The evening times., 1899-08-30

Recent appointments in the Government
departments at Washington, made through
the medium of the Civil Service Commits
sion, have called attention to the fact that
women are being Disseminated against in
the matter of distributing positions.
Time was and not SO long ago, when the
women who took the Civil Service exam
ination for appointment as stenographers
and typewriters had the lead, and the
young men aspiring to these positions
were kept waiting on the eligible list.
Now, however, this is all changed, and
the eligible list of women stenographers
and typewriters is crowded, whiIe the
male eligible list is well-nigh exhausted,
and the Civil Service Commissioners have
ordered examinations to replenish their
list. Just why the woman should be dis
criminated against it not known, uniess it
is that she has no vote.
Secretary Doyle, of the Civil Service
Commission, said it was true that three
men are called for when one name is
wanted. In his opinion a man is superior
as stenographer or typewriter. The COM
petition among the women has been livelier
and the result is that they obtained
higher average than the men. There are,
he said, plenty of women on the eligible
list as stenographers and typewriters with
an average Of so, and certainly they
are more efficient and competent than men
who are appointed with an average OF
so and under. Secretary Doyle spoke
in high praise of the women clerks. and
said that in his experience he had found
them more reliable and faithful as a rule
than men. And there were many reasons
why this should be so. He also said that
the women were now taking technical ex-
aminations and that in this branch OF the
service they made excellent records.
There is no concerted action, it appears,
on the part of the heads of the depart
ments in refusing to appoint women, but
all the same when they have position TO
fill they request the Civil Service Commits
sion 10 certify the names of three men,
and this is done under the rule.
Chief Examiner Serven, of the Civil Ser
vice Commission, says there are many rea-
sons why the heads of departments pre-
fer men to women. One reason is that the
men can be worked harder in a rush and
are not so sensitive.
I'm addition TO this, said Mr.. Serven, il is
found that women cannot adapt themselves
to as great a variety OF work as can men.
They may be all right in certain line, but
when they are put on something else II Is
very hard for them to get the hang of il.
They are also inclined not only to insist
on having all the privileges in the way of
vacations and sick leave to whicA they are
entitled, but they often expect special con-
sideration and special favors. OF course
there are exceptions, and many women are
very efficient, but the heads of Offices where
both men and women are employed almost
invariably ask for a man when they are
filling a vacancy"
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Van
derlip who has general supervision or the
clerical force in the Treasury Department,
indorsed practically all that the officials of
the Civil Service Commission said. He said
it was undoubtedly true that women could
not be driven as hard as men in rush of
work, and the heads of offices in the Treas
ury Department almost invariably asked
for men rather than women to fill yacanA
cies in their offices.
He said this was probably in part due to
the fact that there were in almost every
Office some women employees who were far
from being efficient. Some OF them had
grown old in the service. They were de-
pendent upon their work for their sup
port Heads of offices were probably more
reluctant to recommend the dismissal OF
woman than a man for incompetency.
In the Auditors Offices said Secre
tary Vanderlip, men are generally pre-
ferred to women for the reason that wo-
men do not seem to have the faculty OF
exercising as well as men that judgment
which must be used in dealing with many
matters in those Offices. In the Office
where most of the work is done directly
for the Secretarys Office We have two
stenographers-a man and a woman-and
they are both very efficient, but the gen.
eral tendency seems to be to prefer men,
largely because they can do more work
under pressure and because of their great
er adaptability TO varieties OF work"