The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-12
XAYOMEN CLERKS
w IN WASHINGTON

Furthermore, the reason might serve as
equally good ground for employing wo-
men. Hardly one woman out of every
fifty in the departments Of we except the
girls IN the census bureau but is either
the head of family herself or one of its
main props. A great many have mothers
whom they care for, while the brothers
are married, or perhaps not doing so well.
"Pulis" Thing of the Past.
To the hardworking Office girl of Chi
cago, New York and many Of the big and
little cities Of the country the govern
ment clerk who draws a generous SALARY
on the first and fifteenth of every month
is regarded with almost vindictive envy.
An erroneous opinion prevails that she is
showed into position by an influential
member of congress; that her working
hours are sort Of quiet resting time.
and that congressional backing is con-
stantly pushing her notch higher on the
salary roll. Now, she Is no more a fit
subject for jealousy than any other sue
cessful woman. She works Just as hard
and harder sometimes, than her sister on
the outside In the first place. all the in
Huehce at washington won't put her on
the eligible list Of the civil service com
mission. She has to work hard and must
nave ability to get there In the second
place, when she has secured a place she
must work to keep it, and expert work
Tor SIX hours and a half a day Is not
easy. There must be no errors in ac-
counts, no mistakes in letters, no rntsstate-
ments of fact. Government work is well
PAD only when well done. In the third
pace promotons are the award of merit
very striking illustration of this occur
red last winter when young woman was
MADE chief of one of the divisions In the
postoHce department, because she knew
more about the work Of that particular
DIVISION than any other employee in it.
She receives a salary of 1920, one of the
pest paid to any woman in the service.
MISS Thora Stejneger, of the Smithson-
ian institute, is another woman who il
earning large wages. Miss Stejneger is a
Norwegian who has devoted her life to
the study of animals. She has charge of
the classification of all animals received
by the Smithsonian, and many are the
queer specimens that she examines and
labels with the skill Of an expert day
after day, year in and year out
MISS Estelle Reel, superintendent of
Indian schools, does the work and en-
dures the hardships that are supposed
to be the lot of men exclusively. Her
work takes her all over the West, and
through many Eastern states. The poor
est Indian school on the far away from
tier must be visited quite as regularly
as the famous institutions at Carlyle and
Hampton. Miss Reel has had many ad-
ventures, and not a few mishaps Often
she Is obliged to drive for miles in A
buckboard or on a rafting stage coach,
and camp all night on the open prairie
the rustllng prairie grass for a mattress,
a Navajo blanket for covering the star
studded sky for canopy, and a dear little
revolver for company. Last year, while
fording a river in the Indian territory
her wagon was upset, and she was swept
down stream for nearly half mile. and
was rescued by a cowboy just as she was
being Whirled into some deep and danger
Gus rapids. No one will say that this
woman does not earn her $1,000 a year,