The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-11-27

AS ~AOSSAhAShG WIN ID VIZ AuOsAtu'
ton Of Washington, says correspond.
ent Of the New York Evening Post. He
fills the theater, he buys from the
shops. he rents the houses, he even
makes up a large proportion Of those
who go to balls and parties, he consti.
tutes the resident population. What
sort of tenure of Office he has, and VIVA,
salary he gets, may be immaterial tc
congressman, but are questions OF sub
Let us sec what sort of man he Is
Here are some types:
The first is bent with age and years Of
leaning over desk. A mild and ami.
able atmosphere Of Cancellation sur.
rounds him, only to give place to q
harmless air OF importance as he trudges
the department corridors with papers in
his hand for the inspection OF his chief
And he is facctious, too, but God forbid
that he should ever give offcnsc to
mortal soul Even to the lazy old mes
scnger, who responds SO slowly to his
call, he is polite. Polite he Is to every.
body, and apologetic, slow to ask favor,
and quick to grant one. IL ever there
was any fire In him 1t has been qncnchcd
long since. Ii ever there was any
strongly-colOred hues in his nature the
repressivc influences that surround tho
life of subordinate Save long since
toned them down to sober tints. Reg.
ular in his Office hours, provolcingly
slow and conservative in his methods OF
work, but more trustworthy than clock
work and truer than steel, such is the
Colonel or Judge" who has been q
Government clcrk for twenty, thirty or
even fifty years. There is little danger
of his being dismissed.
The young fellow who shares the
judges Office, like Dick Swiveller,
wears a shooting jacket as an ofilce-coat,
smokes cigarettes constantly. receives
visits which he does not relish from his
tailor's collector, and his mail consists
chivfly of duns. lie spends much slime
preparing to go home and leaves his Office
promptly at four o'clock, like Charles
Lamb, to Offset the irregularity with
which he arrives every morning. He
loves cravats and pins and tho theater,
and he sometimes takes ''lady friend"
out ''buggy-riding."
In tho next room we SEQ different
bcing-middle-aged, rusty, barely re.
spectacle, q hopeless, helpless look in
his dull eyes. lie is ill-educatcd and i'll.
trained, and treats the work Of the Gov
eminent very much as he would treat
the digging OF Potatoes-a thing that
must be gone at Justify, with the coat
off and the hat on. Capitalization, as
the civil-seryice commission love to call
1t, he is learning, but, after the manner
OF the immortal Cobbett, he persists in
regarding punctuation as . matter OF
taste. lie Is lone Of the people," and
he looks with disfavor upon tho ''col.
lege-bred man."
But now let us look upon his col.
league, and here must ask you to pause
a moment, for this is tho type of Gov.
eminent clerk whom protest love.
Young, middlc-aged, or old, 1t makes nc
difference, for the position that he may
hold as an old man Is the position that
he has held ever since he was . man. lie
is real, bona-tide swell. Hc does not
write very good hand-a gentleman
should not. lie is, perhaps,
rather careless in his work-he
has other things to think of.
II You want information about
the department he is in l would not
advise you to question him, but il you
want an invitation to german 60 to
him by all means. His official position
is incidental. Ills real life is in ..socie.
ty." No secretary darcs to discharge
him. lie does not promote him II
is true, may be ho has q poor
opinion of him, but he always asks
him to his parties. lie is as much
OF necessity there as punch bowl or
bouquet. | have known him to ret
married, but since the Government be-
gan there have been but three cases OF
the Government clerk Of this class com.
hitting such an indiscretion. or course
the three married rich girls, and. re
signing their positions, lived miserabiv
upon their wives ever afterward-and
just consider the independence that
hey lost.
If Sam Wellers inquiry as to what be.
comes OF old post-boys and donkeys was
a difficult one to answer, it is still
harder to say what becomes of the Gov.
eminent clerk who is discharged. lie
hangs around his department seeking
reinstatement. lie seems to have he
come absolutely dependent upon the
Government, and to expect employment
from no other source. Sometimes he
gets desperate and commits suicide
there have been several cases OF this
kind to furnish grim dreams to disturb
the spollmen's rcst-sometimes he dies
from sheer grief and hopelessness-and
the cases of this character are painfully
frequent; but what becomes Of him when
he isn't restored and doesn't die Ia .
mystery indeed. He sinks out OF sight.
new clerk has his place, the waters OF
Official life close over his head, and hs
n {QIRQttAn.