The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-07-09
The Governments Female Army

!
Washington Corr. Utica Observer.
The government clerks employed IN
the departments at Washington num-
Der $4,000, making an army hall
again as large as that OF Xenophon in
the retreat which he writes of in his
"Anabasis. A curious army it is
old and young men and women, OF all
types, strong and weak, crippled and
active-its variety IS as broad as that
OF human life! Fiity-eight hundred o.
Its number receive salaries which
range from 5000 to 81 500 n year,
and all, from chiefs to privates. are
allotted Il vacation of one whole month
ut almost any time OF the year they
choose to take it.
This army OF clerks never strikes
1t is content with its wages, andi has
no reason to complain of its hours OF
work These hours are practically
only SIX daily. The departments
open at 9 O'Clock, and the clerks are
expected to be at their desks MT that
hour. They work steadily nntil noon,
and then usually take an hour for
luncheon. At o clock they are baci,
at their desks, and ut 4 their days
work is done.
The treasury contains between g.
300 and 1000 clerks. 1t is the largest
department OF the government. At 4
?. NJ iour human streams pour forth
from It's various exits, and the streets
become crowded in u moment Here
goes dashing young lady witha lunch
basket III her hand, dressed in the
latest fashion, and with n new spring
bonnet resting inuntily above her
banged cmls. Beside her is u gay
young man IN a Derby, who chats with
i'er Utmost lovingly as they pass out
together, In front OF her is u plainly
dressed old woman, who probably
keeps q family out OF the S,I2o year
which She makes by copying papers all
day long, and back OF her is a long
thin dude with a collar as big as a
shlrt cuff and enormous ears Further
BACK there is Il widow i'll mourning,
| and as You look at her you wonder
whether her husband was a soldier.
There are 4, 900 women in the GOV
ernment department at Washington.
and many OF the best-looking and
most intelligent ladies of the capital
are so employed. They come as a
rule, from good families. Many OF
them are the widows ofnoted generals,
the daughters OF eX-governors and en-
congressman, and now and then you
VIII find the relative OF a president or
n cabinet minister. Many OF them
have Travelled widely. and the
great majority are educated and re-
lined ladies. They do al kinds OF
work, and receive salaries ranging
from S720 to 81 500 u year Asmon-
eE counters they are much more en-
pert than the men. and the rapidity
with which they can count thousands
upon thousands OF dollars without
making a mistake makes your brain
Whlrl as you watch them. These mon
ey counters get about S75 q month,
and they count millions OF dollars
every month. At one side OF each one
on the table lie great piles OF green
backs, done into packages as they
come from the press. am speaking
now OF the redemption bureau of the
treasury. These bills are old and dir
ty. The strip OF paper around each
package OF 100 bills states where they
came from and who counted them in
the country. The young lady takes
this off, and, moistening her fingers
with a wet sponge in front OF her, she
counts the bills like lightning, and. il
the package is not right. she reports
50 to the chief and the banks from
which the bills come must stand the
loss. The girls seldom make a mis-
take, and ii they do SO or pass coun-
terieit without noting it they must
make the mistake good, and the
amount is taken out OF their salary.
they can tell, however, a bad bill sim
ply by feeling it, and a bank cashier
VIII make a hundred mistakes where
they make one.
Not long AGO one OF these younelady
counters was engaged upon n lot OF
500 notes. She had been droppinp
the scraps on the floor beside her in IL
pile, after verifying the count. While
she was counting package she would
lay TINS scrap. marked With the name
OF he bank which sent it, on the table
beside her. At last she came to a
| package that contained only ninety
nIne notes, and on looking for the
scrap was terrified to find that it had
fallen among theothers. She was sure
she knew the name of the bank. but
she could not prove it. The bank was
| notified and refused to acknowledge
the mistake, and the poor girl was
forced to pay the SlOO.
Both sexes OF clerks ut Washington
work in the same department. and it
is often the case that young men and
young women have desks side by side.
| There is no restriction as to their
social Intercourse, and it is a matter
OF surprise to outsiders that SO few
marriages occur among the clerks. 1t
Is not that the girls are not cookbook
ing, nor that they are not good, neat
and intelligent. And it is mot that the
men are not noble and attractive.
Washington living, however, is expen-
siVe, anu 1T Is contrary to the rules OF
the department that two members of
the same family should hold positions
under the government. The ladies in
the department earn enough to keep
them respectfully, and they do not
care to marry a man who mas no larp-
er income than themselves, and have
III the end not as much pocket money
as before. Many OF the marriages
which do take place are with men out
side the departments, and it is not an
uncommon thing here fora cookbook
ing clerk to marry a congressman, a
senator roranewspaper correspondent
| Mrs. Theaker, who is to be Stanley
Matthews's wife, was a government
clerk when she met and married Judge
lheaker, a former commissioner of
patents. stephen A. Douglas mar
RED adepartmen. Clerk, and Attorney
General Brewster's wife, although she
was Robert j. Walkers daughter,
was working in the departments when
he fell in love with her.
do not think women are Justly
treated III the departments. Men who
! do The same class OfWork Often rncn;,.o