The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-09-18
ghs asha aa1g gaa qeesaaa gorns septe,bsr s. 1901

This plan was carried out and he killed
the lion hanging head downward While l
held him by his feet"
! President Roosevelt was succeeded On
, the civil service commission bv John p
Harlow Of St Louis Mr.. Harlow has in
his Office many mementos Of NJ. RooSe-
Neits regime, one Of the most interesting
OF which is a defense OF the civil service
examinations by Roosevelt. given before
one OF the state committees.
Roosevelt was answering the assertion
that the examinations were not fair tests
OF mans knowledge and intellectual at
tainments. OF the committee he said
with the directness and force which give
nm much Of his fame. that the exauiua-
ions Old indicate the fund OF inrorma-
ton possessed by applicants. and he i'm
mediateiy cited examples OF the answers
made 70 the question, Who was Lin
colnE in an examination conducted
shortly before the time CT the senate com
mlttee's investigation. In the answers II
appears that Lincoln was a revolutionary
general; he was assassinated by Thomas
JEFFERSON nd was the assassin Of Aaron
Burr; he commanded regiment IN the
French and Indian wars: and was an arc
tic explorer In period Immediately after
the civil war. The defense OF the exam
nation by Roosevelt is fun OF such speci-
&c examples. showing that he had an in
innate acquaintance with the results OF
the work in his Office.
Drrer--1rA
the form Of examinations now so sener
ally used by the commission TO discover
the peculiar fines or un1tness Of april
cants for special lines of work to which
they are TO be assigned. It came about in
a series Of examinations in which Texas
and the southwest were interested. 1t
was proposed TO place the mounted in
spectors of the government along the Rio
Grande, in Texas under the civil service
rules. These inspectors are men of rare
courage and must necessarily be skilled !
in handling cattle, familiar with the dif- /
ferent kinds of cattle brads. and excel |
lent hOrsemen. They have to deal with /
the cattle rustlers on the Mexican border /
When Roosevelt saw the question which /
had been prepared for these men, bearing
On history. rhetoric. and mathematics. /
ne declared the proposed examinations /
would be farcical, and calling to his aid l
MS own familiarity with the cattle coun-
Try and the plains, he drew UP a set of
questions for the inspectors The only
intellectual test was that which was
made by requiring man to answer the
questions in his own words and hand
writing. The questions were something
# shock 10 those who had been con-
iucting the examinations in accordance
With the old methods One of the ques-
ions the men had to answer was this:
State the experience, IL any, You have
lad as a marksman with a rifle or a
'istol; whether or not you have practiced
hooting at a target with either weapon.
T at game or other moving Objects and
lso whether you have practiced shooting
n horseback. State the make OF the rifle
nd revolver you ordinarily use"
Another Of the questions read this way:
State fully what experience you have
ad In Workmanship: whether or not you
an ride unbroken horses; If not, whether
gu would be abb unassisted, to rope.
ride, saddle, mount. and ride an ordi.
airy COW pony after it had been turned
.
an ride an ordinary COW pony on the
'undup, both in circle riding and in cut
nS-out work around the herd"
Another question which Mr. Roosevelt
AIMED was as to technical knowledge
the different brands OF cattle in the
lttle country. and It would be unintel- '
slble TO any but cattle man or Roose-
elt. When he submitted the question to q
s colleagues he declared that, to be a d
lccessful government inspector and
loot lawless MeXicans and prevent the G
unning' of cattle over the border. II
as necessary for a man to discuss the '
'bular hypothesis nor to have an init
ate knowledge Of the name and number
inhabitants OF the capital OF Zanzibar. Il
all sincerity he told his colleagues
at he would like to make another re- n
irement, and that was that each appli- le
Mt be made to appear before those in
arge Of the examinations and Iasso, p
row, and tie a steer in twenty minutes. L
It as he himself did not have time TO a
eside at such a feature OF the exami-
ton, he had left that out. That was e
e beginning OF the practical methods C
examinations by the civil service com n
ssion which have been followed up by al
:. Harlow and MS colleagues on the II
mmission until the scholastic element st
the examinations has disappeared al
'st entirely, and they are now designed fe
ely to establish the practical fitness bl
at applicants have for the lines Of work az
which they are 70 be assigned. q
ha
IS Colonel Roosevelt was walking up pr
laware avenue IN Buffalo one day last
ek he passed a nancient negro rak- 81
leaves out OF the grass between the III
ewalk and the curb. The negro took &C
his hat and bowed low. lel
Please, sir. Afr. Roosevelt" he said.
q Ike TO shake hands with you. sir" i'm
S he grasped the vice presidents out Fc
etched hand ne said. be
Look cut they don't get you. Mr.. VICE va
sldent" WI
Thank you" said Colonel Roosevelt. ,
started On We
wo men IN overalls had stopped 70 e
,ch his meeting with the negro. and get
he turned 70 go On they stepped up 70 sol
J. too with their hands stretched out / err
be colonel shook hands with them ths
b and thanked them for their greet fan
gu
Amt you afraid when a fellow comes
TO you In the street ike this?" asked
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