The evening times., 1895-12-11

their homes, and thus contributing not only
I to The moral hut material betternent of
| the city"
John L. Doyle, secretary of the board of
| civil service commissioners, says tifat wo-
| men. as a general thing, are more pains
| taking and prompt than nien. They Go not
attempt many OF the duties men perform,
| but generally give greater satisfaction
| In some places where the handling Of money
| necessitatcs the strictest honesty. women
I are exclusively employed. The redemption
bureau OF the Treasury and many divisions
| in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing
are examples.
In the Indian service women show their
better and kindly side. The salaries range
about from 5000 to 81 200, but many of
them are less than the first figure. In the
Indian school service 90s or the ,504 EN-
| Ployes are women who devote lives OF great
| toll to this charitable purpose. OF these,
are school superintendents at 81 200 per
] annum; one is a physician, ut 81 600; 1877
are teachers at S72O to 81 900; II are as
sistant tea chers at $500 to $500 per annuni.
! Besides these, there are 80 matrons, nor
| NAL teachers, % kindergarten teachers and
519 are employed in minor capacities.
ONLY FIVE APPOINTED.
While Mr.. Doyle speaks very highly of tire
| women who apply and obtain positions
| under the civil service, he also sa Us that of
| 325 women applicants only five are finally
| appointed; and, besides this, they rarely
f, apply to take the special scientific examina-
tons that are now open to women.
| For instance, in these there are many posi-
tions requiring an accurate knowledge of
natural sciences. Although these places
| are open TO women, and have been for
some time, none has a yet applied. The
| same is true OF similar positions in the
Agricultural Department
| Mrs. Elizabeth Brown Davis is one lady
| who has made q mark in the scientific
world. Her place does not come under
civil service rules, and her compensation
| from Uncle Sam is So per diem. She is
now engaged in making the calculations for
the nautical almanac OF 1900. These cal
culations are most abstruse and delicate.
| A trivial error in the calculation of transit
or conjunction of some star might pass un-
challenged and result in thousands ofdollars
loss. Therefore Mrs. Davis has considerable
responsibility nd occupies remarkably po-
sition for her sex. She also writes for many
! scientific publications. but the best thing
about her is that she has never neglected
her home duties Three splendid children
call her mother, and the love of q husband
hallows and sweetens her life. She Is the
kind of new woman TO talk about. May
her tribe increase
VERDICT FAvoRs WOMEN.
Mrs. Davis is a native of Virginia and
passed her girihond in Washington. In
1883 she graduated from Columbian Uni
versity and was the first woman To take
It's scientific degree. At present, in addi-
tion tu her official work. she is taking the
Johns Hopkins course for the degree of
Phi. d.
In all the departments where women
are employed in the same capacity as men
the verdict is universally in favor IF the
former. The reason given everywhere is
that competent. weli-educated woman
viii gladly work for $500 or $1,000 per
annum, while n man of equal attainmcnts
ccpt such a salary.
Another reason is found In the following
extract, taken from the late report of
the Civil Service Commission, and, although
specifying only cupyists, applies to all the
other branches OF the departmental SER
vice:
THE number OF women appointed to the
service during the last year and a half
from the clerk-copyjst registers was only
six. A woman must make a grade of about
80 per cent in order to have much chance
of appointment froin the clerk -copyist reg
lister, and in typewriting only those women
who pass at a grade aboye IS per cent
have a good chance Of appointment
Men standing the same examinations are
required to make only rs per cent, and
when this fact becomes generally known
TO the women advocates of equal rights
the commission may indeed expect a crisis
which win shake the continent from Maine
to California