The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-07-19
C1yIL-sERvICE EXAMINATION.
First Application in Philadelphia-1ueS
tions Asked the Applicants.

First Application in Philadelphta-nues-
tions Asked the Applicants.
One hundred and fifty.seven persons In
GLIDING number of colored men and seven
young women, presented themselves yes
terday before the civil-service commission
for examination for positions under the
government. Owing to the unexpectedly
large numbe OF Office seekers, room large
anouph to accommodate them could not be
| found in either the post-office buudlng OF
cnstom-house consequently it was found
| necessary to appeal to the municipal au
| thorities. who placed councils chambers at
the disposal of the commission. Inc next
| thing to be done was to classify the candl-
dates in order to simplify the examination
as much as poss,ble. When this had been
done the legislative quarters for the time
| heinp were transformed into two school
In the Selectmen's chamber sat forty
| fonr men, four OF them colored. Ihey were
ali seeking positions in the Philadelphia
custom house. Judge l.. ID. ihoman, OF
| Ohio. conducted the examination, assisted
Nv the local board, comprising William ID.
Smith. chairman; H. b. Geissinger, Or;
Geosee W. Silvis, Thomas r. Evans and
William Cav, ir. The candidates were not
known by name but by number, each
selecting his own upon receiving his exam
NATION papers, which bore the NUMBER
selected. AS whole the candidates 1ormeu
| an excellent body OF men,.
nfn ali our examinations" remarked
Judee Thoman, surveying the studlous
gathering, ''snd they have extended over
twenty-six cities and towns, have never
met finer looking body OF men than that
/ now see before me. With but few excep-
tions. ali have bright and intelligent faces,
and / have no doubt that tn eyare men VINO
are able to do good work IN almost any
branch of the public service"
With the exception Of that for the night
inspectors, who are nothing more than
vaichmen. the examination Tor the cus >
Farmhouse service was of the higher grade.
The candidates were first given printed
blank containing certain personal questlm0ihs
with spaces lett for the answers. me
questions referred to the name OF the appi
cant. time and place of birth, present resi-
dence. extent of education, experience IN
business, and experience tf any In the
nnhIic service. This sheet, by the way,
was The only one upon which the name Of
The candidate appeared, and, In ORDER to
exclude all possibility OF personal lavorlt'
ism through this medium, the sheet was
placed and sealed in an envelope before De
ms presented to the commission. More
lsnfsbeets we're now distributed, upoI
which the students were required to copy M
teen lines of the civil service act at the dc
tation of Judge TBoman. inns was VIZ
penmanship examination. Next IN ofde
was the copying of clause OF the same act
after which the applicants were requires
10 write the names of fifteen seaporis ant
fifteen navigable rivers in the United
states. Touching upon mathematics, tn
class was taken tn ough fractions, percent
age interest anu discount, anu ASAsu y
give examples on statements Of account
Ia bookkeeping. Passing on, question
were propounded as to the delhltlon u tn
! principal parts OF speech, ana aver ines
,, had been answered, each canuloste aq
dressed letter to the president, gNibg nl
views as 10 the responsibility Oh an once
! in the public service. The last page OF Id
= terrogatories comprised eight quesuons II
geography and history, OF which these az
far specimens.
give the names OF the states borderlnl
on the Atlantic, beginning with Mainels
give the names OF ten presidents ane 50,
, the length OF the administration OF eachI
, "Giye the cause and results OF the Mex
. ran war and the war Of 1927"
HWhat are the essential characteristc
of n republican form Of government
. "Inio what three departments n in'
I government Of the United States divided
and what are the functions OF each"
The night inspectors examination wa
The same as the foregoing until artthmeu'
was reached. Then Il was simplihed int
comparatively easy questions, involving
Examples in addition, subtraction, mutt
nI,cation and division.
Tohn NJ Gregory acted the part OF tuto