River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-01-03
DEPARTMENTAL LIFE.
The Alpha and Omega OF Official Life
Where the Clerks Come From.


DEPARTMENTAL LIFE
The Alpha and Omega of Official Life
Where the Clerks Come From.
Fsom the Wa shington republican.
Does any body out Of Washington have
ag IDEA If what life in a government de-
paitment is? In the first place there is the
scramble fer en- appointment tie weary
waiting, and the hope deferred day after
day; tho rushing around after influential
friends to urge the claim and the peculiar
fitness of the applicant for the place de-
sired. aud after lnnumerabie letters or visits
TO the head of the department, the assign
mont to duty. All this preeedes the en-
trance upon official life, whether III the
capacity OF copyist, first, second or third
class clerk. Then follow the long, weary
DAYS sitting at a desk trying to do something
one has never tried to do before. To Sc
come an object to be stared at and whis-
Dered about and criticized BY the older
clerks in the Office, who are always curious
to know what kind of hand he
or she writes, what state they hail from,
AMI what roil they are on. The days, weeks
q months PISS on, and the new conner,
ii at i! bright and capable, begins to ba-
cone familiar with the work before hln,
INC to feel pretty well acquainted with his
| fellow clerks, ana mere comes tAe most Ny
ING part of official life.
No one, except those who have tried II.
| know what it is to be shut up in room
with the same people seven hours six days
every week People from as many citfer
ent parts of the country as there are indi
yiduals, and with quite as many different
opinions. No two of them with the same
| religious belief; some highly cultured and
| some without any culture at all. The ma
| iority Of them so pulled up with their own
| importance as to imagine that the wheels of
| the government would Immediately stand
| still if by chance they should die or resign
| or be dismissed. Conversation never lays
! for want Of subject 1t is easy enough 20
| set d sane person insane to hear the various
| TOPICS introduced and discussed ia the
| course of the day, and also TO hear the
| different hobbies ventilated. Almost every
| aaan has hobby, whatever his position III
| life, but it does seem Us Il those of the Gov
| eminent clerk have no equal outside. lie
| q tncial schemes introduced from time to
| time are really wonderful 1t is the sleep
| ing and waking dream OF the average clerk
| to become rich, or at least independent
| enough to resign; and yet he never for
| moment imagines that this is to be attained
| by self-denial economy or small savings.
/ oh no! Some lucky investment in lottery
! ticket il to draw the coveted prize, or a
good speculation is to surprise him, or a
| rise in mining stocks is to make him
| suddenly a millionaire Tt is remarkable
| how the ideas of q clerk change and enlarge
| after few years residence in Washington.
| Away OF in his country home one good suit
| of clothes was made to do service for II ore
| than one season, aud an interesting book
or an agreeable companion vas sufdcien,
entertainment for his evenings. But
after sojouTn here in Government EN-
ploy he must have new suit of clothes for
| every change of season, new nectse to
match each suit, and gloves to match the
nectie, and cane to match the gloves, ano
scarf pin to match the cane, and hat &c
match them all.
Everything there must be tickets to the
theatre or opera, or a carriage to the ball
or ii supper at Harvey's or Welker, or Il
near the end of the month, at some second
or third rate restaurant II lady clerk
but the pen must move gently dealing Nltf
them, for majority of the lady clerks are
noble, self-sacrifcing women, forced to this
life through loss of father or husband OF
the demands of dependent ones, and the
outside world has no knowledge of The
struggles they make or what many OF them
pass through in providing FOR those loved
| ones. Their salaries are. with few
exceptions, much smaller than those
of the male clerks, but they often make 1t
10 twice as much service. There are, IN
every office though, some lady clerks who
do not have burdens to bear, and Of them
it has been observed how the womanly
weakness for personal a 1ornment takes pos
session of them. What dainty costumes
they appear in, and low they love TO dis
play pretty little pieces of jewelry and be-
coming laces.
Although the life is Flooding one, anu
there is far more reality than romance IN 1t,
the latter is not altogether absent, for more
than one ROMEO has there found his Jahet,
Youthful couples, thrown constantly to-
gether, frequently become interested in each
other, and before they are aware of it the
dangerous little god has marked them for
his own. What fun it Is for the other
clerks 10 watch the progress of the G60fe
du cGur, the interested parties all the
While imagining that 1t is known only to
| themselves; and after time, some day at
the close Of busine S, the lady quietly bids
adieu to those around her aad remarks that
she is not coming back again.
The clerks gathered in the several de-
partments are far from being ignorant as q
class, although some may be entitled to the
charge. There are poets. historians, phi
iJsophers, lawyers and the ologians 10 be
found of no mean attainments. Various
causes have led them to this city ana to the
position they hold. They have drifted here
rom all parts of the country, from the
bleak and rugged hills of New England,
from the sunny region of the orapgs and
he palmetto, from the mountains and wales
IF the western territories, and from the
golden fields of California. Many of them
beast of an ancestry distinguished in this
cjuntry and the Old World Many
them at one time possessed
both wealth and Influence. If the
story of some for many have history
could be written out it would be more in
teresting than the most sensational of the
modern novels. There are also some very
peculiar people among them Life moves
on dny after day in such limited circle,
that if one is at al inclined TO cranky no.
tons it deyelopes more rapidly. and the
sharp corners stand out go prominently that
1t becomes dangerous to come in cohtict
with them Yet after all the life is o good
one for dis cipline, and two or three years
of such enploymept-bu not any longer,
for after that time a man is apt to settle
down in rue and remain there-two OF
three years of such discipline helps to form
character and TO give man better COM
nand Of himself.
|
WI