The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1885-01-18
Information for the Unin TO rmed.

Information for the UNIFORMED.
Is 1t true, as our esteemed contemporary,
the Evening Post. afllrms, that no cxami-
| nations are now held, or have ever been held
| under any civil service net, which have ex-
acted from any candidate more literature
than plain English education, composed
OF reading, writing and arithmetic unless
| tho duties Of his Office directly called for
more?'
Ia 1t true, as our. contemporary asserts,
| that "all examinations arc devoted directly
| to ascertalning not the candidates general
| cultivation, but his fitness for the particular
| work of n particular place."
Is it true that "thoso who circulate stories
| or use illustrations contradictory OF tho fore
| going arc persons who are deliberately lying
for special purpose. or persons who remain
purposely ignorant of what they are talking
about in order to case the strain on their
| consciences2"
| These three propositions are advanced by
our esteemed contemporary, in its capacity
OF principal wet nurse to the examination
paper system. Any question as to the merits
of the system. or any adverse opinion as
to the practical value OF its workings. seems
to excite this amusing newspaper to wrath
like that OF a sage woman whom her sobriety
and other personal virtues are aspersed.
| This Is one Of the marked symptoms OF
acute monomnnia. Tho Eatonian the
| Dry OF examination papers, whom it once
takes full possession OF an unfortunate vic
tim, utterly destroys his sense OF proportion
and ruins his temper His squirrels are
mastOdons. People who do not see the
| Ia IL, 81 L., nt
traitors and fools. People who discuss tho
so-callcd civil service reform from any other
point OF view than his own, arc wilful liars
| or perverse ignOramuscs. Such q condition
OF mind should inspire In reasonable beings
no harsher sentiment than pity; and we,
therefore, restrain our sense OF humor while
examining the ErcninO Posts assertions.
The Post refers us to the papers used dur
ing the past ten years in tho Post O(llce and
Custom House OF this city for evidence that
the examinations arc invariably devoted to
asocrtaining the candidates fitness for tho
particular work OF particular place, and
are not designed to test his general informa-
| ton. We have at hand n few specimens OF
such papers, and they do not support our
contemporaries statement. Candidates for
the post OF letter carrier, for example, are
asked questions like those:
Name seven or more Presidents OF tho United States
"wh" wrote the Declaration Of Independence and in
what city WAS II issued,
"what was the cause OF the war between the United
| States and Mexico:
"CAn aforsgnborn citizen be elected United States
| Senator.
What three Presidents OF the United States served a.
officers of the U. g. army during the Mexican war;
Of the Supreme Court appointed elected
Name city large town in each Of the following
| mi rias, Nnain Turk Ecr Raj,
| "who discovered the Hudson River!
NAME three or more large cities in Germany.
who ia Commander. inChief Of the Army and Navy
| of the United States.
"Whn wa, Vice President during tile Administration
| of JAMES X. PoLKr'
1t may DO said that a candidate OF intcllI-
gence and O fair amount OF general informa-
ton ought to BIO able to answer all of these
questions. That is not tho point The point
is that every one of them is designed to
measure the general cultivation" OF tho
applicant for tho post OF letter carrier, and
not his fitness for the particular work of
tie particular place. A man might make
an admirable letter carrier. prompt, in
telligent, wide awake, trustworthy and
rapid on his legs, and yet have very
vague notions concerning the origin and
history OF tho war with Mexico tits not one
Of the functions Of the letter carriers to su-
| pervise the election OF United States Senators,
nor tho appointment and confirmation OF the
Justices OF tho Supreme Court. A carrier
might travel for forty years between the
Battery and Harlem without once being
called upon to deliver letter to tho Vice-Pres-
| idcnt of tho United States under the Adm inis-
tration OF JAMES X. Polk. Does not tho
Erenin0 Post think that tho questions which
we have printed require OF the candidate
more literature than n plain English cdu-
cation composed OF reading, writing and
| arithmetic? ?"
The papers submitted tn candidates for
clerkships In the Post ONCE. strangely
enough, contain questions less difficult. as
rule. than those for the letter carriers. Why,
| for instance, should letter carrier be re-
| quired to name oil the thirteen original States
| OF the Union. while clerk Is let OF with
| three? Why should special knowledge con-
| corning the Mexican war be exacted In the
case OF the carrier. while the clerk is passed
upon merely mentioning the names Of two
battles? Why should tho carrier be ex-
amincd In the geography OF Spain. Turkey.
| Germany France. and Belgium, while the
clerk in the Office need only "name two East
ern. two Middle, two Southern, and two West
ern States OF this Federal Union2 We con-
fess we cannot tell. Probably even the
Evening Post cannot tell.
Here are some OF the questions addressed to
the candidates for olsrkships In the New York
Post Once. Like the oarrisrf ust above.