meet for repentance the wise Iehinio
ruler always takes the repentance itself for granted
and does not insist upon its being tonnua''d III
words. When. therefore, Professor Weir steers
carefully clear Of all the little headandS Of candid
confession he only sails mau-fashiOn, and shall not
hide from us the cheering fact that he Is embarked
on the broad aud beautiful sea of Sanctihcatlon.
II does not require any personal notice from FRO
fessor Weir to prove that the Old ADAM VINO
on August II declared our Civil Service
was a National disgrace" and system OF general
rottenness" must have put on the new man before
he found strength to acknowledge, on November 9'
the fact so creditable to our service that close
scrutiny has failed to discover fraud or lncOmpe-
tency in the management of several of its de-
E NJ ,lA.VN Ihrn-
lessor Weir afrms that the fact Is not overlooked
that large number of ofdceholders in this service
are eminently qualified by every requisite attain
ment, for the positions they fill and their ability
and strict integrity are unQuestiOned." But in q
state of nature, August II. Professor Weir had en-
tirely overlooked this fact, and saw nothing but
"the calamities brought about through corrupt
legislation through official fraud, and through the
general rottenness of our civil system" Purified
by suffering, Professor Weir, on November g.,
recommends his training-SchOOls mot with ref.
erence to possible fraud or corruption" But in
his unchecked worldly career of August II, lie had
insisted upon them with strenuous if not sole refer
ence to fraud and corruption, The unregenerate
heart of August II declared that our Civil Service
had mot merely fallen INTO dscredit, but has be-
come the subject of National shame" The renewed
heart of November sees " that we are no worse oft
III TINS respect lnan are OlueI udl!oHS' anu N'cs
even go further and add that it is a matter of sur
PRISE that the should be as free as it is from
incompetency and corruDton.'
This Is all that we need ask of Professor Weir
He nav 60 down TO his house justified He shall
have his training-schoolS, and welcome-if he can
get them. His desire TO secure greater efficiency"
for the Civil Service is legitimate and patriotic
desire. perfectly proper to any American citizen,
aud heartily wish him every success. When he
Withdraws his Wholesale charges of fraud,
and puts his plans simply the ground
of improvement, he deserves only sympa-
thy and help. 1t is true that the Just
man is not yet made perfect. Some traces of his
original sin are darby visible IN his reckoning all
opposition to his plan political selhshness and
shortsighteduess" And since he admits the Service
to be so credtable, perhaps those who think it IN
wise to alter it may not all be " demagogues'
When Professor Weir says that nearly all of those
who hold office are largely occupied during
their brief tenure with securing a cOntin-
uance of party patronage by using the ma
chlnery of the Civil Service for political ends"
we are moved to ask Is it possible for professor
honestly earning his salary at Yale College, to know
how 40, 900 men outside Of it, scattered over an
area of thousands of square miles, are spending
their time
Above all things should Professor Weir keep q
watchful eye on his figures. When he goes into the
dressing room and the laundry for them they be
come too grotesque for classical use. He thinks
that the Civil Service discussion has opened
the windows and ventilated the department so that
the public has got some insight of theactual condition
of things" But, dear Professor Weir, we open win
dows to ventiate apartments, and not to have peo-
pie look in. People can look in without opening
the windows if it is their business their breed
ing. And why should we open the windows even
for ventilation if " close scrutiny has failed to
discover" any bad air in the departments, and so
proves that the regular ventilators doing their
work faithfully Nor should our satisfaction that
the Lord hath opened the eyes of the
blind so that Professor Weir can characterize
our present service a happy state of things
prevent us from begging him not to be too anxious
Rbout the system by which this happy state of
things is continually jeopardized, OF made depend
ent upon fortunate concurrence of honesty and
capacity in party selections since every earthly
interest whatever dependent upon just that for
tunate concurrence. Neither outside nor inside the
Civil Service is there any rule of thumb rule
of three which shall make the concurrence of
honesty and capacity automatically certain.
In his adherence to "rule," Professor Weir shows
himself still little under bondage TO the law and
not in the full freedom Of the Gospel. 1.-The GUS
tom Of the departments" he says, ito retain in
Office. through the changes of administration, sub
ordinate officers whose experience has been deemed
too valuable to be dispensed with, is mere matter
of policy. not of rule" That is, Professor Weir
admits that it Is custom. It is 50 uniformly done
rs to be established into a custom. 1t
is custom which has established itself
because experience has demonstrated that it was
"sheer necessity" but Professor Weir is not salts
fed with that and wants it done because somebody
outside says IT shall be done Professor Weir adj
mits that the service already retains all necessary