Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-10-17
THE GOVERNMENT CLERK.

those who 20 to balls and parties. he
constitutes the resident population. What
sort of tenure of office he has, and what
salary he gets, may be immaterial to con-
gresslnen, but are questions of subsist-
ence, or starvation almost to him. Let
us see what sort of man he is. Here
are some types.
The first is bent with age and years of
leaning over desk. \ mild and amiable
atmosphere of Cancellation surrounds
him, only to give place to a harmless air
OF Importance, as he trudges the depart
ment corridor with papers in his hand for
the inspection of his chief. And he is
facetious, too, but God forbid that he
should ever give offence to mortal soul.
Even to the lazy old messenger, who re-
spends so slowly to his call, he is polite.
Polite he is to everybody, apologize.
slow to ask favor and quick to grant
one. If ever there was any fire in him.
it has been quenched long since. If ever
there were any strongly colOred hues in
his nature, the repressive influences that
long since toned them down to sober tnts.
Regular in his office hours, provoliinglv
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
government clerk for 20. 30, or even 30
years. There is little danger of his be-
ing dismissed. When he shall have be-
come feeble and useless he will still DRAG
himself down to the department every
morning, still will draw his salary. still
wear his look of responsibility when a
strangers eyes are upon him, and when.
finally, the Waterman at the department
entrance shall miss his STOPPING figure
and his quavering Good morning" ey-
eryone will know that he has passed the
portals of the Great Department. where
there are no desks, no lazy negro mes
sengers. no grabbed chiefs. no long and
weary office hours, but where every day
is legal holiday, and where all men are
promoted and none discharged.
=
office, like Dick Swiveller, wears shoot
, ing-iacket AS on oflice-coat, smokes Gig
arets constantly, receives visits which he
, does not relish from his taior's collect
or, and his mail consists chiefly of duns.
He spends much time preparing to 90
home, and leaves his Office promptly at
! o'clock. like Charles Lamb. to offset the
irregularity with which he arrives every
morning. lie loves cravats and pins and
3 the theatre, and he sometimes takes Il
LADY friend out buggy riding. When
he walks the halls of his department, he
tries to look as though lie was mere
: visitor. yet he is proud of his employ
mcnt, and after he shall have become less
restless in spirit, shall have been better
broken to harness. he will make good
= clerk, and strongly suspect that the old
r Judge, or colonel, was like him in his
l younger days.
In the next room we see a different be-
: acknowledgement. rusty. barely respect
: able, hopel' s., helpless look in his dull
N'' ~ - anu lll-lIullltu.
and treats the work of the government
very much as he would treat the dig
| ging of potatoes-a thing that must be
G gone at Justify, with the coat off and the
| hat ON. capitalization, a. the civil.ser
vice commission love to call it. he is
learning, but after the manner of the i'm
! mortal Goblet, he persists in regarding
4 punctuation as matter of taste lie i
, zone of the people, and he looks with
diSfavor upon the 'college-bred man..
= Yet he means well-means so well. in
fact, that he is often left undisturbed in
IA position for which his intelligence and
knowledge are inadequate.
, But now let us look upon his colleague,
and here must ask you to pause mo-
, ment for this is the kind of government
clerk whom | protest love. Young.
mlddle-aged, or old, it makes no differ
ence, for the position that he may hold
as an old man is the position that he has
held ever since he was a man. lie is n
real, bona-tide swell. He does not write
-DoN
He is, perhaps, rather careless of his
work-he has other things to think of.
/, If you want information about the de-
partment he is in, would rot advise you
, to question him; but if you want an in
: vitation to german, 60 to him by all
D means. His official position is inciden-
tai. His real life is in society" No
: secretary dares to discharge him. lie
does not promote him, it is true; may be
he has poor opinion of him, but he al
ways asks him to his parties. lie is as
, much of a necessity there as a punch
bowl or a bouquet. He is club man,
, this fellow, no vulgar bar-room drnker.
= lie may be stupid, or he may be clever
generally he strikes genteel medium
between the twO-but his position is the