The Red Cloud chief., 1881-05-19

fulTlcs are instituted as to the charac-
ter and circumstances Of the intended
husband, and the requisite authorize
is only granted if the information proves
satisfactory. The position in the social
world of women thus employed depends
on their family, their education. and n
variety of other circumstances; but,
generally speaking. those occupying the
higher posts in official lie meet with
consideration in society.
The English Government has en-
ploycd women as telegraphists since
January, 1870. Nominations to com
pete are given by the Postmaster-Gen-
eral; the limits of age are mot under
fourteen or over eighteen" They re-
ceive eight shiIlings a week; and they
work eight hours a day between the
hours of eight a. nj and eight p. m.
They formerly worked in separate gal
l%cries, but it was found desirable to
place them in the same galleries as the
men and boys, and their society aud
mutual influence has been productive Of
beneficial results. The iema'e teleg-
raphists belong TO the class from which
assistants behind the counters of shops
are recruited; these posts, however, are
open TO women of all grades. Great
accuracy, general intelligence and
~quickncss are required for the work,
which is, as a rule, satisfactorily accom-
plished. Ii is deemed inexpedient TO
employ females in night work. At the
present time nine hundred and sixty
eight female telegraphists are employed
by Government in London, Edinburg
.,l n,Lfs, rra p,nnt.r af norman
of the same class are employed as
cOunter-women and returnerS of unde-
livered letters. These situations are
all most eagerly sought for. Years
sometimes pass before candidates OBJ
tain appointments. In the year 1879
the thought occurred to SirJohn Tilley,
X. &. B, then Secretary. that the clerk
ships in the Post-o;fice Savings-Bank
might be filed by gcntlewomen of linn
tied means, daughters of officers in the
navy and army, of civil officers of the
Crown, of those engaged in the clerical.
legal and medical professions. OF liter
ary men and artists.
Nominations to compete were given
by the late Postmaster General, Lord
John Manners. who took great interest
in the piau. The ladies who received
nominations had to pass a competitive
examination by the Civil-Scrvice Com
mission for the limited number of ap-
pointments To be filed up. The nomi-
nations were given, as far as possible,
To gcnticwomcn of the class Tor whom
they were intended. it being felt that.
in the existing constitution OF society,
ladies are practically excluded from
many occupations which women OF the
middle class and of lower social station
enter as Il matter of course. Candidates
under seventeen or above twenty ear
of are are ineligible. The numerous
applications for nomination prove how
the opportunity is valued. The appoint
ments made Gas we have said by com
petitive examination among the nomi-
mated candidates are only confirmed
after a six months satisfactory proba-
ton. The ladies first appointed en-
tered on this footing, and had to learn
their duties from experienced officers OF
the stat, who had thus the opportunity
Ot testing their abilities. IL was solely on
the ground of merit, as testified by
these gentlemen. that the branch
WAS organized, in 1876, into W class
es, with two or three principal clerks.
and a lady superintendent, who holds
the position OF 4 staff officer. Since
then, also, all promotions have been
made by merit. Those best qualified
TO judge pronounce the experiment to
have been 4 decided success; a success,
in fact, beyond the most sanguinc
anticipations. The public has been
well served by ladies, 10 whom the
work has furnished IN honorable indie
pendence-at least in part, n qualiiica-
ton which we will presently explain.
The evidence of success rests on no
mere or opinion, nor V C on the
testimony which has been emphatically
given in the PoStmaster-GenerarS re-
ports. Had the ladies proved unequal
10 their duties, II had the experiment
worked badly in other ways, the female
/ staff would before now have been
broken up or left to await gradual ex-
tinction. Nothing but a we~ll-prOved,
practical success could explain or justify
the steady annual increase of the staff
from the original little band of thirty to
the present number of one hundred and
thirty.
But the result of the experiment can
not be fairly Judged till it is tried by
another test-the nature of the work
performed. Perhaps it is merely me-
chanical, such rs could be equally we'll
done by writers" or hoy Clerks
and the ladies are in the unenviable po-
sition of being supplied with work
rather for their NECESSITIES than for any
worthy services they can render The
fact is directly opposite, and furnishes
another argument against the mental
infer;ority of women. The work which
they perform in the Savings-Bank De
partment is of the same character as
that of the male staff; and they have
performed il in such 4 n that du-
ties of greater Importance have been
from time to time intrusted to them.
1t would be out of place here, even if
we had the necessary information, to
attempt TO describe these duties; but
we believe I'VE are quite safe in this
broad comparison: That the work per-
formed by the principal clerks and by
the first and second classes of the ladies'
branch is ut least equal-in character
and quantity, in promptneSs and accu-
racy of performance-to that of the first.
second and third classes of the male
staff respectively.
While Sir John Tilley, with the
cordial cooperation OF Lord John Man
ners, was Introducing the system of
lady-clerkships in the ~post-office, he
was informed by Mr.. Harbern. late of
the Prudential Life-Insurancc Office,
that he had introduced into that Office
a similar system, after a visit he paid to
the Treasury in Washington in 1870,
where he saw ladies officiating as
clerks. These ladies were the widows
and daughters of officers who had died
in the service of their country, or who
had filled high offices in the Civil Ser
vice. They were received by the Pres
ident at the White House. and were
welcomed in the best society. The
American Republic and the Republic
of Switzerland have thus provided en-
ployment for ladies in the manner
essayed by monarchical England; and
from consideration of the facts bearing