Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-06-05
THEY ARE MERE sERFs.
The Life of Government Clerk
Is Not Happy One.
Young Men should Seek Any other
Avenue of Drend-winninE Rnth-
er Thnn Work in the De-
pnrtments.
ISpeclal Washlngton Letter. l

Many pens, welded by descriptive
artists of superior ability have been
devoted to meritorious etchings of the
great postal machinery of the United
States. They have painted with
winged words the gilded pages and de-
picted the exterior portions of the
white sepulchcrs. Yet they have never
seen the inner life, and hence have
never presented to popular gaze the
Ferf of the republic. And the voice of
the serf has never been raised concern
ing himself, or the labors imposed
upon him, by government which has
for him less consideration than was
shown to the slaves of an effete re-
gimc.
The serf knows that he can little
grace his cause by speaking of it. He
can only crouch and cover beneath the
masters lash, thankful and prayerful
and willing to let well enough alone.
He is unwilling to exhibit the proud
flesh that comes of his bruises. lie
can benefit neither the public nor him
self by exhibiting the lacerations of his
feelings or the maceration of his man
hood. Day by day he is mulcted OF
the robustness of independence which
is characteristic of his fellow men; vet
he is silent. There is around him an cs-
pionage that makes him shudder lest
the modern Vidocq discern his feelings,
wrest from him his self-consciousness,
and lay bare his secret thoughts of the
surroundings which make life sheol
Yet he has within his hearts hot cells
shut up, wrongs, bitter. burning
wrongs, withered hopes, crushed ambi-
tions, annihilated manhood" Over the
arched doorways of the departments
at Washington it might we'll be written
in letters of rugged iron: Manhood
quickly killed for all who enter here"
This only to the serfs. No matter
whether the legalized disregard for the
constitution, yclept "the. civil service
commission" or the executive mandate
of the wielder of the spoils system,
shall send him thither, he who enters a
government department at Washington
dies the death.
This is no more true of the post
Office department than of the others.
That branch of the executive division
of the government is selected for de-
bCIlptlOn DcCuuSc tue WTlJeT is an eN-
serf emancipated from that prisSn
These are to you strange sayings. You
have never considered anything con-
nected with the civil service of the gov
ernment in any but it's most 1oseate col
ors. Yet, to the actual public servant.
life spent in the government en-
pl0J has not spirituelle attrnctiveness.
1t is a whited sepulcher. There is es-
pionage upon every individual, and it
is so inquisitorial and shrewd that it's
depth, breadth and thickness are abyss
NAL, boundless. Hope and ambition are
cholled, and their roots extracted and
killed.
An elderly gentleman recently dared
to tell his experience to one whom he
knew to be trusty friend. He said:
II am wondering now whether it is
better to be pauper or puppy. l
came into this place II years ago, with
high aspirations. l knew tLat was
nctiye and energetic, and believed that
] could attain almost any enhance in
government life. | believed that could
reach the position of postmaster
general. But in less than
year l concluded that if | could
only become chief of my di-
vision 1 would be happy. did more