Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-01-08

that she was sure II was so far away ,
that It Would not Interfere with her
work; and let us hope that the sensible
answer did not cost her the coveted
po9iuon. Most people have an idea
That oivll service examinations In all
grades call exclusively for book-learn-
ing As matter of fact, many men
who can neither read nor write have
lately passed and obtained positions.
The other dag one WIS appointed as q
driver, another as "A calker, another a
blacksmith, each OF whom made an y
mark for his signature. That reminds
me OF a bright newspaper man, since
distinguished and successful, who was
Tor years carried on the payroll Of the
senate as hurse-shoer. although he
never shod n horse In his life and per-
haps never saw the inside of smithy
one of The strangcst requirements now
included IN the civil service cxamina-
ton is that the applicant must be able
TO pass through the elliptlcal opening
by 10 Inches in Dimensions. Although
such test looks positively silly, 1t is
In some cases of great Importance. 1t
Is applied 20 an applicants for positions
in the steamboat inspection service. In
spectots OF boilers, for example, must
pass every day through many such
openings In order 10 attend to their
duties: and what an awkward predica-
ment for portly, -wlndowed gem
tleman to get himself tangled inside of
boilcrl The history Of a mans indus
trial life must be learned before he is
eligible to n government position
which demands qualifications. Skill in
the line OF work required, care and
rapidly, are more to the purpose in his
case than mere book-learning.
Generally speaking, the percentage
OF college graduates who have tried for
high positions under the classified SER
vice and who have succeeded through
these examinations, is much lower than
that of men who have never attended
college, Experience is now the prlnci-
pal requirement for many of the higher
| offices. For instance the man who
Will I'LL the vacant position of assistant
attorney general for the interior de-
| partment must have practlced at least
| iive years before courts engaged In the
adjudication of land laws, because his
| principal duties VIII be to pass opinions
upon and argue land cases. Applicants
| for railway mail clerkshlp must be eN-
| rerts in deciphering indistinct chiro-
| graphy. Those desiring positions in the
| life-savng service must prove that
they have been accustomed to handling
small craft in salt water; and so on.
| through all the ramlfications OF the
! government service. Applicants for the
| scientific places are not many, and 1t
| often happens that the commission has
| hard work to fill a vacancy. This is
| bttduHt Nllt government pays so little
to scientific specialists that they can
earn more money outside. Some of the
| examination papers require a ltnowl-
] edge of languages: others include me-
| chanical engineering. chart work, pho
| Biography, anatomy. designing and en-
| craving. pomology. climatology. horti-
| culture, astronomy, architecture, en-
| craving and drawing, and goodness
| knows what else. Last year only twen-
| ty-eight men and five women were ap-
| pointed tyr iriters and stenographers.
, although there We're seven hundred and
| eighty-two applicants on the eligible
| list.
The law also establishes certain age
| limitations in civil service appoint
ments. Pages in the department must
be between the ages Of fourteen and
| eighteen years at the time of their APP
polntment; printers assistants. from
eighteen to thirty-fve; messengers,
! over eighteen: clerks. over twenty. In
the railway mail service the appontees
must be between eighteen and thirty
five; in the Indian service the ages
range between twenty and fifty-nve
The appolntee must also be a citizen OF
the United States. physically qualified
for service, and not habitual user OF
intoXicants. These are by no means
all the conditions upon which appoint
ments hinge. They must be apportioned
among the states and territories, and
the District of Columbia, according to
population. Among the numerous ex-