The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-02-21
WOMEN OFFICE-HOLDERS
The Kind Of Work They Do For
the Government.

Inc employment OF women IN the
Government service at Washington pre-
sents many interesting features of the
important question of woman's right
full status and worth as worker. 1t
has long been a popular but erroneous
idea that women in the Government de-
partments owe their positions entirely
to favor and influence, and that they
are, as a rule, incapable and unfit to
perform the duties incumbent upon
them. 1t is true that political influence
and power have in some cases obtained
places for women which neither their
natural capacity nor attainments fitted
them to worthily fill, but are these the
only incapable of1ice-holders who owe
their positions to political influence?
There are about four thousand women
employed by the Government, and al
though the work is chiefly clerical they
are also valuable assistants IN a variety
OF other occupations, many of which
are comparatively new to women. The
greatest number are employed in the
Treasury, which was the first depart
ment to make use of their services.
The occasion arose during the late civil
war, and was entirely question of ex-
pediency and even necessity, in order to
fill the large number of vacancies made
by the enlistment of the employees.
Women were first employed as coun-
ters of currency and soon afterward
as clerks, copyists, etc. AS counters of
money-work requiring chiefly quick
ness of sight and dizziness of hand
women have always eXcelled and have
been uniformly preferred to men. Their
undoubted honesty has also contributed
much to their value in this work. 1t
is said by the officials in charge of the
currency division that case of dis
honesty on the part of woman has
never occurred since their employ
ment in the Treasury. There are
l,349 woman employees in the Treasury
Department, including the $50 in the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
They are employed as corresponding
clerks, accountants, stenOgraphers,
copvists, counters, librarians, and in
some few instances as chiefs in charge
OF sections, their duties being super
vlsory. Some of the books kept bv
women are models of beauty and
accuracy. In the issue division a
lady has for several years had entire
charge of the books containing the
exact amount of currency issued, re-
deemed, destroyed, and OUTSTANDING:
also the amounts of daily currency re-
deemed and DESTROYED in the several
States and Territories. This involves
vast amount of detail and an accuracy
OF accounts which it is difficult for the
umnitiated to conceive of. The Ma
honal bank notes are brought here
from the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing. where they are engraved and
printed, to be re-eXamined and again
counted. The examination is for the
purpose of noting the slightest defect or
omission in the mechanical part of the
bank note, that the bank and charter
number, the seal and coat of
arms of both the United States
and the State are not want
ing or imperfect. The money is
usually examined and counted at the
same time, and when the accuracy with
which this mu It be done is taken into
consideration, and the concentration of
mind necessary in the exercise of two
mental operations, it can readily be seen
that 1t requires special mental trainino
and eXpertness. The annual report of
the Comptroller of the Currency. with
its bewildering columns of statistics. is
almost exclusively the work of women
clerks In some OF the auditors offices
the women are obliged to have a knowl-
edge of banking as well as of mathe-
mates
The difficult and responsible work of
the Redemption Agency is done G, tirelv
by women. This division is devoted ex
clusively to identifying burned and mu
tllated money, which is brought here
under all sorts of strange and remark
able circumstances, from every part of
the country, to be redeemed. Some
times it is so badly ;!"faced as to seem
almost to defy identification. The most
successful expert in this work has been
here for twenty years, and has in that
time saved many millions of dollars.
quick, bright, intelligent woman is she
who, upon being asked what appliances
were used in the difficult processes of
her work, replied: .'Only a thin knife
and patience" The difficulty of identi-
tying National bank notes is much great
er than those of legal tender, as not only
the denomination buzz the title of the
tank must be deciphered A few years
ago package OF $4,000 was brought
here by the Adams Express Company
which, by the burning of railway train,
had been reduced to a charred. coal
black mass. Three days afterward S75,-
600 was identified and redeemed by the
women experts of this division. In an
other case, after man had been buried
many months. will was found which
stated that in the inner pocket of coat
the same he had been buried in-would
be found large sum of money in bank
notes. The body was exhumed. and
the Shiny, discolored money, with
the odor of the grave about it, was sent
her for Identification. Another in
stance. illustrating how cup:dty some
times overreaches itself. was that of a
miser who had buried his savings, to
the amount of nearly $4,000, in an
earrhern jar. After an interval of sew
eral months he went one day to add a
few hundred dollars to his treasure, and
found the whole an indistinguishable
heap of moldering paper. Although
living in the far West, he had heard Of