Evening star., 1897-03-24
THE PING lest
It Is Only Required in the Railway Mail
Service.
Some Applicants for the Government
Printing ONCE by Error, and Some
by Choice, Took the Test.

The hop, skip and jump argument
against civil service examinations caused a
good deal of merriMent at the civil service
building today.
1T Is one on u.s." said Commissioner Har-
low with twinkle III his eye. I'VE know
what the facts are. and that the charge Is
ludicrously wrong. but still it goes. The
way the thing happered was this: We print
one blank for departmental and govern
ment printing Office applicants
I'm the railway mail service the physical
requirements are strict. and medical eX-
animation is required. For the use of ap-
plicants for this branch of the service we
have a series Of questions on the blank.
There are nineteen questions asked, and
question 13 is State the frequency of the
action of the applicants heart: When sit
ting: when standing: when standing after
brief exercise (the applicant should be re-
quired to hop one foot the distance of
about twelve feeD.
That IS the 'hop-skiD-and-jump ques-
ton. 1t is required only of applicants for
the railway mail service, and on the blanks
that we are now using that fact is stated
clearly and conspicuously. On some of the
old blanks, however. it was not so clearly
printed. and by error some applicants
thought that they We're obliged to go
through this medical examination for the
departmental service.
Some printers also choose to take this
eNdiuiHdtioH, ana pay ~ LOT 1t 10 make
their cases all the stronger with the bu-
reau. Let me add. also. that there is
reason for the hop-skip-and-jump ques-
ton in the fact that the railway mail serv-
siQue, and the government is entitled to
have men who are perfectly sound and
equal to its requirements"
Commissioner Rice laughed when his at
tention was called to the matter. and said:
There is a reason for everything. an1
there is reason for the questions in the
medical examination of railway mali ap-
Tlicants. In the first place, the commission
is not responsible for all the requirements
set forth in that list of qIeS ions. The
railway mail officials ask that their en-
ployes should be physically sound.
They have told us that We may examine
as much as we please man who is less
than five feet four inches in height, but
they will never appoint such man. They
have also told us that we can certify as
much as we please man weighing less
than 125 pounds but they will never ap-
point such an applicant They iasist uron
these requirements because the cases into
which mail has to be thrown are of GER
tain height in order to accommodate the
great number of classilcations necessary.
and a man must be high enough 10 work
with them.
They insist upon his having sufficient
weight to be steady On his feet and equal
to the severe work of sorting mail
train under full headWay and throwing him
about from side to side and end to end OF
a railway mail car.
I'm no other examina ton Is the hopping
requirement thought of and in this one
instance 1t is only suggested in order to
give the physician chance to judge OF the
applicants heart. 1t might be required
that the applicant run around :he block.
but The hopping a short distance serves
the purpose.
There have been not a few instances
where applicants for places outside of the
railway mail service have taken this medi-
cal examination supposing they were oblig
ed to. and there have been some who have
taken it with the idea that 1t would I'M
prove their chances for appointment just
the same If q man being required to
show that he is good for $1,000 bail should
prove that he is worth 100000"