The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-28
GOOD ADVICE FOR
The OFFICE-SEEKER
Keep Away From The National Capital at
All Hazards.
IT Is NO PLACE FOR ACTIVE MEN
Government Position Generally I'm
fits One for Other Pursuits and
Leads to Nothius..Somc Typical
Cases of spoiled Livcs..AnXious
Times in the Departments in An.
ticipntion Of the Approaching
SWcCp,
Penn" in Pittsburg Chronicle.

Penn in Pittsburg Chronicle.
In short time the capital will be
hesieGod by hundreds of oipce-s"ckers,
while all over tn. land thousands of
eXppctant hearts will vcarn with the
hope Of getting slice of the official
patronage to be dispensed by the in
coming administration. The manifold
departments of the government, with
offices in evcrG stale and III every
large city, will attract many. The
vast number of positions under the
pustoil;ce department., atfectin" every
hamlet and cross roads settlement. will
appeal tn others. The countless oiticia,
positions at the Carital itself VIII fire
the imacinatiOnS of others, melting
them to leave their business, tear them
selves away from old associations, sew
er ties of family and friendship. to
project themselves into the Whirl Of
official excitement 1T Washington.
These latter people are to be piticd, not
envicd. They are to be pitied first for
their unwise ambition. They Will h"
subjects of further sympathy after
their ambition is realized and they
have tasted the utter. hollowness and
wsatisfactoriness Of it all.
There are onl. two conditions under
which Il man is justified in seeking one
of the official positions of the better
class at Washington. First. if he is
absolutely without other means of sup
port and takes it for the salary. In
that event he should live humhly, save
every penny he can, return to the
states as soon as his time is w. and
so into business. The other is, if he
Is a man of inde3endent means and
takes the position only for the novelty
of the experience and the entree it will
give his family in official society, to-
gethcr with chance for few years
residence at the capital. to return to
their old home later and resume the
life of substantial citizens. AS rule
neither of these conditions are full
filled. The man OF the first case, in
nine times out of ten, lives up to the
top notch while here. infatuated with
his changed conditions of life carried
away by the lazy, enerVating. semi
luxurious manner of living at the cap
ital. When his term is uD he finds
himself in a worse condition than when
he took his office. He is Just as poor,
and he labors under the additional dis
advantage of having acquired habits
OF ease and eXtraVagance which rem
der the nrosnectS of Il different mode
of life appalling to him. He has al
most if not entirely incapacited him
self for the hardshps of active bilsi-
ness life and low pay which will con-
front him when he goes back into the
world. He does not want to leave
aShington, and he therefore becomes
an abject sucDiant for II minor posi-
tion under the new administrat ton. will
ing to recant his political opinions if
necessary, and to eat the humA.est pie,
just so it is official pie.
With the man in the second case the
fellow of means, is not 50 bad. He.
too, is afflicted by the same objection
to leaving Washington. but he is in q
position, probably, to do as he chooses
He will settle down to speculate in real
estate and piece out his revenues in
that way, reducing his extravagant
mode of living, perhaps, but content
just so he can maintain some kind of
footing in the circle in which he has
moved. The trouble in his case will
he that as he gradually breaks off all
associations with the states and the
great earnest. busy. hustling. substan-
tial world outside of Washington, he
is working an injury to his family If
he has sons. they are growing up in
the worst atmosphere in this country.
They are growing up in an atmosphere
of shallOwness, of laziness. of lack of
ambition and lack of energy to full
fill an ambition. There is nothing to
stimulate them tn work or study. There
is no future for them here. and when
they go away to seek a future else
where they will find themselves handi-
capped by the life they have led in
Washington. Chances are. you will
find them drifting back again, hanker-
ing for some lazy, shiftless job in the
departments.
The town is full of the kind of cases
mentioned in the first class. Any
newspaper man who has resided a the
capital for a decade or more can take
You along the Avenue and + street and
point them cut by dozens. Some of
them have fallen into clerkships i'm the
departments and are stranded for life,
to jog along at the same salary and
same monOtonOus clerical work until
they drop into the grave. Others are
.'attorncys,' picking IN Il precariOus
living as best they can. claim agents,
unsuccessful lobbyists before congre SIS,
pension agents to whom an occasion SO
fee is = Windfall. and making a dollar
through the devious ways known only
to these unfortunates. | saw one of
these fellows not long since. a few
years ago he held an imnurtGnt posi-
zion in a department where there were
several hundred female employees. and
J laugh now tn remember how arrogant
and naughty h was. He was more diff
ficult of approach than any cabinet Of
ficcr. He ruled the trembling girls un-
der him with a rod OF iron. He held
the destinicS of man! n half-StarVol
family in his hand. and by a ncl could
biing the wolf to the door of the aged
parents and little brothers whom thu
hard-working girl was supporting. He
was V"ritahle car i'm the little king
dom over which he ruled. How are
the mighty fallen He is naughty and
arrogant no longer but now a cr;ngino .
applicant for work himself. He stack,
up alongside the free lunch counter
with the messengers OF his old chice.
and is Ivy no means above taking a
drink unon their invitation. II" was u
great man in those days, but it is doubt =
full. if even his name is remembered
now except by those of his poor en-
ployes who recall it only with hatred
and Vengefuiness and who Doubt SS
.loat when they see him S:anulng on
the windy corner his thin trousers flop
ping in the breeze. looking wistfuly
at the big government buildings with
their cosy offices.
There is only one condition under
which Il young man with health should
enter the department service at Wash
ingtOn. Even that one condition is
fra,"ht with risk. If a young man has
a fixed and unalterable idea of study
ing n profession or equipping himself
mentally for some calling, he Is jisti-
fed in getting into the departments
through the civil service. if he can.
He may then have the prospect of re-
munerative employment for II term of
years during which time he can study
and attend the law. and medical and
scientific schools at night. He works
from until 4. and the remainder of the
time he can use as he chooses. If he
is economical. he NAV sNen SnNe Snme-