The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-12
pARKERONCHINESE EXAMS
To 0EoGRAPHIOAL AND
HIsToRIClL QUESTIONS.

Cb,onro IL or who Were the Presidents
netween 1890 and ana Col.
prnut Csuidn't Answer Some Questions.
After the routine business had boon de
posed Of Mt their meeting yesterday a discussion
took place between the Police commissioner
over the present civil service examinations
for new candidates. MIR. Parker brought the
matter No. He said:
II have not paid much attention TO tho sub
ject matter Of these examinations. | have
left all that 10 you, Mr.. President, because OF
your great knowledge of civil service affairs.
/ have mover boon OF the opinion, however,,
that q higher grade OF men werc being obtained
by this Board. Citizens have spoken to me
about the poor class of mon that are getting on.
Some of the physical specimens have puzzled
me. / wondered how they got on. Mr.. Doops
Of the Civil Service Board has told me that
citizens have spoken to him. II" has been
told that some of the men are under height.
There IL an apparent deterioration IF the men
OH the late lists. Now. the city Information was
out out of tho examination. You told me. Mr..
Roosevelt, that men from thu country were
not we'll Equipped In city l
thought we might lower the relative weight.
but while l was away Col. Grant told me that
the city information had been eliminated
totally. Another change made was to clint
nate tho letter copying. That was not made by
tho Board. and Mr.. Dobbs thinks you person.
ally ordered It. The civil service clerks, l
understand, claimed IL was too tedious work to
Eu over the letter copying. and, therefore,,
that was cut out, and history, geography. and
questions on tho Government substituted. l
can hardly find one of these questions that
are Of any practical account for a pstrolman.
Some Of them Col. Grant and l myself could
not answer. He Is tho son Of the most cele-
brntcd General that ever lived. and yet he
could not tell about some Of the battles asked
abont in tho examination for pnsrolmon. On
what body of water Is Chicago2' 1t makes
little difference to me whether a man who Is
roing for a burglar knows where Chicago il.
Then Their. ire questions like Which were tho
nrst State, % secede from the UnionF Name
tho States cast Of the Mississippi and north
Of tho Ohio want to ask the Board whether
this ought to go.on.
col. Grant foundered around to answer tho
question to name five Presidents-between 1890
and 1910. l think that this is oil unnecessary.
The striking out of the copying and city in
formation has been responsible to some ex-
tent for thu difficulty In getting city applicants.
There must DO soma good sense and Drawn
right here.
There was another question in one Of tho
examinations, Who was President Of the
Southern Confederacy from 1851 to 1852
which some answered, Lincoln"
any man who would cav that Lincoln was
President OF the Southern Confederacy 1
would pref fer not to have ON the force" broke
in Mr.. Roosevelt
"'Name the principal city Of Missouri"
continued Mr.. Parker. What good 10 that3
How may the Constitution of the United
States DO amended?' is another question. How
many can answer that? l notice that q largo
proportion of the new men before me on trial
days only have extra intelligence in the line
of inventing excuses. Thore is u defect In tho
civil service examinations, and ZONE change
Il do not believe there is anv deterioration. :"
said Commissioned Roosevelt. but there is a
marked Improvement in the character o; our
Grant and Andrews. too. You have not seen
any or the last 800 mon we have appointed"
NO." exclaimed Mr.. Parker. but l will
have them before me on trial day"
Only eleven Of our appointments have been
dismissed went on Mr.. Roosevelt, AGAINST
of serious offences the old men have shown up
worse than the new. There are undoubtedly
ceised only two complaints. however. about
the new men being inferior, while thirty or
have mvestigat ted u dozen instances where COM
plant was made OF men being under height.
and in each case rhe charge fell fiat. As for
had only two cases called to my attention. 1t
was alleged that Capt. Chapman had used his
IuhuCuSo v c ~ iinA Htcuk go We, bos -
good physique. The mar wis examined again
and found all right Chapman had:nothing at
Is higher than ever before. AS TO the mental
examination. there may be individual ques-
lions that are unwise to ask: but IN my opin,
ask. THESE changes O.; the subjects were dis
cussed by the Board. Col. Grant took part in
Il may haze. but 1 do not remember said
Commissioner Grant. y think here onght TO
and aOma city Information. The questions
have not teen well chosen"
The questions are only such as you would
expect an American boy to know" replied Mr..
1--WE ap~point.a:good many::foreirn born men.
teiligence they should know five New England
States. One applicant put down, Ave New
E MsIss, a s5Ht Sc- (. t Msn a %io 5T msES an se an5Rer
OF that sor: are not OF the type that make good
policemen. l should object to making any
well" said Mr.. Parker. II think you can
meet in any walk of life me- who would be-
stumped on these questions. There is an
other thing. / have noticed among the high
est on the list a greater proportion OF men / wa
doubtful about than among the lower men. /
have not seen any OF the men who | think
will develop into the sort of men that got on
before. Some Iofprm ought TO be thought of.
We ought to go back to the old character OF
examinations The questions should be adapt
cd to what is required OF men in the police
Commissioner Roosevelt finally agreed to
consider q change in the relative weights OF the
various subjects which form part OF the eX-
anlinLtions. IL was decided to let the mat
ter go over until next meeting, as Commits
sionsr Andrews had to leave before the dis
cussion came up.
Commissioned Parker next suggested that
one meeting n week wonld be sufficient to trans
act the Board business. AID Col. Grant
agreed with him.
Commissioned Roosevelt thought, however:
there should be two meetints weekly, and asked
to have the matter go over until Mr. Andrews
was present. He said II would be wise to
bring II up wnen all the Commissioners were
present.
81 think 1t would he unwise." said Col.
Grant. Mr.. Andrews has already ex pressed
himself as being opposed To changing the meet
ing days. We had better fix IL now"
Commissioner Parker then moved that the
Board meet only on Wednesdays. President
Roosevelt voted against 1t, but his TWO col
leagues were for IT,, 1t Was then agreed Ia
have a meeting on Monday mex, in order TO
accommodate Col. Grant, who will be out Of
town. and ther u after on Wednesdays. '
Commissioned Parker inquired what steps
had been taken to prevent a further leak oi
the questions used la tho examinations. lie
was Informed that now tn, questions are no,
printed until the morning OF the examination,
and the original copy Is taken to the printing
office by Detective Sergeant John MCCaulcY,
who watches the process of printing, and sees