Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-01-08
WASHINGTON GOSSIP
How Government Places Obtained Under the Ser
vice Law

make life n burden for everybody in
power by their opportunities for gov
crnment places. And what n heart
breaking struggle. they have to keep
up appearances and TO what extremi-
ties many of them are reduced for
daily bread. Every day they grow seed
Ter and hungrier, holding on by the
eyelids, so to say--untl finally they
drop OFF into oblivion, by suicide or
some other way.
Young men, go West IL you will.
go hunt for gold amid the SHOWS of
Alaska, or court death from Spanish
bullets in Cuba, or as war correspuu-
dent in China-Su to the meanest place
on the face of the earth If you want to:
but stay away from Washington, II you
value peace Of mind and desire com
fort In your advancing years. And rs
for the young woman. she would much
better he respectable servant In
body's kitchen than to join the I'M
estimable 'rowd OF applicants In Uncle
Samuefs gr" National Employment
Agency.
Having thus eased my conscience of
It's little sermon, | viii proceed TO an
swer the question which heads this let
ter. Wanting q government position OF
any sort you address n letter to the
Civil Service Commission at washing
ton, asking for information; and
promptly the mails bring YOU con-
else, comprehensive little pamphlet, de-
voted to the instruction OF the appll-
cants, giving sample questions in the
examinations for the departmental.
railway mail and Indian services, and
containing n schedule of all the ex-
aminatlons to he held in the different
cities during that year With this book
Is inclosed a blank examination slip"
on which to write the date and place
| of examination you may select from
ha cghA lt,IA 1t d,
| tion you wish to take. When you have
| filed out this slip, 1t is in the nature of
a brief of your case. There Is also n
blank application, the size of n sheet
| of legal cap, two pages filed with
| questions for you to answer as to your
| name, citizenship. legal residence, edu-
cation, family, physical qualifications.
etc. all of which must be acknowledged
| before a notary. Two other pages con-
| tanning blank vouchers which must be
| filled out by residents OF your state.
| who have enjoyed your acquaintance
| for at least one year, and are willing
| to swear to your good character and
| habits. -Four such vouchers are re-
| quired. When these blanks are re-
| turned to the commission, if they are
| all properly filed, n card is sent to you
| which is a notification to appear at the
/ examination you have selected, and
| will also serve as n ticket of admission
| " lilG ibpUl. thF inc
/ average applicant there now follows q
| period of intense preparation. Arith-
metics and examiners are consulted, his
| tory looked over. and geography stu
| died. True, in the majority of clerk
| ships no great mental ability Is re-
| quired; but surely the conduct Of gov
| eminent business and the making OF
| public records and the counting of I'm
Gle Sans cash and coupons demand al
| least these rudiments of education
| Finally the fateful day arrives-a day
| of trepidation and of surprises. Tn,
| examinations appear to have beer
| constructed for the express purpose OF
How Not To Do 1t, and the widest
| questions are asked, apparently wides
of the mark intended. Not long age
a girl who was being examined for {
500 a. month place In the pension
| bureau, was asked the distance be-
tween Mars and the earth. She hadnh
the remotest idea, so she wrote dow