The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-14
INTELLIGENCE THE FIRST TEST.

To one of those persons who devote them
selves to Trades against the nature of the
questions propounded in civil-service exam
nations Police Commissioner Roosevelt, of
New York, has made reply in an open letter
Of some length. giving samples of the an
swers given by applicants who sought the
position of policemen and failed to pass.
One question required the applicant to
name four of the executive departments of
the New York municipal government. The
written answer was "Exzetive commite."
Another answered that paper" was the
answer to the question relative to the writ
ten instrument on which the government Of
the United States is founded. During the
campaign, the question. Into what three
branches is the government of the United
States divided?" was answered: Demo-
cratic, Republican and Populists." A recent
question was: What is the highest
branch of the Executive Department of the
United States?" The following answers
were given: "Fiar department" Sir
Pream Court Senitor,' "Exzegitive, general
secession" 1.-THE juryman." There were nu-
merous and original answers to the ques-
ton: why were July and Feb. % made
legal holidays?" Some of these answers
were: 1.-THE day of George Washington's
landing and crossing the Delaware" lone
of them days the country was freed" and
"Julu Forth was the end of the ware" Sew
eral spelled mayor MAR" One gave the
original information that Congress consists
of the President, Vice President, Governor.
! senator, mayor, treasurer and subtreasurer.
The applicant seems not to recognize how
| large q part of Congress Senator Morgan is.
One defined the duty of congressman to
| be Ito look after his constituents and see
| that they got good places"
Perhaps no information was more sur
prising than that given by applicants re-
garding Abraham Lincoln. Several made
him President of the Southern Confederacy.
One declared that Mr.. Lincoln taught one
of the worst battles during the war-that
| of Bunker HILL" Another asserted that
Lincoln let the donkey go fred and was shot
| by Garfield" Still another said: Lincoln
was not the great man that the people
| taught he was, and in my opinion think
| he did no due the people whom elected him
| as much justus as he might have done. '
| There are many other questions of a sirp-
| pie nature to which answers original and
| curious as those quoted were given. Mr.
Roosevelt says that to most of the poorer
people of the city the policeman is the EN-.
bodiment of the government itself; that he
is an exceptionally well-paid official, in a
| position of exceptional responsibility, and
that for the proper discharge of his duties
he needs intelligence distinctively above the
| average.
Still, there are those who ask, with a
| tone of contempt. what has such knowledge
/ as is required to answer the questions given
| much because such knowledge is test OF
general intelligence. and man who has not
| general intelligence is not fit for the posi-
| ton of policeman. The man who can grow
up in the midst of public schools and in in.
| telligent communities and hold the opinion
| or Garfield was the murderer of Lincoln has
| not the intelligence required of one who
| may make arrests or have charge of the
liberty or property of the people of a city
| Such a man can know nothing of the ord
nances of city under which arrests are
made. AS we'll appoint a man as mail car
| rier who cannot read, or as engrosSing clerl
! in the Legislature one who cannot write. In
telligence is the basis of fitness for any
position requiring any knowledge of officia
| dutx