Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-01-31
THE CASE OF MISS srA4NAAER.
West Virginia Lady Passes a Civil Service
Examination and Is Turned Down on Ac-
cou ~ Her Sea. /.

West virginia Lady Passes Civil Service
Examination and Is Turned Down on Ac-
cou II Her Sea.
The experience Of Miss Maud Stal-i
maker with the Civil Service Commits
sion and the Adiutant Generals Office
of the War Department. a detailed ac-
count Of which appeared in the Post OF
the ODD instant, has attracted wide at
tention. Many of our contemporaries
express sympathy with the young lady.
and all who refer TO the subject speak
with admiration of her almost ency-
clopedial attainments. The Post is
not inclined 10 put censure where it
does not rightfully belong. but there
certainly must have been am error COM
mitted somewhere i'm The official ma
chinery, or Miss Stalnaker would not
have been examined. passed and GER
titled for q place for which her sex was
bound to exclude her. The ADVERTISE
ment to which this applicant respond
ed was as follows:
The Civil Service Commission will
hold a special examination on October
20. to fill a vacancy i'm the position of
clerk, class two, in the Office of the Adj
jutant General, L. $. A., for which
special qualifications are required. The
applicants should be able TO translate
into English technical military works
in French, German, Spanish, and Ital-
ian; TO DO typewriting in all these Lam
guages: TO do proOheading and pre-
pare manuscripts for the pres, and he
should be familiar with modern library
methods with the classification OF
books. catalogue and indeXing, chang
ing. preparation Of binding, &c. He
will also be tested in the use Of the
English language and literary compo-
sitiOn."
1t will be seen that the word "he'
occurs in the announcement, but that
is not unusual in annoucig competS
tics that are open to both seXs" M
any rate, Miss STAY. %" appearN -
received no intims'uy. onlat she VS. not
wanted. The * 4. ccoss-ation was even
more difficult than was 7ld7caTer M III I,
| advertisement, for, besides translation
| from foreign languages into English.
! the exercises required writing transla-
ton from English into French, Ger
man. Italian, and Spanish. Miss Stall
maker was the only applicant who was
able 10 pass the test. Her name was
sent 10 the Adiutant Generals office,
and she had not the slightest reason 10
doubt that the place was ners. but
i'm a few days she was invited 10 call az
the War Department and was then ami
there informed that woman could, I'M
der no circumstances. have the place.
We submit that, under all clrcum-
stances. this was such treatment as no
woman or man ought no receive aJ me
hands of the government
The Adiutant Generals Office claims
that it made requisiri0n ON the civil
Service Commission for male clerk.
The commission does net deny this. but
holds that the law admits of no discrlm-
ination as to sex. But the commission
did not inform the applicant mat con
trovcrsy was pending, and thai. u sne
should pass and be certified, She Wouiu
be morally certain 10 be rejected. She
went through the ordeal. passed an OK
animation that not one person lA
hundred thousand probably MOI jill
million could have passed, ana WIS
rejected for a cause that nad De'n oiIl-
ciallv made known 10 the commission
before The advertisement was printed
With the contention between me ar
Department and the commission as 20
the right to discriminate iu me matter
of sex we do not care TO interfere AT lhiS
time. for we do not know what reasons
NAV have existed for demanding maze
clerk. There are department POSITIONS
for which men are preferable. ana Jh'To
arc nositions for which women arc
much 10 be preferred. But twas a cruel
wrong 10 permit Miss Sta.naker 10 nm.
dergo the examination i'm ignorance OF
tho sex contention. We hope that no
rendition of this wrong will ever oc-
Washington Post
The Miss Stainaker referred to IN me
above publication is a daughter Of Or
VIM. Staluaher. OF Washington Tor
merIy of Greenbrier county W. va anu
a niece Of u. r. Stalnater and Hon.
Ran Stalnaker. o. Wheeling.