Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-17
CHEATING At EXAMINATIONS.
The Attempts Made on the Civil Ser
vice Examiners.

From the New York Advertiser.
On the desk Of A. w. Pellez. one Of the
board Of examiners for positions in the
postal service, there is a little appliance
that savors very strongly of schoolboy
tricks. candidate for a clerkship had
1t In his possession and expected by its
help to get good mark in the department
Of local delivery" This being considered
Of the highest Importance, Is worth five
times as many marks as almost any other
subject. The little appliance consisted of
an ordinary sheet of blotting paper, plain
and innocent looking on one side but
pasted over on the other side with printed
list of all the hotels. theaters, clubs rail-
road offices. etc. in the city. It would
have made matters very easy for the owner
IL he had not been caught but he had
overlooked the fact that the examiners fur
nish all blotting paper and other stationery
and that none may be brought in by candi-
dates. His scheme was not only detected,
but he was unceremoniously expelled from
the examination. That is the inevitable
fate Of nearly all such schemers.
we must be constantly on the watch"
sald Mr.. Pellez. "for such people as he
Here he added, taking a pocket guide
to the city from his desk. as something
in the same line. The candidate who tried
to use 1t was also disqualified from further
competition. We have detected others with
lot of information written on little scraps
OF cardboard, which they slowed away in
VARIOUS pockets. otners nave written the
names of important rivers, state capitals
etc, on their cuffs, just as schoolboys do
sometimes. Candidates ought to know that
all such means are illegal and likely to be
found out, and that their discovery means
certain expulsion.
THE women candidates7 No, we don't
have nearly so much trouble with them as
might be expected. Beyond a disposition
TO ask each other questions, which they do
perhaps from force Of habit, they make
few attempts to get ahead Of u.s. When
we find them talking their seats are
promptly changed. A highly strung.
of some Of them. They become nervous
and semi-hysterical and temporarily forget
things about which they are ordinarily
wei posted. There is something really
woman who had failed in five examina-
lions in succession. She was on hand as
usual at the last semi-annual examination
in August and I expect her again next
February. She deserves to succeed some
day.
.'Once in a while we find a candidate who
thinks the examiners can be Influenced in
his favor through some means or other
Such one was the young man who said
he heard there would be no trouble In pass
ir3 en- examination II 800 were put IN
We disabused his mind Of that notion in
very short order, end convinced him of
what would happen II he tried to use that
or any other sum with such an intention.
II have also known candidates to tell
pathetic stories Of poverty and plead for a
lenient exam nation on account OF their
starving families. While very sorry for
such people, they should know that we can
not discriminate in anybody's favor In the
slightest degree, no matter what the cir
cumstances.
"Of attempted impersonation know Of
only three cases, one of which was made
public through the prosecution of the of.
fender a few days ago. When 1t is known
that all such attempts will be followed I'D
in the courts, we are hardly likely to en-
counter more"